The two pillars of storytelling

In addition to writing, I am also an avid reader and, reading, I realized that the success or otherwise of a story rests on two solid foundations: immersion and emotional involvement (or attraction). If one of these two pillars is missing at a certain point in the story, its whole scaffolding collapses and the reader loses interest in the book.

What is Immersion?

Immersion is the quality of the narrative, of a piece of fiction, that literally transports readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are actually there. Stephen King refers to this as an act of "telepathy": the authors have an image of a scene in their mind which they must be able to recreate in the minds of their readers. To create and maintain immersion, writers must provide consistent and persistent sensory detail, especially in relation to the protagonist's moment-to-moment experience in each scene.

What breaks a reader's immersion

There are many elements that can pull readers out of the story and break their immersion. Some of these include:

Gaps in expectations

A dearth of sensory detail about a scene or setting can cause readers to fill in the blanks in their own imaginations, only to have their expectations dashed when a significant detail is later revealed. For example, one scene opens with two characters talking, then on the next page it is revealed that there is a third person in the room.

Lack of detail in the description of the action

If readers can't follow what's supposed to happen, they'll quickly lose immersion. What is happening in a scene, where it is happening and who is involved should be completely clear to readers. (On the other hand, why something is happening can often be left as a question mark for readers to find out later as the story unfolds).

Excessively long descriptions

Sensory detail is key to immersion, but if the descriptions go on and on, readers can get bored.

Showcase the narrative context versus the protagonist's moment-to-moment experience

When the exposition moves into deep explanations of context, it can be difficult for readers to imagine the characters, actions and world of the story. Try not to take readers too far from the scene.

Minimalist dialogue

If there are too few dialogue tags, actions or descriptions, readers can lose track of who is speaking. The moment they stop to wonder who a sentence belongs to, they have lost the immersion.

Information overload

Blatant explanations of backstory , world-building , or author research (especially in historical fiction) can quickly break immersion.

Tongue

If the prose is too flowery or the vocabulary too difficult, readers may start thinking about the prose more than what is happening in the story. This, however, changes depending on your target audience. Poetic prose can also be a source of emotional attraction if the reader is in love with the voice.

Rhythm

If things move too fast or too slow , readers can feel left behind or bored. Again, anything that gets a reader thinking about something other than the unfolding story will impact their immersion.

Errors

Typos, grammatical errors, repetition of close words, and excessive use of filters can take readers away from the story, which is why line editing and proofreading are critical to a novel's success.

Build and maintain immersion effectively

To build and maintain immersion effectively, writers must focus on effectively translating the moment-to-moment experience of the protagonist of each scene. This means making sure that the setting, characters and actions are all well described , with consistent and persistent sensory detail. The fringe parts that demonstrate character and give us the protagonist's emotional reflections on what just happened, what is happening, or what might happen next are also useful. The most important thing is to make sure what is happening is clear above all else.

Emotional Drawing: A deeper exploration of a reader's psychology

The attraction or emotional involvement is what keeps the readers involved in the journey of the protagonist and, wanting to know what will happen next, what keeps them turning the pages.

So what makes a reader emotionally involved in a story? To answer this question, we must delve into the psychology of the reader. The first component is a protagonist with a clear and specific narrative goal. The protagonist's goal should be something the reader can understand and empathize with, whether it's rebuilding an old friendship, saving a family business from bankruptcy, solving a murder case, or thwarting a villain bent on domination. the world.

For a reader to be interested in the story, they have to connect with the protagonist. This connection can be established through the protagonist's struggles and desires, his inner thoughts and emotions, and his reactions to the events of the story. The reader should feel as if they are experiencing the story together with the protagonist.

The next step is to make the reader interested in the fate of the protagonist. This is accomplished by making the stakes meaningful and personal. If the protagonist's goal is something he desperately wants or needs, and if something terrible will happen if he fails, then the reader will be concerned with whether or not he will succeed.

Trajectory: The connection between the triggering event and the climax

The trajectory is created by the protagonist's causal journey between the inciting event and the climax , and, as we have seen, is an essential part of the structure of the story . The triggering event is what sets the story in motion and crystallizes the protagonist's narrative goal. The climax is the high point of the story, where the protagonist succeeds or fails in his quest.

Between the triggering event and the culmination is the escalating action. These are the challenges that the protagonist engages in and struggles with, both in terms of the actions he takes towards his goal and in terms of reactions to the obstacles encountered along the way. It is here that the protagonist's determination, resourcefulness and resilience are put to the test.

Obstacles should also be unexpected and challenging. The protagonist should be kept on his toes, just as the reader should be kept on edge trying to guess what will happen next.

Tension and Anticipation: Creating Uncertainty for Readers

Tension and anticipation are closely related and both are essential to keep readers engaged in the story. Tension creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates a desire in readers to know what happens next.

Tension can be created in many ways, such as through the protagonist's struggles, the obstacles he faces, the risks he takes, or the uncertainty of the outcome. The tension should be constant throughout the story, until the climax when the reader's anticipation reaches its peak.

The climax is where the reader discovers whether the protagonist will succeed or fail, and this is where the tension should be at its greatest. If the reader has been involved in the journey of the protagonist and has been hanging for the whole story, the climax should be satisfying and resolve the tension that has been generated by all the crescendo action.

Stakes and bonding with characters - the key to emotional engagement

Readers have to connect with the protagonist to care about his fate and be involved in the story. They don't necessarily have to love the protagonist, but they do have to be interested and involved in his journey.

If readers are to worry about the protagonist's success or failure, the stakes must be high. The consequences for the protagonist if he fails to achieve his narrative goal should be significant and personal. If the protagonist cares deeply about what he wants and is at clear risk of failure, readers will be more invested in achieving the result or not.

In conclusion

The two pillars of storytelling, immersion and emotional engagement , work on two levels. On the one hand, completely ignoring these pillars can lead to a story that few readers will be able to immerse themselves in and enjoy. However, once the basics are in place, what makes a truly passionate and engaging novel will vary greatly from reader to reader. Some may find an emotional attraction in the poetry of language in literary fiction, while others may be drawn to the elements of a fantasy world. It's important for authors to understand their target audience and what will work for them. Ultimately, though, the fundamentals of immersion and emotional appeal are at the heart of what makes a story captivating and memorable.