In a world filled with endless entertainment options, readers have little patience for stories that fail to captivate. As writers, our challenge is to ensure our novels don’t end up in that dreaded category of boring.
So, how can we keep readers turning the pages? This question has guided my own writing journey.
As a writer, I’ve learned that keeping a story interesting starts with identifying what I want to achieve. These goals are now constants in every story I write. Some of the examples presented in this article will be from my book Dark Love.
Here are the essential goals I focus on to help create engaging narratives that resonate with readers.
1. Lesson Learned
One of my primary goals is to ensure that readers take away valuable lessons.
In Dark Love, Inara learns that bad decisions have consequences. Readers grasp that love conquers all. Through Lemuel’s journey, the importance of understanding in managing relationships is highlighted. Ultimately, the story conveys that love can be tough, and sometimes tough love is true love.
2. Upholding Morality
I want readers to finish my stories with a sense of morality. I believe in promoting a better world. On that note, every villain, especially the unrepentant ones, must face consequences for their actions. In Dark Love, this principle manifests when the villain meets an expected end, discouraging jealousy and evil deeds.
3. Character Growth
Characters, particularly the main ones, can start flawed but become better by the end. This mirrors real life, where everyone has imperfections but can change. Inara begins as gullible but matures as the story progresses. Similarly, Lemuel transforms from a vengeful character to one who understands the truth, leading to a new approach with Inara that embodies tough love and ultimately transforms their situation.
4. Preaching Positivity
I use conflict to discourage negativity. The characters’ journey through conflict, from fear to resolution, helps them grow. Their navigation of challenges mirrors our real-life struggles, making the story relatable. A tale without conflict is simply dull.
For instance, a story about two lovers who visit a shop and return home happily is not engaging. But if those lovers encounter a hostage situation or any kind of threat, the story gains tension and interest.
In Dark Love, Inara’s poor choices and Lemuel’s management of her and external threats keep readers engaged. The way characters in any story face challenges, facing fears, making mistakes, and ultimately overcoming, mirrors real-life conflict resolution and encourages a winning spirit.
5. Genre Mix
A romantic story becomes more intriguing with a mix of genres. In Dark Love, while it is primarily a romance, supernatural elements from the dark game drive the main plot. This variety adds depth and excitement, proving that variety truly is the spice of life.
6. Dynamic Story Progression:
The story should always move forward. One thing I’ve learned is that dragging out a conflict for too long can frustrate readers. I ran into this issue with the villain in Dark Love. While continuing updates of this story on GoodNovel, at some point, some readers began to express frustration with her lingering presence, so I quickly resolved that storyline, which gave the plot the push it needed to move forward.
This taught me the importance of shortening the time between presenting a conflict and its resolution. Dragging things out can become boring. Now, I try to make sure my novels are page-turners by resolving conflicts efficiently while still leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter to propel both the reader and the story forward.
7. Unpredictability and Plot Twists
To keep a story engaging, it shouldn't be too predictable. For example, in a dream sequence, instead of writing, "She dreamt she was going to the market and was abducted by masked men into a vehicle on a shortcut path, but woke up as she was thrust into the car," I would say:
"The sun cast its bright rays over the bustling city as she walked to the market near her home. Choosing a shortcut, she was suddenly grabbed by masked men and forced into their car. Panic surged, prompting a scream as she jolted awake, panting and relieved to realize it was just a dream."
You see what I mean?
In Dark Love, the initial belief that Inara is pregnant creates suspense, only to be unveiled as a misunderstanding later. Such twists not only surprise but also deepen the narrative.
Unpredictability in storytelling keeps readers engaged and invested. By showing rather than telling, as in the dream sequence example, you create a more immersive experience. It allows readers to feel the tension and surprise rather than just reading about it, enhancing the overall impact of the narrative.
While you may not always be able to maintain a show-don’t-tell approach 100% of the time, using it around 60% can still greatly improve the depth and engagement of your story.
8. Short but Immersive Descriptions
Descriptions should be brief yet immersive. There's no need to describe the status of the sun for paragraphs on end. Readers might get bored or even frustrated.
Image Above: Courtesy Freepik
For example, in the dream sequence I mentioned earlier, the sun’s description was immersive but brief. I’ve made the mistake of over-describing before, and a reader once called me out on GoodNovel for it. I saw their point and adjusted my style, learning this valuable lesson in the process.
Personally, I now believe that dragging out descriptions is unnecessary and may even annoy readers, especially with online novels where they are paying per chapter. Can you imagine how frustrated they’d feel if they had to pay for a chapter filled with endless paragraphs about the setting sun? Hahaha!🤣
The key is balance: give enough detail to paint the picture, but not so much that the reader feels bogged down by it.
Conclusion
