WRITE MAGIC FOR YOUR READER

So many half-baked business books out there, so little magicks.?

???????????The kind of writing that truly spellbinds a reader is the kind that asks the reader to bring something to the party - to use a bit of imagination. ?Then, a relationship glimmers to life between you and your reader.?

How can you zap your writing with a bit of magic sparkle and create that relationship with your reader?? Well, now ... it’s all in the mind.

There was a time when people gathered around the radio to listen to the latest drama, using what has become the cliched "Theatre of The Mind" to construct and play out the action that unfolded ... from the writer's pen, to the production studio, to the listener's imagination.?

Jerzy Grotowski, a Polish theatre director living in the 1940's, coined the term "The Theatre Experience", meaning the moment of magic that happens seemingly midair between a live audience and an actor on stage.?When I was at Uni learning how to be a proper thespian, I was knocked out by this.?I’d been on stage all my life and knew the “theatre experience” truly existed: ?I just didn’t know that anyone else had discovered it, much less that they’d given it a name.?

It’s a central bit of spellbinding stuff that I use now as a business ghostwriter and author mentor. ?Getting the hang of giving clues and holding back just enough to encourage your reader’s imagination is the key to hooking him/her to the very last page.

For example, some writers will show you the bright red front door and the path leading up to it, the window to the side with a cat sitting in it. ?On the other hand, others ask you to imagine your own front door.?Does it need a lick of paint???What does the doorbell sound like??The narrative might hint at the type of path that leads up to it by mentioning the sound of crunching gravel underfoot, but which direction it goes in is up to you to decide.?Is it bordered by hedges??Is there a window with a cat in it??There might be a "beware of the dog" sign up, instead.?

It's the reader’s right to bring something to the party - and that's what will always be the entertainment spark of good storytelling.?As a writer, learn to paint a backdrop, perhaps give your reader a few clues - but no more than that to set the scene ... just enough to get them to happily commit to make-believing for as long as you want them to.?

Magicks, innit? ?If you want to find out a few tricks to vamp up your writing, get in touch.?I could talk about this all day … spooky.

Happy Hallowe’en!?