Something's Missing

Current Project: TEMPTED (Eternal Guardians Book #3)
Status: Chapter Four

We’ve all been there. You hear about an awesome new book. It’s getting tons of media blitz. You see it all over the blogosphere, on Facebook, you hear about it on Twitter. You see it displayed prominently at the bookstore, in grocery stores, on the end aisle at Target. You think you’re missing out by NOT reading it, so you pick up a copy. And then you’re left scratching your head.

Writers are not the best critics. Probably because we see things through a writer’s perspective. We know about voice and language, point of view, plot and pacing. We also instinctively know when a story is good and when it’s not. So sometimes – knowing all that we know – it’s a surprise to pick up a book and enjoy it. And then realize…something’s still missing.

I started reading a new book last week that I was eagerly anticipating. I enjoyed the plot and characters, the world and conflict. The story itself was good. But I walked away from that book thinking it could have been better. I scratched my head over this for a long time. As a writer, my instinct is to try to figure out what didn’t work so I don’t repeat the mistake. And after thinking about it way more than I should have, I realized the problem I had with this book wasn’t the story, it was that I never felt like I understood the characters to the degree that I rooted for them one way or the other.

That’s a pretty major element in writing. Drawing your reader in so they cheer and root for your characters. So they cry and yell and angst with them, as well. Pulling a reader in so they become part of the story rather than an observer is key, but it isn’t always easy. And if you aren’t doing it, then I guarantee your books will never be considered great reads.

So how do you do it? I’m by no means an expert, but here are tips I’ve picked up over time:

1. You – the writer – put yourself in the scene. A wise writer once told me in order to make a love scene believable and not something that sounds like it was part of a sex-ed manual, you have to put yourself in that room with your characters. You have to become a part of the scene yourself. You can’t sit back and describe what’s happening like you’re making a shopping list. That advice has stuck with me, and it carries over into my other scenes, not just my love scenes.

2. You use deep POV. Sometimes this is tricky – you can walk a fine line between being TOO deep in a character's head and not being deep enough. Too many thoughts and ponderings slow pace, (and make readers roll their eyes at the angst) but not enough leave readers (like me) wishing I understood the characters’ thinking more. A good balance is no more than two short paragraphs (preferably 3-4 sentences) in a character's thoughts before you toss in action or dialogue to balance the scene.

3. You explain the things that need explaining and you ignore everything else. I recently read a paranormal that left me so confused by page 50 I had no idea what was going on. The author didn’t explain the terms and tools and words that were unique to that book’s world enough for me to feel like I was part of the scene. And what she did spend time explaining seemed trivial and not needed. If it doesn't matter to the story, cut it. If it does, you better make sure your reader understands how and why.

4. You write to the middle. I have friends who are professionals who talk over my head. I know writers who do the same. A novel is not the time to prove you have a stellar vocabulary. If your reader needs a dictionary by her side to read your book, then you’re not writing to the middle. You’re writing to the extreme. And trust me, you will lose readers.

5. You think things through or–gasp!—plot, so that YOU know your world well enough to explain it and your characters. This seems like a no-brainer, but when I’m judging contests, the #1 thing that pushes a writer from great to mediocre is when you read something and know the author doesn’t have a handle on their world. Their descriptions aren’t detailed, things don’t seem to make sense, they contradict themselves. Nothing bumps a reader out of a book more than confusion.

How about you? What bumps you out of a book? I’m not talking about the common errors new writers make. I’m talking about the things that keep an already GOOD book from being GREAT.