In my youth, I didn’t like to write. I didn’t even like to read anything except Superman comic books. Superman was action, the narrative was dynamic, and I could tell folks anything they ever wanted to know about the hero … verbally. But when it came to writing, the process of passing the information had a difficult time making it from my mind, through my hand, and on to the paper.
But friends, through trial and error, I worked hard at learning step 7.
I had to learn how to Grab the Reader’s Attention. If you don’t get people’s attention, they won’t read your book.
Have you read any of George Orwell’s books? The first lines of the first chapter of any book are crucial. George Orwell, writing the book, 1984, began with, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
Cold in April in the United States? Striking thirteen? Hmmm … what’s George getting at? It didn’t sound right, and that’s what got people’s attention!
How do you write in such a way that will get potential readers’ attention?
You may need to take a course in Creative Writing. I highly recommend it.
But then write about your passion! Write about what interests you. Write about what you know. If you want to write about something unfamiliar to you, study it! Become conversant with the subject. Learn to write creatively. Write in such a way that the reader enters the story through his or her imagination.
Then create a catchy title for your book. Next, generate a good writeup for the back cover of the book. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The first lines of each chapter must grab the reader, and each page must prompt the reader to turn the page. The end of each chapter must have a hook that won’t let the reader go. You hope the reader will say, “I couldn’t put the book down.”
When I was twelve years old, I finally stopped investing valuable time reading Superman because I had become acquainted with science, history, and nature. Learning history ignited my desire to study the Bible, and if you read much of my writing, you’ll learn that my writing generally revolves around those four topics. (You can find my books at https://genelinzey.com/books/)
So start writing and let it flow!
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Write Creatively
P & L Publishing 