In the Extra category this month, we’re touching on the content of your ms, assuming fiction, but many of these concepts apply equally well to non-fiction: keep the reader reading…and talking about your book when done!
We want happy readers, not confused or annoyed ones, so look to see if all the right words are used, they’re spelled correctly, and the grammar matches the current standards. A smooth flow is vital, too. Be careful of jumping from scene to scene without bringing the reader along. At the beginning of every chapter (and section), set the scene—we want to know where we are, who is there, and what’s happening.
You may need to hide some information from one of your characters, but unless he’s the POV character, don’t leave the reader out. (If the POV character doesn’t know something, then the reader can’t know it either—everything the reader gets comes through the POV character, but remember that readers really like it when they know something the characters don’t!) Also, we want to know why someone is doing something. Do the characters have a reason, a motive, for doing what they do? (You can fix that by having a foil—as Robin is to Batman. When Batman does something baffling, Robin asks why. Batman explains it to Robin, and the reader listens in, understanding the motive behind the action.)
Most people have spent their entire lives in only one head, so if you need to switch to a different POV, make certain that the reader knows: new chapter, section break, different font. Starting each chapter with the name of a character reminds you that he’s the POV for the entire chapter.
Readers like your work because it’s entertaining, so be careful to avoid painting yourself into a corner with all the plot twists. (Beta readers or Critique Groups can help spot these and other similar problems.) Avoid coincidences. If it happens once, it’s an accident, twice is a coincidence, thrice is a conspiracy! Yes, a bag of money can fall out of an armoured car in real life, but if you have it happen in your book, readers won’t believe it.
“The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.”—Tom Clancy
“Truth is stranger than fiction.”—Lord Byron
A good ending will stick with the reader, so make it strong. The ending is the last impression the reader will have before going out talking to friends and neighbours about your book, and the best (or worst) advert is always word of mouth. Having a surprise ending is good, but make certain that although it’s unpredictable, it’s logical and fitting (avoid Deus ex machina).
Bottom line: for fiction, Escape. What readers really want is to get away from the real, mundane world. Give them excitement, adventure, and emotional new experiences.
For non-fiction, the bottom line is Information. Readers come to you to learn something. Did they learn what they wanted? Did they learn more?