Crafting Moments That Hook Readers

Welcome to Five On Fridays, my (probably, hopefully) monthly straight-no-chaser newsletter where I help demystify the publishing industry and share writing craft advice for new writers and early-career authors. Let’s jump right in.

Greetings from Santa Fe, New Mexico! This is my first visit to this beautiful city, and it’s every bit as enchanting as everyone said it would be. I’m not here to frolic, though; I’m here as a presenter at this year’s Writer Unboxed conference. While I’ve spent most of the week in sessions, the scenery and creative energy have been truly inspiring, and I did my best to channel that spirit during my talk. I spoke about crafting moments in our stories that evoke visceral reactions from readers, moments that make them gasp, pine, cry … you get the idea. These emotional turning points may vary in tone, but there are a few universal reasons why they work:

• They’re earned through setup. In other words, the payoff delivers on the promise of the genre or voice.

• They escalate stakes or emotional tension.

• They’re memorable.

These moments often draw on familiar craft techniques designed to evoke emotion. Below, I share five of the most common techniques and their definitions.

Narrative Misdirection

In narrative misdirection, the writer directs the reader’s attention toward one apparent goal or meaning while planting clues to another truth beneath the surface. When done well, the reveal blindsides readers, but the setup holds because it was earned. The Sixth Sense is a masterclass in narrative misdirection.

Delayed Emotional Release

When delayed emotional release is employed, long-held restraint builds pressure that explodes when emotion is finally expressed. The power lies in timing: the reader feels the release as much as the character. Delayed emotional release is a hallmark of romance, and a perfect example of this is Jane Austen’s Persuasion, when Anne Elliott and Captain Wentworth finally, finally, confess their love for each other.

Thematic Foreshadowing

Here, the writer plants a single line or image early on that encapsulates the entire moral truth of the story. The reader knows something big is going to happen but doesn’t grasp its full weight until the end. Colson Whitehead’s 2019 novel The Nickel Boys opens with this line: “Even in death, the boys were trouble.” In that one line, Whitehead tells us the “what” but leaves us compelled to keep reading to learn the who, how, and why.

Structural Inversion

In structural inversion, the writer resolves an outer conflict (or appears to) before a deeper revelation that completely redefines readers’ understanding of the story. This creates the double satisfaction of closure and surprise. The 1987 film No Way Out, starring Kevin Costner, is a perfect example of this.

Emotional Inversion

Another powerful form of inversion is emotional inversion. This technique replaces the emotion the audience anticipates with its opposite—grace where we expect fury, humor where we expect grief. The surprise arises not from action, but from a reversal of feeling. Ava DuVernay masterfully demonstrates this in the pilot episode of Queen Sugar, when Charley and Davis’s seemingly solid marriage unravels in the most publicly humiliating way imaginable. It’s must-watch television, even as it makes you want to look away.

These are just five of many techniques available to writers who understand the power of shaping moments that make it nearly impossible for readers to look away. Whatever tools you choose, keep this simple formula in mind: Earned + Escalating + Emotional = Unforgettable.

That wraps up this edition of Five On Fridays. Thank you for subscribing and reading. If you found this newsletter helpful, please share it on social media and forward it to your writer friends. Happy writing!

-Grace