I want my next novel to really advance its story, but I don't know how. Is there a book on the subject of how to write a page turner? Maybe I should just stick to non-fiction, sigh...
Sarah
Sarah
how do you write a page turner?
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Plot.
In order to write a page turner, you have to have the type of plot that makes the pages turn.
Lots of things have to happen, or the motivation of the characters has to be so well written that you're actually interested in what comes next.
There it is: the secret to a page turner is making the reader actually care. You have to make them be interested in what's going to happen on the next page.
In order to write a page turner, you have to have the type of plot that makes the pages turn.
Lots of things have to happen, or the motivation of the characters has to be so well written that you're actually interested in what comes next.
There it is: the secret to a page turner is making the reader actually care. You have to make them be interested in what's going to happen on the next page.
Or what's going to happen in the next chapter. Don't give away too much in the beginning. A hint maybe. Disperse info a little at a time.
ETA: Books you might like are Stephen King's On Writing or Donald Maass' Writing The Break-out Novel.
ETA: Books you might like are Stephen King's On Writing or Donald Maass' Writing The Break-out Novel.
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For me it's establishing the character's goal/conflict as early as possible. That leaves you many ways to drive the action of the plot.
Read The DaVinci Code. As much as it is maligned, it's a very good example of "page-turner mechanics."
Keep an eye on the introduction and distribution of cliff-hangers. It's like the author is juggling.
Keep an eye on the introduction and distribution of cliff-hangers. It's like the author is juggling.
If, when writing your manuscript, you couldn't wait to type the next page, that's a pretty good indication you may have a page-turner. Enthusiasm in = enthusiasm out. I know that's an over-simplification, but I don't think there is a hard and fast rule. Good luck! 
I don't think there is any simple answer to that. You need interesting and/or sympathetic characters, and give them some sort of problem to deal with. Suspense comes from wondering how on earth they will sort things out, watching them struggle. There are thousands of ways to do it.
As well as reading page turners, you could watch some good suspense movies, they will give you ideas on structure and situations.
As well as reading page turners, you could watch some good suspense movies, they will give you ideas on structure and situations.
In short: use suspense and cliffhangers. I'm sure there are a million online sites just dying to tell you how to do it, so don't fret. It can absolutely be learned!
Suspense:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Ways-to-Inject-Suspense-into-Your-Novel&id=177867
Cliffhangers:
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/04/02/leaving_them_hanging_favorite_tv_cliffha
Suspense:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Ways-to-Inject-Suspense-into-Your-Novel&id=177867
Cliffhangers:
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/04/02/leaving_them_hanging_favorite_tv_cliffha
It really is. Dan Brown did a masterful job with the pacing of the story.
My books get complimented for being quick reads (by my agent, an assistant agent at her agency, and my beta readers), so I'll try to think of what I do.
Keep the action flowing. As an example, my chapter four has my heroine having dinner with her teenage sister, embarrassing the girl into a date teenage waiter, segues into the heroine meeting her blackmailer, threatening to kill him, finding out what he wants, and then driving home. All that happens in 13 pages. (OK, confession time: I'm probably one of the most succinct writers around. You don't have to go that fast to keep people turning the pages.)
Make the dialog funny/witty/tense/whatever is your strength. Sexual attraction with a sidekick is always good.
Keep description to a minimum. No bogging the book down with pages describing what everyone is wearing or what rooms look like. In fact, try to fit description into the action instead.
Example:
It should be clear they're in a ritzy apartment (though without the context of the scene you might also guess a nice hotel).
And if all else fails, have a gun go off (in the book, obviously).
Unanswered questions (that are worth answering in the eyes of the reader). That's just another way of saying "plot", but with an emphasis on avoiding the trap of stringing together sequences of static events or disconnected micro-conflicts.
