Writer Jordan Rosenfeld has authored two books before this one about writing scenes, Make a Scene and Writing Deep Scenes. Having already delved deeply into two different approaches to writing scenes, she now pulls back and looks at writing a page-turner in a broader sense. The book is made up of four parts: Part One is essential tension elements, Part Two is tension with characters, Part Three is plot tension, and Part Four is tension in exposition. As you can tell, what Ms. Rosenfeld sees as the key to a page-turner is tension. I particularly enjoyed Part Two character focus, as it made me laugh out loud to contemplate chapters like The War Within Your Character, Use Character Flaws Against Them, and Torment Your Protagonist

I find it interesting that plot is not really looked at until Part Three. Rather, it seems like the author believes that the elements of tension and how tension affects character are more important than how it affects plot. The term *more important* might be too strong of a phrase, but I think you must first understand the elements of tension at a basic level; then, too, characters in tension themselves can inspire plot.

In the introduction, she discusses ideas like scene versus plot, breaking down basic ingredients for a scene and then defining plot. Some of this is pulled from her previous books. The chapters within the book have a similar structure: she defines what she's going to talk about, discusses her interpretation of the topic, gives examples from literature, and wraps up the chapter with takeaways that neatly summarize what you’ve just read and a *Now You* section that asked you to contemplate how this topic works in your own writing.

This book does an excellent job of looking at conflict and tension both broadly and more specifically in terms of character, plot, and setting. I think most writers of fiction would find this a valuable addition to their library.

Does give a lot of different topics on writing a book. Uses examples/scenarios of other books to show what is being talked about. Tension Takeaways / Now You - a page at end of chapter - bullet points/ summary to help reader out. A nice look at seeing different things one could put into your book.

If you want your readers to lose sleep because they can’t stop reading your book, How to Write a Page-turner will explain step-by-step how to it.

Beginning with the four types of tension (danger, conflict, uncertainty, and withholding), the book explains exactly how to add each one to the characters, plot, and wording of your book. With copious examples from books of various genres, it is easy to see how other authors have used the described techniques to good effect.

I have never read a Writer’s Digest Book that wasn’t a great tool. How to Write a Page-turner is no exception. This book assumes that you are editing your draft manuscript to ratchet up the tension. However, it would also be an interesting read for those still struggling to write that first chapter. 4 stars!

Thanks to Writer’s Digest and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good book to read not only for aspiring authors, but any student or person who just wants to write better. It has a lot of good information and uses text from published books as examples. Some of the excerpts are not clean, and I wish she would have chosen other material, but her point get across nonetheless. If you have read some of the author’s previous works, you might find some of this content redundant. If you haven’t, than I think you will enjoy this book.
This would be a book worth purchasing to refer back to often when writing
“How to Write a Page Turner” is interesting and is a hard to put down page turner (see what I did there?).
Thanks for Jordan Rosenburg and Writer’s Digest Books for a free ARC.

Tension is incredibly important to control the pacing of your novel; without conflict you just have a meandering plot that doesn't go anywhere. I've read craft books by Jordan Rosenfeld before and enjoyed them, so I was excited when this showed up on NetGalley. I've read a ton of craft books but still learned a lot from this. The information is presented in a concise manner and easy to implement on your WIP. I don't think I would recommend this for newbie writers, but if you already have some writing under your belt but struggle to maintain tension and conflict in your writing, this might be just what you need. Definitely recommend.

Arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent read! I was worried this book wouldn’t stand out in the sea of writing books I’ve recently read, but I was pleasantly suprised! The book breaks down the many doffernt ways you can create tension. I especially appreciate the section on creating tension in the dialogue.

Great for both beginners and experienced writers.

How to Write A Page -Turner is a fabulous informative book for writers. This book is easy to read and is great for future writers.

How To Write A Page-Turner
Craft a Story Your Readers Can't Put Down
by Jordan Rosenfeld


Release date: March 19th, 2019


I received a complimentary ARC copy of How To Write A Page-Turner,
Craft a Story Your Readers Can't Put Down by Jordan Rosenfeld from Net Galley and F+W Media/Writer's Digest Books.

If you are a novice or seasoned writer who wants to publish dynamic and interesting novels... How To Write A Page-Turner is the perfect book for you.
There are novels that keep you riveted, you know the ones, the stories that keep you flipping pages into the wee hours of the morning? How To Write A Page-Turner teaches you all about keeping the tension in your story high, creating a story that is innovative as well as riveting and leaving your readers glued to the page.

