Article For Writers
My fellow author and friend, Tristi Pinkston, shared some great writing tips all about connecting the dots in your book. You can view her full post HERE, but here is a snippet of what she put in her post:
One of the biggest questions I ask my clients when I edit their books is, “Why?” Why did the character pull that face? Why did she react that way? Why did she sigh? Why did she start digging through her purse? Why, why, why?
It might be totally obvious to the author why the character is doing that thing or saying that thing, but if it’s not obvious to the reader, the entire point will be lost. I have come up with a saying to help us all remember this principle, and you may quote me, but it’s so awesome that if you do quote me, be sure to use my name:
If you don’t understand how she feels, you’ll never understand what she does. – Tristi Pinkston
See? Cool, huh? If you don’t understand that your character is angry, you won’t understand why he’s suddenly speaking through his teeth. A quick flash of thought will go a long way there.
It’s all about connecting the dots. You give the reader this plot point and this character and this setting, and then you connect them together to make a complete image. You throw in those clarifying sentences (like, the kid had already locked everything, so he was at peace) and you show why that other character from the other example is angry (her words reminded him of what she’d said the night she left, and all those hurt feelings came rushing back, blinding him). That’s how you create a whole picture, a whole experience for the reader so they can be immersed in your world and want to come back again and again – which is the whole goal. Take a reader and make them a repeat reader, do that over and over again, and you will have a career.
How will you connect the dots in your writing?
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