Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 123

How To Write With Emotion

The one thing that all writers need to be able to master is how to write with emotion. If your audience doesn’t feel anything about your story, about your characters, they won’t connect with your book and will find it difficult to engage with what’s going on.

Think about your favourite books, why do you like them? It’s likely to be because you care. You care about what happens in the story, whether the characters get what they want or get what they deserve. Your favourite books have probably made you laugh, made you cry, had you on the edge of your seat unable to wait to see what happens next.

Writing with emotion can be tricky, however. If it is not done in a realistic and believable way it will leave your readers feeling cold, going over the top is off-putting to readers and could mean they distance themselves from your characters rather than connect with them. However, too little emotion will have the same effect.

So how do you get the balance right? Here are some helpful tips.

Have a range of characters

Having a good variety of characters in your book will help you to tap into different emotions in your reader. A hero or heroine is usually a good place to start – this is a character who is inherently good, but probably flawed. Their journey and their goal are what your story will be about. You need to write this character so you audience roots for them, so they forgive their mistakes, identify with their flaws and struggles and desperately want good things for them come the end.

An evil character is one your reader should love to hate, they can be as despicable as you like but they must also be unique – villainous characters should make your reader feel shocked and afraid. Then there are the comedic characters, the ones where you can write with humour and be a little silly. These figures provide light relief and are often the most fun to write.

Think about how you want your reader to feel

Be very clear in your mind about how you want your reader to feel at any given moment. Take a step back and re-read scenes that are charged with emotion. Think about how you would feel if you were reading them for the first time. Do they have the desired effect? If not why not?

Give the reader room to feel

This is the classic ‘show don’t tell’ lesson. If you spell out exactly how a reader should be feeling to them, it can take away all the joy. No one wants to be told how to feel; you have to let them get there on their own.

Be careful – emotion is dangerous.

If your readers become emotionally invested in your book, make sure you don’t disappoint them. Writing with emotion must lead somewhere, if you make a scene emotionally charged don’t let it fizzle out and fade into the background – readers will pay attention to these scenes, so make sure they lead somewhere and are relevant to your story.

Know your characters inside out.

Knowing your characters inside out will help no end when it comes to writing with emotion. If you know how your characters would react in any given situation, it will help your writing become more believable. Readers will notice if your normally placid and shy character starts screaming and yelling and weeping hysterically out of the blue.

Know when you are going over the top

Sometimes simple is best. If you write every single sentence fully loaded with emotion, it will quickly become tiresome for the reader. When it comes to writing with emotion, pick your moments and make them compelling.

Remember, the joy of reading comes from connecting with a story and reacting emotionally to it. Readers want to step into an imaginary world and believe that they are there, seeing the sights, smelling the scents, feeling the emotions – that’s what will make your story memorable, and what will keep readers coming back for more.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post How To Write With Emotion appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Easy Ways To Find More Writing Time

We’d all love to have more time to write. However, it is not always easy to find it. Most of us write in our spare time, but often life can get in the way. We’d love to be able to stick to a strict writing schedule, or have hours each day to kick back with a pot of coffee and work on our writing, but when it comes to jobs, kids, maintaining a house and having a social life, writing often ends up taking a back seat.

However, if you are reading this, then it’s likely that writing is important to you, and, like me, you probably feel guilty if you don’t do enough of it. If this is true then now is the time to do something about it, start making time for your writing today!

Here are some quick and easy ways you could find more time to do your writing

In the morning

OK, you may not want to hear it, but just setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier would give you time to write each and every day. You may not be a morning person, but you don’t know until you try. If you feel that there is no way your brain would be engaged enough to write at this hour, then you could also use this time to do another activity i.e. ironing, cleaning, taking the dog for a walk, which then frees up time for you later to sit down and write.

Evening

Whether it’s as soon as you get in from work or just before you go to bed, finding half an hour to do some writing is not that hard for most people. Getting your family to help you is a great way of making sure everything gets done, so you really have no excuses. Can the kids help get things ready for tea, or do the washing up? Could your partner agree to cook three nights a week? Could you do without watching another episode of [insert excellent Netflix series title here]?

Travel time

Use travelling time to write. This could be your daily commute or if you go away on holiday or business trips. Travel time is a great time to get some writing done. You are away from the distractions of home, can stick some headphones on and get to it. Even if you have a short commute, doing this three times a week can really make some progress with your writing.

