How To Keep Your Readers Hooked.

Last week I blogged about writing the first chapter and how that was the hardest job of all. I had many fellow writers agree with me and I also had those who did not.

Those writers pointed out that writing the rest of the book can be harder, and from that point I do agree with them.

Here's what I mean ...

When you write the first chapter you are making a promise to your reader. You're saying to them that your book will keep them entertained, enthralled and on the edge of their seat. You're setting a style and tone to your writing that you must keep up during the rest of the book. And sometimes that can be a very tricky thing to do.

All successful stories must have an element of suspense. No matter what the style of writing is like, whether you write in first or third person, you must write with suspense as your goal to keep your readers turning those pages.

I've read a couple of books lately that I've been disappointed with. I've been drawn to their plotlines because the blurb sounded interesting but when I've read the book, I've been waiting for a turn or a twist or for something to actually happen. But nothing does. All I get is a very flat story and then I question why I've bothered to waste my time reading it.

If I had bought the book I would have been very disappointed indeed but because I've just got them out of the library it's not been too bad.

But those books illustrate my point perfectly. A plotline just isn't enough. You have to make it interesting. And how do you do such a thing?

You have to add a huge dollop of conflict and suspense. Make your characters have the worst possible lives because a happy, smooth life is lethal in fiction. And keep your reader guessing what happens next. Too many storylines are predictable and predictable equals boring. If your reader already knows what's going to happen at the end then why should they bother to keep on reading?

Tell me how do you make sure your reader is hooked on your book?

Writing The First Chapter: The Hardest Job Of All.

Last week I blogged about having enthusiasm when starting a new book, and how I have so many ideas racing around my head which I can't wait to write down on paper. This week I'm blogging about writing the first page or the first chapter of that book, and why that's the most difficult task of all.

As I said last week writers often have a copious amount of ideas when starting out on a new book, but those ideas can sometimes become jumbled. Writing the first page is an extremely daunting task in one sense because you're shaping the route your work will go down. And when you think you've only got another 89,000 words to write it can be an extremely frightening feeling indeed.

But I always look at it like this. No matter what you write or type on that fresh piece of paper, your opening scene will rarely stay the same once you have finished the book, as it's sometimes an impossible task to know how your story will end. Normally you have an idea, a goal you want to achieve in your last chapter, but more often then not your ideas will change throughout the book.

Some writers will cut a lot out from their opening chapter and put that work in other parts of the book. Some writers have a bad habit of information overload - revealing too much too soon. But if you save all of your work more often than not you can use it again in other parts of your book.

No matter if you have to re-write your first chapter ten times to make it fit in with the rest of your book, here are some points to consider when writing your first chapter.

• You must introduce your protagonist and give a little information about them. Sounds obvious, right? But you'd be surprised how many books I have read that give the first three pages describing weather conditions.
• Show the character's needs and what they want to accomplish. If the reader knows this then they have a better chance of caring what happens to your main character.
• Make your protagonist believable, as in make them a character who could be a real person. unless you're writing sci-fi, of course. Even then you have to give them something which readers will be able to identify with.
• Let the reader know which country they're in along with the time period. Readers will be able to engage so much better with the story once this has been achieved.
• And finally introduce the antagonist - the character who will make your protagonist's life difficult.

So, how do you deal with your first chapters?

Why Slow And Steady Wins The Book Writing Race

I love that feeling I have when I'm about to write a new book. There are so many ideas racing around my head I cannot wait to get them all down on paper. And until I start jotting down my thoughts, I can't think of anything else.

So many novice writers feel like that too. Although a daunting task that requires a 100% commitment, often on a daily basis, writing a book is one of lifetime's greatest achievements. And that is why so many people will start out on this epic journey with so much positivity and enthusiasm.

But like so many other things in life that enthusiasm will fade. There will be many long days and nights where this task will seem insurmountable. Many, if not all writers will question their sanity, and think themselves crazy for putting in so many hours where no positive outcomes are guaranteed.

But that's the joy of writing ;)

So, how do you keep the level of enthusiasm to ensure you actually finish your book?

That's a simple question to answer really as long as you've written at least one book.

Confused?

Let me explain.

To maintain that level of enthusiasm you need to finish your book you need to make sure you have a life outside of writing. It's a bit like saying that although it's wonderful to have all the time in the world to write a book, in practise it doesn't quite work like this. At least for me it doesn't.

To complete tasks I have to feel a level of urgency. I have to have this mind-set of: I need to write now because I'm going to be out later. I need to work now because I'll be having fun later. Although writing is fun for me, don't get me wrong. But I need something else to focus on as well as my writing. It's all about getting the balance right.

Now, remember how I said that this is a simple question to answer as long as you've written at least one book? Let me explain what I mean by that too. It's taken me two books to realise I need to have a life outside of writing.

I spent ALL my time writing the last two books. And nothing kills your enthusiasm like that does. My writing became very boring for me very quickly. And that's not good.

But please remember this as well. Once you have succeeded in writing your first draft remember it's only your first draft. There will be plenty of errors and mistakes that you'll need to correct before you can even think about sending it off for a professional copyedit. Many writers are far too critical of their work before they realise they've still got time to improve it.

It's said that in order to become a good writer you need to write for 10,000 hours, or approximately three years. That's a long time and that time will provide a decent opportunity for doubts about your writing to creep into your mind. But don't let them put you off. If you truly want to be a writer then you will find some way to write.

I've been writing seriously for around three and half a years now and I'm still at it. So long as you write regularly you will find ideas come to you naturally. I've got an idea for my fourth book even though I'm still writing my third. I am proud that I've got part way through this epic journey and I have never once looked back. I encourage others to do the same.

