Comments on: It’s the story, stupid.

By: Cele

Cele — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:47:49 +0000

Great post. Answer for me…. Believability and characters.

By: Debra Webb

Debra Webb — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:23:06 +0000

What a great post, Rocki! It is so about the storytelling!

By: Roxanne St. Claire

Roxanne St. Claire — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:06:27 +0000

Oh, Louisa! I want more. Tell us about reversals! Do I hear a guest blog coming on?

SJ – Passion is your middle name.

By: Louisa Edwards

Louisa Edwards — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:38:51 +0000

You ask tough questions! What makes a story good for me? To use a screenwriter term, I like reversals. Not precisely the same as a plot twist, but generally, that’s it. Every scene turns on them, even if they’re small and subtle. That’s what keeps me turning the pages, as a reader.

By: S.J. Day

S.J. Day — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:29:52 +0000

Passion! Not the romantic kind, but the storyteller’s passion for their story. It comes through and makes the magic happen for me.

This even applies to shows on the Discovery Channel. When the expert speaking is clearly passionate about their subject, it rivets me.

By: Maria Geraci

Maria Geraci — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:27:55 +0000

Great post, Rocki

For me, it’s all about the characters. I remember reading both “The Great Gatsby” and “Catcher in the Rye” in high school. I hated GG, while I loved Catcher in the Rye. A few summers ago I took both novels to the beach and reread them. It was obvious that Fitzgerald was a genius. Every sentence in GG is a like a work of art. But I hate the characters. I hate Daisy and I think Gatsby is an idiot, so in the end, the book leaves me cold.

On the other hand, I loved Holden in Catcher. Even as an adult, his teenage angst holds me spellbound and I can’t put the book down.

By: Terry Odell

Terry Odell — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:27:54 +0000

Everyone knows that as soon as you shut off your computer (or even close a document) the gremlins come out and play.

(And Rocki, such good timing on Good Night Moon. Having spent 4 days with the grandbaby, I could still read the book almost verbatim without looking at the pages — that’s a memory over 30 years old, and why can’t I remember the day to day stuff?)

By: Roxanne St. Claire

Roxanne St. Claire — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:23:01 +0000

I’m getting a lot of “what I needed to hear” on the comments and in my private emails! Happy to have hit a hot spot, but why oh why does it have to be so difficult to tell a good story? I guess if it were easy, everyone would do it! Lara, author of the phenom MENAGERIE, don’t you ever doubt your talent.

Congrats on finishing CRAVING, Karin. I know the “rough cut” isn’t really “the end” but it does mean you’ve solved the puzzle and have a big picture. If you’re anything like I am, now the fun stuff starts!

Toni, you crack me up. (Which means you are doing your job, funny lady.) I know that feeling of thinking “Oh, I nailed this scene!” and then reading it the next day, scratching your head, and thinking, “Who wrote this garbage and what was she smoking?”

By: Lara Santiago

Lara Santiago — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:17:38 +0000

It’s like you read my mind, Rocki. Great post today.
I’m currently in the middle of a what-was-I-thinking tirade over my career choice in writing.

Sure I want to tell a story. It’s my very favorite part…but am I doing a good job?
I don’t know.
Some days I think so. Others not.

As for today…I think I’ll have a generous portion of sweet tea vodka and keep plodding along.
Lara

By: diane burke

diane burke — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:15:29 +0000

What a great blog today, Rocki. Words of wisdom sorely needed. Sometimes the “writing” absolutely freezes me because I am so afraid of it not being good enough. Then the storyteller emerges and I’m on my way again.

And I agree 100% about the S.M. books. I read the first one last weekend out of curiousity and couldn’t put it down. Most beautiful prose I’ve ever read, not particularly. But those characters, so real and suspenseful they squeezed my heart. She deserves the accolades she is getting.