The Secret Behind EVERY Bestselling Novel
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- Опубликовано: 27 фев 2021
- What's the key to a successful novel that sells thousands - or millions - of copies? In this video, I reveal the secret ingredient behind every great novel and go through examples from bestselling books so you can see how it operates in action. With these tips and bits of novel writing advice, you'll be on your way to strengthening your story, hooking readers, and successfully publishing.
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GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING/PUBLISHING:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer / amzn.to/3VE8dtt
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody / amzn.to/3Vyk2Bn
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum / amzn.to/3Z4at03
SOME OF MY FAVORITE NOVELS:
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones / amzn.to/3vvWItt
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips / amzn.to/3CFz4Pt
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid / amzn.to/3CjFFi5
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RELATED LINKS:
The Secret to Writing Likeable Characters: • The Secret to Writing ...
How to Become a Bestselling Author: • How to Become a Bestse...
ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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Хобби
I've once heard this idea summarized as: make sure that the reader always has questions that they MUST have answered so they will be compelled to keep reading.
It's nice to see a booktuber with actual experience in the publishing industry, great content :)
Thanks so much!
I hope to be a best selling author. Thank you for such great content. Love this. I'm currently working on my first YA novel. 😬
I 100% agree! 🤗
And some decent advice plus the honesty that it's her opinion, bit different from the other author tubers. That said, the reputation of the author tubers is a bit tarnished. Certainly while they published books wherein they don't practice what they preach and basically putting all the tropes in it that they tell you not to use. It is indicative of a profound lack of self-reflection, which is ironical as the educational system keeps drilling everybody, especially millennials and Gen Z with self-reflection models.... doesn't seem to stick very well.... the quality of the educational system or more specifically total lack there off is a debate for another time.
@@christinabriggs1782 how's the book coming along christina?
I'm writing a middle-grade novel about two children who go into the woods and find themselves in the ice age. Its called "Ice" it needs to have plenty of suspense to create the sense of adventure needed in every middle-grade adventure story.
This sounds SO GOOD. Oh my gosh…I love it and I felt I had to comment to tell you I would have 100% read that as a kid!!
You are 100% right. I've been writing books forever and I've looked at many "guides, but this one is probably the best. People say: believable protagonist, interesting plot, good conflict, but a lot of books have that and they don't sell well. When I look back, it's the suspense that I remember most in books. I remember when I read "The Count of Monte Christo" and had to go to school. I couldn't concentrate all the time wondering how the duel between the Count and Albert would go, because, after all, Albert couldn't be killed by Edmund. Now an example from the Chinese series "Sparrow." - I knew that the main character was not going to die (at least not until the last episode) but in each episode I felt anxiety, insecurity, what would happen next, how they would get out of the situation. I couldn't tear myself away from this drama.
Thank you for this video, because it really helped me. While watching it I had some scenes from my books in front of my eyes and wondered if they were ok. They are. Unfortunately, there are a little too few of them. I need to work on multiplying them without losing quality :)
The Count of Monte Cristo is an excellent example of tension/suspense in a novel! Thanks for sharing your perspective, Shin!
I once hear, can't remember who said it, that writers should create questions in their writing that readers can only get answered by continuing to read. I've tried to take that to heart.
Great advice!
I see you added suspense to your message with the drumroll. 😄 I'm really enjoying your videos. Thank you.
My guess is that the real secret is finding an editor as insightful as Alyssa
You are a real hero for the writers............ Love you Alyssa !!! (Sachin Jadhav - India)
Getting pulled in can be subjective. For me, it's the character and his or her reasons. Their motive. Even the world they live in.
Love these too!
I appreciate your information and your attitude. Many editors who make videos promulgate lists of “never” and “don’t” rules that choke the mind with restrictions that needn’t be brought into play during the first draft. 👏
Alyssa, I have been fumbling in the dark and spent a goodly sum on educating myself in the art of novel writing for three years. Finally, I have 95k of work I am reasonably pleased with and then ... I discover you. How I wish I had the benefit of your insights before now. However, you now give direction to my editing, publishing and some re-writing phase. You offer exactly what I have been finding the need of and have made an old writer very happy.
This makes me so happy! Thanks so much for sharing and I'll be rooting for you!
