It’s Day 30 of 31 Days of Writing Tips. If you’ve been following along, which advice has been most helpful? What changes are you planning to implement in your own writing life?
If you’ve missed the other posts in this series, you can catch up here.
Today’s writing prompt is: MEMORY
As we close in on the end of this series, today’s writing tip is to leave your readers with a strong, memorable conclusion. What is the lasting thought you want them to keep in mind when they finish reading your work?
Give them a reason to keep thinking about your writing long after they close the book (or browser, if they’re reading online). 🙂
If you’re writing a longer work such as a full book manuscript, you can apply this principle to every chapter. End each chapter well to make them want to turn the page and read “just a few more minutes.”
I have been continually surprised when people tell me they read my memoir, A Place to Land, in just a few days or sometimes even in one sitting. “I couldn’t put it down!” some have said. (Of course, there have been plenty who said it took them months to finish, but let’s focus on the others for now to prove my point.) 😉 Each time I heard of someone who read the book straight through, I wonder, “What made them keep reading? It’s just my story, after all!” It’s definitely not a thriller or a page turner according to my definition.
But then I think back to my writing process, and I remember working hard to close each chapter with a hint of the next, or a subtle teaser into what lie ahead in the story. Could you do the same with your own work?
Work hard at your craft to make your readers ask for the next book as soon as they finish the first.
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