Thoughts of a Mad Man

Compelling Goals

Prompt: “A person can write the most beautiful, lyrical sentences (as James Patterson will be the first to tell you, he does not), but if the story doesn’t grab a reader by the throat, and—having grabbed on—hold her there, none of the rest may matter all that much.” Joyce Maynard in her article on Patterson --- in Observer


What kind of stories capture your imagination so you may keep on reading?





Only one kind of story captures the imagination: one that is vivid and exciting.


Don't be tempted to accept that answer. Look again: these words don't describe how or why the story grabs your imagination, it only describes that it did. Anything that grabs you, comes under these terms.


A simple answer exists. A vivid story includes at least one character that wants something he can't automatically achieve. Maybe he'll get it, and maybe he won't. The more desperate his desire, the further he goes in its pursuit, the more the reader pulls the pages.


Inside the brain, special neurons contemplate the feelings inside these imaginary characters, called mirror neurons. The reader, seeing what the protagonist wants and how he feels, begins to feel the same as the author's description. If the character's drive compels him to pursue the goal in front of him, then he has no choice but to participate in the plot — and the reader will feel the same compulsion. When this tension reaches a sufficient strength, the reader likewise has no choice but to read on.


Convince your reader that the character's emotions demand success, and the reader will follow along.