Must say -- I was blown away by your advice and have been binge-watching today, trying to catch up with all that you've offered on this channel. In the midst of writing what's turned into an epic novel, I've been trying to decide if it all belongs in one book and if the core will bear stretching into a trilogy. I went after an agent too soon [as I now see] and the idea wasn't fully formed; hadn't really taken shape. I've found so much here and thank you for adding your voice to the milling information on youtube about writing and getting published. What you're saying and the way you present it works for me and nothing else has.
Two of my favourite books. Thank you for the illustration
I'm so thankful for your content.
I use rising action in every chapter also known as suspense.
I started world building for my first novel. I have the overall story arc down. I decided to first write a separate short story. Hopefully to garner interest for my novel but also for more experience writing. Thank you for your videos!
Oh! I...write suspense in my stories. Nice! Finally I'm doing one thing right. :)
So I have finished my book back in 2020 December. I started it in August 2020 and its a romance-drama-mystery genre. During the whole story I myself didn't know what I was writing. I had a small vision of the book about a girl who meets a guy and a past they shared together comes up. I wanted it to be just a short love story. And more than the romance genre I was focused on adding mystery to their personalities and friction when the two got together. Slowly as I was writing I realised there were more questions that needed to be answered. My original goal was to make it around 50-60k. But then when I tried to re-read it again, the questions just kept coming up and I myself was intrigued to see what would happen next. I kept going with the flow and the story ended up as a 110,000k book but this time with the focus on the later chapters on the guy's personality. It turned out to be extremely romantic yet really empowering. I learned that write what you want to write. As though you are living that experience. Put your own personality into your protagonist and make it realistic, give them a goal and then turn the whole universe against them. Write as though you are writing a diary. Forget important stuff for a while but mention it here and there. Honestly it comes from that inner flow. Feel how important this story is to you and keep writing. Eventually you'll see questions coming up and you'll be compelled to answer them. Now I'm editing it and trying to cut short a bit, focus on spell check, grammar etc.
Did you ever finish your novel? I'd love to read it
"Tension" conveys the same idea without all the "it's not just for Thrillers!" caveats.
Yes, a great synonym!
Just discovered your channel... Subscribed! Great content; I'm already thinking of ways to apply this to my trilogy-in-progress. I look forward to more awesome input!
Thank you so much for your videos, Alyssa! I am so grateful for the advice you're willingly giving out; it's helping me to form a clear picture of the publishing industry, and to help me become the best writer I can be. Your personal experience in the industry really shows. Please, keep posting - you're fantastic! I have subscribed and liked 👍
This was really great advice. I've recently discovered your channel and am really enjoying your videos. Thank you.
An insightful explanation. Well done!
Thank You. Thank YOU!! I truly appreciate your expertise because your explanation and the examples will help me to revise my little short story that I'm writing for my class. I can feel that it'll be like night and day difference!
Amazing video. Been writing writing long time and now just trying to get published. Your videos are always great !
I've just started writing again and I'm trying my hand at starting a romance series. These videos have been really useful so far! Thanks.
Thanks Alyssa, I was getting stuck in my draft novel. I was re-reading it and feeling it was lacking 'something'. Even I was bored. Something hard to put my finger on. Now I have a clear approach to creating suspense. I think this works as we are naturally problem-solving animals, our brains want some problem to solve. I have resisted having conflict in my novel but I now believe I need internal conflict - which is essentially growth - for the character - and suspense, as outlined so well in this video. BTW I am writing a women's fiction / rom com novel. So it is a good example - all novels need suspense - not just thrillers. Respect.
So glad you found this helpful! Good luck with your novel!
Great contents, improving your audio quality highly suggested.
Lovely❤❤❤❤ thanks for sharing
I’m writing a mind blowing best seller. I have had an extremely traumatic life. With all types of twists, turns and aha moments. Things you would never even guess. This was very good advice! Liquid gold ! Thank you ❤
have you published yet?
I love all of you videos. Video teaching me a whole lot that I need to watch out for in my writing. As well as what I need to write better for.
I'm glad it resonates!
Fantastic advice. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I am halfway through my novel and wathcing all of your videos, really got me wishing you was my editor. It'd be a dream come true:(
The moment you started talking about suspense, the first thing that came to my mind was Taylor Jenkins Reid. I've only read Malibu Rising and Seven Husbands. She does it so well
This was helpful.
