Hold their attention with your words

Rely on your intuition.
Don't develop plots in advance, but get to know your characters' traits well, put them in a problematic situation and then see what they would do.

Balance your descriptions.
When describing your characters, make sure that the description is not short but not too extensive either. Choose a few words you can use to describe them and leave it to the reader to imagine the details. Write clear and straightforward descriptions. Use figurative comparisons, but make sure they are not pathetic clichés such as "She is as beautiful as a sunny day."

Find a good rhythm of story development.
Make sure your plot doesn't progress too quickly or slowly. Remove any unnecessary story elements. Don't over-describe, but don't skip the necessary details either. Ask a friend or member of your family to read your novel and provide feedback on the story's development rhythm.

Write realistic dialogues.
Write dialogues inspired by real-life conversations. Write short and clear sentences without many adjectives and adverbs. Use the word "said" liberally. For example, "I don't like you," he said.

Define the central theme of your story/book.
Determine the message you want to deliver to readers and what your story reflects.