We've touched on the emotional journey you're taking your readers on when you write a story, so now it's time to talk about how to keep your readers' interest peaked throughout this journey.
If you think of your story like a contract between you and your audience and the biggest clause of that contract is your promise of a good read, it's therefore your duty to make sure you deliver. And if you really want to impress, exceed their expectations altogether. Here are some tips for keeping your readers hooked:
0 Comments
Every writer will have their take on character creation and how they go about it, so here are my thoughts for the How to be a better novelist series. When creating characters you need to think outside the box – don’t completely stereotype your protagonist - some stereotyping is ok so the reader can connect, but make sure you keep surprising yourself and the reader with the prot’s decisions and actions. How many different emotions do you feel with Maggie in Little Child? Maybe at first you love and admire her, then maybe as the story unfolds the adoration turns to dislike. As more and more is unravelled, there could be the strong possibility you may absolutely hate her… Snape is a brilliant example from Harry Potter. We never know to the very end what motivates him and why he does the things he does, but JK Rowling leads us on a journey. That’s something else I find really useful – take the protagonist on a journey because in doing so, you’re taking the reader on a journey. And that’s what writing a book is all about. My rules for secondary characters are more lenient. Example James in Little Child – he’s very one-dimensional. My personal view is that this is ok. Too many characters doing things to surprise will detract from the protagonist. Read your character's dialogue aloud, imagine them as a living person. Brainstorm their hopes, dreams, fears. Do this with your whole cast, but spend twice as long on your prot. Readers connect / fall in love / compare themselves with the prot. in every book (I certainly do!) so they should always get first priority. Secondary characters are there to support the prot. but they should never be strong enough to override. Again, this is just my personal view. We all have bad habits when we write which are hard to break because we don't know what they are until we hear the criticism. The good news is, there are simple things you can keep in mind whilst you're writing to bring back the clarity and sharpen up your prose.
Use metaphors, similes and analogies sparingly, but if you really must use one, pick a metaphor over the other two. Forget cliches. No squeaky clean. No trips down memory lane. No sleeping like a log. Or springing into life. It's really hard when they roll so nicely off the tongue...! Use the past tense rather than "would". Every day she would run through the park. Every day she ran through the park. Avoid weak words like appeared to or seemed to. The man appeared to be shocked. The man was shocked. Cut out unnecessary adverbs. He ran quickly. If you're running, you're moving fast and the reader knows that. Only include the adverb if there's something about the action the reader needs to know. Show, don't tell. Emotions can be conveyed through the character's actions. Angered, Martha sat down at the table and started writing furiously. Martha sat down at the table and started writing furiously. Don't use passive sentences. There was a dog barking in the background Vs The dog was barking in the background. There were cats crying for food Vs The cats cried for food. He was to be elected Vs He was elected. And this is my favourite one and something I am consciously working on whilst writing my new novel: Using your five senses to bring a scene alive - the setting, the characters, the pace. Don't just describe what your character is seeing, hearing, smelling. Don't just describe the physical and obvious aspects of a setting. Put the emotion into your writing. Make your readers feel it. The best books I have read (and the ones I'll always remember) are the books that made me feel something. Right off the bat I can tell you I laughed my way through India Knight's "Don't you want me?" and I cried my heart out through Danielle Steel's "Lightning". Using these suggestions to tighten up your writing will make the words come alive on the page and enhance the reader's experience. It's really difficult to not get distracted when you work from home because there are a million things you could be doing verses the one thing you should actually be doing. If you woke up this morning with only a smidge of interest in working on your novel or writing project, trust me, it will be very easy to achieve little or nothing today.
