GET PUBLISHED (Writing Tips Articles)

3 Basic Principles of the Bestselling Novel

For years writers and publishers have been pondering on the secret of creating a bestselling novel. The answer is you must entertain the reader throughout. Writers! Wake up and smell the greasepaint. You are in the entertainment business whether you like it or not.

By remembering that novels are a form of entertainment you can write that commercial novel that sells in thousands consistently over many years by following three basic principles.

1. First Principle 'Show' not 'Tell'

It is important that in the opening scene of the novel the reader is thrown into the action straight away. Everything must be dramatized or acted out in the novel from the first scene to the very last scene of the book. In other words, the reader wants to be entertained from start to finish. He wants to be transported to the world of the novel on a magic carpet of words, where he can lose himself for an hour or two.

The reader will not be entertained if he has to wade through pages and pages of explanation of the main character's life or descriptions people or places.

It might seem the easiest way to discover the secret is to read as many bestselling novels as possible. But hold on. Let us be sure we know what we are talking about here.

How many times have we heard friends say - 'That book that won that prestigious prize - I just can't get into it.'

How many times have you thought the same yourself after struggling with that book that was number one on the list? Often the book has been lauded by the critics but turns out to be unreadable by the everyday reader. Is the reader at fault here? No, definitely not.

The problem most likely is that the novel did not entertain or captivate the reader from the start. This is an imperative. The reader must be hooked immediately, and the writer that can do this is well on his way to being a bestseller. The writer who does not understand this principle cannot expect the reader to battle on through his novel in the face of uninteresting content till he comes to the 'good bits'.

2. Second Principle - Introducing the Key Character

For the reader to be entertained from the start, that is from scene one, he must meet the key character straight away, i.e. in the flesh. The reader needs to see the key character in action with other minor characters.

It need not be 'fisticuffs' action, which would be unlikely if the key character is female. The key character must be shown to be 'alive and kicking', and dealing with the main impediment that is preventing him or her from achieving his/her goal. This initial impediment will persist until the end of the novel; always there as a stumbling-block. During the course of the story there will be other obstacles which the key character will resolve with much struggling.

The many twists and turns of the plot action that the key character fights his way through will keep the reader entertained. Obviously, there will be quieter scenes in the novel, but as long as there is a promise of more action to come the reader will remain satisfied.

3. Third Principle - Open with dialogue

To prevent the writer getting bogged down in boring exposition, explanation and description, at the vital first scene, the best way to handle the very first line of the very first scene is to use dialogue.

Chit-chat is not dialogue. Dialogue has a specific purpose in the novel; it informs the reader of what is happening and in doing so pushes the plot forward.

Dialogue can also characterise a character much better than mere description ever could. What the character says and how he says it creates images in the reader's mind much more powerful than description; images that will remain with him through the book.

The writer must keep the dialogue pertinent throughout the novel to maintain the reader's level of interest.

There is no surer way of creating a best-seller than by word-of-mouth and the reader who is thoroughly entertained by a novel is the reader who will talk excitedly about it to his friends.

Write that breakthrough novel now by making sure it is totally entertaining by using these three principles.

Jaci Gwyn is another name for the professional author Gwen Madoc, the author of twelve published novels of historical romance and family sagas. Gwen has a keen understanding of how to put a novel together and is very willing to pass her expert knowledge and experience on to aspiring writers.