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May 2, 2018 By penny 1 Comment

3 Fiction Writing Tips: Curiosity Creates Bestsellers

3 Fiction Writing Tips: Curiosity Creates Bestsellers

If you’ve been writing fiction for a while, you know that there’s a lot to keep in mind when you’re writing a novel. Not only do you need to develop your characters and plot, you also need to excite and intrigue your readers.

There’s a way to do that: curiosity.

Why curiosity, of all things?

Fiction writing: when they’re curious, readers keep reading

From Lisa Cron, in Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence:

… being curious is necessary for survival (What’s that rustling in the bushes?), nature encourages it… once your curiosity is roused as a reader, you have an emotional, vested interest in finding out what happens next.

When readers want to know what happens next, they’ll keep reading, long past their bedtime.

So — HOW do you arouse your readers’ curiosity?

Let’s look at three tips to help you to do that.

1. Withhold information: avoid explanations

You want readers not only to become curious, you want their curiosity to build until it becomes concern, anxiety… and even FEAR for your characters.

Simply put, if your readers don’t care what happens next, they’ll stop reading.

From Fiction Tips: Kill Your Backstory:

Resist the Impulse to Explain

New writers start off great. They get the woman in the trunk of the car (or create some other hot action which starts things off.) Then they feel they need to explain who the woman is, and how she landed in the trunk of a car. They go on for pages and pages. RESIST! Please do not do this.

For one thing, your readers don’t care. They’re in your story, because you’ve done a good job getting them to empathize with your heroine’s plight. They want to know what happens next.

2. Deliver the unexpected: shock and surprise readers

Have you seen the Bruce Willis movie, The Sixth Sense? Yes, that’s the “I see dead people” one. That movie is an amazing example of using surprise; as is the shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock version of the movie, Psycho.

You don’t need to kill people to provide a little shock and surprise for your readers. Keep surprise readers in mind while you’re writing, and you’ll find clever ways to do it.

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl inspired lots of “shock and surprise” novels, which develop a new twist on the genre of dark psychological thrillers.

3. “Who wins?”: ensure that readers care about the outcome of your novel

Readers don’t have to like your characters, but they do need to care about what happens to them. Yes, that’s curiosity again; your readers must want to know what happens next.

Speaking of the rise in popularity of psychological thrillers like Gone Girl, most of the novels in this genre feature unlikable characters, but readers keep reading, because they care about what happens next.

For the ultimate in unlikable characters about whom we’re curious, there’s Becky Sharp. I’ve just finished reading Thackeray’s Vanity Fair again. Thackeray wrote when the Regency period was still in living memory.

Over the years, I’ve read Vanity Fair many times, but this time Becky filled me with horror at her machinations; it’s the first time I’ve had that reaction to the book. None of the characters in Vanity Fair are likable, but Thackeray keeps readers wanting to know what happens next.

The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall
The Lady And The Rake: A Scandalous Arrangement

The Lady And The Rake: A Scandalous Arrangement

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 1
Genre: Regency Romance
Tag: regency

Melisande Eardley has a temper, and that temper gets the better of her.

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The Lady And The Duke: A Dangerous Season

The Lady And The Duke: A Dangerous Season

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 2
Genre: Regency Romance
Tags: Recommended Books, regency

Her sister Catherine believes that Elaine's hair tells you everything that you need to know about her. It's flame-red. When Sir Oliver Destry trifles with Elaine, she decides on revenge. Elaine soon discovers the truth of the old saying that if you want to make the gods laugh, just tell them your plans.

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The Lady And The Man Of Fortune: A Wicked Secret

The Lady And The Man Of Fortune: A Wicked Secret

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 3
Genre: Regency Romance
Tag: romance

Although he's a prize on the Marriage Mart, wealthy and twice-widowed Lord Delmere thinks that nothing could ever tempt him to marry again. Until he meets the lovely Lady Kingston.

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The Lady And The Military Man: Conquer My Heart

The Lady And The Military Man: Conquer My Heart

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 4
Genre: Regency Romance
Tags: regency, romance

What happens when two people who won't consider marriage can't live without each other?

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The Lady And The Adventurer: Win My Heart

The Lady And The Adventurer: Win My Heart

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 5
Genre: Regency Romance
Tag: regency

Henry (Henrietta) Eardley makes a huge mistake. Then she makes it worse. She's never known a man like Lord Devernwood, and he's never met a woman like her.

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The Lady And The Devil: If You Knew Me

The Lady And The Devil: If You Knew Me

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 6
Genre: Regency Romance
Tag: regency romance

When Cerise and her sister are in danger, she relies on herself. There's no one else. Then she meets Lord Grayhurst.

 

 

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Lady Julia’s Destiny: A Love To Treasure

Lady Julia’s Destiny: A Love To Treasure

eBook: $4.99
Author: Penelope Redmont
Series: The Eardleys Of Gostwicke Hall, Book 7
Genre: Regency Romance
Tag: regency romance

Julia doesn't know whether to be amused or angry when Lord Lyneham decides to find her a husband. He and Julia's cousin take charge of Julia's fortunes. Suddenly, Julia's an heiress and her life changes.

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Filed Under: Fiction Tips Tagged With: authors, novel, self-publishing

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    February 11, 2019 at 10:26 pm

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