3 Tips to Keep Readers Turning Pages in Your Novel

by Valerie Baeza

Congratulations! You have a great idea for a novel, but how do you go about keeping it

interesting? Getting inside your character’s head and maintaining tension in your story is a

breeze when you follow these easy tips.

LAYERS

To hold your reader’s attention, add layers to your story-line. Your character will need to

do several things at once in addition to their overall established goal, motivation, and stakes.

These activities will be the action that keeps readers interested from one page to the next.

The overall goal is the premise of your novel, the reason you’re writing it and why

everyone should read it. So, the smaller activities are the meaningful day to day conflicts or

action that give your character something to do within the big picture. Micro-tension! This can

be anything such as dealing with a partner whom is the complete opposite to their personality or fighting with the neighbor who’s always reporting them to the home owner’s association.

Whatever your micro-tensions are, you may find it easier to write if all of the goals are pertinent to the overall goal for fluidity and to provide your readers with a clear intention.

The micro-tension needs to come from within themselves (internal conflict) and from

outside sources like accidents or people (external conflict). You’ll want your character to have internal and external oppositions so the reader can see them doing something tangible as well as having insight into the character’s psyche. Are they combating anxiety, pressure, a deadline, or a phobia? What physical actions do your character have to complete?

No one wants to read about everything going well for your character all the time because

it’s boring. So, don’t be afraid to have your character stumble and fall because that is what

makes the them real and get the reader to root for them. Creating that tension will have your

reader thinking about the domino effect of that action. Will they confront their demeaning boss or their inner torment that’s holding them back? Keep your reader guessing and cheering for your character and they’ll keep reading your pages.

REALISTIC

Make your characters and their actions even more compelling by making them realistic

and true to them. Readers are smart and they will pick up on any fluff that you feed them. To

avoid coming across as fake, get inside your character’s head and heart. No matter if your

character is emotional or a stone-cold bastard, you need to understand the way they think and why their personality is the way it is then share that with your readers.

Brainstorm their personalities and study their behaviors in the process. Don’t be afraid to

plot your brainstorming questions on paper or ask them to yourself out loud. This will help you focus on the matter at head, and hearing yourself say what you need or what you are missing will start that conversation within yourself about your characters.

YOU’VE GOT THIS

Adding layers takes some thought but it has never been easier. Create meaningful micro-

tension that will coincide with your character’s main goal Take it one thought and one action at a time and flesh it out. Before you know it, you’ll have intriguing layers in no time.

A special thanks to Valerie Baeza, Her newest book, 'Story of my life' is not a memoir as one might think, but a touching tale of depression and crippling relationships in a modern world. Rejection after rejection her journey is that of hope and reminds me never to give up!

I can wait for the release!

Be sure to check out her Instagram @valeriebaezaauthor

Or reach her on her Website: https://www.valeriebaezaauthor.com/