So how can you stay motivated? First of all, set yourself a realistic target for the day. Something along the lines of editing 100 pages, writing the first draft of a chapter, or piecing together a sub plot using a spider diagram. Try not to beat yourself up if it doesn't happen for you, but do everything you can to complete the task by the end of the day. That in itself will give you a massive boost. Allow yourself some day dream time (maybe when you're making and eating breakfast - or lunch - or both) and let the buoyancy of the day dream carry you for a moment or two. It's ok to get swept up in best case scenarios (I do it all the time!) but don't turn the dreams into your expectations. You'll only be setting yourself up for a mighty fall... Finally, write what you love and love what you write - and do all that unconditionally. Trends and markets are important (and they should always be sitting in the back of your mind) BUT if it's coming out stilted, you'll know straight away and it'll put you right off. DON'T think too much about the technicalities. DO focus on the heart of the story. Tuning and fine tuning come much later. That's what second, third, fourth and fifth drafts are for! As I was telling a friend, when I'm in the zone with my writing, I'm really in the zone. That writing place, that I hope for the writers out there you can connect with, is simply magical. The words flow, the plot thickens, the characters come alive in the visual inside my head - and the secret is to capture it in words before reality drags you back to, well, reality. When I wrote my first novel, I would say I probably only found that peace about four or five times in the space of six months. The rest of the time I teetered on the edge, my everyday To Do list sitting there in the back of my mind, bugging me and distracting me. Does it affect your creativity and output? Of course it does, and it also causes frustration and resentment. To escape is self indulgent and selfish, but that's how I write my best stuff, so I'll never change it. A few years ago now, a friend and colleague gave me some advice when I kept making excuses about why I couldn't write daily. Apparently Yoda says in Star Wars "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Sandy wrote this on a piece of paper for me and I still have it pinned to my noticeboard in my home office today. It's amazing the impact a few words can have. They were the catalyst to get my first novel finished after so long. I guess what I'm trying to say is - find your motivation and hold on to it (for dear life in many cases), so you can fulfill your potential and complete whatever writing goals you've set yourself today, this week, this month, this year and beyond. Apart from the obvious - spelling, grammar and prose - when you're writing that work of art, my strategy for a good novel lies in the characters, the plot and the pacing. Once you've fixed your genre, these 3 key ingredients are pivotal during the writing process.
You know how much I swear by my characters. Their emotions dictate their actions which in turn dictates the plot. Strong characters will lead a story and this what the reader will remember. Plots need to be plausible but you do have some flexibility here. A reader will be prepared to suspend reality to a certain extent and for a certain amount of time during the story - and this is what you must exploit. When it comes to pacing, even the best plots can suffer if the pacing is too slow or too fast. No reader wants to drag their heels through a novel, so make sure they don't have to. The best novels I've read hit these elements on the head and I salute the writers. We wannabe authors can never stop learning from the experts! Yesterday I introduced you to the idea that being an author - or freelance writer - or both means more than just writing nowadays (see my post 10 jobs of a modern day writer). And it sucks, let's be honest. When all you want to do is write and you can't, it's a frustrating and miserable time for all. There's the dreaming. And then there's the reality. Unfortunately, as a writer you start by dreaming and quickly get doused in reality, whereas friends, family and colleagues expect you to be world famous - just like that. In fact, they expected instant success the minute you penned the last word, but let's be honest, didn't a tiny part of you expect the same thing too? I know I did - and I was more prepared than most after being brought up to speed with the current state of the publishing industry at one particular conference. Problem is, I'll always dream! Whether you're going after a traditional publisher, or you're attempting indie publishing, you need to be asking yourself some serious questions along the lines of: 1) Can I handle people criticising the story I've been working on for years? 2) Am I in this for the long (long) haul? 3) Do I have time to read and improve my craft? 4) Am I really and truly ready to be a published author? 5) Do I have time to build my author platform, manage my online presence, market my book AND continue writing? 6) Am I willing to support and promote other authors struggling to be heard just like me for our mutual benefit? If you can't answer YES to every one of these, then it's time for a rethink... Embrace or run away! Like anything, it's a tough old business, yet I'm guessing you keep at it because one day, just one day you might come good. To end this post on a positive - don't forget my definition of success and celebrating each and every little achievement. When I began my publishing journey a few years ago I thought all I had to do was write and if I did it well enough I would be famous all over the world.
I loved my ignorance back then! I learned in one day that there was so much more to it than that. I think it took about four hours for my dream to be blown apart. To succeed in today's industry you've got to wear nine additional hats to the hat of being a writer. Pretty scary eh when all you thought you had to do was write! So in no particular order, here are my 10 jobs of a modern day writer: Writer - first and foremost this is what you set out to be. Always fall back on the writing (if everything else I'm about to tell you overwhelms you) because this is where you'll earn. Administrator - to keep track of bills, payments and expenses for tax purposes. Accountant - to file the tax return. Editor - to be a great writer you need to be an expert at stringing the best words and sentences together with a minimum of spelling and grammar mistakes. Researcher - to get beyond Wikipedia information and dig for the real facts. Negotiator - to get the best rates for your super duper writing. Marketeer - to build your brand as a writer and make you visible to potential opportunities. Speaker - to share the industry with others. Advocate - to sing your praises and to sing those of your fellow writers too. Word of mouth is such a powerful tool! Also for rights, payment, treatment and helping each other with all the different aspects of being a writer. Networker - to connect and recommend. |
AuthorBlogging is an amazing concept so here I am giving it a whirl. You'll get words. You'll get pics. Sometimes a vid or two. You'll get tongue in cheek, the odd humble opinion and an honest insight into my travels and writing life. Maybe even a few gems along the way. I'll be musing on home turf as I see more and more of the UK and sharing my experiences further afield on holidays and adventurous trips across the globe. Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|