Envision Publishing

Ways to Reward a Reader

Some Ways to Reward a Reader

1. Give the reader new experiences. Take the reader to places she has never been. Treat the reader to smells, foods, and sights she is not likely to otherwise encounter. (For example, try a new coffee, tea, or other product. Perhaps show a new way to make coffee. The point here is that whatever your plot may dictate, you should still be thinking of ways to give the reader new experiences.)
2. Five-sense your copy. Involve odor, taste and touch as often as it makes sense within the storyline. Use hot, cold, hunger, and thirst. Five-sensing can be used to provide ‘new’ experiences and also used to enhance the vicarious experience your story provides the reader. Nora Roberts is very proficient with 5-sensing her copy.

3. Make the reader ‘feel’ an expanded array of emotions. The phenomena of ‘vicarious experience’ allows readers to feel what your characters are feeling – or at least what your heroine is feeling. These feelings can include: being loved, desired, envied, jealous, victorious, cherished, prideful, fearful, beautiful, approved of, angry, sorrowful, in doubt, joyous, hateful, and feeling betrayed. Janet Dean makes exceptional use of emotions in her first book, “Courting Miss Adelaide”.

4. Anticipatory Events (AEs): create situations in which the reader looks forward to finding the resolution. Secrets work well as AEs. Other AEs include ‘going to a big event—like a dance’, ‘who will win an award’, ‘who will get the job’, ‘what will happen when Mary finally meets her ex?’, Julie Lessman uses AEs skillfully in her “Daughters of Boston” series.

5. Make AEs happen sooner in the story than the reader expects. This is a reward in itself. (Nora Roberts is an expert at rewarding the reader sooner than the reader expects it to happen.)

6. Factoids: facts make the reader feel smarter. Lucy Gordon does this often in her Italian stories. Factoids can include ‘how-to’ items. (Like how an Italian cook might handle a cooking problem such as too much spice in a soup.) Factoids are so popular that the term ‘factoid’ is now in general usage. (As strong as factoids are, a writer must be very careful to seamlessly work them into her writing. Factoids cannot be there simply because the author wants to reward a reader.)

7. Sparkles: the poetic use of words; fresh and unique ways of expression – a selection of words the reader has never heard or seen of before. Sparkles include new terms to take the place of worn-out romance phrases like ‘toes curled’, ‘knees turns to jelly’, ‘took her to where she had never been before’, etc. Camy Tang demonstrates this ability in her new book: “Deadly Intent”.

8. Quips, quotes, and wisecracks. These cover a lot of ground. Ideally these are sayings that the reader can enjoy and perhaps use herself in the right situation. Janet Evanovich’s books are plum full of wisecracks and are a joy to read. In an interview Janet once said that she considered herself to be an entertainer more than a writer. Wow! This goes right to the heart of writing to the ‘reading experience’.

A Few Examples from Available Books:

“His Forever Love”, Missy Tippens, page 12

Her traitorous heart galloped underneath her rib cage. Stop it! I will not let my heart race over this man. This supposed friend.

(Example of ‘emotions’ and ‘sparkle’)

****

“Deadly Intent”, Camy Tang, page 8 

“I need to speak to Jessica Ortiz.”
An involuntary spasm seized her throat. Of course, glamorous client Jessica Ortiz or plain massage therapist Naomi Grant – no comparison, really.
But something in his tone didn’t quite have the velvety sheen of a lover. He sounded almost…dangerous. And danger didn’t belong in the spa.”

(Notice in the above quote: 5-sense: ‘spasm’, Emotional: ‘envy’ of Jessica and ‘self-depreciation’ – she almost ‘feels’ sorry for herself, Sparkle: ‘velvety sheen of a lover’ . AE: ‘danger didn’t belong in the spa’ ).

***

“Deadly Intent”, Camy Tang, page 12

Back out in the central fountain area, the harsh smell seemed stronger, but she couldn’t pinpoint where it came from. Had a sewage pipe burst? No, it wasn’t that sort of smell. It didn’t smell rotten, just…had an edge to it.

(A good use of ‘smell’ – I can almost smell it myself. This detail enhances the reader’s vicarious experience.)

****

“Petticoat Ranch”, Mary Connealy, page 49 

The man quit rubbing his head. He was staring at her and listening so intently, it was as if every word she spoke was coming straight from the mouth of God. “Earlier you asked me about a name.”
“Clifton Edwards.”
His eyes narrowed, and Sophie leaned closer along with the girls.
“Clifton Edwards, Cliff,” he muttered. “It means something to me.”

