Willie Tee

How do you make novel a page turner and intriguing?       Well, a novel has to begin somewhere. It happens that my nonfiction novel has numerous real life characters, but few main characters. My novel is built around the main characters and true incidents that they were involved in, which support the main theme of my novel. The minor characters support the action of the main characters. The main theme of my book deals with an unprecedented number of deaths and crippling injuries in my family from 1957 to present. The book informs the readers that the year 1957, which was the year of a substantial family tragedy, is the beginning of other tragedies that follow. In the back drop of the novel  is my family's beliefs in African witchcraft or conjuring              A few of my relatives felt that the tragedy of 1957, or what we referred to as the well guarded family secret, should have been described at the beginning of my novel.  Well, many motion pictures begin this way, but I began my novel with the most recent tragedy. This was my Uncle Leon's death in a tractor trailer accident during 1997.       The first chapter of my book opens up with me visiting Uncle Leon's grave at the cemetery. I then use the scene of me standing at the cemetery as a place where I have recollections of the past. Those recollections begin with me receiving notification about three years earlier that Uncle Leon was killed. After emotionally describing his immediate family's reaction,  those of his other blood relatives, and my own reactions, I skillfully take the reader back to the 1950s to my grandparent's farm. The farm is where most of my relatives and I grew up. I  skillfully mention in chapter one that the farm was a great place to live when I was four to six years old, but that I would learn later when I was thirteen years old of the secret or tragedy that occurred there. This captures a reader's interest and lets him or her know that something extraordinary occurred at the farm. The readers are then intrigued.       About halfway through the novel, I reveal the secret and in the remaining chapters the aftermath of the tragedy, the burden my family carried, our inner family conflicts, and several questionable deaths and crippling injuries are described.  However, when I mention our family's secret at the middle of the novel, it is done in a cliff hanger type fashion. The reader knows from clues who the villain is but I do not name him.  Later on in the novel, and about two chapters before the dramatic ending, I revisit the tragedy of 1957 again and describe more in depth the situations that contributed to the tragedy occurring. I also tell the readers who the villain is and what motivated his involvement in the tragedy. This confirms the villain's identity and confirms the readers' suspicions.       I have just described a writing style or arrangement of action in a novel that makes the novel a page turner. There is continuous suspense and the readers know that something dramatic is going to happen often and continuously. Even where there are no significant events or action occurring, I describe the main characters' habits, personality, dress, attitudes towards life and other human qualities that make them larger than life. Readers can then relate to the characters better.       Putting all of the action of your novel or the plot at the beginning is not always the best procedure. Some writers might have to struggle afterwards to keep the rest of the book interesting. The book needs to keep the reader's interest throughout the novel. The writer can accomplish this by recreating the emotions and feelings that are relative to the telling of his or her story. Then the story is more real and intriguing.       I conclude that a book should transmit messages about life and the lessons that are taught and learned. Then others might learn to avoid the pitfalls of life.       Visit Willie's website at www.authorsden.com/willietee and read chapters of his book at links that are  provided there. Also email Willie Tee at dwindsofdestiny(at)aol.com if you want tips about how to organize your writings and make them more intriguing. Willie Tee Author of The Winds of Destiny http://www.authorsden.com/willietee