I have quite a few writing books (okay, approx half my office) and I have to say this will definitely be in my writing library as a go-to book for a long time. Filled with excellent tips on creating and maintaining tension in your writing,  HTWPT feels different from the plethora of “how-to” books already out there. 

Jordan divides her book into four parts: Essential Tension Elements, Tension with Characters, Plot Tension, and Tension in Exposition. Each part breaks it down even further, covering everything from character development, writing effective dialogue, plotting your tension at just the right spots in your novel as well as word usage, sentence structure and writing imagery.  She also gives a review at the end of each chapter as well as exercises/tips for you to implement in your own writing, to help you appraise and polish your WIP to until it's a page-turner fraught with tension!   

I really enjoyed this book and  I highly recommend it to all writers looking to take their writing to the next level.

Publication Date: March 19th, 2019. Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books. 224 pages.

“Between the very sentences of page-turning stories thrums an element that pulls you on beneath your notice, beckoning you forward with an outstretched finger, your heart beating in anticipation all the while.”
How To Write a Page-TurnerJordan Rosenfeld, who is the author of four other books on writing, begins this book by talking about tension in your writing. She says, “Tension in novels, stories, and even memoirs is like the connective tissue that allows muscles to attach to bones, and thus flex their might.” Tension is what keeps the reader interested. It is what makes them want to keep reading deep into the night. She says that writing can sometimes feel like paint-by-numbers, but if you follow that easy approach to writing, your work will feel formulaic. This book teaches its reader how not to do this.

“A good story is a created, stylized, and crafted version of reality.”
The beginning of this book has a useful overview of the very basics of writing. For example, Rosenfeld lists what every scene needs: a protagonist, an antagonist or allies, a POV, momentum, new plot information, tension, a setting and time period, thematic imagery (also known as sensory imagery), and a small amount of narrative summary (i.e. it cuts to the chase when necessary to keep the plot moving).

“While we also read for noble reasons, such as to learn and expand our horizons, readers enjoy sloughing off the skin of their own life and entering the life of others.”
Rosenfeld uses examples from novels throughout the book to illustrate her points. For example, she uses sections of Gabriel Tallent’s My Absolute Darling in order to show how an author can skillfully capture the reader’s interest by putting a character in danger. These examples are often long. Some of them I found quite interesting (to the extent that I put the books on my Goodreads TBR list) and some of them I found so tedious or long that I just skipped them. Often in those cases, the point the author was making was so obvious that it did not need to be explained with a lengthy example.

“Your plot is built upon big conflicts, but every scene requires some amount of conflict to keep it tethered with tension.”
Arguably the most important part of writing a page-turner is to make sure that there is conflict and tension throughout. There are many types of conflict including person vs. person, vs. self, vs. society, vs. nature, vs. technology, and vs. the supernatural.

“Predictability may keep your life feeling orderly, but in fiction, it’s a death knell.”
Rosenfeld says that uncertainly about what is going to happen to your characters is a great way to build tension. When a character feels anxiety, it keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. It is also important to withhold things (information, achieving goals, etc) from the characters for as long as possible.

“Goals drive scenes and plots. In their absence, tension slacks.”
The author says that the best way to create compelling characters is to give them goals (overcoming an obstacle, self-improvement, etc) so that they undergo “an arc of change” from who they were at the beginning of the novel to who they are at the end. She says that characters should not be too self-actualized at the beginning of the novel, or else they won’t be believable, but that they can and should grow and evolve during the course of the story. Flawed characters who strive to better themselves are just more interesting than characters without flaws.

“A significant amount of tension in your story will not come from big external plot events or antagonists directly but from within the complex and roiling inner landscape of your character’s emotions.”
Rosenfeld says that writers can create tension by making their characters emotionally complex. She refers to what she calls “surface feelings” (the four “primary colours of emotion” – angry, sad, afraid, and happy) versus “subset feelings” (more complex layers of emotion). She says, “single-note emotions can read as caricatures, as stereotypes of emotion or melodrama.” Each character should have a large range of emotions, for example, they should not always be angry for the same reasons or in the same way. The author says that giving the character an internal conflict will help mold a more complex character, but that “you don’t want conflict so unrelenting that the character seems neurotic or full of angst. Their conflict should rise and fall along with the stakes of the plot.”

“Readers connect with real people – people like us who have doubts and insecurities, who are haunted by past mistakes and family secrets, bad breath, klutziness, and more.”
Rosenfeld says to make your characters flawed. This can include having something tragic in their backstory, exhibiting bad behaviour, etc. She suggests that there should be a character arc in the book where the character learns to overcome their foibles. She also says that once you have identified your character’s flaws, you should exploit them, having their flaws trip them (or another character) up.

