An Unputdownable Novel

Last night, at exactly 12:04 AM, I finished the last installment in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter saga. (NO SPOILERS, I PROMISE.) I read 759 pages in less than four days, if you consider I purchased the book at 12:45 AM Friday night. This may be my record for fastest read.

Taking in my speedy finish and the many others I’ve seen reading her book at the park, on the subway, on the bus, etc., I think our dear J.K. has figured out how to write the elusive unputdownable novel.

In a workshop in Dallas, Susan Elizabeth Phillips said the key is to “Keep the reader in the story,” which fits nicely here too. I was in the story with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their families, friends and rivals, and had a difficult time tearing myself away.

So this morning I thought about what kept me hooked, and here’s what I came up with:

1. Vulnerable, flawed, complex characters I can relate to and root for…and sometimes against.

2. A legitimate problem for those characters to solve with substantial obstacles (both internal and external). Better still, a problem I’m trying to solve right along with them.

3. A worthy, and by that I mean formidable, opponent. Someone equal to our hero/heroine who can truly challenge him/her on all sorts of levels.

4. The shit hits everything. She doesn’t let the characters have it easy. Nothing seems to go as planned. And those lovable, flawed characters make mistakes. Sometimes big ones, and as a reader when I see it coming, it makes me cringe and cry out, “No, don’t do it!” And then I jump to the next page to find out what happens.

5. Action. I admit that early on in this final installment I was itching for the characters to DO something, but when they finally got going so was I, flipping pages at mach speed.

6. Twists. I love it when I don’t see something coming, but afterward recognize how all the pieces fit. It’s just brilliant. And it makes me feel brilliant too.

7. Mounting tension throughout the story, with occasional moments of humor and victory, to give us a taste of relief as we press on to a triumphant finish. Yeah, this one incorporates a few points, but enjoying a few moments of pleasure as the tension builds and spirals to what we anticipate will pay off in a huge climax is what we’re all going for, right? Then we can sit back and enjoy the satisfaction and afterglow of a great story. Seriously, I keep thinking, “I want that again,” and that’s a great place to leave a reader.

This isn’t a complete list and there are likely other elements that will come to me later, but it occurs to me that if I worked all of these into my novel, I just might have something good. Or maybe great. I’m hoping for great.

Katrina