Writing What's "Next"

What keeps a reader reading?

It is the pull of curiosity, of course. Only public school students keep reading out of a sense of duty.

And yet, curiosity can be sustained for just so long before it becomes annoying — readers crave “Aha” moments of payoff.

To juggle curiosity and payoffs, writer must make moment-by-moment decisions: what does the reader expect next?

If the reader expects a payoff, give them a bit more curiosity. If they expect more curiosity, hit them with a payoff.

Followed by another cycle of curiosity building to a payoff.

When in doubt, err on the side of curiosity. Can you delay the payoff just one more sentence? One more paragraph?a One more…

word?

Done right, the reader’s curiosity will rise and fall like ocean waves, with a rhythm that is both entertaining and satisfying. They don’t know exactly when the next payoff will come, but they trust you enough to keep reading, knowing you will deliver a great payoff.

This cycle applies to fiction, nonfiction, persuasion, sales copy... you name it.

The key is to know when the reader has had enough of the rise and fall. That’s when it’s time to give them your final big payoff and…

stop.