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Add You - Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages
A keynote speaker was asked to speak at a real estate convention in Pittsburgh, Pa. during the time of the closing down of the steel mill industry in Pittsburgh. The outlook was bleak as almost everyone had lost their job. When this gentleman arrived at the convention he found a completely negative group of agents that were just completely devastated.When he was getting ready to seat himself, he was worried about sitting around all those negative people. All of a sudden this very cheerful lady invited him to sit next to her. Unlike everyone else she was extremely cheerful. The keyno
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing tha
When do you need a remortgage quote? It’s needed only when you are in trouble with your present mortgage. You might be facing a bit of troubles in repaying interest of your present mortgage or you might need a remortgage quote to reduce your multiple debts into one single loan amount. And, what all you need is a better remortgage quote which offers you loans at cheaper rates than your current mortgage.Remortgage means to exchange your current mortgage with a new mortgage to get better benefits form your new mortgage. You can get a remortgage quote form your present lender or you can
They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. They hate to see them losing, or struggling to survive. That's quite understandable - after all, they've become friends with these people. They're cheering for them. They want them to win through!
Now wait a moment. Wa..a..i..t.
It's your readers who are supposed to be cheering your characters on. It's your readers who want things to turn out for them. And it's your readers that you have to make suffer - because if you do, they won't be able to resist turning the page to see what happens next. They'll feel bad for your characters... heck, they may even shed a tear or two... but they will keep turning pages. They have to. They need to know how this all turns out!
Conflict is the engine of your story. It keeps the wheels turning; it keeps the characters moving. Take away conflict, and what have you got? A cheerful little afternoon tea-party, that's what. And like all afternoon tea parties... it can get a little boring. A few cream cakes and a few hours of conversation, and you've had enough. You want to go home.
At all costs, you must prevent your readers from packing up and going home. Or more accurately - to close the book that represents the cozy (but boring) tea party. Here are a few tips on building and sustaining conflict in your story.
1. Think "Drama"
In one corner of a restaurant you have a happy couple, gazing into each other's eyes. They're smiling. They're happy. In the another corner you have couple No. 2. Their body language is enough to tell anyone that there's trouble brewing. At first, they argue in low voices. Then things start to escalate. Their voices start to rise, and it ends when she throws wine in his face, sends her chair flying back, and storms out.
Which couple is attracting all the attention?
No contest! Naturally, it's the one involved in all that DRAMA. We're all drawn to conflict. We wonder about the reasons for it. We're eager to hear about the outcome. We HAVE TO KNOW MORE.
Give your readers drama, and you can be sure they'll keep coming back for more.
2. Portray Strong Emotions
If you don't allow your characters to experience emotion - and to show their emotion - then you're losing readers. One of the chief reasons that editors give for rejecting a novel is "lack of emotional punch". By making sure that you let your characters experience a full range of emotions, you are dramatically increasing your chances of acceptance.
In any one day, we all go through a whole lot of emotions. We're happy. We're sad. We're gloomy. We're ecstatic. We're jealous or envious or embarrassed.
Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.
If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.
3. Pull the Thread Tighter
Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing that
IntroI know this from my other websites, and I just want to say it again and again, so what better way to just let it out than a guide? I know it sounds like every other piece of advice web promoters have given you, but most people dont listen. So I'm here to try and hammer it into your head a little bit further. SEO PAYS OFF.What is SEO? SEO is short for "Search Engine Optimization". These days, almost everyone uses search engines to get to a site, even a site who's URL they know (I do it all the time). What does this mean? It means that you should get
At all costs, you must prevent your readers from packing up and going home. Or more accurately - to close the book that represents the cozy (but boring) tea party. Here are a few tips on building and sustaining conflict in your story.
1. Think "Drama"
In one corner of a restaurant you have a happy couple, gazing into each other's eyes. They're smiling. They're happy. In the another corner you have couple No. 2. Their body language is enough to tell anyone that there's trouble brewing. At first, they argue in low voices. Then things start to escalate. Their voices start to rise, and it ends when she throws wine in his face, sends her chair flying back, and storms out.
Which couple is attracting all the attention?
No contest! Naturally, it's the one involved in all that DRAMA. We're all drawn to conflict. We wonder about the reasons for it. We're eager to hear about the outcome. We HAVE TO KNOW MORE.
Give your readers drama, and you can be sure they'll keep coming back for more.
2. Portray Strong Emotions
If you don't allow your characters to experience emotion - and to show their emotion - then you're losing readers. One of the chief reasons that editors give for rejecting a novel is "lack of emotional punch". By making sure that you let your characters experience a full range of emotions, you are dramatically increasing your chances of acceptance.
In any one day, we all go through a whole lot of emotions. We're happy. We're sad. We're gloomy. We're ecstatic. We're jealous or envious or embarrassed.
Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.
If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.
3. Pull the Thread Tighter
Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing tha
Usability is a key term that you, as a search engine optimizer, will be hearing more of lately. In essence it means the ability of an entity to complete a function once it is started. How does this apply to SEO? Essentially if you brag that your site promises “SEO guru help” and individuals who log in there don’t see any help at all but only affiliate links to other sites with gurus then Google and the other big engines may not see your site as having usability. The more technology progresses it seems the more that marketing types will now be obligated to fulfill the promises that they ma
Which couple is attracting all the attention?
No contest! Naturally, it's the one involved in all that DRAMA. We're all drawn to conflict. We wonder about the reasons for it. We're eager to hear about the outcome. We HAVE TO KNOW MORE.
Give your readers drama, and you can be sure they'll keep coming back for more.
2. Portray Strong Emotions
If you don't allow your characters to experience emotion - and to show their emotion - then you're losing readers. One of the chief reasons that editors give for rejecting a novel is "lack of emotional punch". By making sure that you let your characters experience a full range of emotions, you are dramatically increasing your chances of acceptance.
In any one day, we all go through a whole lot of emotions. We're happy. We're sad. We're gloomy. We're ecstatic. We're jealous or envious or embarrassed.
Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.
If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.
3. Pull the Thread Tighter
Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing tha
The other day I was writing a sales brochure for a West Coast manufacturer. As I got to what I’ll call the “proof” section of the brochure, I was rummaging around for testimonials. The company already had a full-blown Web site and a solid PowerPoint presentation. So I was hopeful that I’d find some ready made testimonials or at least some material I could use to create some.As it turned out, they had one case study with a couple of customer quotes. I pieced together the material to create one measly testimonial. It was less than adequate.Well, maybe it’s no big deal. After al
Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.
If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.
3. Pull the Thread Tighter
Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing tha
Using viral ebooks can be a big help in reaching the level of success you desire. If properly implemented you can catapult your traffic and profits through the roof for any product or affiliate program you decide to promote. In the following article we are going to discuss some of the most important reasons why you should be using viral ebooks.The first major advantage of writing and distributing viral ebooks, is the cost. The only cost associated with distributing brandible ebooks is the software used to compile your ebooks. Some of the different formats to choose from would includ
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing that things aren't settled yet! Gently, gently... keep stretching the tension... keep building the conflict.
Your readers just won't be able to help coming back for more.
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
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