How To Write A Captivating Novel

To be successful, your novel needs to capture the reader's mind and transport them to the setting of the story. To achieve this, there are some basic ingredients that your story must have. Some of these must be part of your novel, no matter what genre you are writing in, while others might not be applicable to some stories, depending on your target audience.

Conflict: There is no captivating tale without conflict. If there is no conflict, there will be no need for resolution and nothing for the reader to look forward to. There must be some sort of a problem that the characters need to solve or resolve and that is what the plot rotates around.

Believable Characters: Your characters, human or non human, must be believable. They don't necessarily have to be realistic, but they must be believable. Depending on the kind of story you are writing, you might have lots of options on how to portray your characters, but make sure they are believable. If you are working with fantasy or paranormal genres, you have a lot of creative space in this regard. Give your characters enough details so the reader can vividly picture them and connect with them.

Coincidences: Coincidences are essential to some types of stories, but not all. When used well, coincidences add an extra layer of spice to your story. But make sure they feel believable and not forced.

Twists: Be sure to surprise your reader with some twists and turns that they did not see coming. Make sure these twists fit in with the flow of the story and make sense to the reader.

Suspense and Intrigue: Just enough of it. Be careful not to frustrate your reader in an effort to keep them in suspense. Reveal parts of the plot at the right moments. Keep events hidden just long enough to intrigue the reader, but do not overdo it and frustrate your reader into giving up on the story.

Conclusion: Your readers need closure. It does not matter what kind of story you are telling. The story must be concluded in a way that is satisfying. The conclusion can be something that the reader did not expect, but make sure it is in line with the rest of the story. Make sure that when the reader looks back, they can actually see the clues to the conclusion. Even if you are writing a series of books and the story cannot be concluded in one book, each part of the series should have some kind of closure and, in this case, it will most probably be concluded in a way that sets the stage for the next book.

Pursuit: In a novel, pursuit can refer to a number of things. It could refer to pursuing a person, for example a criminal, a romantic pursuit, pursuing treasure, or just pursuing a cause or purpose. Pursuit creates an element of anticipation and suspense in the story and gives the reader a goal to look forward to.