Whether it is a short essay or an epic novel, there is one goal that is critical to an author. You must grab and hold your reader’s attention. An audience is unforgiving in this decade. They are use to instant gratification and a short attention span. And it is not hard to see why. Technology such as twitter means that breaking news spreads almost instantly.
The bad news is that your penmanship has to move with the times and grab your audience immediately. Fail to create an impact in the introduction to your essay or that first chapter of a book, and it is quickly put down and forgotten.
What does it take to grab your readers? Caterina Christakos says the purpose of creating a story is to create a world that will draw the reader away from their own. In order to do this one must create suspense, drama and mystery. Your reader must absolutely need to get from page to page, to find out what happens.
There are several simple techniques to get your story going and draw the reader in. Here are just a few:
- Start in the middle of a problem – A lover’s quarrel, a murder, a personal dilemma.
- Start with an unusual environment – Alice in Wonderland, the beginning of the final frontier, a journey to a new world.
- Start with action – A gun has just been fired, a woman is deciding whether to jump, a hospital ER.
- Start with a feeling – The soft silk slid across her skin, as she finally slid into his bed. Hot coals burned his
stomach as the bullet tore through him. The rich velvety feel of chocolate on her tongue was the
perfect end to a dreadful day.
Don’t spend the first day bogged down on details, unless they are absolutely crucial to understanding your story. Even then, save descriptions for later in your story, if you can. Get the reader hooked first, then you can describe the rich incandescence of his eyes or the exact color of her house. Remember your story should be like life, fast paced, even at a standstill, and utterly surprising.
Contributing Author – Source. Image shown under creative commons share alike – Source.