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With so many new stories and fantasy worlds coming out every year, people have more options to choose from. As a fantasy creator, making an imaginary world with interesting characters isn’t enough. You need to maximize your reader engagement in order to keep people invested in them and there are several ways to go about this.
The top objective of successful reader engagement is to have the plot be interesting, from beginning to end. The story hook at the beginning is a great way to draw your audience in but it just isn’t enough. You have to give them a reason why they should keep reading and not go elsewhere. If they go elsewhere, they’re less likely to come back so work diligently to prevent that from happening.
The plot alone isn’t the only thing you need to work on. A great story comes with an equally great number of characters, all of which contribute to it in some fashion. Having a superb cast makes for compelling storytelling since each one has his own agenda and outlook on the world that influences their decision-making process.
When it comes to reader engagement, besides populating the world with intriguing characters, it needs to feel vibrant and lively. Your readers don’t want to explore a world that feels sterile, they want to be in a world that feels lived-in. It has its own tale to tell, one that began long before the plot started in earnest. At times, it will dovetail neatly in with the main plot, other times it will clash with it.
This is article number nineteen in The Sunlit Hearth series. For more, go to our blog page where there’s a fantastic medley of articles just waiting to be read!
You can come up with a wonderful world with characters that make your audience want to spend time with but if the plot is mundane, it will forever tarnish them in their eyes. You have only one chance to make an impression which means you have to give it your all when it comes to constructing the main plot of the tale.
A great way to generate reader engagement is to have a story hook. But not just any hook will do. You need to give people a reason why they ought to read your story, not someone else’s. You have to design one unique to your world and story, making it stand out amid a crowded field of hooks. It occurs right at the beginning, typically either within the first several pages or the first chapter where people are browsing through several stories, seeking one that grabs their interest.
The story hook pulls people in but you need to keep them engaged. The plot itself needs to be interesting and keep them on their toes all the way to the end. Plot twists are a powerful way to keep them invested since they come out of nowhere and force the story to move in an unexpected direction. They can range from a sudden reversal of fortune, a shocking event such as a murder, or a betrayal/shift in alliance.
The plot is broken into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. For great reader engagement, smart creators generate compelling storytelling by having each part be interesting. The middle is where many of them have trouble since the plot is moving forward but its resolution is still quite a ways. To combat it, they introduce new concepts, themes, and characters that alter already existing dynamics, essentially adding some fresh air and rejuvenating the main plot.
While the beginning is known for laying the groundwork, the ending is where everything comes together. All the different plot-lines converge together in a grand crescendo that ultimately leads to a great resolution both for the characters and the audience. Your viewers want an ending that is true to the plot and makes sense with everything they’ve learned throughout the story. They abhor those that are nonsensical and go against the spirit of the story.
Even though the plot is one of the most important parts when it comes to reader engagement, don’t overlook the significance of featuring great characters in it. They can make or break a story which is precisely why you should focus on bringing characters that your audience will talk about long after they’ve reached the end of the plot.
A timeless story with high reader engagement has characters that contribute to it in their own way. In other words, every single character, whether it be major or minor, are part of it instead of just being created just for the sake of the plot. This means even a shopkeeper who may only appear in just one or two scenes is part of the story and could very well leave a lasting impression on the audience.
The major characters of the tale receive more attention than their minor counterparts which means they are more developed and fleshed out. Readers like major characters to be well thought out and have personality traits that they can identify with, helping them to understand them better. Additionally, they like them to essentially feel like real people, what with their idiosyncrasies and outlook on life that drives their decision-making process.
A superb way to have great reader engagement is to have a variety of characters, all with their own goals and objectives. Some are good, some bad, and others in-between. This gives you, the creator, ample storytelling options to pursue since there are some plot-lines that are better suited for a particular character.
People like it when they see how the decisions characters make affect the plot as a whole. They want these decisions to be meaningful and have lasting effects that change the plot. For instance, a character betraying another character doesn’t just change how the latter sees the former but how other people perceive him which can portend his eventual downfall/comeuppance.
A sure fire way to generate high reader engagement is to have a world that feels alive and one that makes the audience want to explore its every nook and cranny. An interesting and vibrant world dramatically enriches the plot since it feels lived-in.
The world has its own story to tell and readers get glimpses of it throughout the plot. They discover new areas, wildlife, cities, and so on, all of which help cement the idea that the world itself is not just an artificial creation created just for the plot but a real place full of all kinds of things.
One way to have great reader engagement is to put points of interest in the world. They could be sites marking the place where great battles occurred in the past, castles, unique geological formations like an unusual arrangement of rocks in certain areas. These points of interest add a splash of realism since they are based off on their real world versions and help the audience immerse themselves into an imaginary world.
One element that appears in all worlds is the power structure. This naturally applies to the governments of the countries of a fantasy world but there are other types of power structures as well. You have corporate, military, religious, and others, all of which contribute to not just the world but the plot itself. Readers see snippets of how the world works throughout the tale and come to learn how these major players impact everything they see.
Magic is always a crowd pleaser and an excellent way to increase reader engagement. Besides the spectacle of seeing two wizards dueling it out using spells, people are curious to see how magic works in that world. Is it used for everyday duties like brushing your teeth or cooking or is it used sparingly, only in certain circumstances? What kind of spells are available to learn and how do people learn them?
Having stellar reader engagement is key to having a story last in people’s minds long after they’ve finished reading it. They find themselves thinking about their favorite moments in the plot, their favorite characters, and are bursting to return there to spend more time with them. By keeping the plot interesting all the way through, featuring a fantastic cast of characters, and a dynamic world, you can create a story with awesome reader engagement!
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Sunfire
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