In a perfect world, every author would pen books that totally grab your attention from start to finish, eyes glued to the page,
you just can’t put it down! However, even among my favorite books and favorite authors, there are times that my mind wanders. I get distracted by a noise. My neighbor is baking a cake that smells delicious. I shift uncomfortably in my chair.
I feel a draft and get up to close the window.
Each of those little interruptions causes a reader to break – even momentarily – with the book. Every little distraction pulls the reader out of the story. With good books, the reader ignores (or may not even really notice) these blips. But the challenge to an author is to avoid these blips all together.
One way to avoid giving the reader a chance to wonder what’s happening down the hall, or what kind of pizza to order for
dinner, is to involve the reader’s senses. Get the reader to immerse herself totally in your book.
Give descriptions (without going overboard) that show the reader how something feels, tastes, smells. Let them know what something sounds like or looks like. The “looks like” part is often there for characters and setting - the heroine’s long flowing red hair is described, or the elegant dining room with Victorian antiques is vividly presented to the reader.
But why stop there? Why not get bring the reader further into the setting by mentioning the smell of lemon-scented furniture polish in the living room, or the sounds of car horns blaring during rush hour, or the feeling of OUCH when that sip of tea burned the roof of her mouth?
If you invite your readers to feel what your characters feel, and taste what your characters taste, the readers will become part of the story.
Jill Edmondson is the author of the Sahsa Jackson Mysteries. The fourth book in the series will be available December
1st on Amazon.
For more info in Jill, check out her: website www.jilledmondson blog www.jilledmondson.blogspot.com
other titles on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Jill-Edmondson/e/B006Y0YWUO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sashajacksonmysteries
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