What is it about rainbows that bring us joy? Maybe it is because after a dark, gloomy sky and some rain, they brighten the day. We can read all about the scientific reasons for a rainbow--light refracting through water--raindrops--but that is not what speaks to our hearts when we witness the short-lived arc of glorious colors. We have heard myths about rainbows over and over, most especially the pot of gold that is said to be waiting at the end. Aaaahhh! Would that it were so! The famed song "Over The Rainbow" has helped our mental image of this glorious arc and helped create a certain love for it.
For me, the rainbow is something special that draws my attention and holds it.
You need to have a little something special in your writing, too, if you want to grasp your readers and hold them to the very last word of your story.
Think of the thousands of stories written each and every year. Only a few will be published. Many will be lost. Some will be forgotten. Which ones will be published and remembered? The ones that have a distinct difference from others.
How do you incorporate that rainbow in your writing? Try to find a twist or turn, a surprise of some kind, a lyrical way of writing the prose, or sensory details that make the reader experience each one. Do something that is totally different than what other writers produce. Not so easy but with practice you can accomplish it.
One help is to read, read, and read some more. What writers have caught your attention and kept it? Analyze the stories and learn what the writers did to capture you.
Don't write a predictable story. We've all read them. And I imagine many of us have written them. All a nice and cozy package, tied with a ribbon, waiting to be opened with no surprise inside.
I just finished reading a historical novel in which the villain turned out to be the very last person I would have suspected. Learning who it was took me by such surprise that I had to stop reading for a moment to digest it, then hurried back to learn the how and why of it.
Bring a rainbow into your writing to give your readers something special. Whether it is fiction or memoir, personal essays or poetry, make your readers want to keep reading what you write. They may not find a pot of gold at the end but they'll certainly enjoy what they read and come back for more.
For me, the rainbow is something special that draws my attention and holds it.
You need to have a little something special in your writing, too, if you want to grasp your readers and hold them to the very last word of your story.
Think of the thousands of stories written each and every year. Only a few will be published. Many will be lost. Some will be forgotten. Which ones will be published and remembered? The ones that have a distinct difference from others.
How do you incorporate that rainbow in your writing? Try to find a twist or turn, a surprise of some kind, a lyrical way of writing the prose, or sensory details that make the reader experience each one. Do something that is totally different than what other writers produce. Not so easy but with practice you can accomplish it.
One help is to read, read, and read some more. What writers have caught your attention and kept it? Analyze the stories and learn what the writers did to capture you.
Don't write a predictable story. We've all read them. And I imagine many of us have written them. All a nice and cozy package, tied with a ribbon, waiting to be opened with no surprise inside.
I just finished reading a historical novel in which the villain turned out to be the very last person I would have suspected. Learning who it was took me by such surprise that I had to stop reading for a moment to digest it, then hurried back to learn the how and why of it.
Bring a rainbow into your writing to give your readers something special. Whether it is fiction or memoir, personal essays or poetry, make your readers want to keep reading what you write. They may not find a pot of gold at the end but they'll certainly enjoy what they read and come back for more.
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