"Make 'em laugh ..."
Our guest blogger today is New York Times bestselling author and Kauai resident Jill Marie Landis. Welcome, Jill!
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After reading Michael's blog "If you tickle us, do we not laugh?" I recalled a quote I heard in a writing workshop eons ago. It was attributed to Charles Dickens. "Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait." (I'm not sure that's the correct order, but you get the gist.) When I googled the quote today, I found it attributed not only to Dickens, but also to Wilkie Collins and after that a host of today's writers who have been quoting it in their workshops and blogs.
The bottom line is that writers must strive to move readers emotionally. We all know we're supposed to make 'em laugh, cry, and wait, but no one ever says exactly how to do that. "Show, don't tell." That's another good one. Show the reader, don't just tell them what's happening or what the character is feeling. Show them. Put the reader in the story. Give them a character they will connect to, a character they're willing to follow off a cliff ... if that's where the character chooses to go. (Remember Thelma and Louise? We followed both of them right over the edge and loved the ride.)
So how does a writer create emotion? John Gardner, in The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (1985), said that "The writer's business is to make up convincing human beings and create for them basic situations and actions by means of which they come to know themselves and reveal themselves to the reader."
Our job as writers is to create a continuous dream the reader becomes absorbed in. A dream that they don't want to end. A dream vivid with details that excite emotion. A dream alive with action that keeps the characters on the move and the pages turning.
My goal with every book has been to write a heartwarming, emotional story with unforgettable characters and a page-turning plot. This month my 23rd novel goes on sale. Heart of Stone is a western historical romance set in Texas in 1875. It's the story of a former prostitute who falls in love with a small-town preacher, a man with a few secrets of his own.
Romantic Times Magazine recently said of Heart of Stone: "Landis writes from her heart and is able to speak to her readers through her characters. In this start to her new Irish Angels series, the characters are believably flawed and relatable." 4****
Believably flawed and "relatable." The ability to speak to my readers through my characters. That's what I like to hear. That means I'm doing my job.
I'll be on Oahu on April 3rd at 10:30 a.m. at Kapolei Library for an informal Q&A and talk about writing, plotting, and character motivation. Do stop by and chat about reading and writing! Here's a trailer for Heart of Stone from the publisher ... have a look.
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Thanks, Jill! Looking forward to seeing you at Kapolei Library on April 3rd.
Tags: Jill Marie Landis
