I think the biggest thing that makes readers keep reading is.... Mystery. No, it doesn't mean you have to write a "who-done-it," but the best novels start out with a "Big Question" that the rest of the novel must answer. Here are a few examples: Pride and Prejudice: Can Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters make "good … Continue reading Your Novel’s “Big Question”
Tag: Charles Dickens
In the format of a free, non-traditional critique, Writing That Scene examines the fundamentals of what it takes to make a scene powerful and memorable for readers. The opinion expressed is my own, and other readers’ opinions may differ. The goal is to provide an opportunity for authors to learn from each other and to … Continue reading Writing That Scene: Oliver Twist
This week, I wanted to look at the beginning of Anna Karenina (Chapters 1-25), examining some of the obscure references I came across. Dickens and Anna Karenina In the eleventh chapter, there is a bizarre reference to Dickens. It comes up quite naturally in conversation, which means there is no page references, and the character … Continue reading Reading Matters: Anna Karenina
In the format of a non-traditional critique, Writing that Scene examines the fundamentals of what it takes to capably convey a scene to one’s readers. The opinion expressed is my own, and other readers’ opinions may and will differ. If you are interested in sharing a scene of your own for a future post, click … Continue reading Writing That Scene: A Christmas Carol
In the format of a non-traditional critique, Writing that Scene examines the fundamentals of what it takes to capably convey a scene to one’s readers. The opinion expressed is my own, and other readers’ opinions may and will differ. Over the last few weeks, we've been looking at A House to Let, a short story … Continue reading Writing That Scene: A House to Let, Part Three
In the format of a non-traditional critique, Writing That Scene examines the fundamentals of what it takes to capably convey a scene to one’s readers. The opinion expressed is my own, and other readers’ opinions may and will differ. Over the next few weeks, I wanted to look at A House to Let, a short … Continue reading Writing That Scene: A House to Let, Part One
One of the blogs I follow recently did a Bookshelf Tag (in her case, it was a Movie Shelf Tag), and it got me thinking about the power of stories and books, in particular. I discovered that the books that inspire me aren’t usually the ones that introduced me to a genre, while the ones … Continue reading Inspiration, Introduction, and Influence: The Power of Books
Andrea Lundgren 