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how to keep a story ━━ no. 006
"entertaining"!
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     This was a topic that was requested by @asteroidglow!

     NOW, KEEPING YOUR STORY "ENTERTAINING" FOR THE READERS IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF AUTHORS FIND THEMSELVES STRUGGLING WITH. I've been there too, but I believe that I have found a way out of this sinkhole.

     I'm not saying that I'm a professional or perfect when it comes to keeping readers engaged, but I do believe I've gotten to the point where I've found that balance of maintaining quality writing, publishing a satisfying amount of quantity, developing and keeping character arcs going, and finding new ways of twisting the plot to keep people on their toes. If any of you have read any of my books, aside from 𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 and 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍, then you might agree that I keep my stories relatively entertaining. (I only mention those two books because although I like them, they're not my proudest works, and I wrote them spontaneously without any prior planning. So, the plots and such are quite bland.)

     Down below, I have listed my top 5 tips on how to keep your stories "entertaining" for your readers!

     𝟎𝟏. This is a simple one but use humor. One of the easiest ways to keep people engaged and sucked into your stories is by using humor. If a reader is laughing their ass off at something you wrote, chances are, they're going to keep reading. We all love a good laugh (I hope), and comedy is one of the basic elements that every story needs at some point.

     I love writing humor. Most of the time, the entertaining and humorous scenarios I create in my head are ones that I, realistically, won't experience or get to have often. So, if you're the same way, write those scenes. Find a way to incorporate them into your stories in a way that flows naturally and matches the personalities of your characters.

     𝟎𝟐. Add breadcrumbs within the first three chapters of your book. These don't have to be colossal breadcrumbs that flat-out tell the reader the entire plot or give away major future character arcs. These breadcrumbs can be small, mysterious, enticing, and lingering. Which I find are the best ones to leave. You want to trigger curiosity in your readers and get the gears in their brains turning. This means that the breadcrumbs need to come at the beginning of the story. When I'm reading, I usually read up to either chapter three or four before I decide if it's a plot that I'm genuinely interested in, want to know more about, and will continue to read. If not, it's automatic toss and I remove it from my library. For other people, it's the same way. So, put those breadcrumbs within the first three chapters frequently. Get people curious and wanting more.

     Now, these breadcrumbs need to be appealing and not so hidden that the readers skim right over them. Make them obvious, but not too obvious. Does that make sense?

     Also, please keep in mind that your book will always be competing with another form of entertainment. There are a million different things that can distract readers and deter them from your story and it's important to remember that when you're writing. At the beginning of your stories, you've got to give the reader a reason to commit to following the journey of your books. A reason that will get them to turn away from everything else and dedicate their time to you.

     𝟎𝟑. Do the unexpected. Pull shit that you know your readers aren't expecting and leave them shaken. This can be taken and used in terms of plot twists or by giving your characters an obstacle or choice that leaves them vulnerable, emotional, and torn. Think about it in terms of the penultimate episode of a TV show's season; the episode right before the grand finale. You want to pull the carpet out from under the reader's feet and make their jaw drop. Now, don't do this in such a way that it doesn't make sense, connect with your plot, or make it seem as if your characters are acting out of character. Make it make sense with your story and its elements.

     𝟎𝟒. Don't write or end scenes that'll leave readers with questions, and uncertainty, or have them confused. Leave scenes in a manner that will cause the readers to want more. When readers have all the answers—or think they do—then what's left to keep them going? They won't have any reason to want to continue reading. Think about your readers: what will have them anticipating the next chapter? Is there an event or future encounter that the main character will have that makes it worth sticking around? Give them something new in every chapter if the plot, events, and characters appear to be moving along smoothly with no bumps in the road. Keep things coming, you don't want to put your audience to sleep by the end of your chapters.

     Also, don't introduce new elements at the end of a chapter unless you know that the next chapter will pick up where you left off. You want your readers to have questions such as, what's going to happen next? What are they going to do about this? You don't want them asking, what the hell was that? I'm so confused. That made no sense. What just happened? Unless it's appropriate for the plot and will drive the story forward. Don't leave unintended openings that you'll never fill or develop in your story.

     𝟎𝟓. Bottom line: keep the reader in mind. Once you've planned out and created a rough draft of your book, make sure that you're including scenes and passages that will have readers leaning forward with anticipation and on the edge of their seats at times. You can't expect readers to stick around just because your prologue and first three chapters slapped. If everything after that goes downhill and is bland and uneventful, people will stop reading. You've got to give your audience entertaining moments along the way. (Maybe use humor and comedy.) Keep people curious and alert.

     When writing, you can't spend all your time simply sketching the layout, developing characters and the plot, and plotting particular events. You have to take look through what you have and identify elements that will capture the reader's attention and build on those. If you find yourself not having room or not having an appropriate scene to add those entertaining and engaging elements to, you're going to have to make room. Yes, the story is about the plot and its respected characters, but you're writing this for real people to read. So, keep them involved and keep them in mind.

     I hope this helps!

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