Hello. I watched this video yesterday, and today I begin yet another rewrite of my first work of fiction. After some time to reflect on your message and discuss it with my partner, I had to come back and say "thank you" for the excellent advice. I just put a note at the beginning and end of 23 chapters ... "REMEMBER SUSPENSE!" LOL.
Great piece
I've saved this video for my revision & rewrite process. Wow! Alyssa, you have a good heart-a sharing one. And I appreciate your experience and wisdom. :) Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
If I am not intrigued or amused by the first few pages (which I read in the shop or library) it goes back on the shelf and I will neither buy nor borrow it.
A full, hard back novel is so expensive nowadays and I can't take the risk unless it is by one of the 'great novelists who never disappoint.
my advice as an avid reader, to anyone who is writing their first novel....make your first pages count !
Such a great point - those opening pages are crucial if you want to hook readers (and/or agents)!
Thanks!! Useful info
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks a lot miss. Its so easy to learn. Me from Indonesia!!
Very helpful video ❤❤❤❤
Donald Maass' books agree with this. Pretty much exactly
Thanks!
suspense is the promise of possibility balanced with a degree of doubt. I was lucky to learn this long before I wrote my debut romantic memoir and was able to incorporate it. It went on to win fifteen awards and two publication offers.
This is very good.
It’s great to see your channel growing. As always, the way in which you present is refreshing, adding worked examples shows you know what you are talking about and challenges us to look at our own book bucket list.
I loved the prose of When the Crawdads Sing, this is what drew me into this story. And, although, I am no expert, if a book can pose a question the reader wants an answer too, then that will draw them in and make the book successful. The question which will make the reader want to continue is, of course, variable on the genre and hence the reader. A great book can bring, say, an avid horror reader into a romance book.
Keep going with the channel!
Thanks so much for the kind words! Agree the prose is so lyrical and alluring in WTCS.
Great video! Someone recently read my MS and said the whole time they were reading, they felt like a cat chasing a piece of string someone was holding. I thought it was a pretty good compliment!
I agree -- that's a wonderful compliment! Congratulations!
My true story I have to write is naturally the most suspenseful story. I've had an event happen that's never happened in the world to anyone before. Readers have no choice but to keep turning the pages and find out what happened. Most of my story sounds untrue, but is all true. Interesting new concept for a book I have. Should be a Bestseller when written. Deserves to be.
Wow. So much beauty in only one person alone.
I can't wait to write some fiction. I'm deep in a non-fiction "based on real events" from the 1870's with real characters and real events, unheard of characters and events, but I'm tasked with creating a story to tie it all together and giving characters depth. What you reveal and when you decide to reveal it plays a lot into suspense.
I like your channel and you good advice. May I suggest that the background music is a tiny bit distracting from your presentation:)
This just makes me want to use some “cheesy tactics” 🥺
Ty
Hi,
I am glad I found you on RUclips. I am currently working on my memoir. This is my very first book and I have very high hopes for this one. Would you mind reading the first 4 chapters for insight? I need your expert advice.😊
Such a wonderful video, thanks Alyssa for being direct and substantiating your opinions with superb examples.
I have a question for you, as I am currently drafting a novel. In each chapter, there is an element of suspense. Sometimes, there are many elements which amp up the scene and raise the stakes. Is there such a thing as too much suspense?
And a follow up question, when should this suspense be resolved, if at all? Should resolution be left until the very last few pages as a general rule of thumb?
Thanks so much and keep up your genuine and spectacular work
Subscribed!
Thanks!
tHANK U-QUITE INFORMATIVE!! Could this be applied to a children's Book as well!
I love your channel. I am trying to get suspense on every page of my wip using Donald Maas' Breakout Novel Workbook as an editing prompt - along with your videos obviously. My wip is a UK Reacher meets Bond style series. I have draft A of book 1 complete and in self-edit, book 2 almost complete, and stories for book 3 and 4 in progress. I am going to try for an agent, with help from your videos, so please keep them coming.
You can do it!
As someone working on a long running series of comic books, there is arguably an even bigger pressure to include some kind of suspense in every PAGE, in order to keep the reader turning them, so that each page is never completely resolved, but the resolution is always on the next page, so it keeps them turning, or said resolution leads to a new, minor, question to be resolved on the following page :)
It’s nice to get some help on making a book (p.s, I’m 11.)
