By
Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund
One
of my favorite compliments from readers is, "I stayed up really late
reading your book."
Story
tellers would much rather have their books keep readers awake until
unreasonable hours rather than having their books put readers to sleep.
So
how can writers make readers bright-eyed, excited, and turning the pages rather
than bleary-eyed, yawning, and closing the book?
Here
are 6 ways to keep readers up past their bedtime:
1.
Make Every Scene Count:
Before
I write a scene, I envision a stage and my characters upon it. Who would want
to go to a play and watch the actors meander around the stage talking to
themselves or reflecting on problems while eating, getting ready, shopping,
driving in the car, talking on the phone, etc.? Big yawn.
Rather
than the mundane and ordinary, our audience wants to be entertained by the
unfolding story. Put the characters on stage and have them jump right into the
action and drama.
If
we eliminate static scenes, then readers will come to expect that every scene
in our book adds suspense or value to the plot, even when we slow the pace. The
more succinct and necessary we make each scene, the fewer parts readers will be
able to skim or skip.
2.
Make Every Character Count: . . .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If
you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they
are again:
- How To Use MailChimp – From Sign-Up To “Send!” | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/uVk4M
- Public Speaking—It's Even for Authors Who Are Sissies | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/uWq6L
- Writing Faster: Breaking the 10,000-Word-Day Barrier and Composing a Rough Draft in 2 Weeks | Lindsay Buroker http://ow.ly/uWqgX
- 20 Powerful Ideas for Creating and Marketing Your EBook - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/uWqJ3
- Do You Worry About Your Writing? How To Stop And Fall Back In Love With It | Write to Done http://ow.ly/uWqUs
- Why Building an Email List is Essential for Authors — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/uWrUQ
- That second draft will not kill you . . . Pinterest http://ow.ly/uWs7m
- Fix Showing vs. Telling with Macros & Word Lists | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/uWsvF
- BookMarketingBuzzBlog: Should You Market Your Book In Just Four States? http://ow.ly/uWuPn
- Getting Unconventional Is Great for Business http://ow.ly/uWv66
- Maggie Lyons Blog: Blip Those Bloopers http://ow.ly/uWvin
- 6 Reason Why Your Marketing Communications Might Fail - infographic ~ Digital Information World http://ow.ly/uWvWr
- Make Your Social Media Strategy Soar - infographic ~ Digital Information World http://ow.ly/uWway
- A Writer's Journey: Readers Will Judge Your Book By Its Cover http://ow.ly/uWwqe
- A writer’s battle against the -tions: procrastination and distraction | Annalisa Parent Author http://ow.ly/uWx3Q
- Divas on Writing: How to Spot Your Tic - Write Divas | Write Divas http://ow.ly/uWxHE
- Southern Writers: Suite T: Specifically Speaking http://ow.ly/uWxU4
- Too many hashtags will hurt you. | adorably alice http://ow.ly/uWODm
- Here Are The Top 10 Most Annoying Social Media Behaviors http://ow.ly/uWQEV
- Why You Should Publish Your Book Before It’s Finished http://ow.ly/uWQTt
- Susan Kaye Quinn, Speculative Fiction Author: Stories Don't Expire - Don't Rush to Publish http://ow.ly/uXm6o
- Author, Jody Hedlund: 6 Ways to Keep Readers Up Past Their Bedtime http://ow.ly/uXml5
- Is my book paranormal or literary? And which age group is it for? How to categorise your novel | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/uXmVS
- Save $$ With A Manuscript Proof Checklist | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/uXn92
- How to Make People Read Your Business Card | Indies Unlimited http://ow.ly/uXnu9
- Fiction University (The Other Side of the Story): How to Build Street Cred as an Indie Author http://ow.ly/uXnMP
- Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: Character Motivation: What is Her True Journey? http://ow.ly/uXp6H
- The Stephen King Drawer Method for Writing Better Copy : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/uXqgk
- 8 In 10 Say The Ads They See On Twitter Are Irrelevant [STUDY] - AllTwitter http://ow.ly/uXFKQ
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