Lunchbreak

If you get a decent lunch break why not use this time to do some writing? You could make life easier for yourself by bringing a homemade lunch into work, so you don’t need to go out and buy something. If your office is too noisy or busy why not head out and find a quiet bench or cafe to write in?

Cooking time

Give yourself the night off from the kitchen a couple of occasions a week. You could either make something super quick and easy, order in, or delegate to another family member! Often cooking ends up taking a lot longer than we think it will, so finding ways to make quick and easy meals could free up some time to write.

It is important to remember however, that you shouldn’t give up the things you enjoy to make room for writing. If you do this it will feel like even more of a sacrifice and chore, and you are so much less likely to keep it up. Besides, it is important to find time to relax and do fun things with your free time, you don’t have to be productive for every second of every day! Just by making little tweaks here and there, however, most people can find a chance to write every single day, and if you do have that urge to write, you’ll feel so glad when you do.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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How To Interact On Facebook As An Author

Oh, Facebook – a handy communication tool or a confusing nightmare? For some authors, it can be a bit of both.

We all know that if we want to increase our audiences, communicate with our readers and find more opportunities to promote our work, then Facebook is a handy way to do so.

However promoting oneself and connecting with readers on any social media platform can be tricky. You want to say ‘hey everyone, read my book – it’s GREAT’  – without actually saying that at all.

Getting the balance right between talking about your work, giving little insights your personal life, and sharing useful or interesting pieces of information takes practice and a bit of trial and error to see what works best for you.

Your author page is a business

It’s important to make sure that you run your Facebook author page as a business, which means not in the same way you would run your personal Facebook profile. Be careful about what you comment on or like or share – your fans will be able to see this, and so will everyone else. Be professional but also warm and friendly, think about what you would genuinely like to see on an author page that you are interested in – look up some well-known authors and see what they have done for inspiration.

If you are going to run a Facebook ad, make it amazing

Facebook ads can be a useful way of reaching out to new audiences and promoting your work. If you are going to run a Facebook advert then really work hard to make it as useful as possible. Think about your target audience and message, and what you want people to do when they see your ad – make it obvious, have a clear aim and then think about how to make it as eye-catching and exciting as possible.

Make Facebook work for you

Some authors simply can’t get their heads around Facebook and find the whole thing entirely annoying. Try to make life easier for yourself and use the settings to help control what you see and get alerted to. You can create a list of SEE FIRST accounts to have more control over what you see on your feed. If you are careful about which links you click on you are less likely to get annoying Facebook ads popping up all over your page. Don’t invite controversy with your posts unless you are up for the debate and able to take the consequences!

Be human about it

Always answer any questions or comments you get (unless abusive in which case it is better just to ignore or report them). If someone shares something, you have written – thank them. People want to know that there is a face behind your ‘brand’ so make sure you show it from time to time. The more your popularity builds, the more readers will want to get to know the ‘real you’ so make sure you are willing to let them in.

Interacting on Facebook as an author can feel daunting, confusing or just a little annoying. However, doing right it can bring you new readers and build up your fanbase, so it is worth giving it a go, and hopefully these tips will help!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post How To Interact On Facebook As An Author appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Stuck For Writing Ideas? Try These

While some writers believe in writer’s block and some do not, however, it’s fair to say that there are times in most writers lives where they feel a little stuck for ideas. This happens to the best of us; it doesn’t mean that suddenly you have lost all your creativity and imagination, you just need something fresh, something to kickstart your writing once more.

So if you are feeling stumped for new writing ideas what you can do about it? Here are some starter story ideas to help you get going.

1. You have been granted three wishes – what are they and where do they lead you?

2. You are on a road trip (it could just be you, or you and friends) you pick up a hitchhiker – tell a story about what happens next.

3. Write a letter to your younger self. What would you tell yourself if you knew what you know now? What would you do differently, what would you warn yourself about?

4. Write a letter to your older self. Write a letter to future you. What are your hopes and dreams for yourself?

5. Pick and animal, any animal, now write a story about how that animal took over the world.

6. If children were in charge, what would the world be like?

7. Get a dictionary, open it at random and pick ten words. Use all these words in your story.

8. The worst fight you have ever had.

9. The happiest day of your life.

10. The closest you have ever been to death.

11. You wake up one morning, open your curtains and find the sun hasn’t come up – write about living in a world where the sun never shines.