“What’s the worst thing that can happen to your character right now? Do that?”
This last quote was the advice that Rosenfeld’s creative writing teacher gave to her and she has taken it to heart. She says to put your characters in a jam whenever possible: take away something that is important to them, push them out of their comfort zones, give them some bad luck, etc.

“A reversal requires your protagonist to change course and rethink their strategy. It’s a defeat – sometimes tiny, sometimes huge – that forces change.”
I found many of the chapters a bit repetitive and the chapter on “radical reversals” was, in my opinion, too similar to the previous chapter on throwing obstacles in your character’s way. Reversals are more specifically when things seem to be going well for the character and then an obstacle gets in his or her way (as opposed to pure and simple bad luck), but I felt like they could have been combined into one chapter. Rosenfeld makes a good point that “when you reverse your character’s fortune or course, you essentially force your character to become creative and stronger.”

“Dialogue is an instrument or a tool that you wield for very specific effects. And the way characters talk to each other contributes to the necessary tension that drives the story forward. You can work a great deal of tension into just a couple lines of dialogue and deliver extended understanding of character”
Rosenfeld says that although pleasantries and casual dialogue might be realistic, they make for boring dialogue. She argues that there should be tension in all dialogue, not just between the protagonist and the antagonists, with very few exceptions. Dialogue is so important because it is a main way the reader gets to know the characters. Dialogue should also further the plot, though it should reveal rather than explain the plot.

“There is a tendency to equate antagonists with stereotypical evil villains like sociopaths and serial killers; however, the truth is that an antagonist is any force that opposes the goals and desires of your protagonist.”
Rosenfeld has a very informative chapter on antagonists. She lists the types of possible antagonists, including the natural world, which is one that people often forget.

“Most books have two beginnings: the setup of the story that lays out the ‘ordinary world’ as it’s called in the Hero’s Journey story structure, and the inciting incident, where your protagonist’s reality changes and the plot begins in earnest.”
The author has a chapter on how to tighten the tension of the inciting incident in your novel. She says that if your setup pages are mostly backstory, you will lose your reader’s interest. She lists the factors that will help create a tension filled inciting incident.

“The Energetic Markers are the moments upon which plots pivot and the characters transform.”
Rosenfeld explains that Energetic Markers are called that because they require extra energy. There are four of them in a story: the Point of No Return, the Rededication, the Dark Night, and the Triumph. She explains all of them very well. I highlighted this chapter a lot.

“A passing line of thought, a description of an ordinary event, a character’s impression of someone – all of these things can be full of tension if the language is lyrical, active, energetic, and full of life.”
The author says that ultimately what makes a page-turner is the quality of the writing. She says to use strong verbs because “they are the muscle and energy of your sentences.” Cadence and flow are important in your writing. Making sure the writing is lyrical, almost poetic, will keep the reader engaged.

“Images are powerful and can be loaded with tension and dropped like little unconscious bombs into your sentences in numerous ways.”
How to Write a Page-Turner is not a dry textbook about writing. It is a beautifully-written book that uses large passages from other books to illustrate each point the author is making. In 224 pages, Rosenfeld touches on virtually every aspect of writing a book and argues that as long as you maintain tension throughout, it will make your book hard to put down. I highly recommend this book if you are a writer, but it is also fascinating if you are a reader who wants to understand why some books keep you up past bedtime while others fail to hold your attention.

Thank you to Net Galley and Writer’s Digest Books for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Grade: A/A+

How to Write a Page Turner is an excellent guide for authors and students alike. Jordan Rosenfeld cleverly covers the elements and best practices of crafting a story readers will become engrossed in. Tension is the hallmark of the proverbial page-turner and this book adroitly covers weaving into one’s scenes the elements of tension with conflict, danger, uncertainty and withholding. The author presents best practices for creating tension in characters using character goals, character flaws and antagonists. Techniques to create effective tension in plots and tension in exposition using effectual words, inventive information reveals and emotive imagery are reviewed. The writing prompts are practical and pragmatic. Five stars.

This book breaks down stories into it's essential elements and how to write each element step by step. It simplifies what and how to write a turn pager book. It reads a little dry like a school course, but I still recommend it highly.

