Beth Camp Historical Fiction

Friday, December 10, 2010

An Unexpected Moment . . .

I have been sadly remiss in keeping my writing blog up. I'm in the research phase for the next book, RIVERS OF STONE, with some days going well, and other days, not so well. I've found some great stuff online and at the library, delved into history, worked on understanding the "real" structure of "plot", but the story has remained elusive. Until this morning.

Larry Brooks writes that the reader must discover a compelling reason to keep reading: An unexpected moment occurs when everything changes. Up to this point, you may be writing (or reading) about sympathetic characters, interesting situations, but the story doesn't really grab you. You're just as likely to put the book down and turn to other, more rewarding pursuits (Farmville, online Scrabble, sex), right before nodding off.

But as I was reading his post what readers must experience for a satisfying read, something clicked for my story. A true WHAT IF moment. And for the first time, the story I've been working on for the last two months felt like a story. Thank you, Larry. Thunder fingers is ready to roll.

2 comments:

  1. An unexpected moment occurs when everything changes.
    ******************
    That's true...
    Recently I have read a few books that I could have put down . . . until Something grabbed me.
    I'll have to take more notice from now on.

    I'm so glad the key turned in the lock for you and your writing!

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  2. Sounds awesome! Glad things are clicking for you! I've read some of Larry's blog postings...he has some good insights. Happy Holidays!

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