Why We Read: VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE

We read for many reasons, such asto gain knowledge or to escape the everyday pressures of life. But as an author, what also concerns me is 1) what makes a novel catch fire in the hearts of modern readers, and 2) how can I meet that requirement?
Through study and observation, I’ve concluded that novel readers mostly seek a vicarious experience. David Farland seems to agree for he’s described this concept, at least in part, as the physical responses people have to the novel. Reader’s endorphins react, he details, to the obstacles, emotions, and climax of the story.

Which leads to my next question. If vicarious experience is key, then how do I as a writer, create that experience? In answer, I’ve looked to some of my favorite writers and I’ve determined that at least three elements are critical: mystery, detail, and restraint.

Take Stephenie Meyers, for example. Not because I enjoyed her Twilight series—which I did--and definitely not because I crave vampires—for I absolutely don’t—but because Meyers has the ability to make her stories come to life, to make readers feel as if they are living in the moment, and to give life to her words in such a way that they jump off the page. She knows how to create vicarious experiences.

For instance, consider Twilight’s revelation scene when Edward allows Bella to figure out who he is. There in the restaurant, the reader already guesses Edward is a vampire, so that in itself creates mystery and nervous emotion—suspense--in the reader. Then, throughout the discussion, Meyers incorporates tiny details that describe how the couple responds to each other as well as a sense of Edward’s physical restraint. The following few sentences, alone, depict what I mean, but as you look through that entire section of the book, you can see numerous, similar examples:

“I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, placing both of his under the table. But he leaned toward me.”

If you’re anything like me, you’ll notice both your heartbeat and breathing kick up a notch just from the memory of that scene or from the sentences I’ve quoted here. That’s vicarious experience. So that’s what I work to create in my own writing. Have I succeeded? Only you, my reader, can answer that question.

CHOCOLATE ROSES by Joan Sowards and Audience--WHAT SHE DID RIGHT

Love chocolate? Love Jane Eyre?

Then you're going to love the blog tour (July
26-August 6)
for Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards.

My take:
Like every novel I've reviewed, authors like Joan Sowards have done multiple things "right" in the creation of their works. However, because the purpose of this blog is to help writers in their quest for better writing--myself, included--I try to focus on and teach through one especially well-done aspect of the book. In the case of Chocolate Roses, A Jane Eyre Parady, I've chosen audience.


If authors hope to sell their work to readers, they must keep their core audience in mind. Notice, I said "core" audience. Far too often, new writers believe their work is written for all people and all ages. This may be true to the extant that an elderly neighbor down the street may like your book just as much as the child in your son's classroom did, but the majority of your readers will likely come from one certain age group and/or sex. For instance, as I've been doing book signings for MISSING over the past month, I've learned that while a few men have read and enjoyed my novel, most tend to like non-fiction. That fact tells me that if I ever want to write something that will primarily sell to men, then I should look to non-fiction.

How does audience apply to Chocolate Roses? Chocolate Roses, as I already mentioned is a fun, modern parody of the classic novel, Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite stories. I've read it several times, referred to its plot structure in my writing, watched various movie versions countless times, and I own the book. Yes, I'm a Jane Eyre fan. But, and here's the key, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE who has read and/or watched it. In truth, if you're female and if you like classic romance, there's a good chance you've seen and enjoyed at least one movie version of the story, which makes you one of Sowards' target audience. Along with that, you'll likely give the book a try simply because you love Jane Eyre so much. I know I did. That's the power of keeping your audience in mind. But, even better, after I picked Chocolate Roses up, I wasn't disappointed. And neither will you be. :) Here are some of the reasons why:

1) I loved the direct quotes from Jane Eyre at the beginning of each chapter. Sometimes I liked them because they added insight into Soward's modern story, and sometime I liked them simply because they reminded me of my favorite scenes in Jane Eyre.

2) I enjoyed Sowards' humorous writing style. A parody, of course, should be humorous, but I found this novel especially intriguing because the humorous style was in such opposition to Charlotte Bronte's mostly dark, gothic story.

