Is the child in your life a reluctant reader? Reluctant readers are different than struggling readers, who often have a hard time making sense of what they read. A reluctant reader doesn’t like to read, doesn’t want to be seen as a reader, or hasn’t found the right books to enjoy.

Here are seven strategies to engage reluctant readers.

Pick the best medium. Does the child prefer to use hard copies or e-readers? My daughter enjoys the physical contact, to thumb through the pages of an actual book, and only tolerates e-reading when we’re traveling. There’s no point forcing children who like actual books into e-readers or vice versa.

Find the right reading level. Here’s a tip: have the child read one page of the book. If the child knows all of the words on a page, find a harder book. If more than five words are unfamiliar, find an easier book. Anything in between is at the right reading level, but remain flexible. If children want to read easier books occasionally, let them. And if they want to reread the same books, that’s okay too. Rereading will help with retention and understanding.

Pictures attract. Picture books, comic books, and graphic novels pull reluctant readers into the story, and the art builds and expands on the narrative. In some books for middle-grade readers (such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick), pictures are an integral part of the story.

Let them choose.  If they’re interested in the topic, reluctant readers are more likely to connect with the book. Even if it’s a book or series that makes you cringe (the Puppy Place series anyone?), let children read what they like, as long as it’s age-appropriate.

It’s okay not to finish a book. Urge children to give the book a fair chance to engage them (set a page limit), then let them put it down and try a new book. 

You read too. A lot. Your reading sets a good example and helps with the next point.

Talk about what you read. Share why you like certain books and find out what engages your child. An ongoing conversation builds enthusiasm and helps children to articulate what they want to read and why.

To get you started, here’s a list of books for reluctant readers. The website A Mighty Girl  is a good resource too.

These seven strategies can help change a reluctant reader into a lifelong lover of books.

When learning about writing fiction, the term “arc” is often tossed out to describe plot or what happens to a character in a story. Writers sometimes confuse narrative and character arcs.

The narrative arc is the plot in the story, a series of events arranged in a sequence. These events create conflict for the protagonist. Often a narrative arc has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

A character arc tracks how a person, generally the protagonist, changes over time as the story progresses. The protagonist evolves in response to the conflicts presented by the narrative. Secondary characters can also have arcs, but generally they are not as pronounced as the protagonist’s.

Narrative and character arcs have different purposes. In a narrative arc, a character starts at an external point “A” and ends up at point “Z.” In contrast, a character arc is the protagonist’s inner journey. The protagonist is in one emotional place at the beginning of the story and reaches another emotional place by the end.

Writers sometimes find it difficult to keep the two arcs in balance. A common mistake is to have loads of plot but no character growth. Another problem is a lot of character growth in a story where nothing much happens. If the plot doesn’t test the protagonist sufficiently, then readers won’t believe in the protagonist’s internal growth. Great growth requires great struggle.

Think of narrative and character arcs as two parallel journeys. One is external, while one is internal, and both inform the other.

If asked how they generally use a colon, my guess is that most people would respond “as part of the :) emoticon.” Fortunately, it’s easy to learn how to use colons correctly. A colon has two functions: to introduce or to separate.

A colon introduces a list. For instance, “Lauren showed me her collection from the beach: shells, pebbles, and sea glass.” However, it's incorrect to use a colon if the list is a direct object or the object of a preposition. Here are two examples of lists that don't need colons: Lauren collected leaves, rocks, and feathers on her walk OR Lauren is interested in rocks, minerals, and fossils. Another mistake I often see when editing is using semicolons instead of colons to introduce a list.

A colon can also introduce a formal statement or quotation. For example, “The PTA released a statement yesterday: ‘The organization increased the scope of its teaching grants last year, and more teachers applied for grants for science and mathematics projects.’”

The second function of colons is to act as a separator. A colon separates two independent clauses when the second clause restates or explains the first. For example, “The store’s return policy is typical: it requires a receipt for cash back.” Often a semicolon can be used instead, particularly if the independent clauses are closely related.

Colons also act as separators between the following:

Keep in mind these few simple rules, and you’ll be ready to use the colon as more than just half of a smiley face.