Just like that well-known actor I’m baaaaaccck!
In January I was on vacation in Mexico and in February I was trying to reclaim
my brain from all that sunshine, sand, and surf and a shot or more of very good
tequila. And then came the downside which we are all dealing with in our own
ways, and what better way to pass the time than read and write. So far, I must
admit to more reading than writing, but here goes.
Our Round Robin topic for March is: what draws
you into a story? Even though we authors are encouraged to write stunning back
blurb, I am often disappointed when the blurb and the content don’t quite match
up. It’s the same with covers. How many great covers have attracted you to a
book and then the content in no way has lived up to it? I am a lot savvier now
when buying books on Amazon as I ignore the covers and take advantage of the ‘Look
inside’ feature.
First of all, does the writing grab me? Never
mind the content or genre, do I want to read my way through the sample? Does
the author use strong verbs and build a picture? Is there a question to be
answered? Two totally different books are one of my childhood favourites, Black
Beauty, and John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids.
Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty begins: The
first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of
clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and waterlilies
grew at the deep end.
Even as a child I remember thinking, why does
Black Beauty remember this so well? And, after all these years, it says a lot
for the writing and the content as to why I recall those two sentences so
clearly.
John Wyndham opens The Day of the Triffids
with: When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding
like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.
OK, John, you’ve got me. What is wrong?
Strong characters will also grab and keep my attention.
From my youthful bookshelf I recall Lorna Doone, Jayne Eyre, Heathcliff and
Cathy, and Tess of the d’Urbervilles. There was Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, the
whale being as much a strong character as the Captain, and who could forget
Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler? What about Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To
Kill a Mockingbird? More recently Lee Child’s Jack Reacher has grabbed my
fancy, as has Walt Longmire from the pen of Craig Johnson.
I may write historical romance but my tastes,
as you may tell, stretch far and wide. If the characters are strong enough, I
want to know what their motivation is. I will ride the roller coaster of their highs
and lows, knowing that the tension in their stories will come to-hopefully- a satisfying
conclusion. If there is a logical flow to the story, varying sentence lengths
to make the reading experience easier and few, if any, clichés, then I am a
happy camper.
Visit these other authors to see what grabs their interest.
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blo
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/b
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1RR
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.co
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/b
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1RR
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.co
