How to grab readers?

[Democracyman]

Just curious what techniques are most effective to grab readers? For me when I am reading the most grabbing parts are where I can identify with the main character in
a dangerous situation.

A trick is to write each chapter end with something dangling, to grab the reader to read to see what happens
in the next chapter.

It is all about the emotions generated, right?

Dan

[kennyc]

Dan, I think there are any number of ways to grab readers. It could be action, self-contemplation, an obvious question, etc. And each of these is not going to necessarily appeal to all readers.

I also think the chapter ending thing is not necessarily the same as what I consider 'grabbing the reader' which to me means primarily the opening of a story, book, article, essay. It's what makes the reader want to keep on reading, it raised the question, what then? such that they want to keep reading to find out. This should start in the first paragraph of the piece and yes continue through the story which is what gives it the narrative drive and keeps the reader interested.

[Democracyman]

I am not a fiction writer and only a beginning writer of non fiction, so I only know a little from what I read and from what I read.

To me many books don't have enough to grab a reader's attention. In the old days there was nothing to do, so a book could meander around quite a bit and the reader will stay, today the reader is bombarded with distractions, other entertainment options abound.

I think it a bit much to leave a large dangler question at the end of each chapter, however most chapters should have this element, something should be there to drive the reader forward to really want to know what happens next.

It is a question of emotion, what emotion the reader gets from the story, the plot, the problem the hero or villain has?

Give the characters a problem, a mission and a place to grow into. Give the reader strong emotions, somehow.

I think the emotions you can generate in a reader drives them to keep reading, right?

I have decided to model after Louis L amour's style in fiction and his best books seem to demand you to keep reading and in his kind of story it is a mission to be completed in a dangerous situation and quite often a end of chapter dangler that keeps the reader going to the next chapter.

It is like this, if a reader reads the first paragraph of your book then at that point the reader simply can't put the book down, or just leave it for another form of entertainment, that is the hoped for effect.

Dan

[VydorScope]

Some one once said the first page is how you get the reader to read the current book, and the last page is how you get them to read your next book. So you could apply that to the paragraphs of a chapter.

[Justin Nemo]

I have to agree with Vincent, but I really do hate those books with a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter. Some chapters just end naturally, so let them.

Your first three pages are the most important to my mind, if they don't want to turn the pages by then you've lost them.

[Democracyman]

What are the tricks of the trade? How do writer's craft a page and book that people can't sit down?

What emotions you aim for to get people to keep on reading?

Mysteries or detective stories?

Action stories?

Romance stories?

Sci Fi?

What is the "trick"?

Dan

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

I have to agree with Vincent, but I really do hate those books with a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter. Some chapters just end naturally, so let them. [...]

I agree. I've come across this sort to cliff-hanger chapter writing quite a lot in more recently written action novels, and the chapters really do read like episodes of some cheap television series. Not that chapters shouldn't end with suspense, but that they should do so only if it fits where you are in the story, the story shouldn't be bent out of shape just to achieve it.

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by gmw

I agree. I've come across this sort to cliff-hanger chapter writing quite a lot in more recently written action novels, and the chapters really do read like episodes of some cheap television series. Not that chapters shouldn't end with suspense, but that they should do so only if it fits where you are in the story, the story shouldn't be bent out of shape just to achieve it.

Jeeze GM, I'm underwhelmed. We actually agreed on something.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

Jeeze GM, I'm underwhelmed. We actually agreed on something.

I was wondering when you'd notice.

[xg4bx]

as a reader i like a little hook at the end of the chapter especially if your chapters alternate the pov of several characters.

the biggest sin imo is foreshadowing. it doesn't happen very often but any book whose chapters end with 'little did they know x was going to happen' gets thrown across the room. its painfully corny.

at the very least an interesting, if not bombastic and exciting, opening is a must. if your book bores me immediately or starts with an info-dump, it gets thrown across the room.

