‘Suspension of disbelief’ refers to the ability of a reader to accept the ludicrous events of fiction enough to be immersed in them. By rights we should laugh when confronted by the nonsense that comprises most fiction, whether it be fantastical worlds or an impossibly unlikely series of events, and yet somehow we can set that response aside and have a real emotional connection to the …

[Read more...] about Are You In Danger Of Losing Your Readers’ Suspension Of Disbelief?

Your book’s opening is a strange hybrid, being both the last threshold of the sale and the beginning of the story. It can be difficult to strike a balance between writing something that gets a book bought and also works as the start of a novel. The key in both cases is to write your opening as a ‘hook’: a passage which grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read more. Of course …

[Read more...] about The Four Story Openings That Put People Off (And How To Avoid Them)

Every reader has had that ‘wow’ moment when they put down a book. The moment when a story’s climax is so stunning that it can’t be absorbed right away. Such stories are few and far between but when they come along, they stay with your for days. Trying to write that kind of climax is difficult and risky. Like an extreme sport there’s the thinnest of margins between being rewarded for your daring …

[Read more...] about Here’s How To Write A Killer Climax That Leaves Readers Breathless