Nick, thanks for letting me stop by.
We both have a love of short stories. I’m sure your readers are familiar with yours. I’ve only done a few. Shorts are when I let my imagination sky rocket and I write without an outline. I’ve written about dragons, castles, space, video games, and murder.
Not all in the same story, but some plotlines overlap.
I’m not sure how Aunt Alice, Mrs. Perkins, and Emma would do facing a dragon. They drive each other crazy enough without imaginary creatures walking across their front lawns. Mrs. Perkins would have a bird if someone or something messed with her perfect half acre of green.
So it’s fortunate they only have to solve a murder.
The heroes in mysteries can be anyone—young, not so young, even dead. All they need is the drive to stand strong. Stay determined. Strive for justice. And in one case slip into a living body. I feel pretty lucky with my group of heroes.
When you read a story, is it all about the characters that keep you turning the pages or is there something else on your mind? Tell me. I’d love to know. :-)
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27 comments:
Hi Nick and Anna - short stories are a great read - take one's mind away to other places and fun areas to visit ... good luck to you both for your stories .. cheers Hilary
Anna--Congratulations on your novel, and best of luck! As for the question, I think the best books combine character, plot, and writing in a way that is just exactly right. There's no magic formula. Truly memorable characters make a book or story stand out for me, but I've also enjoyed books with characters who are somewhat generic.
Congratulations Anna. I just started a book by Anna Quindlen and in the first two pages she had two defined characters, scenery I could see, and a strong hint of conflict that made me want to keep reading all day. That's how I wish I could write.
A dead mystery hero - yes, I'm sure it's been done!
I like characters over scenery or a lot of description of things outside of the characters and their involvement with the plot :) Congrats Anna!
betty
Congrats Anna!
I'm making a list and checking it twice. Thanks for the feedback and I can't wait for more. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Yay! *waves at Anna*
For me, it's about the character arcs. Granted, I recently read a book where the plot was entirely too thin and it came across as boring for me, so both elements have to be present, but it all comes down to the characters. If they're growing and changing, I'm typically pretty happy. (Because that means stuff is happening too.)
Looks cool:) I find that one of my beefs with short stories (and I do write and read them still) is that if I really like the characters I always want to read more. Food for thought:)
I don't know what catches my interest. But it has to be something to keep me reading.
Congratulations, Anna! Wishing you all success!
Characters keep me going. If the plot is perfect and I don't care for the characters, I want to put the book down. Congrats to Anna.
I'm a big fan of character driven stories for sure. Setting is also important to me, and the plot has to at least deliver some sort of interesting elements. Fast-paced stories are great, but without interesting characters, I tend to get bored. A strong voice is my favorite, and I think that is a big character thing, so yeah, go awesome characters!
All I can say is I'm glad I let my characters go wild. Thanks for dropping by all. :-)
Sounds intriguing Anna. I love a good cozy mystery. Best of luck with White Light!
White Light sounds like such a fun mystery, with equally fun characters. Congrats, Anna!
As for stories in general, I agree, characters are key to making them engaging. Since I'm a fan of horror and such, awaiting some huge twist at the end will also keep me turning pages, I must admit!
Wonderful post! You made me laugh out loud when you said all they have to do is solve a murder. I'm all about the characters. A great character will keep me turning the page even if the plot isn't very good.
I'm also a fan of short stories and I like the idea of solving a murder sooner rather than later. Best of luck with White Light, Anna! Good to see you, Nick!
Julie
Depends whether the story is character driven or plot driven. Often, though, with mysteries it's the plot that has me turning the page. I just have to know the answer!
Hi Nick and Anna, good to be back blogging. I've always loved short stories. Congrats and good luck with White Light.
I do love short stories. And good question. Both character and plot draw me in, so if one is lacking, I'm probably not as interested.
Hi Nick! Congratulations Anna! I'm with Shannon in that both characters and plot draw me in. If I can't connect with the characters right away, a good plot will keep me turning the pages a while longer, but after that, the characters have to start pulling their own weight so to speak.
Congrats Anna on your release! I've enjoyed seeing it around the blog world. It sounds like a really wonderful read!
Good luck on your book. I love a compelling character!
I like for plot and character to weave together well, but I have to say I'm more forgiving of a story if the characters resonate with me.
Wow! I just popped back to see how it was going. Thanks so much everyone.
I've made a note that the characters must rock as much as the plotline. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
It's a tricky balance, but one that ought to be maintained. Good to meet you, Anna! :)
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