Posts
“Happiness is not something you experience.
It is something you remember.”
- Fallen, the last fae
THIS JUST IN!
Think you know what the last fae would be like?
Think again.
When all you love is gone or in peril,
when all the world is mad --
Show them what insanity truly is!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
―Maya Angelou
― Anaïs Nin
What is the difference between a good book and a great one?
Have you ever read a sentence whose meaning vibrated within your mind and heart like a struck tuning fork?
Where did it touch you?
Your heart? Your invisible wound? Your secret fear? Your silent dream?
You search for books that contain those sentences.
A book with that kind of magic—that resonates with our heart and somehow fulfills a need in our soul—that is the mother lode.
Books like that are more than just a good, or even great, read. They speak to us on some integral, deep level and nourish us.
They speak to our heart.
How do you write like that?
By being brave, daring, and vulnerable enough to get into the deep, scary feelings that are stored in the heart.
If writers do not go deep, their writing won’t either.
The road that few writers take:
G. K. Chesterton wisely noted,
“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.”
Think back on what movies, what books touched you. Ask why. And then look to the novel you are writing.
Is it mostly craft and not heart? Many novels are. Make yours different. and you will stand out from the crowd.
When you finished writing your last novel, did you feel completion or an emptiness?
The answer will tell you if you wrote from the heart or not.
DON'T FORGET TO LISTEN TO CHARLIE JAMES'
RIVETING PERFORMANCE OF FRENCH QUARTER NOCTURNE
Think TRUE BLOOD meets JUSTIFIED!
Read my interview with Milo James Fowler
on my sojourn into audiobooks:
The strong ones touch deepest on the basic human desires and elements.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post!
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Tweeted and shared.
Alex:
ReplyDeleteSo true.
Shelly:
You made my afternoon! :-)
I wrote a story one time that touched deep into the heart of me as a writer. Then I had to destroy it.
ReplyDeleteAngela:
ReplyDeleteI understand in a way: some facets of ourselves are too raw to face the light of day where we find ourselves as of yet.
I do not believe you can pigeonhole books into 'good - bad - or even great'. There is only perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt is, after all, how they make you feel.
Good post, Roland. Again :)
Wendy:
ReplyDeleteCertainly, "good" and "great" books are a matter of perspective. Yet, books that may not be your cup of tea, say like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (just a generic example), you might feel to be a great book for the issues upon which it focuses and the way in which it does it.
Thanks for the kind words. I was woozy when I wrote this from working 22 hours this past weekend and driving 700 miles! :-)
Yay for The Last Fae being on Audible :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I say books have saved me is all the truisms I've found along the way. It can be a regular book, but one sentence will stand out. Two of my favorites were written by Stephen R Donaldson and Raymond Feist.
And now, of course, the first sentence of this post, spoken by Fallen...
Words Crafter:
ReplyDeleteFallen sends a wicked wink your way as thanks. :-)
Roger Zelazny has made me reflect many a time over a sentence as has Dean Koontz and John D MacDonald.
Have a happy 4th!
Good advice! Gotta love that GK Chesterton. That is exactly the difference between a good and great novel--thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteAllison (Geek Banter)
Allison:
ReplyDeleteG K Chesterton can always makes me smile! I'm happy you enjoyed my post! :-)