What authors
can learn from American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, and the Voice.
What’s talent
got to do with it?
Does the best singer win American
Idol or the Voice? Is the most accomplished dancer the winner of the Mirror
Ball Trophy on Dancing With the stars?
Anyone
who is a regular viewer of talent reality shows knows this uncontestable fact:
the most talented doesn’t always win. In fact, the most well executed dance or
song, seldom wins.
What does win?
The
winner is the performer who is most popular, the one who captures the hearts of the
viewers with both performance and personality.
How
does this relate to our writing?
A few ways to keep your work
entertaining:
1. Know your genre. Read, read, read. To entertain
requires originality. If you’re afraid your plot is hackneyed, be sure to have
a new twist on it. If you don’t keep in touch with others’ work, you’ll have no
idea what readers are tiring of.
2. Make your characters original. We’ve all
met the perfect protagonist, the one with the super face, toned and buffed
body, and excellent skills. Readers want characters that they can identify
with—make then real.
3. Make the first chapter exciting. I’ve
deleted dozens of books I’ve downloaded because the beginning failed to be
interesting. Make your first chapters pull the reader into your book and want
to read the entire thing.
4. Series books - Take time to learn how to make
each book worthy of standing alone. Check for either too much or not enough
back story.
5. Be accessible to your readers. Have a
presence on popular networking sites, broadcast your blog, and have a mailing
list. Answer every personal message you get.
6.
Read
reviews of books in your genre. Reviews will put you on the fast
track to discovering what entertains your readers.
Dear readers,
I have to admit I watch American
Idol. And Dancing With the Stars. Haven’t watched all the others regularly.
It’s easy to grumble about the winners the public selects, so I gave some thought to what I could learn from the popularity factor. That is what
inspired today’s blog. If you have any other ideas, please share them. I’m sure
there are many more.
Thank you for following this blog.
Marla
Writer Dave Here,
ReplyDeleteI want my books to be popular but you have to work hard writing them because popularity is a do-it-yourself job.
The man of the hour spent many days and nights getting there!
Yes! A good book isn't created without sacrifice, but it's truly a labor of love.
DeleteI keep a sticky note on my screen. It reads: write an appealing book. Of course, that's easier said than done. But your list of check points is a good place to start!
ReplyDeletehanks, Anna,
DeleteSo glad to be of help. I'm editing my third suspense novel now and doing the same thing, trying to keep it entertaining. It's a challenge, isn't it?
Have a great weekend,
Marla
Good post, Marla - I think that's something writers often forget; that if you want readers you must ENTERTAIN, not be self-indulgent. Alas, even being a good writer doesn't necessarily make you a good storyteller; I don't think you can teach someone how to be a good writer if they're not already, but you CAN learn how to grab the reader. I abandon at least 50% of the indie books I start, and a fair few others have said they do the same.
ReplyDeleteHi Terry,
DeleteIt's hard not to be self-indulgent at times in one's writing! I'm worried I did some of that in my latest novel (yet to be published). We'll see how it goes.
Yes, you can learn how to grab a reader, but it seems like so few eBook writers get that, especially series writers. So many follow ups start out with idle chit chat and vapid scenes that make me put the book down and move on.
Actually, haven't found a good one in a while. I keep looking!
Have a great day,
Marla
Nice. I especially loved the tip about reading what reviewers have to say. It is interesting though how varied opinions can be on the exact same aspect of a story. Someone will rave about the characters, another person will accuse the exact same cast of being trite or poorly executed. *shrugs* There definitely is an overall feel to what people say though.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Crystal! I think that is another reason it is helpful to read reviews. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
DeleteThanks for your thoughts,
Marla
Good post, Maria. I enjoyed your check list. Trilogy and series authors face the biggest challenge I feel - how to keep each story fresh and not resort to padding out with unnecessary description or action.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Doing a series effectively is a real challenge. I haven't even thought about Trilogies! Hard to give "just enough" info about the last one. My new book is the second in a series and I'm struggling wiith that very thing.
DeleteThanks for stopping in,
Marla