Hearing about an accident isn’t the same as being there. The closer you get readers to the action, the more engaged they will be. Write from the center of the action, and readers will be thankful they got out alive.
- Strive for Attention.
A newspaper headline “Man Narrowly Escapes Death” won’t grab most readers because the character isn’t someone they know, someone they care about. If a neighbor knocks on the door and says, “You won’t believe the wreck I saw,” someone has your attention, but the story isn’t likely to be life-changing.
- Pull Readers Close the Action.
Suppose you’re driving to work and you see a bad accident. Your heart might pound a bit, you would drive more carefully for the remaining miles, and you would have to tell your coworkers what you saw: “I was driving down the freeway when the pickup in front of me lost control, flipped three times, and landed in the ditch.”
- Give Readers a Life-Changing Experience.
Limit your storytelling to the viewpoint of your main character, and what happens to your character will become a personal experience for your readers. Like they had been there, your readers will say breathlessly, “My right front tire exploded and I was suddenly airborne upside down. After rolling three times, I landed in the ditch.”