Going Round In A Loop: Why Repetition Can Sometimes Be A Good Thing.

I am reading a brilliant book at the moment by Chrissie Manby. And it's made me think how well the author uses repetition.

Repetition can sometimes be a good thing. The author doesn't repeat certain words or sentence structure but uses repetition to her advantage.

I first noticed the use of repetition when the author mentions the weather. If it is raining you get the sense something bad is about to happen to the protagonist. If it is sunny then the protagonist has a bright moment. Repeating certain elements within a story often make it a satisfying read.

Another thing I notice is how many books start off the opening chapter and the final chapter with a similar location or setting. It's as if the reader has gone round in a full circle following the protagonist's personal growth. If the author ties up all the subplots together then this also makes the reader feel like they've gone around in a complete circle.

So what do you think? Is repetition a good thing? Have you used it in your own writing?

Reasons Why Indie Authors Should Celebrate.

Last week I posed the question of whether it's better to be an indie author rather than a traditionally published one. This week I am stating why indie authors should celebrate their place in the writing world.

As their title suggests indie authors have the ultimate freedom and flexibility over their career. They can choose the genre they wish to write in. Some authors write in several different genres under different names. They can decide the length of their books, they have control over the book's cover design and they can choose the price of their books. As pricing goes indie authors can alter it from various different prices, enabling them to do promotions by giving copies away for free over a certain amount of time. They choose the retailers that they wish to place their books with, ensuring their work has maximum exposure.

Being an indie author allows you to instantly upload your work. If a writer chooses to go down the traditional route, they have to wait months if not years to receive a response from agents. But if they had chosen the indie route their book could have sold thousands of copies within that time frame.

Going independent also cuts out the middle man. Indies can make much more in royalties than a traditionally published author. Just because this author has an agent and publishing house behind them does not guarantee a higher income. These types of authors may make more in terms of their advancement but both agent and publisher take a sum of their royalties.

The publishing world has changed a vast amount in the last few years and I am so glad writers now have the option of going indie. It's virtually impossible for new writers to go down the traditional path of publishing because no one is willing to take a chance on an unknown author. And if a writer is lucky enough to be published that way their publishing house might only distribute the author's books within the same country. As the author of two ebooks I have been lucky enough to sell copies world wide through the use of the internet.

And as for being an indie author myself, I wouldn't have it any other way.

What do you think? Are you an indie author? Has it brought you much success?

Is It Better To Be An Indie?

I had a sudden epiphany last week. It came to me while I was browsing books by my favourite chick lit authors in my local library. I envied the success of these particular writers and wished I could have their good luck sometime in the future.

I then went home to look up their books on Amazon and Goodreads to see their reviews. And what I found shocked me.

These books weren't so successful as I thought they would be. Some only had 3/5 stars, and their ranking was also much lower than I had expected. I must have browsed over 50 to a 100 books in the space of an hour, thinking that just because the author had an agent and a traditional publisher behind them, they would be so much more successful than the average indie.

Now these writers have produced a lot of books over their career. One particular author has over fifty books on her author page, but her reviews do not reflect that achievement.

Quite a few said more or less the same thing - stating that she should not focus on how many books she can produce in one year, but she should spend more time on the ones she has written and focus on how to craft them better.

And do you know what ...? I agree.

This author is ridiculously successful but her writing has become so poor over the last few years. Her characters are flat and annoying, and her plotlines are ridiculous and far fetched. She has written a very popular series, and I think because of its success, she has decided to stick with all her old character types.

But then I wondered how much influence her publisher has over her work. She's probably under strict instructions to write more in less time and therefore produces a mediocre piece of work. She probably has an idea of what plotlines to write about and what her agent considers successful.

But my main point is: have the people in question lost touch with their readers reality?

The result is that the industry publishes a lot of books that in my mind would really struggle to sell if the author was unknown. And it's only because of their previous success that they manage to continue to write.

As an indie author myself I haven't got this added luxury. At the moment I am only writing my third book. Therefore my main goal is to produce the absolute best piece of work I can possibly write and to have it professionally edited. And to hope it sells.

But I did also realise another point when browsing these particular books. I have had the same sort of ranking in recent months. Sometimes my ranking has been even higher than theirs. So, as long as I keep writing I see a good chance of success.

Does Writer's Block Really Exist?

If you're a writer you will find many articles on this subject. And when you start your career you may struggle more with this problem than when you're an established writer.

During my four years as a writer, I haven't really struggled with this concept at all. There have been times where I've struggled to write when I have been stressed, rundown and tired, but this usually rights itself once I've had a rest.

So, how can you make sure you don't run into this problem yourself? I think many writers start out with an idea and are so enthusiastic about it that they start to write until they can't think anymore. They thought their idea was going somewhere until they stopped writing and now they have simply run out of ideas of what to write next. If this sounds familiar then I suggest you stop for a while and do something else, and then come back and brainstorm a few ideas to see if they can generate any further ideas.

While some writers can just go with the flow and have endless ideas coming to them, I think it's best to always have a loose idea of where you want your story to go. That way if you ever do have writer's block you'll always know where you eventually want to end up.

Another good way to overcome writer's block is to read other books. I know when I read I always seem to think up new ideas. But sometimes you just need to approach your story from another angle.
Maybe I haven't really suffered from this because I always write from an outline. Sometimes my outline is loose but sometimes it's compact.

So what do you think of writer's block? Have you ever experienced it? What are your solutions to it?

If you have another stressful situation to deal with in life I do not believe it's writer's block that prevents you from writing. I've just had a comment from a lady that has made me realise I should have made this point clear from the start. But if you struggle to write when nothing else is wrong then maybe you should try and rectify the problem.