Technique to please readers: “Delight”

When a writer I’m working with (including myself!) gets bogged down, I often suggest they step back and do this:

DELIGHT readers.

Why care about that? Too often we get mired in “seriousness.” We worry about plotting, or plotting dire deeds and cliffhangers, maybe murder, or a sad person moving to a small town to start over, war, galaxies torn apart, romance not working, and so on. Memoirs also might bog down.

Stories are serious, but readers also need relief amid the seriousness.

“Delight” is subjective, of course.

Delight operates in all genres, though.

Giving a character a moment of delight can “illuminate” your character in a way that makes them memorable, a much talked-about character.

Delight means to give joy or pleasure. Even for a moment. We sometimes describe the feeling as “delicious.”

For a project that’s not working to your satisfaction, look for your “delight quotient.” It operates in EVERY GENRE or type of story, novels, memoir, scripts, etc.

What can help a reader ENJOY your first page? Scene? Chapter? The other pages?

Delight can surprise you. Know your genre. Delight might be a bloody fight or a quiet kiss, depending on genre.

Many authors bring animals into a manuscript to provide delight. Cute children and lovable older characters also get hauled into usage, and that’s okay because readers “delight” in those things if not overdrawn to the point of clichéd. Strive for originality to deliver “delight.”

A fun word or phrase can deliver delight. Most of us might recall a movie’s tough Indiana Jones saying “I hate snakes” after he encounters the huge pit of snakes.

Being able to IDENTIFY with “delight” makes it work for readers.

Delight is a feeling and a reaction, therefore often based on what YOU have experienced. Trust yourself and include it.

Will every reader “get it”? Maybe not and that doesn’t always matter. You’ll find your readers if you do a good job satisfying the overall need for “Emotion and Entertainment” in any writing project.

Delight can be contagious even when we have not shared the same experience. I don’t play major-league baseball but when a player hits a grand slam and jumps up and down like a little kid, I also experience the feeling of delight.

Delight with earned success is a common reaction no matter the subject. We enjoy watching someone in a first recital, and we clap heartily at a graduation. I also cheer after I finish writing a good chapter or scene.

A “reversal” of fortune can delight readers, too.

Delight need not be funny.

Delight readers with daring danger. Car chases and going into dark caves often do it for readers.

Appeal to our five senses. Hearing a baby’s giggle delights us, for example. Spotting a rainbow makes us pause and point it out. A tasty, unique description of eating chocolate cake can delight readers. 

Being original instead of clichéd will bring delight, almost guaranteed.

Delighting readers is a seduction. What does your reader like? Give it to them!

Caution:  Over-doing anything can kill the feeling of delight, though that depends on genre sometimes. 

“Delight” usually needs a spotlight and simplicity. Piling on actions, objects, characters, and sensory images in a short space can overwhelm readers and not feel delightful at all.

How would your character experience true delight? Have you shown the readers that on the page? Where? Soon enough?

Give your readers the OPPORTUNITY to feel delight. Reward will follow.