How to Get Published: Craft Compelling Everything

First, I want to talk about the importance of sustained engagement.

So you've hooked us.

You've nailed that great opening.

But that's just the beginning.

Your entire piece needs to sustain that level of engagement.

The best pieces blend surprise and familiarity, going beyond the surface to explore your subject in depth emotionally, intellectually, politically, otherwise.

You know what you're writing about, so what can you do to sustain that engagement and take it a little deeper beyond the surface? The middle of your piece is where many writers struggle.

It's easy to lose steam or direction.

Here are some things to keep your writing compelling throughout.

The first is to maintain that tension, so keep raising questions or conflicts that keep your reader invested.

Deepened character development is the second on my list.

If you're writing fiction or creative nonfiction, use the middle to reveal more about your characters.

I think the same would be true for poetry as well, especially narrative lyric writing.

It's like use the middle to reveal more.

The third piece of advice for keeping momentum is to layer your themes.

Introduce and develop the key themes of your work gradually.

And finally, vary your pacing.

Mix longer, more reflective passages with shorter, more intense ones to keep things interesting, keep things moving along.

First, I want to talk about the importance of sustained engagement.

So you've hooked us.

You've nailed that great opening.

But that's just the beginning.

Your entire piece needs to sustain that level of engagement.

The best pieces blend surprise and familiarity, going beyond the surface to explore your subject in depth emotionally, intellectually, politically, otherwise.

You know what you're writing about, so what can you do to sustain that engagement and take it a little deeper beyond the surface? The middle of your piece is where many writers struggle.

It's easy to lose steam or direction.

Here are some things to keep your writing compelling throughout.

The first is to maintain that tension, so keep raising questions or conflicts that keep your reader invested.

Deepened character development is the second on my list.

If you're writing fiction or creative nonfiction, use the middle to reveal more about your characters.

I think the same would be true for poetry as well, especially narrative lyric writing.

It's like use the middle to reveal more.

The third piece of advice for keeping momentum is to layer your themes.

Introduce and develop the key themes of your work gradually.

And finally, vary your pacing.

Mix longer, more reflective passages with shorter, more intense ones to keep things interesting, keep things moving along.