The Elements of a Page-Turner - podcast

The late Stan Lee didn't have any rules about what makes a story a page turner, he just made sure to interest himself along the way. Lee, comic creator of Spider-man, Fantastic Four and X-Man and former president and CEO of Marvel Comics, says an author has to have a basic idea of plot. From there, he must make the audience care about the hero so that when he gets in trouble, they suffer too. Tension develops when the hero keeps trying to do right, only to land in deeper trouble. How will he get out of it this time? Lee often wondered this too! But by introducing complex situations and surprises, readers are taken on quite a journey that offers big relief and enjoyment when the payoff occurs.
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    So what he's saying is a page turner is equal parts conflict and characterization. Improve one to improve the other. I'll remember that. :)
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    That's the point: there are no rules, it's intuition, it's common sense. All together, it's called talent. Either you have it or you don't. Trying to snatch bits and pieces of other people's talent doesn't help much.
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    Shine {Jerene B. Wright-Faunteroy Thanks Stan I so get this. I't like putting together a wonderful ballet. Everything seems like at first its not going to make sense but as you keep going it all just falls into place. Like this thought very much.
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    I'm am a beginning writer and I am taking Stan Lee`s advice.
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    I like the part where you catch the audience attention! This is, so true I like to make them wonder what comes next. And when I am writing I kind of relive what I've been thou and now listening to Mr. Turner I now know I need to let my reader's know how I inherited all the drama in my life Thanks Mr. Turner.

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