Stump the Chump: How Do You Hold a Reader's Attention?

Today's question comes from a young writer who no doubt will become a superstar author one day. How do I know? Am I some kind of prophet? Do I read tea leaves? Did I get a screaming hot deal on a crystal ball at Woot? Nah. Nothing like that. I'm confident she'll succeed because the girl has a hunger to learn the craft. Here's her question:

"My story is long. How do I keep a reader's attention?"

The answer to that question is to raise a question. At the end of every scene, leave the reader wondering about something. . . 

Will the heroine give in to the temptation to eat a slab of chocolate cake and ruin her chances of fitting into her wedding dress next week? 

How is the hero going to escape the clutches of the ninety-seven-year-old granny who's stalking him? 

Where in the world is the villain's rubber ducky--the one that fell off the back of the pickup truck and is filled with C-4?

Not every scene has to end with a helicopter crash, but there does need to be some hook to make the reader turn the page instead of setting down the book. And that's accomplished by raising a question in the reader's mind.

Apparently I'm on a Dear Abby roll, so if there are any other questions you'd like to stump the authorly chump with, leave them in the comment section.
Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep is an author, blogger, and occasional super-hero when her cape is clean.

https://michellegriep.com
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Stump the Chump: How Do You Wrangle An Epic Story Onto Paper?

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Dickens Meets Sherlock Holmes