Castle Lessons: Irresistible

Sherrinda and I were watching Castle together on Monday night. Me in Tennessee, she in Texas. The together part was via Twitter.

There is just something about a show about a writer doing his research on a level the rest of us writers could only dream of, coupled with mystery and a bit of romance, that makes it irresistable.

And that's the key, isn't it. A show, or for us novelists, our books, should be irresistable. SO much so that people want to tweet it, talk about it, come back next time (next chapter or next book) for more.

But what is irresistible to one reader could be drab and boring to others. I'm sure there are many that roll their eyes at Castle and turn the channel. (crazy people...)

At least to Sherrinda and I, some of their prime audience members, they have succeeded.

So who do WE write irresistable fiction?

Here's the thing: There is no magic formula!

No one can really predict for sure how well a book will do. That's why you hear stories of famous authors getting a billion and one rejections before some obscure agent takes them on and they go on to make millions when the book goes viral.

Even though no abracadabra exists, here are some elements (Castle-Style) that can help in your quest to put pizazz in your work in progress that will help keep readers glued to your book and giddy at the thought of your next new release.

Tight Tension - Tension is what keeps readers/watchers biting their nails and holding their breath. It's when Castle watches Kate's current boyfriend kiss her, or when a case seems to be spiraling out of control and every lead ends up in a dead end, and time is ticking before the killer strikes again. Gotta have some good tension!


Colossal Conflict - Regardless of you genre, you need a killer main conflict. A mamsy-pansy one will NOT do. I write contemporary romance... which many thing of as having tamer plots, but I still try to up the ante and put a little kick in my main conflict.

Subtle Subplots - Subplots swirl with their own sets of conflict that feed into the main conflict. Done right, they don't create unneeded rabbit trails but actually up the irresistible-factor and create depth. A good example is Castle's mother and daughter issues that are constantly going on. While they aren't vital to the main crime, make Castle realistic and ground him in reality. They help us know his background, his backstory, and make him a deeper character with roots.

Rugged Romance  - Some may disagree with me on this point. And really, it IS a bit of a preference (and in my genre, an obviously requirement.) But I have this saying that goes, "Romance makes every book a little bit better." While romance is a genre in itself, it is also able to be incorporated in all genres, even if it is just a hint. This doesn't have to be a main plot, but a little romantic tension is never a bad thing in a novel!

Murderous Mystery - Another genre of its own, I know. And Castle himself is a mystery writer, and crime shows and novels have an required mystery element. But all books can be enhanced by an element of keeping-your-reader/watcher-guessing. It's a comment complaint I hear among readers, is that they finish the first chapter and know exactly what's going to happen in the book. Keep a few cards in your back-pocket for later.

Discussion: Name an author (or more!) that you think writes irresistable fiction... and why!

I'll start:

The below is a list of my fav authors that I keep an eye out on their next new releases with eager anticipation. (this is not all inclusive... but just a few examples, as I have a LOT of favorite authors!)

• Tamera Leigh (I've teased her that I MIGHT camp out at the bookstore the night before her release day wearing my TAMERA LEIGH FAN CLUB T-shirt--I don't really have one of those but wish I did!)

• Deeanne Gist (Love on the Line is on my short-list to get next!) 

• Jody Hedlund (WRITE FASTER, Jody... this once a year thing is killing me... although you homeschool 5 kids, so I understand...)

• Jenny B Jones (Save the Date was one of my FAVORITE contemp romances of all time!) 

• Francine Rivers (who needs NO introduction!)