Characters. If the reader cannot relate to your characters she will not continue reading. She may love them or hate them, but the author has to draw the reader into their lives so she keeps reading. If a character is Too Stupid To Live (eg. walking alone into a possible murderer’s house) you will lose the reader right then and there.
These days, female characters are expected to make an effort to solve their own problems. The hero may still come riding up on his white horse to sweep her away, but she should have been endeavoring to solve her own problems, not crying in a corner and wringing her hands.
Plot. There must be a plot. It is through the plot the characters show their development. In an erotic romance the sex may be part of the plot, but there must be something else happening as well—a bad guy to defeat, the world to save, or whatever.
Resolution. Readers hate being left hanging. In a series, the overall plot arc can continue, but there must be some resolution of the main characters, such as a Happy For Now, or them working together toward saving the world. A cliffhanger is only good if the next book will be on the shelves very soon.
Fiction writing is a very tough, competitive world. Give yourself an edge toward success by ensuring your book has engaging characters, an intriguing plot and a professional appearance with a suitable, attractive cover, and that the story is consistent, and the text grammatically clean.
Helen Woodall
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