Monday, April 7, 2014

Has to do a lotta things

I read an article the other day about how the "next" generation doesn't like watches. "They only do one thing," a kid in the article was quoted as saying. If he wants to know the time, he looks at his phone. Which does lots and lots of things.

Ah. I get it.

Because your story has to do the same thing...Work on several levels. So do your characters. In fact, so do your scenes.

Nobody wants one-dimensional.

HER SUMMER WITH THE MARINE is the story of a woman coming to terms with her father's death, as she inserts herself back into the small town she'd thought she'd left behind for good, makes friends, runs a funeral home...falls in love. At the same time, it's the story of a guy rescuing his mom, who loves life and people, who likes to win, falling for the last person he should want...his high school nemesis. He learns that friendship isn't just about him "being there" for others...it's about letting go and letting someone be there for him.

The story "works" on several levels. The characters are multidimensional. And if I did my job the scenes do more than push the story forward. They also display character, show character growth, give readers a sense of small town life, and, read one after the other, tell a story.

The next time you look at your watch, think about your scenes, your characters, your story...Are they doing more than just tell time? :)

Happy Monday...and Happy Reading...

susan meier

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