(AE: the author could have just revealed the information directly but instead the reader has to wonder: ‘Who is Clifton Edwards to this man? What happens when he remembers the name?’ Mary Connealy makes very good use of AEs in her books. By the way, the answer comes very soon.)

***

“Assignment: Baby”, Lynne Marshall, page 8

Amanda Dunlap prayed this wasn’t fate’s idea of a practical joke.
And there they were, the twenty carefully selected patients, each with three or four of the risk factors contributing to future heart disease – ticking time bombs, as her mentor had put it.

(Above quote is an example of an AE – will patients die, which ones, will the bombs go off?)

*****

Assignment: Baby, Lynne Marshall, page 8

Thank heavens the Mercy Hospital medical director had found a replacement for their satellite clinic. Only one problem remained.
Where was her hero?
While destiny snickered, Amanda checked her watch again – seven-ten.

(Example of AE. Who is hero? Will he show up? What will her reaction be? )

***

“Courting the Doctor’s Daughter”, Janet Dean, page 13

Opening the side door leading to her father’s office, Mary’s nostrils filled with the smell of disinfectant, a scent she’d grown as accustomed to as the honeysuckle fragrance she wore. The waiting room chairs sat empty. A stack of well-worn Farmers’ Home Journals and Ladies’ Journals cluttered the top of a small stand. She took a minute to clear out the old issues before the whole heap tumbled to the floor.

(Example: excellent use of smell and factoids – magazines of the times)

***

“A Passion Redeemed”, Julie Lessman, beginning of Chapter 4.

What was he doing here? Again? Mitch sucked in a deep breath, thick with the loamy scent of wet leaves and burning peat, and turned the ignition off. The car sputtered to silence. He sagged back in the seat, surrounded by stillness except for drizzle on the roof of his Model T, the distant yapping of a dog, and the pounding of his pulse in his ears.

(AEs and 5-sensing. Julie Lessman scores very high on RPP. )

****

“Sushi for One?” Camy Tang, page 310.

“Lex, singles in the entire Bay Area are asking the same question.”
“But I used to succeed in everything whenever I gave my best. Why not in finding Mr. Right too? Or at the very least, a sponsor.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re complaining because you, like practically every woman in the United States of America, can’t find either Mr. Right or Mr. Rich? What planet are you living on?”

(Example of emotional desire to win and of snappy dialogue)

“Sushi for One?” Camy Tang, page 310.

Lex didn’t realize she’d been leaning against the car until the heat began toasting her buns. She scooted away.

(Good use of showing someone who is mentally preoccupied and also how hot it is outside without expressly saying either.)

*****

“A Passion Denied”, Julie Lessman

Brady frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Collin’s chest tightened as he thought of Lizzie and the secret Faith had sworn him to.
“Collin? Something’s wrong – what is it?”
Collin looked away and threaded his fingers though his hair. “Yeah, yeah, there is. I don’t think it’s anything serious yet, but—“

(Secrets are used many times in “A Passion Denied”. Will a character reveal the secret? Will grantor of secret find out? What will happen then? Lots of AEs can be generated by use of a single secret.)

*****

Important: The RPP approach does not supersede writing rules. You still need to know how to write well. Writing a bad book that has 20 rewards per page will only produce a more rewarding bad book. Increasing the RPP may not even merit you better reviews. The higher RPP is designed to enhance the total ‘reading experience’ in order to please readers and make fans more likely to buy your next book(s).

How you might choose to apply this information:

1. create your own RPP index with rewards that you find significant.

2. score your own work – then score an author you particularly like using your RPP system. Compare scores.

3. color code your manuscript in your word processor by giving different color highlights to the five sense words.

4. color code ‘emotions’ – show what characters are feeling on each page. You can use different color type for the different emotions.

5. scroll through your WIP file. Ask yourself – how colorful is my writing and how ‘rewarding’ is my writing? If you’re seeing very little color, you have work still to do.

6. try to increase your RPP score without making the writing seem stilted. (Think of this: ‘a high-concept’ movie is one that by its very nature provides many ways to reward the viewer. If you develop a ‘high-concept’ romance plot, then by its very nature, you’ll enjoy more opportunities to increase your RPP score.)

Questions:

Do you write to ‘the needs of the novel’ or do you write to the ‘reading experience”? Do you consider yourself an entertainer?

Can you suggest some additional ways to reward the reader?

Vince
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Vince is giving away a spankin’ new copy of Julie Lessman’s A Passion Most Pure to one person who leaves a comment here today.

If you’d like to read more about Vince’s philosophy of romance, check his blog at http://vmres.blogspot.com/

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