Creating a Page-Turner, Part One
Point of View

How do authors create that novel you just can't put down? Of course, there has to be action and interesting situations. However, an engaging novel can't be based on just action. It has to pull the reader in and make them care about the hero and heroine. How is this done? Making realistic but likable characters is a start.


But involving the reader emotionally also demands more. First of all, be careful to show whose point of view you're in, and if you switch points of view, have some way to signal that to the reader. I use the method I like as a reader. I use a line or symbols to show the break. This is different than the extra spacing I use to denote a passage in time. In my traditionally published Appalachian Roots series, the editor maintained the dark line I originally had in the manuscripts. In When Winter Is Past set in colonial Pennsylvania, we used stalks of wheat. In With Summer's Songs, I chose a line of musical notes; and in the new release, Promise, we used a cow and fence to go with the rural setting.

Like me, most of you have probably read books with head-hopping, or changing points of view at random. It's irritating and slows the reader at best, and it can be downright confusing. It also signals to me that this is a novice writer, regardless of how long they've been at the craft. I believe readers deserve the best for their time they spend in reading our books and the money they invest in buying them. We should constantly be working to hone our skills and grow as an author. Then, we will deserve the fan base and following we want.

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