12. Write about your biggest fear.

13. Go to an art gallery, pick a painting that inspires you and write a story about it.

14. Rewrite fairytales from the perspectives of other characters in the story – red riding hood from the viewpoint of the wolf and so on.

15. You walk through your front door, and your whole house has been trashed – something is missing, what is it?

16. You walk through your door, and your house is completely different, the decor and furniture aren’t yours, no one else is home, what do you do?

17. Get on a bus or train and eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, write a story about what you hear.

18. You walk past a telephone box; it starts to ring – who is on the other end of the line?

19. Read your local newspaper, pick a funny, serious, shocking or obscure story and write about how it came to be.

20. Someone steals your identity. You try to get people to see it is you, but when you look in the mirror, you don’t look like yourself anymore.

You may love these creative writing prompts; you may hate them. However, it’s easy to make up some of your own, and once you get into the swing of it, you’ll find you can come up with lots of ideas to get you inspired. Then all you’ve got to do is sit down and write!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post Stuck For Writing Ideas? Try These appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Write About Love

Writing about love is a tricky business, and often it depends on the kind of novel you are writing as to how you should go about it. The most important part of writing about love is making sure that you connect to your reader in some way. They need to feel something when they read your words.

Generally, we root for characters to fall in love (if we like them) and for love to conquer against all the odds. However, writing about it in a way that readers identify with, is key.

So how do you write about love? Here are some things to think about.

Who is your target audience?

Different readers will have different views about love, and of course while you can’t generalise it is important to try and see the difference. If your target readership is a YA audience, their idea of love will be more hopeful, anxious, and dreamy. Middle-aged readers who have more experience of love might have a more negative disposition; there may be boredom, frustration, discomfort. The older generation may be more wistful when it comes to love, being grateful, comfortable, appreciative of the love that they have had in their lives.

Make the meeting count

One of the first questions asked to a new couple is ‘how did you two meet?’ A good meeting story will make for good reading. It is also an opportunity for the writer to highlight the importance of the relationship between two characters. Readers need to notice that something is going on there. Even something as subtle as a handshake that lasts a little too long will let them know that there is a potential relationship afoot.

Be careful with your gender

When writing about love, it is important to make sure that the way your character speaks, behaves and thinks is true to their gender. Of course, you can break gender stereotypes if your character is that way inclined, but it needs to be believable. This applies in particular if you are a woman writer writing a man’s perspective on love, or vice versa/ For example, if they have fallen deeply in love, or have been heartbroken men don’t necessarily think and act the same way a woman would in that situation. Women are more likely to discuss relationships with friends, to use humour (particularly in heartbreak situations) and to say how they feel. Men may tend to isolate themselves more, and feel hopeless.

Let it have its ups and downs

Even the best relationships are a rollercoaster ride. Think about all the different things you can feel when in a relationship. Happy, giddy, nervous, excited, fearful, angry, afraid, curious, defensive and so on. Try to explore all these dimensions of love to make it come alive.

Think about your language

The language of love is a complicated one. Try not to fall into cliched language too early. Often when we feel emotions in love, they are hard to describe because we feel them so intensely. Using clever and original descriptions will make readers sit up and take notice rather than falling into the same old tired descriptions ‘ heart pounding, butterflies, electrifying’ and so on.

Writing about love can be lots of fun and is a powerful device to include in your novel to engage your readers and draw them in. Using these tips, you can find ways to write about love that are unique, clever, and exciting and will make your readers feel even more connected to your story.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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What Inspires You To Write?

Cast your mind back, what was it about writing that made you think ‘this is what I want to do.’ Can you remember? As children we are all instilled with a love of storytelling, we have bedtime stories read to us, we read fairy tales, we have story time at school, and we are encouraged to use our imaginations as much as possible and come up with our own stories.

Stories are often used to help children make sense of the world around them. Did you become inspired to write as a child, or was it much later in life that you decided this is what you wanted to do?