This is why 'Of Cages & Crowns' by Brianna Joy Crump is going to be a best seller immediately this month!
Thanks. Your videos are great. I think the word suspense should be replaced with "wondering" ; wondering what is next. wondering that keeps us up at night.
Thanks so much for this video, Alyssa! It's a great topic, and, again, I thoroughly enjoyed your use of examples to illustrate your points, and it was instructive how the excerpts were so different from each other. In the last example, it is, as you say, a case of wondering, 'So, what DID happen?' but there is also a tickle in the back of the mind that says, 'Maybe this IS what happened, and if so, why has she repressed it?' Either way, you want to find out more.
One tiny niggle- the editing is a bit jumpy in this. Didn't detract from my learning, but was noticeable enough to draw the attention. But please, keep the content coming.
Thank you for the kind words!
Okay
6:25 Thought my record player was skipping.
You are addictive, lady. I should be working on my novel, but I am absorbing much information from your vids. I am trying to infuse my murder mystery with word-clues and also an historical theme imbedded in the background. I don't believe it will distract or take anything away from the story, however, I have a long way to go. Do you have any examples that include something like these?
All of your videos are so enlightening. My question is the three examples are in first person. Are there any best sellers written in third person that ad suspense?
The passage from the second example (Where the Crawdads Sing) is in third person! But this is a great catch because I do naturally gravitate toward first-person novels. You can build suspense just as effectively in third-person.
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you and I missed that about Where the Crawdads Sing.
Nice video. I tried to come up with another thing that makes all good books worth reading, and honestly couldn't. Even non-fiction that's worth reading uses it's prose to achieve this.
Thank you, Ben!
Do you edit and look at movie scripts or plys?
All day ❤
6:48 That's the third time you've said that.
Poetry in story writing is a nice bonus, but a interesting story needs no poetry.
I have often thought of this as mystery. Mystery is not necessarily a story about a fictional murder or death. We hear of mysteries of science, history, and more. In 1939, Winston Churchill applied it to international politics. "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." A mystery is also not a simple unknown. I have no idea what I ate for dinner this day last month. That is not a mystery because I do not care, nor does anyone else. A mystery is an unknown, which someone cares about, even needs to know. It is a compelling unknown. Thus, the suspense of a good book, it seems, must put together, one or more characters the reader cares about, and an unknown the reader cares enough to spend the time turning pages to find out. The third thing, I suspect, that drives the reader to more than finish is this. In order to read most novels, the reader must exit their daily life and enter the world (not necessarily some Sci-Fi or fantasy world) then return to daily life. The question then is this. Is my world or life changed by having spent time inside this book? Do I see my world differently or better? Do I see anything differently or better? Do I see my people differently or better? Do I see myself differently or better? Am I different or better? At least that is my non-commercial and personal opinion.
Can you have an intense few chapters followed vy a calm period before the ultimate climax ? Or are you supposed to keep the pressure on throughout ??
I once read this same advice long ago, but this writer put it: Make the reader want to know "What happens next?"
Is there a way for you to explain it to someone who has dyslexia? I’d like to add this into my writing but I don’t full understand how to do it.
goal->conflict-> disaster followed by reaction-dilemma->decision
I think literary agents are probably the only people who are actually allowed to read in their jobs. 😅
Brandon Sanderson breaks it up into promise, progress, and payoff.
Madam would starting off a novel with a great inciting incident then flashing back to the past and building up to that event (and beyond) work? I have had mixed responses. A book editor I know told me it works fine but my mentor thinks it is too jarring to throw the reader in to that situation. The inciting incident ends on a cliffhanger so it naturally induces the reader to want to carry on reading but I don’t know if it’s too much to start off with. (I’m writing a science fiction fantasy)
Sound more like intrigue to me
This question is not related to this video but I wanted to ask it on your latest video. You mentioned in a previous video the various rights that you give a publisher for your book - "Right to distribute worldwide, turn into an audiobook, etc ". I wanted to ask that if the book is to be turned into a film the are those rights also with the publisher or are they with the author?
The author/agent will sell the film rights separately!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank You!
