Sign of an awesome book: you rush through the door post-run and you're still sweaty, thirsty, and wheezing as you pick up the book to start a new chapter. This was my yesterday. The book was The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (here!).You know how certain stories just feel so human? This was one such story. It read like life--heartbreaking, unpredictable, hilarious, all that. And there is a cute boy in it. Always a plus.
So many times during this read I related to Macy. She struggles with perfectionism and, um, *raises hand*, so do I. Throughout this book, Macy discovers that life is messy, and that messy can be freeing. That's what I'm learning too.
Which makes me wonder... Are certain books more powerful for us based on our lives at the time? I think so. I think we carry all our life stuff and dump it onto the pages of a story. But that's what I love about reading. It's interactive. It's a give-and-take, push-and-pull experience. Authors like Sarah Dessen get that, and they let you fill in lots of blanks as you read.
I try to keep that in mind as I'm writing. But it's so tempting to explain everything to my readers, to make sure they're getting it. What do you think? As readers and writers, how much of you goes into a story?
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14 comments:
Hopefully what I know of life goes in.
I love Sarah Dessen's way of presenting the characters and their complete humanness (like you said). I can't get enough of her books. I've read them all and wait with anticipation for the next one to come out. The Truth about Forever is one of my favorites of hers.
You convinced me. I'm adding it to my library cue!
And I agree. Certain books and voices resonate with us because of where we are in life. I'm sure I won't feel as strongly about them later. A few though, will probably grip me no matter my age and current situation...
Hm I'm no writer but I'd say subtlety is probably best to let the reader figure things out for him/herself? :) Just my opinion
I know there are books that definitely resonate with me, and I enjoy putting my own feelings and thoughts into any story that I read.
lotusgirl: This is my first read by Sarah Dessen! Love her.
Jude: Alas, I agree that subtlety works best. So much for pounding it out for my readers. :)
Avitable: Me too, senor. Me too.
I have a lot of the same issues. I have to try not to explain things. I have to remember my readers are smart! But it's a fine line between telling too much, and too little so as to confuse.
Great post!
I struggle not to explain everything to the reader constantly. I mean, some still sneaks through but I know I'm doing much better than I ever have before. Between telling too much and not enough I'm never sure which way I'm supposed to be going. I try but... it's hard sometimes.
This is an excellent post!
I think you're right, different books hit you in different ways, depending on where you are in your life. Sometimes I want to peer around, wondering, "Did she write this *just* for me?" Esp. when the character feels so alive and familiar...
When writing, I really hope my readers will feel the "personal in the universal," which is what we're all striving for. Great post!
I have to agree with you. I think some books are more powerful because we connect with them based on what we're going through. As a writer there is definitely a bit of me that goes into the story but not as much as you might think. My characters are their own people, not shadows of myself. I’m lucky that they come to me almost fully formed.
Lydia Kang: I agree! The line is oh-so-fine.
Melissa: Thanks for visiting!
Molly Hall: "Personal in the universal." I like that!
Heather: You are lucky! I've had a few characters come all formed... and others not so much.
I agree! Certain books have more of an impact, based on where we are with our lives. And the explaining thing is something I struggle with. I read somewhere that we should trust our readers enough to 'get it' but I still have issues!
I also agree. Some books hit us in the gut because of what's going on in our lives. This applies to both reading and writing, I think.
I always enjoy your posts, Samantha. :)
Talli Roland: Haha, me too. :)
Lola Sharp: Ah, thanks amiga!
I've been hearing a lot about Sarah Dessen. I must read her books!
Some books I've read have hit me in the gut even when I've never experienced what the MC was experiencing then.
That's what I disliked about Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". I felt insulted that he'd comment on something 10 times over two chapters and THEN spell it out for me anyway. I wondered if he thought I was dumb. Sure, explain the difficult sciency stuff to the average reader but let me assume the man has a cold after a few coughs.
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