Thinking about what inspires us to write is a great way to really pinpoint just what is is that we love about writing. In fact, it’s a very good idea to write down what motivates you to want to write. That way if you are ever stuck for writing ideas or feeling uncertain you can look at your list and think ‘Oh yes, that’s why I do it.’

Here are some of the things you might want to consider.

Nature

Nature is a big pull for me. Whenever I am out on a country walk or watching the sunset over the sea, I get an urge to write, to try and capture the beauty of what I see. When there is a massive storm, or it’s blowing a gale, the feeling is the same. Nature is powerful and energizing and finding new ways to describe it in my writing and use it as a metaphor for what’s going on in the story or how a particular character is feeling is a device I use often.

People

People are wonderful, hilarious, frightening, cruel, intelligent, witty, evil, compassionate, sarcastic and so much more. Many writers often find themselves fascinated by people, the way they interact with one another, their quirks and idiosyncrasies, what motivates them to act they way they do. People from all walks of life with all sorts of likes and dislikes, views and ways of thinking, passions and hatreds – they are all wonderfully inspiring and using people to create incredible characters is one of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of writing.

Other writers

Yes writing comrades, other writers are one of the most inspiring groups of people! Writers are tough, persistent, and brave. They also write some pretty amazing stuff, stuff which we, ahem, occasionally might borrow for our own work.

History

What has gone before us whether it was two weeks ago, or two thousand years ago is a huge soup of exciting stories and events just waiting to be sampled. History is insanely broad of course, but it is the catalyst for many incredible stories and gives a voice to those who may otherwise have long been forgotten.

Hobbies and passions

Writing about what we love is a huge inspiration to many writers and works both for factual and fictional work. It may be your love of sailing inspires you to write a book about the best places to sail in your area, or it might inspire you to write about a band of pirates navigating wild and stormy seas.

Little stories of fascinating lives

Listening closely to the little stories that people tell can often give you great ideas for your own work. Sometimes a story as simple as walking to the village shop can actually be the beginning of something truly heartwarming, or hilarious, or disastrous!

Love

Ahhh, sweet love! Is there anything that makes one want to grab a pen and paper and gush about the wonder of the world. Is there anything more cruel and painful when it goes wrong? Love (whether it is kind to you or not), is often the basis for many stories.

Teaching people things

A desire to teach people things can be a strong motivator when it comes to writing. You may have an expert knowledge of something that you know would be useful to share with others, or perhaps you want to write a book that changes the way people see the world, inspires them to act or just makes them feel understood.

Expressing oneself

Writing is hugely cathartic, and many people are inspired to write when they are feeling at their most emotional. Writing is an excellent way to make sense of our emotions, to express ourselves in a way that perhaps we can’t do out loud and to be completely honest with ourselves about the way we feel.

Writing is a truly wonderful activity. Whether you do it as a hobby or as a profession, there are many different things that inspire us to write. What are yours?

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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Get Better At Organizing And Become A Productive Writer

Writers are not often naturally organized creatures, however learning how to be so can be invaluable when it comes to improving your writing and becoming more successful.

You might think ‘but why?’ Writing is surely all about being creative and free?!’  

This may be true, however, if you aren’t organized the likelihood is that your creativity will suffer, you’ll write less, and you’ll be far more likely to give up on writing altogether.

So what do you need to do to become a more organized, prolific and productive writer?

Stick to a writing schedule

Without a strict writing schedule it is so easy to find yourself getting out of sync with your writing routine and before you know it you start writing a little less each week until you suddenly realise it has been months since you sat at your computer. This also is true for those who write full-time – be disciplined – don’t work all the hours that God sends, however tempting it may be. If you stay organized and stick to a schedule, you should be able to have time to do other things, you know, like talk to your family.

Have an excellent record keeping system

Keeping records is so important for a range of things. Records of when and who you sent your book to and whether they have responded. Records of books sales, of assignments and deadlines, of useful contacts. Records of finances so when it comes to doing the dreaded tax return your life will be a lot easier – the list goes on and on.

Organize your computer files, bookmarks, and emails

Can’t remember when that deadline is? Wouldn’t life be so much easier if you didn’t have to scroll through hundreds of emails to find out? It would, wouldn’t it? Make folders for different clients, and projects. You should have a separate spreadsheet with your assignments and deadlines too, but this way you can easily access the email as a backup.

