Getting from the start to the finish without boring everyone!

So I promised to update my blog and give you my tips on how to keep your story interesting from start to finish.

In my opinion the ending of a book can be fantastic but that is not always important.  Lets take a classic like "The Lord of the Rings".  In its most basic form it is a book about someone delivering something.  However, the story is made by what happens in the events while attempting that delivery - the middle of the book.  You might have the most amazing ending in your mind before even putting pen to paper (or finger to key) but if you can't get your reader there it is all for nothing.

Let's be honest, a story cannot be written as one action sequence after another.  It needs to have time to set things up and develop what is going to happen.  One of my favorite lecturers at Rutgers University, Dan Moran, tried to drum into us that almost everything in a book has a meaning.  It may be very small but if it didn't set something up it wouldn't be there.  During the planning stage I advised that you create folders for events as well as characters.  The event folders should be well researched with plenty of notes to keep your mind working.  This will allow you to tease the upcoming event and almost dare your reader to guess what is coming.  For example, you are writing a story with a scene involving a shepherd who has to protect his livestock from a vicious wolf.  While you may have that scene created so vividly in your mind you also have to think about how to keep the reader's interest while getting to it.  Write a scene earlier in the story that involves the shepherd happily tending to his livestock when in the far distance a wolf howls.  This short simple passage both informs the reader that there are wolves in the area and teases that this could be a problem later on.

This, again in my opinion is how to keep your book interesting though out.  The scenes that will make your story memorable are certainly important.  When your main character unexpectedly falls down a well that is a crucial part of the story.  However, setting it up is equally important to create a smooth transition and keep your book in someone's hands.

Next week: a tricky one! how to be descriptive without getting too wordy

For anyone wondering about this photo? King Edward's Bay and Tynemouth Priory

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