Ways to Enhance Our WIP

As none of my students had written anything longer than an essay  as  a part of their school and  college assignments,  I was curious to read their short stories after I taught them the finer nuances of a short story.  I wanted to see how they handled longer writing assignments. The longest was a 10 page one, and the shortest a three page one. Practically all of them did justice to their stories.

 Though they enjoyed the short stories, none of them wanted to venture into WIP territory as yet. A WIP can be a daunting prospect for a novice writer. I thought it better that they  work on shorter writing assignments.  The WIP was left for the Advance Creating Writing Course which they all would join after this academic year ends in March.

 The girls were content with getting   few pointers from me on how to keep a reader’s  interest high while tackling longer stories. As I did not want them to be burdened down with the technicalities and complicated terms, I simplified the process for them.

            I am sharing my tips to enhance  a WIP:

               

             Awaken Interest.  Chapter beginnings are the place to awaken a reader’s interest. Right in the beginning of a chapter  pique the reader’s interest and curiousity.

             Avoid Ending a chapter by resolving a plotline. This will make it difficult to put the book down at the end of a chapter.

              Constantly surprise the readers Their reaction should be “Gosh, I did not expect this.” Let them wait eagerly for the next surprise.

              Avoid the predictable. Deliberately tread the untrodden path and go the unpredictable trek while generating a scene conflict and scene resolution.

              Don’t satisfy a reader’s curiousity  immediately. Make it a treasure hunt, one by one, the curiousity factor can be sated.

              On and Off,  Spook the readers  out of their lethargy. Throw in a few well meaning shocks: the kind that send tingles scurrying up and down the  reader’s spine.

               Constantly remind the reader of the protagonist’s problem. Warn of the repercussions if the protagonist’s problem is not solved. This is the hook that will keep the reader glued to the pages.  Be like a mother constantly reminding  and warning  a child.

              Try to End chapters with questions. This is a sure fire way to ensure that the reader will turn to the next chapter  to read the answers.

              Be mysterious, keep few secrets till the end, so that the reader is forced to follow you  chapter after chapter, till the last page.

               Don’t answer  the readers’ questions all at once. Tease, tantalize and torment them  by answering the questions one by one at the convenience of the plot. Make the reader keep returning for more answers.

 Would you like to share any tips that you are familiar with to enhance a WIP? How do you sustain a reader’s interest in a long book? What are the tricks you all use to keep a reader hooked and glued to the story till the last page?

Guest Posts and Giveaway. Today is the first anniversary of my blog. Don't forget to tune in on 25th March  and 29th March for two guest posts by David Baboulene, Author of  The Story Book, and a giveaway where two copies of this amazing book will be given to two lucky winners.