Organized files are necessary too. It’s good to keep track of changes on documents, be that articles or novels, so make sure you save different versions and name them something logical so you can revert to a former version easily if necessary. If you like to bookmark useful websites be it for research or perhaps potential jobs then make these organized too. You can create a filing system in bookmarks so group them together and file them virtually so you can easily find what you are looking for.

Be organized when it comes to writing itself too

Don’t just ‘start’ your book or article without a plan. Novels need structure and plot outlines. Articles need research and clear points. Doing this will save you the disappointment of getting halfway through and realising your story/ article actually just doesn’t work.

Since it’s still January, we can legitimately talk about new beginnings, so if you are guilty of being a rather chaotic writer now is the time to get your affairs in order with a meticulously organised desktop, inbox, diary and schedule. Being organized really can make a huge difference, so what are you waiting for?

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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How To Write Outside Your Comfort Zone

It’s always good to experiment with your writing, and learning how to push those boundaries and write outside your comfort zone can lead you down many interesting paths.

Of course, writing outside your comfort zone is easier said than done. Even if you are up for the challenge, if you are used to writing in a particular style or genre it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Here are 6 things you can do to help you.

Read for inspiration

Reach for a book that you usually wouldn’t go for to get a fresh perspective. It’s so easy for writers to read a lot of books that fall into similar genres as their own work. That’s not surprising – after all, if you have no interest in science fiction you are hardly likely to write a book about it are you? Saying that if you want to experiment and try something new, or bring in elements of different genres into your book then reading a different genre will be extremely helpful.

Go somewhere new

Take a trip somewhere you have never been before. This could just be to a new restaurant or cafe in the area where you live, or a full-blown adventure across seas and continents! Going somewhere new and absorbing the sights, smells and sounds as well as talking to the people that live there could give your imagination and creativity a much-needed boost.

Buy some story dice

Story dice have words or pictures on them. Simply roll the dice and make up a story with whatever you get! This forces you to write about things you normally wouldn’t and is great for giving you fresh ideas too.

Do a story swap

A story swap great to try with your fellow writer-friends. Agree on a topic or title for a story, and then both of you go away and write the first half of it (you can agree on a word count to make it easier). Once you have finished, exchange your stories and write the ending for one another. It’s fascinating to see another writer’s take on a particular topic or theme, and to then try to write in their style can also help give you insight into how you could take your own stories in a different direction.

Take up a new hobby

Writers often write about what they are most familiar with so why not take up a brand new hobby to see if that gives you inspiration and motivates you to write about something different?

Do something that scares you.

Fear is a powerful emotion and is one we often avoid as best we can. However, being a little afraid can really help you when it comes to writing outside your comfort zone. Not only will overcoming fears and taking on these challenges contribute to making writing outside your comfort zone less daunting, but the experiences themselves will also put you in touch with a range of emotions you aren’t used to – and you can incorporate these into your writing too.

Taking them time to try new things is usually very positive and what makes life vibrant and exciting. The same goes for your writing. So the next time you feel as though things are getting a little stale, why not try the above and see if you can inject some new energy and creativity into your work?

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Why Do So Many Books Fail?

The majority of books that are written are hardly read by anybody. This may seem a little depressing, but it is the unfortunate truth. Think of all the millions of books that are out there. How many of them have been properly published and marketed, and have been read by more than a handful of people?

Of course, describing a book as a failure all depends on how you measure success. You may not write for fame and fortune; you may not even be trying to make a living out of your book. For some authors seeing their book for sale on Amazon is achievement enough – and that is wonderful.

However, for many authors, they want to see their book become a success, they want a publisher or agent, or at the very least for it to become popular through self-publishing – so that they can feel dedicating all that time and energy to writing it was worthwhile.

So why is it that so many books fail? Let’s take a look at the main reasons.

They Don’t Get Finished

Finishing a book is an astonishing achievement and one that every author who has managed it should pat themselves on the back for. So many people begin to write a book or want to, but never manage to get to the end. Be thankful that you did something so many other people were unable to do.

They Stay Hidden

There are a vast number of manuscripts out there which stay under the radar. The author finishes and thinks ‘now what?’ The idea of spending time and money sending to publishers and agents, or self-publishing is rather overwhelming to the novice writer, so even many completed books go no further.

They Don’t Get Sent To The Right People.