3) In Jane Eyre, Rochester is the brooding, sinful, "Beast"-like character that only Jane can tame. This cliche character is highly romantic and often expected in modern romance writing, but Sowards has given readers an honestly good hero to love. He's one who will be good because he chooses to be good. One who the heroine, and reader, can trust will always be there, no matter what comes. To me, that's a romance that's not only delicious--it's satisfying. Sort of like chocolate roses. Grin.

Chocolate Roses can be purchased from Deseret Book, Amazon, and of

course your local LDS bookstore.

Janie Rose Whitaker's world revolved around her chocolate shop until
Roger Wentworth and his young daughter moved into the apartment across from Janie's. Anyone would think Roger fit the mold of the "perfect" guy, but
soon Janie discovers secrets that could keep them apart forever. Though she
resists getting involved in Roger¹s complicated life, they are drawn
further into a bittersweet relationship.

You will laugh, cry, and crave chocolate as you read this LDS parody of the
classic novel Jane Eyre.

Quotes From Readers

"I couldn't put it down! When's your next book coming out?" This is the common theme I've heard from my readers since MISSING was published. Even Bonnie Henington, a reader I'm not sure I've met, left this comment when she requested a free story: "Easily one of the best mysteries I have read. I know we will see it on the Best Seller list. Will be waiting for your next book."

Honestly, I couldn't be more pleased. True, holding the book, witnessing the tangible evidence that I've finally had my book published, was an experience I won't ever forget. But hearing good things from my readers is more than the icing on the cake, it's a form of victory, of goal accomplished, of knowing I've successfully connected with others through my art. When all is said and done, writing, while fraught with work and disappointment, is one of the greatest joys in my life. Readers, you are the best!

A Fun Day!

Today I paid an author visit to our local middle school where I discussed the topic, "My Path to Publication" with five different English classes. It was a lot of fun, both because I had the chance to associate with old friends (I used to work at the school) and make new friends. I also discovered that many of the students were excited about my book. I don't know if I can express this adequately enough, but there is something truly amazing in knowing that many people are reading and enjoying Missing, my novel! Yes, I've written dozens of articles and stories for magazines, and I know they have influenced an untold number of readers, and I am grateful for that opportunity, but I must say that seeing readers with my book--the middle school library has ten of them!--and hearing they enjoyed it brings a unique kind of pleasure. And gratitude. Thank you, readers. You are awesome!

Just as a side perk--after the successful day, two other teachers asked me to visit their classes next month. Yay!

Now, because this is a how-to-write blog, let me list a few things I learned through my presentation (in no particular order):

1. I initially felt uncomfortable with the idea of talking about myself, but as I prepared, I realized I do have valuable experience to share. Better than that, as I spoke, most of the students really seemed interested. As I've written at the top of the blog, our value and strength is in our individuality.

2. What happens after your book is accepted is a great unknown to students and teachers alike. As authors, we can enlighten them.

3. Listeners like to hear the author read a bit of their book. I hadn't prepared to do this, but the good thing is, I quickly found a short, intriguing section to share, so it turned out well.

4. I brought tootsie rolls. When students asked me questions related to the subject, I gave them one. Some classes asked more questions than others, but they were all so respectful, I gave all a tootsie roll at the end. Note: Generally, this school frowns on teachers, etc., bringing candy to school, so I discussed this idea with the librarian who initially contacted me and she gave her permission to give out tootsie rolls.

5. Try to incorporate humor in your discussion, or at least be prepared to include it as needed.

That's all folks!

I've Joined Another Writing Group

Guess what? Thanks to fellow writer Joyce DiPastena, I've found and joined a "G-rated, Romance Writing Group! I'm so excited because it has been sooo hard to find both authors and publishers outside the LDS market who write/publish romance that isn't embarrassing to read. It's called the Sweetest Romance Authors, and our blog is located here and at the button in my sidebar. If you like clean, yet exciting stories that are rich with real romance, you really ought to check it out, and keep checking it out, because our list of published titles is quickly growing. You can bet my LDS novel, MISSING, will be among them. Grin.

