Writers are naturally curious people. They’re nosy. They want to know how things work. They want to know all the juicy details. In fact, writers can be likened to the meddlesome busybody who lived in your neighborhood when you were growing up. You know who I’m talking about. The one who would call your mom and tell on you if you climbed the neighbor’s tree or snuck a juicy orange off a branch heavy with fruit. Unlike the busybody who talked about it, writers are driven to write it for all the world to read. But don’t worry about your secrets; writers always change the names to protect the innocent. No one will ever know the story is about you. Really.
Unlike many bloggers, who tell all, whether anyone cares or not, good writers transform reality and make the mundane seem interesting. I recently came across a YouTube video of a person who was demonstrating how to take a pregnancy test. Once the stick was wet, she placed it in front of the camera, so the world could watch as the little hourglass flashed on and off for two minutes or so. Gripping drama, I know. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I can’t tell you if the woman is pregnant or not. Actually, I think I fell asleep. Obviously, the woman needs a good script writer.
A good story will have you so immersed that you can’t put it down. A great story will do that and it won’t leave your head when you’ve finished reading it. I read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult two years ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. That’s the goal of a writer; to get into your heart and mind, and stay there.
How can you tell if a story you’ve written is good enough to keep the reader wanting more? The first thing I do when my beta readers return a draft to me, is look at the condition of the pages. The parts where they are dog-eared, crumpled, or have drool stains, are where it needs the most work. The story must drag at that point, or the reader wouldn’t have been able to stop long enough to dog-ear the spot and sleep-drool on the page. So where their eyes began to close is where I begin my revising.
Once it’s done, I give it back to my faithful readers, and I try to find a new victim as well. If the story comes back fairly clean, I know I did my job. I kept them turning the pages.
