5 Secrets To An Engaged Readership ( Hollywood uses them)

Writing is an art and a science.

It is art when you create insight by just arranging words and it is a science when you can trigger a response in your reader.

It could be intrigue, confusion, excitement or desire.

All of these create a large reaction called INTEREST.

This is the key to keeping your reader engaged.

You know who uses this well?

Screenwriters.

Steal all the secret tricks they use to get you hooked on that drama that still ended with everyone dying:

THE NOT-SO-HIDDEN GEM

The secret to a good drama is (obviously) great storytelling

But the not-so-obvious secret here is that you can use the components of great storytelling in non-story writing.

If you still don't get it

It simply means I'm about to show you how to charm your readers without necessarily needing to write a story.

This is not one of those posts teaching you storytelling- there are too many of those.

You are about to ethically steal 5 psychological tricks good stories use and learn how to use their power for other forms of writing

1). SET THE STAGE

Every good drama starts with an introduction to the story.

So should your writings.

A great introduction makes sure that you tickle the curious side of your readers.

Let them have that FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) while reading your work. This drags them down the pages in search of something that can scratch their curious itch.

A great way to do this is to use hooks.

Have a great hook as your Title and your introductory paragraph.

NB: it's okay to have 1 sentence paragraphs to maximize readability.

2). IDENTIFY YOUR MC

The main character in every drama is the one we care most about.

Everyone watching the drama wants to know how the MC's pains are cured and how they progress in the plot.

Keep in mind:

YOUR READER IS YOUR MC

I cannot stress this enough.

Your reader only cares about how your writing can help him/her.

They may care about you as a person

But your work is only there to help them.

So treat it like it is all about them.

This is why it is essential to have an ideal reader avatar.

Who are you writing for?

What are their pain points?

How can you help them?

Why should they read your work?

You should have all these questions answered to make your writing clearer and more actionable.

NB: It helps to use the word “You” throughout your writing. This way it sounds like a conversation. Everyone is more engaged by a conversation than a lecture.

3). CREATE SCENES

We all love those meaningful points in a story that answers certain questions lingering at the back of our minds.

They get us high on dopamine and keep us wanting more.

That, my friend, is the power of scenes.

A drama/story is basically made up of several scenes.

Use this in your writing to rent a room in the head of your readers;

• Use bullet points

• Use images

• Use videos

• Tell a weird personal story

Do all of this to engage your readers' minds.

A bored reader is a reader that will exit your page and open TikkTokk

Fuck TickTok.

4). INTRODUCE CONFLICT

You know that scene in a drama where the MC wants to land their dream job but their love interest's jealous suitor used his connection to prevent that from happening?

That's what a good conflict in a drama is.

When you're writing, remember to point out all the challenges your readers face.

If you've faced them yourself— even better.

This will make you more relatable and show that you understand their journey.

So introduce conflict.

5). FINISH STRONG

We all hate that movie that didn't end properly.

You know, that movie that didn't make you cry, or laugh or feel anything at all.

Your writing cannot be like this if you want an engaged audience.

You need to always leave an impression.

Your readers can only continuously read your work if they are excited when they see your notification.

So make sure to end your writing with an actionable tip, a free resource, a relatable story, a challenge or anything that makes your readers anticipate your next post.

Keep in mind that you can try out all or a few of these tricks and see how it works for you.

I'm pretty sure if you're not already using them you'll see great results.

Thank you for reading so far

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Your friend,

Michael