The Rules of Engagement...
No, I’m not talking about Prince William and his new fiancé, winsome commoner, soon-to-be-royalty, Kate. Or is it now Katharine? Actually, I could talk about the subject at length because I write romance novels and a tale of a Prince and a commoner falling in love and living happily ever after is a great story. But I won’t because you’ll soon hear more than you ever wanted to hear about the royal couple from the media...and because that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Besides, the Pygmalion/opposites attract theme sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? Cinderella, Sabrina, The Way We Were, Pretty Woman, My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Overboard, The King and I, African Queen and even Shrek are all variations on that theme, so really, it’s been done to death, hasn’t it.
Actually not. Those stories are, in a way, exactly what I was planning to talk about. The opposites attract/happily ever after stories, while seeming cliché, are timeless. They win readers’ (or movie fans) hearts. They win hearts because they contain certain elements that appeal to wide audiences. They win hearts because the authors followed The Rules of Engagement…and that is what I wanted to talk about.
Never heard of those rules? Me either, at least not formally. So, I’ll go ahead and create that rule right now. The way to make your story win readers’ hearts is to follow The Rules of Engagement.
Readers choose to buy a book because something about it interests them, be it an evocative title, stunning cover, an enticing back cover blurb or can’t-put-it-down first paragraph. Usually, it’s a combination of all of the above, and when that happens, the reader becomes engaged. But only temporarily. Our job as writers is to continue engaging…and that’s where The Rules come in.
I’m not a fan of rules in any art or craft…other than you have to know them in order to break them, but I absolutely believe certain elements must be present at the beginning of a story in order to engage the reader. Hence ... The Rules of Engagement. Not being a rule lover, I confined my rules to only those I feel are absolutely necessary. In order to engage a reader immediately, your story must have:
1. A sympathetic character the reader can identify with, worry about and root for
2. Empathy – universal emotions that the majority of readers can relate to
3. Emotional urgency – important action that hooks the reader instantly. The reader must know up front what’s at stake...what stands to be lost? In other words, conflict happens immediately.
4. An interesting setting – the setting enhances the emotion and tone of the story.
Notice anything about the above rules? They all involve eliciting emotions from the reader. Feelings are what keeps us engaged. In order to be truly engaged, the reader needs to be actively concerned about a character’s sanity, safety or soul. The reader must be interested in the story outcome. If that doesn’t happen-–if the reader doesn’t care what happens to the character, why read on? When I find myself reading a story I normally wouldn’t read, it’s because I care what happens. My emotions have been engaged. As authors, it’s our job to make the reader care about what happens.
Think about the best books you’ve read recently. Do they have all the elements above in...say...the first three to five pages?