If you don’t research the publishers, you are sending your book to then more often than not you’ll send it to the wrong person, someone who has no interest in the genre for example, and it will get rejected without so much as a second thought. Always do your research and make sure that you know exactly the right person and publishing house to send your manuscript to. This way you’ll give your book the best chance of success.

They Aren’t Submitted Correctly

If you don’t follow submission guidelines to a T, then your book may get rejected without even being read. Don’t go to all the effort of sending your book in unless you are going to make sure you have read the submission guidelines and are willing to follow them precisely.

They Haven’t Been Written FOR Anyone

Does your book have a target audience? If not who are you going to market it to? Without having a type of reader in mind books often fail as, instead of appealing to everyone, they don’t really appeal to anyone.

They Aren’t Unique

Boring, unoriginal cliched stories have no place in the modern book market. Readers are hungry for books that surprise and excite them. Make sure your story does just that.

They Aren’t Up To A Publishable Standard

If your book full of spelling mistakes and errors then you can’t expect to be taken seriously by an agent or publisher. Have a professional editor look over your book, and if you are self-publishing, make sure you have a proper cover design.

They’re Just Plain Unlucky

Unfortunately, if you are going to try and get your book published, you are up against insanely tough competition. Lots of publishers won’t give new authors the time of day, and if they do will only take on 2 or 3 new books in a year (and get sent thousands of manuscripts each month). Even brilliant authors with something truly unique to say can easily get overlooked.

In the end all you can do is keep trying, believe in yourself and hope that you’ll get lucky. Remember, don’t give up – it’s often those who keep persevering that end up becoming a success.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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How To Create A Plot Twist That Will Shock Your Readers

When you are approaching the end of a novel, there is nothing better then suddenly everything you thought you knew being turned on its head. You were expecting the protagonist journey to go a certain way, but suddenly they discover something that takes them on an entirely different course. Perhaps you are reading a ‘whodunnit’ novel and are sure that you have cleverly worked out who is behind those grisly murders, but then unbelievably and amazingly a significant revelation changes everything. Then there is another, and another – and so it goes on.

A plot twist is a great way of building up tension and suspense and creating a dramatic climax which leaves your readers reeling when they get to the end. It can make them uncomfortable, devastated, incredulous; it keeps them on the edge of their seat until those very last pages.

But creating a brilliant plot twist is no mean feat. In order for your readers to really get on board, you must cleverly build up to your twist, increasing the tension and drama as you go. It needs to be big enough not to feel like a let down but not so big it makes the rest of your story seem rather pointless.

Let’s look at some of the do’s and don’t’s when it comes to writing a plot twist.

It can’t be obvious

A plot twist has to be something that your readers aren’t expecting. If you make it too obvious, then they’ll feel deflated, particularly if you have correctly built up to the ‘big reveal.’ Twists are there to shock readers, to make them feel astonished, to get their eyebrows raised and their mouths forming little ‘O’s.’ If they saw it coming a mile off then, you have to ask yourself, can it actually be called a twist at all? Describe your story to someone and see if they can guess the twist, if they get it right away, you might well be writing something too cliched, or something that’s been done 100 times before.

It can’t be utterly implausible

While you want your plot twist to be unique and shocking, if it is entirely unlikely it won’t do anything for the credibility of your story. Plot twists have to feel somewhat organic. If they come from absolutely nowhere, your reader is more likely to feel cheated and betrayed than excited and full of suspense.

They have to feel like they could have worked it out themselves

Leaving little hints and clues along the way is always polite. When your plot twist is revealed, readers enjoy thinking back to that particular chapter where one character gave the other a funny look or did something slightly odd – which now makes perfect sense of course! These little subtle hints should be weaved carefully into your story so a reader can go back and think ‘Ah! Of course!’ after the plot twist has been revealed. You want to give them clues, but also keep these clues sufficiently buried so that they don’t just immediately guess the ending right away.

Reward your reader

Remember readers have taken the time to get to the end of your book and have probably now invested in it emotionally. Take the time to make your plot twist great. Don’t be a cop out, don’t tell them ‘it was all just a dream’ or that ‘she lived happily ever after.’ Make your plot twist unpredictable, imaginative and always keep the reader’s response in mind, that way you’ll make sure that you stay on the right track.

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