How To Keep Readers Hooked for Creative Writers

Some stories can hold a reader captivated, unable to put the book down and staying up all night immersed in the words, while some stories just leave readers wondering when the good part is coming. But what causes this difference? What allows a book to keep readers hooked until the end? And, what can we avoid doing so that we don’t bore our readers?

In this post, I will be exploring the elements of stories that hook readers and the elements that induce boredom. Once we understand the differences between captivating stories and underwhelming ones, we can apply the best elements to our writing.

I’ve found the three main reasons I personally find stories hard to get through to be purposeless scenes, flat or non-relatable characters, and a lack of conflict. Let’s take a look at these elements and further examine them.

Elements of an Addicting Story

Intriguing and Relatable Characters

Characters are arguably the most crucial part of any story. Without engaging and relatable characters, we simply don’t have a reason to care about the story. When you read about characters who aren’t realistic or aren’t relatable, you automatically become less attached to the writing. As humans, we look to see ourselves in everything around us, but especially other people. We understand the behaviors, reasons, and desires and we become emotionally invested in the characters. Even the villains become relatable in a way and usually invoke negative emotions. They may remind us of the parts of ourselves we want to change. We may even find them justified in their endeavors.

To create these intriguing characters involves creating someone who feels real. The characters should be unique, have positive and negative attributes, and have goals. Character creation is a whole other topic, so I will link a few of my posts that dive further into crafting dynamic characters for you to explore:

• How To Write Dynamic and Interesting Characters
• Easy Character Development Tips for Beginners
• How To Write a Great Protagonist

Twists and Turns

When a story is stagnant readers become bored. But even if a story has conflict and action, if it’s too predictable, readers may feel let down. To keep your readers hooked, you need to implement twists and turns throughout your story. Of course, this is easier said than done, so here are some tips to keep your story full of conflict:

• add conflict to every scene: on top of the larger obstacles, you should be including smaller conflict as well (this could be characters arguing, internal conflict, etc.)
• ask friends about their predictions for your story to determine if anything is too predictable

No Filler Content

Do you remember in school when you had a word count you had to hit so you would make sentences as long as possible and find every way to stretch it out? This habit can bleed into creative writing, not because you are required to reach a certain word count, but because you believe you need to reach a higher count. Do not do this! Adding filler content to your story will only weigh it down.

Now, going back and adding scenes to your story is fine as long as they have a purpose. Scenes that are filler content have no purpose other than making your story longer. These scenes don’t add anything to the plot. You could remove them without the reader even knowing something is missing. For example, you may have a shorter chapter and you think about adding a scene to lengthen it. So, you write about your main character waking up and getting ready for their day. There is no conflict in the scene and it isn’t even relevant to the plot. It’s there simply to make the chapter longer.

If you feel you need to make something longer, make sure you are adding something to the story. Include more backstory, more character information, and more detail about a character’s relationship with their family.

So now that we understand what makes an addicting story, here are some tips that can help you when trying to keep readers hooked.

Top Five Tips To Keep Readers Hooked

Add Conflict to Every Scene

Remember, every scene should have some level of conflict. Not every obstacle will be big, but even smaller obstacles add interest to the reader.

Start with a Bang

A captivating beginning scene will start your story off on the right foot. Though, it’s not guaranteed to keep readers hooked, a solid start will excite them.

Don’t Rush Character Creation

Dull characters make a dull story, even if the actual plot is action-packed. Create well-rounded characters to keep readers hooked til the end.

Add Cliffhangers

Possibly the easiest way to keep your reader’s attention is to add cliffhangers. However, too many cliffhangers can be frustrating. Also, you need to make sure the cliffhanger is solid.

Keep Readers Thinking

As I mentioned, readers will feel let down if they can guess everything that happens in your story. Don’t make the plot too predictable. (Remember the tip I gave: ask friends about their predictions for your story to determine if anything is too predictable)

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