I don't think The Da Vinci Code is a good model here; while the book's greatest (and only?) strength is Dan Brown's demonstrable ability to keep the pages turning, Brown kind of cheats by packing everything into two-page chapters with gotcha endings. It does keep the pages turning, and the reader does speed through the whole thing rather quickly, but that comes at the expense of substance to such a degree that a lot of readers have come out of it feeling like they drank a tub of gravy. Goes down easily while it's hot; leaves you sick after the fact.
My recommendation? Harry Potter (the third and the seventh especially). The pacing is top-notch, but there's a lot of substance to the plot, which means there's a big payoff at the end of the chase.
If you take any inspiration from film, watch Alfred Hitchcock. Notorious, North by Northwest, Rear Window, Vertigo - take your pick. They're full of a persistent feeling that something is wrong, though we're not quite sure what, and there's something new and exciting with every beat.
I don't think The Da Vinci Code is a good model here; while the book's greatest (and only?) strength is Dan Brown's demonstrable ability to keep the pages turning, Brown kind of cheats by packing everything into two-page chapters with gotcha endings. It does keep the pages turning, and the reader does speed through the whole thing rather quickly, but that comes at the expense of substance to such a degree that a lot of readers have come out of it feeling like they drank a tub of gravy. Goes down easily while it's hot; leaves you sick after the fact.
My recommendation? Harry Potter (the third and the seventh especially). The pacing is top-notch, but there's a lot of substance to the plot, which means there's a big payoff at the end of the chase.
If you take any inspiration from film, watch Alfred Hitchcock. Notorious, North by Northwest, Rear Window, Vertigo - take your pick. They're full of a persistent feeling that something is wrong, though we're not quite sure what, and there's something new and exciting with every beat.
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I blogged recently on a topic similar to this...
Give your MC a major goal, then keep setting up obstacles (increasing in difficulty as the story progresses) they have to overcome to get there.
Give your MC a major goal, then keep setting up obstacles (increasing in difficulty as the story progresses) they have to overcome to get there.
That's a great way to put it. It's the gist of the advice about conflict design in Story, the excellent screenwriting book by Robert McKee that Charlie Kaufman made fun of in Adaptation. A further elaboration of this is to distill the MC's conscious object of desire from an unconscious one that he/she doesn't actually know he/she wants. And, of course, a lot of those obstacles are often set up by antagonists that are just trying to get what they want.
Nick, my husband has been listening to that Audio CD and I can't wait for my turn. (Story).
Another good one is 'Made to Stick'.
But yeah, I think Aston' answer was the simplest shortest way to say it. I never really thought about it when writing, i just wrote it, but because there was always something my MC had to overcome to get to the overall objective, I think the majority of at least the END of my chapters are page turners, with handfuls of page turns in between (if that made sense). That's my opinion speaking from as non-biased a point of view I can have over my own work.
Another good one is 'Made to Stick'.
But yeah, I think Aston' answer was the simplest shortest way to say it. I never really thought about it when writing, i just wrote it, but because there was always something my MC had to overcome to get to the overall objective, I think the majority of at least the END of my chapters are page turners, with handfuls of page turns in between (if that made sense). That's my opinion speaking from as non-biased a point of view I can have over my own work.
Raise the stakes.
Put your characters' livlihood at even more risk. Add levels of risk.
Raise the stakes.
Put your characters' livlihood at even more risk. Add levels of risk.
Raise the stakes.
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Techniques of the $elling Writer by Dwight V. Swain.
Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham (who learned his chops from Dwight Swain).
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver.
Dale
Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham (who learned his chops from Dwight Swain).
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver.
Dale
First comes character, I believe. The reader has to care about him, or her. Think of the person you like the most. Make your MC like them. Not necessarily them, but like them. Then think of the most interesting situation the MC could face. Not the worst, not the best, the most interesting. Now put the MC in that situation. Now, how could you not have a page turner.
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You won't believe what I've just seen. I'm shocked. I've seen ladyvincenza kissing --
I'm not telling you whom she was kissing, but I believe the key to writing a page turner is engaging the readers' curiosity. They don't know what comes next, but it's going to be good. The moment they can predict the outcome, the book will stop being a page turner, even if they care about the characters.
