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fiction

Fiction writing secrets to grab your readers

March 22, 2022 by addisonbrae

Communicators learned two important things during COVID. First, people spend a lot of time in front of a screen. Second, how difficult it is to keep their attention. We used to have about eight seconds to hook a reader, now I suspect it’s half that.

Including stories helps grab and hold readers’ attention. They add a human element. Stories “show don’t tell,” a major focus in fiction. Would you buy the product if a restaurant spokesperson tells you how great their new sandwich is? Or would a customer eating one who says it’s the tastiest sandwich they’ve ever put in their mouth convince you? This goes beyond telling your organization’s story. I’m talking about using stories in almost all of your written and spoken content.

Telling a story is easy. Telling a story well, not so much. I suspect Hemingway would agree. For many reasons – from lack of time or confidence to not wanting to fight brand standards or executives who don’t get it – many marketing, communication, and PR pros shy away from using stories. I understand because I used to. Then I realized how powerful they are. Storytelling also gets exponentially easier with practice and a few tools.

You need three basics to tell a good story: a relatable character, a simple plot with a story arc, and tension. Even kids’ picture books, which have 500 words or less, have developed characters, follow a story arc, and include tension. This Apple Watch commercial is a good storytelling example with character, plot, and tension to spare in 68 seconds.

Your character in business writing is typically a relatable, real or made-up, member of your target audience. This builds on the persona methods marketers commonly use and communicators are starting to use in internal communications. You can dig very deep in developing characters using methods in these Writer’s Digest articles, “The 9 Ingredients of Character Development,” and “Character Development Worksheets.” For business writing, answer these four basic questions:

  1. What is the character’s vulnerable, relatable situation? What problem are they trying to solve? (e.g., adopt a child)
  2. What is their plot goal? (e.g., take advantage of their employer’s adoption benefits)
  3. What is their heart/emotional goal? (e.g., provide a safe and welcoming environment for their new child)
  4. What is their journey – how does the character change from the beginning to the end of the story? (e.g. quit their job or work with their employer to set up onsite child care)
Freytag’s Plot Pyramid

A simple plot with an arc makes the story. Freytag’s Plot Pyramid is one of the most popular story structure tools authors use. You can follow the same story structure even though your content won’t be as long as a novel.

  • Start your story with brief exposition to help readers understand the story including your character’s goal, what motivates them
  • Rising action is when you cover what works against them
  • The climax is the turning point; the character’s final push to reach their goal
  • The character does or does not get what they want during falling action
  • Resolution is the new normal

Tension keeps readers engaged. In fiction, there should be tension on every page. My favorite quick trick is to think about the character’s plot or heart goal. Whatever keeps them from achieving that goal adds tension. It could be a person, situation, or lack of something. Think of your favorite movie or novel villain. You could add an antagonist to build tension in your story.

Writing mechanics can make or break your written or spoken content. One of the last things I do before handing a manuscript over to an editor is go through a checklist that includes things like:

  • Start with a strong hook. I learned this simple three-step first-line creation process from author Dorian Cirrone. (1) Start the story with a moment of change. (2) Inspire readers to wonder what might happen. (3) Convince readers trouble or disruption will happen. Here’s a fiction example from The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson, “The apocalypse began at Starbucks. Where else did you expect the end of the world to start?” And a business example I wrote, “One drizzly March 2020 day, Gloria rode the subway to the office as usual. When she got there, she had to send her entire state agency staff home to help keep them safe.”
  • Avoid passive voice, especially important in business writing when it’s critical for the reader to know who does what.
  • Use visual nouns and active verbs. For example, “It was difficult to use” versus “The software was difficult to use” and “The company could have a problem” versus “A problem plagues the company.”
  • Vary sentence and paragraph length. Keep in mind people read on small screens. It’s easy for readers to get lost in a long paragraph that covers multiple screens.
  • Avoid overused action verbs and adjectives. For example, “We should focus on improving the customer experience” versus “We must improve the customer experience.”
  • Avoid overused adverbs (ly), gerunds (ing), and filler words. The fewer the better. Filler word examples: that, of, almost, so, had, rather, while, quite, well, just, really, which, very, but, and
  • Edit for clarity, spelling, grammar, and comma usage.

Don’t be afraid to be a storyteller. If you don’t believe me, here is a timely Ragan article by Ted Kitterman that helps build the case, How to make your writing stand out in the attention economy. The most famous authors continue to develop their craft. No one’s perfect, so don’t hesitate to keep learning and use tools to help. Email me using the contact form if you have questions.

Happy storytelling!

Filed Under: Blogs Tagged With: addison brae, author, barreyre.com, becker circle, business, business content, carol barreyre, character, character development, dark energy, ernest hemingway, fiction, hook, internal communication, mark twain, marketing, persona, plot, public relations, romantic suspsense, story arc, storytelling, tension, writer, writing

#CharacterInterview: Jim Borden, the hero from Arresting Jeremiah

October 26, 2020 by addisonbrae

Arresting Jeremiah

How would you describe yourself in a personal ad? Hmm…sandy-brown hair, dark eyes, tall, built, and not available. Sorry, ladies. This train already has a conductor, and she will strike you down if you try to take a ride.

What would you change about your life if you could? I’ve made some bad mistakes for good reasons, or at least I thought they were good reasons at the time. What did I do, you might ask? Well, I almost got one of my parolees killed, and now he’s stuck in a crappy situation. Too bad the foolish kid doesn’t realize it. He’s having a blast working for the wealthiest crime lord in the city, and I’m biting my tongue, looking the other way.

What are your thoughts on love? It’s not worth it.  Too complicated. Too dangerous. Then I met Calista and everything changed. She’s a wonderful, sassy, kindhearted woman who drops me to my knees. Hell yes, I can admit that. I have no shame in telling everyone that she has me wrapped around her little finger. I love her so much I can barely breathe sometimes.

What have you always wanted to do but haven’t? And why? Follow my own dreams. When I was a little boy, my parents—especially Dad—pushed me to strive for a career I didn’t want. To make them proud, I became a parole officer with the intention of joining the police force later on. The job drained me, turned me into a prick. I needed a major change. Once Calista and I got together, her dream to open a bakery made sense to me. So maybe it’s not my own personal dream, but stuffing doughnuts with blueberry filling is a better way to spend my time than dealing with parolees shooting at me.

What’s your favorite article of clothing in your closet and why? Blazers. I love freaking suit blazers, whether they’re the navy-blue variety, sports jackets, or even the fancy pinstripe kind. It hides the firearm I always keep holstered at my waist, and it’s just stylish. Sue me.

Blurb

Amber Daulton

Injured Parole Officer Jeremiah “Jim” Borden never expected Calista Barlow, the sassy blonde waitress he’s craved for months, to ring his doorbell. She slips into his heart—and his bed—but he’s obsessed with a gangland investigation that threatens his career and maybe even his life.

Calista doesn’t trust easily, not with a daughter to protect and the stalker who keeps calling her. After her violent ex-boyfriend returns, she finds solace in Jim’s arms. Jim may have to forego his need for answers to protect the ready-made family he adores, but how will he and Calista escape an unseen enemy that is always one step ahead of them? Watch the trailer. Purchase Arresting Jeremiah on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, or Universal link.

About Amber

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing. Learn more about Amber on her website, her newsletter (new subscribers get a freebie), and Goodreads. Connect on Facebook.

Filed Under: Blogs Tagged With: addisonbrae, amberdaulton, characterInterview, fiction, romanticsuspense

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