Sometimes it good to remember stuff we've already been taught. Elementary, yes—but it's good to ponder the basics of novel writing.
One: A sympathetic character that we come to know and care about. If readers simply don't care about your protagonist, they won't read on. Of course, there are some unlikable characters that are found in fiction, but the still must have a grain of sympathy to them, some good quality that keeps them from being 100% evil.
Two: Conflict: what happens to that character. In a novel, something happens to someone. If there's conflict, then it's exciting and compels us to keep reading.
Three: Complications to the conflict—it gets worse, and there are no easy answers. The reader must be intrigued by what happens next and puts our characters in even more peril. Readers want to know how the character will overcome the pile on of complications.
Four: Climax—the most dramatic moment. This is the blackest moment of a novel. You think all is lost, but . . .
Five: Resolution! Ahh, somehow things sort themselves out. There doesn't necessarily have to be an HEA (happily ever after), but there needs to be a tying of threads.
Writers: Keep writing, keep learning, be persistent!