by Kimberly A. Smith

Created on: August 02, 2008

Writers of novels have to keep the reader interested in the story so that they continue to turn the pages. Anyone can write a novel, but writing a great novel takes a combination of skill and talent. Once a writer has a general plot in mind, the hard work begins. If you are working on a novel, keep these factors in mind while you are writing and your novel will benefit.

Consider Your Audience

Is your novel targeted for adults, young adults, or middle grade readers? Knowing who you are writing for can help you craft an appropriate novel. You need to keep your language and themes at a good level for the age group you are targeting. It might also help to consider other factors about who you are targeting (gender, for instance).

Keep Your Voice Consistent

If you want to keep your reader interested throughout the story, try to keep your tone and style consistent unless you have a good reason to change your perspective. Jumping around in tone or point of view too much can put off the reader, even if they can't verbalize the reason why there is a problem.

Hook the Reader

Beginning your novel with back-story or descriptions of the scenery will not grab their interest. Instead, start your story with some sort of action. Move right into an event, and reveal the history and setting with small details throughout the book. You may find that many of these details are not even necessary, as the reader can imagine the scene with their own spin.

Get Them to Care

If all your characters are unlikable, or are flat caricatures of real people, then why would the reader care what happens to them? All characters need to have strengths and weaknesses. The reader needs to have a reason to root for your main character to succeed in their story. Make them realistic, with some vulnerability.

Hone Your Dialogue

Poorly written dialogue can kill an otherwise great novel. Many writers attempt to cram too much of the story into their characters' conversations, creating "info-dumps" that do not read like actual speech. While your dialogue should be more refined than everyday speech, it might help to spend time listening to the people around you. Also, remember that you characters should each have their own voice. If they all start sounding alike, your reader might wonder if they are all you.

Create Conflict

There needs to be some sort of suspense or conflict for the protagonist of a novel to overcome. Your story will become boring if there is nothing that really challenges your characters. Plant some doubt

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