@@AlyssaMatesic Not always. It depends upon your contract.
exciting curiosity
As a writer it is my job to write better letters that will help readers read letters. This is about the comment I will leave that tells what I am thinking but first I will go over what makes a good comment in my opinion. After that I will explain my comments meaning & how you can better understand what's being said
There's a fourth way to build and maintain suspense. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
Oof, I'm not a writer nor planning to write however that part of how writing "she didn't know what was coming next" being overused is so true and it really bothers me because I see it being used so often and makes my eyes roll out a lot, however I've seen these award winning books have them and it makes me be put off by the authors creativity because I'd expect someone who won an award for their book/s to know better than just write down that suspense is coming. I'll continue reading the book but with a lower rating
A cliche is a cliche, no matter who writes it! Thanks for commenting :)
If writers in the past followed all the "how to become a best seller" advice (not over 100,000 words, too many characters, too much description, too complicated, show don't tell, write what you know, throw in hooks, hooks, hooks, shorten, simplify, suspense, suspense, suspense for short attention spans, etc. etc. etc.) there would be no Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Dickens, Eliot, Melville, Hugo, Mann, and all the other great writers whose books will far outlive the shallow dreck out there today.
Thank you for posting this. I always think the same thing. Granted, the rest of us may not be as fortunate to ignore the rules.
I agree. Sadly, a lot of those great works would never get published today. Whether we like it or not the publishers understand the target audience. Hemingway would starve in the current market.
that crawdads sing snippet was just an author being purposely difficult. when i learned the author may as well have been the protagonist (an 80 year old woman) i realized, she wasnt being difficult, shes just much smarter than i am
Come to africa plz
I think what you mean is 'INTRIUGE'. Am I not right, Alyssa?
Intrigue and suspense are certainly intertwined, so that's a great point!
I think it's a little confusing to use story pacing with suspense, which is a genre all its own.
A less confusing term is tension or micro-tension.
Delete the first two question sentences, then slightly edit the third sentence: "The sun has come up and I'm sitting by a window that is foggily bereft with the breath of a life gone by." We all, at any age, have foggy minded days - a lifetime of to much fog deserves "bereft", and more than its meaning - that word provides poetic prose elements when placed near the word "breath". The sixth and seventh sentences can be made into one by deleting the first 5 words of sentence seven and continuing sentence six, slightly edited, at "...and despite accepting my own age,..." The rest of the paragraph is fine.
I get bored very quickly with too much description like this sample. I like fast moving, get to the point quickly please or I'm moving to the next book or channel. I would never read past the first few lines of this book example. 😅
So, how do you keep the reader in suspense?
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Im not sure if Id call it suspense as much as inspiring story questions that make the readers want to know more, bringing them into the story
Hitchcock explained the bomb theory of suspense. A bomb suddenly going off my surprise the reader as much as the characters, but letting the reader know there is a bob before the characters know ratchets up suspense and tension
I am working on a novel based on real world events but completely fictional. A lot to do with the drug epidemic in the current sense.
Hey Alyssa I'm currently self published my first novel Genmist Goes To Brooklyn by Samuel L.Charles it's a Science fiction novel about aliens taking over the planet earth but a band of street smart kids from Brooklyn make friends with the alien Prince who fight for humanity because of the bond he has with the teenagers. The reason why I'm looking for a agent is because I written this book while I was in prison. I was housed in solitary confinement I grew up in the system in street's. There's no other fiction author like me I believe , I been googling in haven't found another fantasy author like me. I can change so many lives in show them people from the urban community can make but mostly ex-felons please help me by pointing me in the right direction......I promise you I will definitely change alot of people life if my life story is told.
Definitely a tough one, but if we HAD to 'sum it up', we'd simply note: immersion.
To extrapolate even a tiny bit, we think this comes from building the world of the story. Mood, flavor, pacing (and when the pacing changes from slow to fast, and vice-versa). All of that can lead to emotional connection, which is at the core of every strong piece of writing, cinema, poetry, etc.
No connection = who cares how 'awesome' one's characters look, read, speak or feel.
I love this! Great observation.
The opening passage to the Where the Crowdads Sing does not make me want to know more, infact the fake memories is a turn off, so much so I immediately put the book down 👇
You've got to be kidding. This is just basic storytelling. It doesn't distinguish bestsellers from any other book.