I'm not telling you whom she was kissing, but I believe the key to writing a page turner is engaging the readers' curiosity. They don't know what comes next, but it's going to be good. The moment they can predict the outcome, the book will stop being a page turner, even if they care about the characters.
Even if the reader can predict the outcome, they'll still have to turn the page to see if they were right. And a good writer will make sure they weren't.
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Not always. Sometimes I'm so sure I know the outcome that I don't even bother to turn the page to see if I was right. The point was that the readers might be able to predict the outcome, but they have to think they can't.
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Yep, already said. They have to care about where they're going, and they have to enjoy going there. A Surprise is always nice, but if you really look at the best sellers of the world--how many had endings that truly shocked you? Especially romance. Let me post a spoiler--they wind up together, and then live hapilly ever after
What exactly is enjoyed depends on the reader. Some want a surprise, some want to be touched by the story, some want to be scared, some want to learn; but we all want to be engrossed in a book we enjoy.
What exactly is enjoyed depends on the reader. Some want a surprise, some want to be touched by the story, some want to be scared, some want to learn; but we all want to be engrossed in a book we enjoy.
All the points made are excellent. I do not remember structure mentioned before, if it has been, forgive me.
Each chapter consists of scenes.
For a page turner, each scene must:
1) Start fast (short sentences, dialog).
2) Start with a hook, like a query
3) Give the reader a chance to take a mental breath in the middle
4) Sneak in a hint to the main plot on occasion
5) End with a fast pace (couple lines)
6) Lead into the next scene
7) The last scene (end of chapter) should close the chapter but entice the reader to continue (the cliff hanger sometimes, introduction of a new character at other times, introduction of a new emotion at other times)
Just a note, if you always end with a cliffhanger, the reader can become annoyed. I personally do not enjoy being forced to continue.
Each chapter consists of scenes.
For a page turner, each scene must:
1) Start fast (short sentences, dialog).
2) Start with a hook, like a query
3) Give the reader a chance to take a mental breath in the middle
4) Sneak in a hint to the main plot on occasion
5) End with a fast pace (couple lines)
6) Lead into the next scene
7) The last scene (end of chapter) should close the chapter but entice the reader to continue (the cliff hanger sometimes, introduction of a new character at other times, introduction of a new emotion at other times)
Just a note, if you always end with a cliffhanger, the reader can become annoyed. I personally do not enjoy being forced to continue.
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tension on every page.
I'm seconding the On Writing and Breakout novel (the workbook esp) recommendations. Two very fine (and very different) books
I'm seconding the On Writing and Breakout novel (the workbook esp) recommendations. Two very fine (and very different) books
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And when you’re doing your editing for the 7th or 9th time do not cut out everything around the action. You’re going to be bored, you’re going to think it’s slow. It may not be. If you must start cutting at that point, save a disk with the previous draft on it. This is when in the drawer for a couple of months is mega important.
Just saying… could be wrong.
Stlight
Just saying… could be wrong.
Stlight
A little caveat here.
Or maybe a big caveat. (You know, one of those rare Canadian Grey Caveats that are so dangerous...)
There are a lot of great tips in this thread, but don't try to implement them all - or even some - on your first draft. Get the story out first, and make sure it includes a lot of increasingly powerful obstacles.
Only once you've done that should you think about the other suggestions. Otherwise, you risk driving yourself crazy.
Or maybe a big caveat. (You know, one of those rare Canadian Grey Caveats that are so dangerous...)
There are a lot of great tips in this thread, but don't try to implement them all - or even some - on your first draft. Get the story out first, and make sure it includes a lot of increasingly powerful obstacles.
Only once you've done that should you think about the other suggestions. Otherwise, you risk driving yourself crazy.
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After time, you get to the point where you don't really have to think about it too much...much like breathing for most people.
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