Curiosity.
Suspense.
Your reader wants to know what's going to happen next and how it all ends for the character. This is what keeps those pages moving. When the pages stop moving, you've lost her.
Remember that every story begins with a question. The answer to that question is what makes a satisfying ending. Everything that happens in between--progression, regression--should somehow connect to that initial story question, and the conclusion must come about logically because of those events.
If you aren't sure what your story question is, ask yourself: what is my character's goal? What does he (or she) want more than anything else in the world?
Yes, the goal can change or evolve throughout the story (as long as it's a logical progression based on the scenes in the book), but the characters have to want something.
The reader wants to know if they get it.
Curiosity.
Suspense.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
