The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes That Break Reader Immersion
The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes That Break Reader Immersion:
I need an emotional connection to the character, and I need it fast. I try to give a book until the end of the first chapter … I often fail to get that far.
Nowhere did I see it explicitly stated how import it be for the stakes to be high. I find that very important. In a recent story I tried to read the stakes were the hero/heroine loosing their job, or being reprimanded by their boss. I couldn’t really care. If the stakes were maybe losing their marriage, the world ending, maybe I could have cared?
The point about too much exposition at the beginning is good. I’ve been nailed for this in I Bring the Fire in two reviews, but other people feel like I gave just enough detail. You probably can’t please everyone. I do think dog lovers liked the opening scene because they identified with it immediately. Whose dog hasn’t taken a roll-bath in something disgusting?
Also, I like what he says about characters behaving out of character. That WILL drive me out of a story no matter how far along I am.
He counts grammar problems as being one of the top things that drives him away, but there is no where in the article that I can determine how picky a grammarian he is. I’ve read some indies with atrocious grammar and marvelous story lines/characters, so I stuck with them. The book I’m thinking of is currently a best seller.
He hates present tense! (not in this article, but I saw a link at the bottom to an article on that topic. So perhaps he has not read my books!)
Today marks the publication of the 50th review in my ImmerseOrDie indie book review series. For those who don’t regularly follow it, the premise is simple: every morning I step onto my treadmill, open a new indie ebook, and begin my daily walk, reading the book for as long as I can maintain my immersion. When that immersion has broken three times, I stop, and write up a short report of what caused my attention to wander. This article today is a reflection on the first 50 such reviews, and a synthesis of A) whether or not I’ve been consistent in my evaluations, and B) trends I’m seeing in the causes of those immersion breaks. Read the rest >
A couple of points I think he missed:
I need an emotional connection to the character, and I need it fast. I try to give a book until the end of the first chapter … I often fail to get that far.
Nowhere did I see it explicitly stated how import it be for the stakes to be high. I find that very important. In a recent story I tried to read the stakes were the hero/heroine loosing their job, or being reprimanded by their boss. I couldn’t really care. If the stakes were maybe losing their marriage, the world ending, maybe I could have cared?
Key Takeaways:
The point about too much exposition at the beginning is good. I’ve been nailed for this in I Bring the Fire in two reviews, but other people feel like I gave just enough detail. You probably can’t please everyone. I do think dog lovers liked the opening scene because they identified with it immediately. Whose dog hasn’t taken a roll-bath in something disgusting?
Also, I like what he says about characters behaving out of character. That WILL drive me out of a story no matter how far along I am.
He counts grammar problems as being one of the top things that drives him away, but there is no where in the article that I can determine how picky a grammarian he is. I’ve read some indies with atrocious grammar and marvelous story lines/characters, so I stuck with them. The book I’m thinking of is currently a best seller.
He hates present tense! (not in this article, but I saw a link at the bottom to an article on that topic. So perhaps he has not read my books!)
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