[LuvReadin]

I quite like the end-of-chapter hooks too, although I agree with gmw that if there ain't one, don't force it! What does need to happen is for the book to have something in it relatively early on that keeps me reading - there are too many books and too little time, so if I'm not interested by about a third of the way in, I'm unlikely to bother going any further.

[gmw]

The importance of capturing a reader's attention early in a book is common advice - and makes sense - whether it be the "first three pages" that Justin mentioned, or the first third suggested by LuvReadin. What I have found myself staring at on occasion is the importance that some advice places on the opening sentence.

Such advice manages to come up with some wonderful examples, some authors have found exactly the right opening for their book. It's great when you see it done well, you can really admire it, BUT is the first sentence in particular that important to the reader's acceptance of book?

It seems to me that a book must set the tone clearly, and capture a reader's interest within the first few pages (I know, that sounds awfully like agreeing with Justin again ), but I wonder if too much emphasis on the opening sentence and paragraph is like having every book cast from the same mold. Or am I wrong? Is it worth rewriting and rewriting that first page until the very first sentence tells a story in itself?

[Democracyman]

I am working on the craft of writing some, reading a book about it, pretty good. A lot of hints in it.

One thing it says is to have constant motion forward, a challenge or threat in place that must be dealt with, it can be physical danger or a problem of solving a murder with physical danger present. Or a monster to kill, and a damsel (or man) to save etc.

I guess the ever present 'hook' is a constant motion forward and a constant problem to be solved of some sort. A hook at the end of a chapter is a particular smaller problem to be solved at that moment. Maybe getting down a cliff face or having to get your warp drive working as the enemy ships are diving in. It seems to me the most emotional problems that hook readers in a book are the same ones that hook people in life, like finding true love, or facing a evil person in a challenge.

The book I am reading says you must make the character traits in the book very big to show them to a reader, must paint them fairly large, like evil or impatience or a bi polar mental disorder etc.

One hook that I think is important is surprises, you must surprise the reader in the plot in a believable way, in way that
turns their emotions on as well. This kind of craft keeps them reading.

I think it better for me to understand the guidelines of a successful novel way before I try to write one. Then at least I may have a rough draft that after a million edits would be fun to read.

The book I am reading is "The 38 most common problems fiction writing mistakes" (And how to avoid them) by Jack M. Bickham

I think it is pretty good.

Dan

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Democracyman

The book I am reading says you must make the character traits in the book very big to show them to a reader, like evil or impatience or bi polar mental disorder etc.

Hmm, dunno about that - I agree that a character probably needs a distinguishing feature (Columbo's raincoat, Miss Peacock's continental knitting, Mr Bumble's pomposity), but that seems to be a bit OTT.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by gmw

The importance of capturing a reader's attention early in a book is common advice - and makes sense - whether it be the "first three pages" that Justin mentioned, or the first third suggested by LuvReadin. What I have found myself staring at on occasion is the importance that some advice places on the opening sentence.

Such advice manages to come up with some wonderful examples, some authors have found exactly the right opening for their book. It's great when you see it done well, you can really admire it, BUT is the first sentence in particular that important to the reader's acceptance of book?

It seems to me that a book must set the tone clearly, and capture a reader's interest within the first few pages (I know, that sounds awfully like agreeing with Justin again ), but I wonder if too much emphasis on the opening sentence and paragraph is like having every book cast from the same mold. Or am I wrong? Is it worth rewriting and rewriting that first page until the very first sentence tells a story in itself?

Agreed, maybe the saying should be more 'do no harm.'

I read a short story over the weekend and the first two sentences totally drove me batty, I wanted to throw my ereader across the room and actually skipped the story because after re-reading the sentences half-a dozen times they still made little sense.... I decided later to come back and found that after I got past those first two sentences the author actually settled down and wrote a nice narrative. I'm convinced that those two sentences were written and re-written and re-written trying to create a killer opening.

In case you are wondering, the story is in the latest Pen/OHenry Awards 2012 - "Nothing Living Lives Alone" by Wendell Berry