10 ways to keep readers interest:
1. Unpredictability
If the reader knows how the story will end, he/she will soon lose interest. Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding recently had to completely rewrite her new novel Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination because she realised she'd given the entire plot away by chapter three. Of course, one of the best ways to keep the reader guessing is to keep yourself guessing, so don't worry about mapping the whole plot out at the start.
2. Research
I know, I know. Even the word 'research' is enough to inspire a yawn. But generally speaking, people like to learn something new when they read a book, even if it is a novel. Also, research is essential if you are to convincingly portray the world you are describing.
3. Jobs
As Stephen King says in his book On Writing, readers love to find out about other working lives. So make sure you get to see your characters at work as well as play.
4. Juicy cameos
One sure-fire way to liven up a story is to introduce an eccentric or comic character, even if they are only going to appear on a few pages. It worked for Shakespeare, so it could just work for you.
5. The character turn
A leopard might not change his spots, but the best stories normally include at least one character who is not quite who he or she seems.
6. End chapters ambiguously
The end of every chapter needs to be strong enough to make sure readers want to turn the page and find out what happened next. The best way to do this is to add an element of ambiguity, to vaguely hint at what is going to happen next without giving everything away.
7. Use metaphors
This hint can even be in the form of a metaphor, such as a sky turning black or an animal found dead on the road if something bad is going to happen.
8. Don't digress
The temptation when writing a novel is to digress and put your own opinions about a particular subject. The trick is to express these opinions through the story itself and not to leave readers wondering what is going on with the plot while you have your rant!
9. Save the best till last
Make sure the most exciting events and revelations occur at the end of the novel. If they are all at the beginning, what is the point of reading on?
10. Include advance knowledge
If you are telling the novel in the first person singular (the 'I' voice), you are able to include advance knowledge of what could happen at various points. Obviously you don't want to give the whole story away, but you want to hint that what the narrator is going to tell you is vital or horrific or sexy or heartwarming enough for you to want to carry on reading.
Keeping readers interested