Ravenous Wedneday with Isabel Roman

(Please imagine the following as narrated by the ubiquitous movie trailer voiceover dude and accompanied by the equally ubiquitous KACHUNK sound during the pauses):

In a world where attention spans are short ... where publishers are folding or being tucked into little pockets of huge corporations (damn you, Rupert Murdoch!) ... where it's increasingly hard to gain a readership ... a brave author named Isabel Roman steps forward to try and figure out how writers can gain their readers' attention quickly ... without letting it escape! So sit back ... have a drink ... and enjoy this post while you still have the chance...

Capturing the imagination by Isabel Roman

Nowadays, getting someone’s attention much less capturing their imagination has become impossible. Readers, movie goers, tv watchers, have become jaded! Not the least of which is me. The moment you hear a cliché or see a car explode or two lovers are fighting, you can almost see exactly where it’s going and exactly what’s going to happen.

For the author, it’s tenfold more difficult to really grab or ‘hook’ the reader into your story and capture their imagination with our characters. We need to become more creative, continually upping the ante. Sometimes, favorite authors can get away with a slow beginning, thereby allowing them time to develop their verse and characters.

Those of us new to the market don’t have that luxury. We have to entice in the first paragraph, oftentimes in the first sentence. I once (long, long ago) heard an author, who I tentatively claim as Phyllis Whitney, say she had nightmares that an editor would only read the first 3 sentences of her novel. She had to tempt him/her to read further, building on those first 3 exceptional sentences.

It’s stuck with me through the years and now begs the question—how do we accomplish this???

There are many ways various authors, myself included, use to capture the reader: everything from extremely controversial to blatant sex, to a mystery question that begs to be answered. It isn’t easy to put one or sometimes all of those elements into 3 lousy sentences. But sometimes just the hint of one of these elements is often enough. After all, we wish the reader to keep reading. Can’t answer all the questions in the first paragraph!

While many of us would like to start the story with extensive back-story or prologue, or beautiful imagery in regards to location or situation, the best thing to do is to start as close to the action of the story as possible.

With media constantly bombarding consumers, we writers often have less than 10 seconds to draw someone into your tale. Use those seconds wisely. A shocking line, an incredible action moment, or a puzzling query in front of them, and you can draw them into your story.

Now how to keep them? How to secure your reader’s interest?

By having a great story that works. Generational stories like John Jakes aside, most romances take place in a set time and locale. I don’t mean historical vs. contemporary, I mean a set amount of time. My best advice is to keep the story tight. Keep the highs and lows consistent throughout, and end with a bang.

How about you all? How do you get -- and keep -- your readers' interest? And readers, what is it about a book that will capture -- and keep (kachunk!) you reading and buying their books? Let's weigh in!

Isabel Roman writes erotic romances with a paranormal twist. She has been writing for four years, and loves just about every second of it! Historical paranormals caught her eye (and ear) when she realized the vast conflicts inherent in historicals, and her deep and abiding love for all things paranormal. Nurturing a love of all time periods, she plans to explore as many as she can with as many couples as she can. Isabel is the author of Ravenous Romance's The Dark Desires of the Druids series, which features a Ravenous Rendezvous, The Tryst, as well as a full-length novel, Murder & Magick.Visit her website for more info and to read some kick-ass reviews of her books!