How To Write a Page Turner: Craft a Story Your Readers Can't Put Down

By Jordan Rosenfeld

Infuse Your Fiction with the Powerful Tug of Tension!

Tension is the heart of conflict, the backbone of uncertainty, the hallmark of danger. It keeps readers guessing and characters on their toes. When you've got tension in place, stories leave readers breathless and wanting more. When it's missing, scenes feel inconsequential, plots drag, and characters meander.

Learning the craft of writing can sometimes feel like a paint by numbers approach--connect compelling character A to plot event B. To avoid writing that's formulaic, predictable, and slow, How to Write a Page Turner will help you sew the threads of tension tight for an unforgettable story. You'll learn how to:

   • Recognize the essential tension elements of danger, conflict, uncertainty, and withholding, and add them to your fiction
   • Create levels of tension in your characters through flaws, dialogue, power struggles, and more
   • Build tension at energetic markers throughout the plot
   • Use intimate imagery, strong sentences, and well-chosen words to build tension in exposition

While this book walks you through the key areas that need tension building, from character to plot, it also delves deeper, analyzing exceptional examples from contemporary fiction's most gripping page-turners. So as you dive into the inner conflicts of a character's deepest psyche, to the mechanics of how you reveal information to the reader, you'll also discover how to craft a story your readers can't put down!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Feb 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781440354502

Jordan Rosenfeld

Jordan is an author, writing coach, editor and freelance journalist. She earned her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and is the author of the books, Make A Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time (Writer’s Digest Books) and Write Free! Attracting the Creative Life with Rebecca Lawton (BeijaFlor Books). Jordan’s essays and articles have appeared in such publications as AlterNet.org, Publisher’s Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle, The St. Petersburg Times, The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazine. Her book commentaries have appeared on The California Report, a news-magazine produced by NPR-affiliate KQED radio. She's working on two more books from Writer's Digest Books, coming in 2015: A Writer's Guide to Persistence: A Toolkit to Build & Bolster a Lasting Writing Practice and, with Martha Alderson, Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Scene-by-Scene Through Action, Emotion and Theme.

Reviews for How To Write a Page Turner

[tatoosh-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“How to Write A Page Turner” is one of the best books on writing I have read, but a chore to read. It reminded me of my undergraduate days when I had to plod through textbooks because the information contained therein was beneficial. Every one of the 18 chapters in this brief 228 page book provides valuable tips and examples, but it took me over six weeks to read; I couldn’t force myself to read more than a chapter at a time.Readers who enjoy instruction-oriented books or are broadly interested in writing as a topic will find “Page Turner” to be less onerous. Rosenfeld’s writing style is accessible, and she uses an impressive selection of examples to illustrate her points. Those who are not fans of instruction manuals or writing as a topic will nevertheless benefit greatly from the effort required to read “Page Turner.”Rosenfeld’s thesis is that tension is an essential element of fiction that keeps readers engaged. Part one explains the elements of fiction that create tension. In part two she explains how to use the characters we create to create tension. Part three dissects the underlying story arc and suggests ways to create tension across the entire plot: the point of no return, rededication, dark night, and triumph. The final section is on the use of language and images (i.e., similes and metaphors). Those who believe the ability to write a novel is beyond them will gain a clear understanding of how to approach the task. Rosenfeld’s removes the mystique from fiction writing and provides practical tips and specific instructions. Writers at all level of experience are likely to benefit from this book.