Want Readers? Make Them Part of the Story Experience

Strange things happen to our story between our brains and our computers (or writing tools of choice). Scenes that were vivid in our thoughts fizzle out into “meh” on the page; ground-breaking information devolves into dusty jargon-speak. What a great way to lose our readers.

Many writers fall into the trap of summarizing information (or feelings!) or giving high-level takeaways in place of giving their readers an experience that they want to pursue. Let’s not do that. Make your readers raving fans—and have them turning pages through to the end—by making them part of your story experience through detail, detail, detail.

Your Readers Want a Story, So Give Them One

Have you met anyone who picked up a book because they wanted to be lectured to? Yeah, me neither.

In March, I wrote a post in which I talked about how humans relate to stories: we remember information better, and we enjoy it more, when it comes to us in the form of a story.

When it comes to stories, the devil, as they say, is in the details. Or in this case, your story is in the details.

This is not a story:

• “I’m so annoyed! I got a parking ticket yesterday.”

This is a story:

• “After I had to cancel my doctor’s appointment because the meeting ran late, I went outside and found a ticket under my windshield wiper and they’d put a big yellow clamp on my tire. So much for meeting John for dinner.”

Many writers tell us about the result of various details: they say things like “it’s cold,” instead of mentioning the frost on the windshield; or they tell us they’re annoyed, rather than pointing out what made them annoyed (the parking ticket, the clamp, missing dinner with John). Telling us about your feelings—or, worse, telling us how we should feel—is not a story. That’s a polemic. Nobody wants to read those.

The reader doesn’t want to be told how to feel or what to think. It’s condescending and it assumes everyone draws the same conclusions you do, making you appear snooty at worst and out of touch at best. What you processed from a situation or event is your experience, not mine. But you can make it mine if you give me details.

A story is an experience

If you’ve gone to see a movie at the theater recently, you’ve gone for the experience. You could watch that movie at home (eventually), on either a streaming service or if you purchase a copy for yourself. The movie alone is not why you’re going to the theater. You’re going to spend time with friends, for the giant screen, to be immersed in the action, to buy a bag of popcorn and put crumbs on someone else’s furniture, to get out of the house—you name it. Going to the movies is an event.

A good story is likewise an experience. You have partners in the experience—your readers. What makes up an experience for you? You’re hot because you’ve been sitting in the sun for an hour, you’re frustrated because you’ve been at the DMV for an hour, you’re hungry because you overslept this morning and had to skip breakfast, and then also missed lunch. Your readers can figure out that you’re hungry, etc, if you give them the other details, and they appreciate being partners in your storytelling experience.

The best thing you can do for your story is to immerse your readers in it. Give them surround sound. Turn down the lights so they focus on the stage that you’ve set up for them. Direct their gaze where you want them to look.

Let them discover the takeaways—emotional, financial, health-related, whatever—themselves. Show them the details they’ll need to understand what you’re trying to share…and then back away. Trust me, most of them can put two and two together.

Details versus facts

Warning: you can have a hell of a lot of facts, and not have a story.

We don’t need every article of clothing the suspect was wearing. But if the police find someone three blocks away from the attempted burglary who’s wearing a red-checked shirt, and the suspect was wearing a red-checked shirt, that’s a useful detail. The fact that he was wearing blue jeans and listens to Nirvana doesn’t add anything important. This guy is suspicious because of proximity and that distinctive shirt.

Details should be meaningful in the context of your story. The facts might include that I make coffee, read the newspaper, brush my fluffy dog, water the plants, and sweep the kitchen in the morning. But readers don’t need to hear about my full routine—that phone call I get right after I put the coffee on, where I find out that my best friend is in the hospital, is worth mentioning, however. That’s where the story is.

Resist the temptation to be encyclopedic—a list of facts will distract your reader, rather than help them. Focus: what gives you the emotional key to the situation?

The bottom line

Bring your reader along for the ride and you’ll win their interest and loyalty, driving them from the first page to the last. Stop telling people what to think and feel and use key details to let them draw their own conclusions. Avoid meaningless words like “interesting,” “beautiful,” and “annoying.” And while you’re at it, avoid that list of facts…unless you’re sure they all add value to your writing.

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Need help getting clear on your book? Want to get out of your own head? Let’s chat. I currently have a one-on-one coaching spot available.

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