- Connect emotionally. Whether you're writing prose or poetry, the ability to connect with readers on an emotional level is crucial to communicating with them. Readers must find a way to make the subject matter resonate with them to truly appreciate your message. In other words, they have to care about your subject. To do this, you have to relate the subject, no matter how obscure or foreign, to something that is personal to readers. If you're writing about power grids, for example, make it personal by using examples that affect readers' everyday lives, something they can relate to on an emotional level, such as the disruption to their lives if they suddenly lose power to their homes or workplaces. Give them something to click into on a heart level rather than a head level and your message will connect. Building in emotion where it is least expected can have powerful effects.
- Start in the middle. Readers often expect writers to start at the beginning of a story or sequence of facts or events. Surprise your readers by starting in the middle. It's not always necessary and often is uninteresting to express things in linear fashion. Readers' attentions are grabbed immediately when plunked in the middle of an idea or story. They want to know more, find out the backstory, see what happens next. The middle is usually where the action is and readers love to find themselves in the middle of the action. Starting in the middle and then back-filling to create the rest of the story is a very effective way to keep your readers hooked from beginning to end.
- Add a twist. Twists aren't just for fiction. They can be employed in nonfiction as well. Twists add flavor and surprise to your writing because they take readers in a direction they weren't expecting. We are all familiar with twists in fiction, as in the typical crime "whodunit" stories. But what about nonfiction? If you're writing an essay about drug abuse, for example, instead of citing the usual statistics about users' demographics and recovery rates, try starting with an example of an unusual profile. Profile a highly successful individual who grew up with every conceivable advantage economically and culturally and show the progression of that person from success story to drug abuser. Instead of starting with the usual examples of disadvantaged individuals who never rise out of their poverty and social class and eventually fall into drug abuse, introduce readers to the unexpected fall from an advantaged life into drug abuse. It will give readers a new lens through which to view your subject and perk up their attention. You are literally twisting readers' thinking when you employ the unexpected.
- Insert mystery. Mystery is achieved largely through rhetorical questions that make readers wonder what's going to happen next. This technique is artfully employed in much fiction (example: What if the murderer was one of us?), but it can also be used in nonfiction. You can insert mystery into any subject by conjecturing scenarios for which there are no readily available answers. For example, if you're writing about bio-terrorism, you might pose the question: With science, have we created a monster that is now going to destroy us? Mysteries have no immediate answers and they leave readers intrigued and wanting more. Inserting the mysterious element into your writing will give it the edge that keeps readers hooked.
Effective writing has that certain edge that keeps readers enthralled and wanting more. By connecting with readers on an emotional level and employing surprise, you will keep them on the hook. Whether they are jumping in the middle with you, following your twists and turns, or wondering at the mysteries of your subjects, they will be fully engaged with your subject matter and your message. Keep your writing edgy and it will keep your readers on the edge of their seats.
