Reader Engagement: A secret ingredient for Keeping Readers Glued to the Page

When I hear comedians make fun of the Black audience’s verbal response in a movie theater, I laugh. This reminds me of the call and response, which takes place in the Black Church.

Now I’m looking at it differently. This could be a good thing for you as a writer. When you write, you want the reader to have an interactive experience, which I believe is why the social networks have taken the Internet to a whole new level. That is–the ability to interact with people who have similar interests.

This really helps me as an editor. Recently I edited a writer’s manuscript and she questioned some of my comments, which were things like “Now here’s the heat,” or “This is juicy.” Her questions started me to thinking.
Why do I use comments like these? Because, hopefully, these are the types of responses a future book reader will get.

How can you make the reader interact with your story?

How can you make them laugh?

How can you make them cry?

How can you build tension in the reader so that they will not want to put your book down?

Consider some of the things which have made you cry? What makes you laugh? What makes your heart race?

The same things will work for your reader.