What They Did Right--RD Henham (Rebecca Shelley)

Let me start out by saying my fifteen year old, fantasy loving daughter LOVED the Brass Dragon Codex. Read it in two days. Said it was better than other dragon books she'd read recently. To me, that means Rebecca Shelley definitely did something right. And one of the things I believe she did right was she filled her book with action.

In You Can Write Children's Books, Tracey E. Dils advises middle grade books should "rely heavily on visual action . . . One way to ensure you have enough visual action in your plot is to ask yourself if you can think of at least one illustration that can be created for each chapter."

This is advice R. Shelley obviously took to heart. From the get-go. Her first chapter opens with a young dragon discovering his parents have been killed. The next introduces us to two gnomes working with lightning and acid as they try to invent a moving giant. Third, the gnome is burned. The action goes on and on. And so, too, does the reader's interest. I'd definitely recommend this book to young, fantasy loving readers.

Twain Marketing

I recently saw this on a writing newsletter I subscribe to and thought I'd share it here since it goes along with my last two entries on "Marketing." Hmm. I wonder if this is what JK Rowling did, too.
"I conceive that the right way to write a story for boys is to write so that it will not only interest boys but strongly interest any man who has ever been a boy. That immensely enlarges the audience."~ Mark Twain, Letter to Fred J. Hall, 8/10/1892

Tag with a Twist!

I've been tagged, but the "twist?" I'm answering with a purpose in mind. First, pretend I'm the reader (Maybe an editor? A reluctant reader?) you most want to "catch" with a story you've written (or if you don't have one, use a published novel). Next, study my "tag" to find out what most interests me:

My Reading: My favorite books are those that grab my heart and keep me turning the pages to the very end. Usually, that means "Gothic romances" which are filled with real romance--not explicit sex, suspense, and themes that make me think. In other words, I like the kind of books I'm trying to write, which is romantic suspense with "meat."

The best examples I can think of are "Jane Eyre" and "Rebecca." Yes, they're old, and yes they might be hard to read (the old writing style, you know), but they are soooo romantic, soooo suspenseful, and soooo thought provoking. Fortunately, there's a modern Gothic I love, too: Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. Whoever thought the "much older hero with a haunted past" could come back to thrill us all?

Total number of books owned: Like every other author I know, this is nearly impossible to calculate. Books are not only our life blood, but also our "study guides."But if I had to guess, I'd say somewhere up to a hundred or so (but then, I have no idea how many are packed in the basement). I know this might be a small number compared to some of you out there, but remember, as I said before, I like books with "meat," so I don't just buy books because they're books. I buy books--both fiction and nonfiction--that I think will enrich me in some way. The only nonfiction I tend to buy, however, are "How to Write . . ." books. The rest is fiction.

Last Book I Bought: I haven't read it yet, but because it's in my desired "market," I bought Brad E. Hainsworth's "Revenge and Redemption." Just prior to that, I bought "Eclipse" and "Austenland."

5 Meaningful Books:
1)- "The Book of Mormon" and all the scriptures. Not only do I rely on them throughout all of my life, but also in my writing. I can't even describe how many "inspirations" and "you must do this" messages I've received through reading them.

2)- "The Outsiders," because it was the book my 6th grade teacher was reading to my class when its "golden" words caught my heart and filled me with the knowledge I would be a writer.

3)- Shakespeare and all the classics, both fiction and poetry, I've read that have left their imprint on me.

4)- "Twilight" series. It's meaningful in ways I previously mentioned, but also because my own writing has improved as I've studied and mimicked her sensual--using all the senses--style.

5)- Jane Austen's books. I love her wit, her eye for romance, and her uncanny understanding of human nature. Somehow, she knows how to tug a girl's heart, even through the most "boring" of scenarios, like "Mansfield Park," all the way to the last page.

Third, and here's the challenge, "pitch" your book to me. Make me want to read it. If you'd like, you can use the following pattern:

When (character's name) faces (character's challenge/goal), he or she overcomes (these obstacles) and learns . . .

Hint: Try to keep your pitch limited to three sentences, AND it would be a really good thing to mention the romantic lead.

Finally, I tag: Stephanie Humphreys & Aneeka.

Have fun, all!