And Your Point Is? By Djuanna Brockington

How many times have you waited for a new release, or picked up a book that was highly recommended by a friend or the bestseller list you frequently peruse, only to find out that you cannot get into because of the pontificating?  There is a message (that you may or may not align with) being shoved down your throat.  Not in little edible literary morsels that you consume along the way as you immerse yourself deeper and deeper into the book, but in a brussel sprouts, you are not getting up from the table until you finish every bite, sort of way. 

  Give me a good story and I am a happy camper.  Just about any genre will do. Entertain me, please!  You can even infotain me if you must, but whatever you do, do not inundate me with your message in order to influence my way of thinking.  If you are going to beat someone over the head, use a hammer, it does the job much faster.   

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  You are reading along, getting into the ebb and the flow of the story, and then you run up on a passage that seems a little odd, disjointed or out of place. It may be relevant or significant, but the presentation catches you off guard.  Think John Steinbeck and East of Eden.  It seemed like every few chapters or so and the reader would get a mini-dissertation on the social ills of the era.  It was good stuff, even important stuff.  But show me, do not tell me.  I can grab a history book or medical journal or news article for just the facts.

Now granted, books are for educating and enlightening the masses.  If I have selected your book to spend my free time with then half the job is done.  That means that I am interested in what you have to say to me.  I am curious and want to hear more.  I am assuming that the author and I have an understanding about each other’s intellect.  I believe the author is not going to pander to me, and I believe that the author knows I am smart enough to get where he/she is going to take me. 

Fiction is stepping out of my world and into someone else’s.  It is about seeing how someone else lives and breathes.  Comparing and contrasting my life to the life of a vampire, suburban mom, mall rat, etc.  Can I learn something? Most definitely.  But as most studies show, children learn best from play.  Why would anyone think that adults would be any different?  If I am engaged and enjoying myself, the message will sink in.

When I think of my favorite reads, I think about how the author took me outside of myself.  I am a silent witness to the events, places, and drama in the lives of the character.  I am empathetic, fearful, aghast, afraid, or enthralled right along with them.  I am feeling pain, fighting foes, and feeling joy.  I am not concerned that I am missing the message.  I am only concerned with the story and where it is going.

If you want your message to register with me, give me a story and characters that evoke emotion in me. Give me something to care about in terms of the plot and character development.  Tell me a story.  Soapboxing is not the way to do it.   There are lots of characters and books that I love, but the ones that I hate stay with me the longest. 

If I have made the decision to purchase your book, give me something I will never forget.  And trust that I am ready, willing, and able to go where you lead. 

 Visit Djuanna on the Web site:  http://www.southerndva.blogspot.com/

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