In the introduction Rosenfeld explains what he means by 'tension' - the connective tissue of a story that keeps the characters on their toes and the reader guessing. He then discusses techniques for creating, sustaining and varying tension when crafting a narrative and provides a wide variety of examples to illustrate his points.
The book is divided into sections: Basics, Character Tension, Plot Tension and Tension in Exposition. These are explored further focussing on aspects such as using a character's flaws, developing inciting incidents and maximising the effectiveness of imagery.
Each section is backed up with two things. A box of takeaways summarises the key points. A 'Now, You' panel encourages the reader to apply the concepts to their own WIP.
Nothing in this guide will make you a great, or even a good writer. What it will do is provide a toolset for improving craft, and in particular for tightening up a WIP to create greater reader engagement.
Good tips, well presented, with plenty of exemplar material.

I think young aspiring writers or students preparing for their GCSE will find this a useful tool. I wasn't always sure about the choice of text used as example but I can see how that was designed to appeal to a younger audience. Overall a neat little guide full of easy to apply tips.

Jordan Rosenfeld's How to Write A Page Turner is one of those books on writing that you need by your side at all times when writing and editing your book! What a great resource for beginning and intermediate writers! There is something to learn and take away from every section. Rosenfeld mainly focuses on developing tension (also called suspense) throughout the story, not just in the scenes. She breaks it down into four parts: Essential Tension Elements, Tension with Characters, Plot Tension, and Tension in Exposition. There are so many great examples within each of these sections. Rosenfeld really gives you a well-defined understanding of how to apply them to your dialogue, scenes, character development, overall plot, and settings.

Overall, this book provides a lot of key nuggets on taking your writing to the next level. I highly recommend this book to writers who need help in igniting that page-turning spark with their readers. Perfect for teens and adults! Definitely a must-have in print!

*Received a DRC for an honest review

This was a very informative book. I was stuck on a draft. I was working on and after reading this book I found some great ideas to get writing again.

I'm not a writer, I'm interested in writing from an academic point of view. Some books grab me and don't let me go for a single heart stopping moment until I finish breathlessly at 4am. Others leave me cold, even a long awaited novel from a beloved author. I want to know why and often I can't really put my finger on the difference.

This book has helped to open my eyes to what makes a story good, why some books endure, why some characters are unforgettable and why others flop. Between the easy conversational style and the many useful examples, I have learned so much. From now on I will be reading with a new appreciation for tension, scene dynamics and plot construction. I now understand why I find some characters dull, and others feel like real people. I can see exactly why some chapters are slow and turgid and how they could be improved. How To Write A Page-Turner is priceless for aspiring writers, and just plain fascinating for the rest of us.

A useful, well arranged and full of examples guide to tension and how to breathe it into the plot, scenes, characters and style.

I recommend it for anyone who already has some experience in writing novels/novellas, for it is easier to identify techniques you are already using and compare them to the new ones that you may discover in this book.
I think this book works perfectly for people who are editing their draft and also for those who are still working on their novel/novella and have writer's block and are looking for inspiration. The amount of variety and details in how to make your book more engaging and appealing is incredible. Plus, you may have read some of the books used in the examples, and it is a great opportunity to analyse through a different lense a work you may (or may not) have enjoyed!

Upside: At the end of every chapter, there is a summary of the main points covered, so you may read that to see if you need to read in more detail certain sections of the book.
Downside: Some of the examples were quite short and didn't illustrate properly what was explained in the sections. Also, I think that, depending on the genre you are writing, the "Now, you" exercises can be too extreme. A book doesn't need to have every type of tension builder.

I will definitely be using this book when I begin to write fiction again.

I think most avid readers imagine being a writer someday. The idea of surrounding oneself with words all day everyday is a dream come true. But truthfully, a good writer is more than an avid reader. And this book makes so clear the reasons behind why we love the great writers.

When I started reading this one, I had imagined it would be one that I could skim quickly and get the general ideas. But not only is it good information, but it is interesting. So often, helpful books are dry, even if they are useful. But not this one. He will introduce a concept or detail about writing and keeping your reader engaged and give such lovely details, that you WANT to read it.

Enjoyment aside, I found myself thinking, "By golly, that's TRUE!" with every tip he gave about what makes a good story. If you are a writer or just a reader interested in the art, your time will not be wasted. #netgalley #bookreview #bookreviewer #howtowriteapageturner #jordanrosenfeld

I enjoyed this book. It is very helpful. I liked how the author put in examples of different books into. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

This book does a great job of breaking down the "ingredients" of a novel and explaining it to authors just starting out on their book. While being similar to other books of this genre, the authors writing style has a charm and ease of its own. Also, it is a lot of fun to see which books he used as examples for each section and to see if I personally agree with him or have read that book myself. I have read quite a few books like this, as an aspiring author myself, and I found myself connecting with the authors writing style really well and enjoying it as a read. This would be a great read for anyone trying to decide where to start with a novel.