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Rue Allyn, author of the new book One Day's Loving!
Anticipation
Ana, thank you very much for inviting me to share my thoughts with you
and your readers. I look forward to some lively discussion on the topic of
anticipation and books.
In honor of the holiday season, when we eagerly await
the events—meals, performances, gift giving, worship services,
decorations—I think exploring how anticipation works for readers and authors is
timely.
Story moments that anchor the story in your mind J--climaxes, black moments, love scenes, witty repartee, heart melting encounters--are the
pieces of a great story. They are why we read. Right?
Well maybe not. Perhaps the
reason we read is as simple as anticipation of each of those pieces. Isn’t a
page-turner a book that keeps the reader guessing, maintains our anticipation
of what comes next?
I have always believed that only three major plot lines exist—man versus
man, man versus nature, and man versus God (whatever God may be to you).
Someone—man, nature or God—always wins, and someone always loses. Even in
romantic fiction someone always loses by sacrificing his or her desires before
reaping the greater reward of love.
So it isn’t anticipation of the ending that
keeps me reading. In a murder mystery, I know the mystery will be solved. In a
romance, I know the couple will live happily ever after. Explanations are
always made before the book ends, questions are always resolved. In fact, I
anticipate the explanations, the resolutions, and the HEAs.
In the best books—the page turners—I try to anticipate the next plot twist, the surprise turn of character, the unexpected jump in tension. I enjoy the moments of resolution when one
question is resolved just as another issue is raised, making me anticipate
again.
If you ask me what I enjoy most about reading--and writing--it isn’t the satisfaction of resolution—nice as that is—but rather the
anticipation, the sweet tension of discovering how author and characters
achieve those resolutions.
What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know what keeps you reading.
As I wrote the Wildfire Love series, I thrilled at each new discovery, at every
surprise (yes on occasion even authors get surprised by their stories) and
every twist of plot and character. Here’s a hint about the action in the most
recent Wildfire Love book, One Day’s Loving.
One Day’s Loving
Persephone Mae Alden is the invisible Alden sister, quiet, industrious,
generous, kind-hearted, loyal and reliable. The words used to describe Mae remind her of a well-trained
dog. She’s not happy about it, but
what can she do? She likes her
quiet life and would be seriously upset if she had to defy convention like
Edith or act on instinct like Kiera. But everything changes when necessity
forces her to bravery and she must choose between love and family.
A horrifying bequest convinces Boston attorney James W. Collins V that
Mae Alden needs a husband, and she’s just the type of wife he wants. The two of
them will be a perfect match. Refusing his offer makes no sense, so why won’t
the woman accept?
About Rue Allyn
Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell
in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is
deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from
readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue at http://RueAllyn.com
Welcome, Rue!
ReplyDeleteI am like you. When I read, I like to be surprised by a twist in the plot that I didn't anticipate.
Can you post a bit about Crimson Romance? What are they like as a publisher?
Thank you Ana. I love the editorial staff at Crimson. They are highly skilled, very perceptive and a tremendous force in creating great books for readers.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I agree, even though I know in general how a book is going to wind up, I like to know what the characters had to do to get there. I keep turning pages in order to answer questions the author presents, or in anticipation of one of the characters finding out a secret and how that character will reaction. It's not so much the satisfaction of reaching the destination as it is enjoying the journey.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Rue. I love the journey that the hero and heroine take to get to their ending. I love watching how a mystery unfolds. It's the not the resolution, but the journey that intrigues me.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Heroines With Hearts--so nice of you to join us today!
Welcome Rue...it's so nice to have you with us today.
ReplyDeleteI read mostly romance and mystery, so there's never too much surprise at the end. What keeps me reading are those moments when I think...how in the world are these two going to get together?
What keeps me sticking with an author is when he/she can throw surprises in and make me go 'oh, I didn't see THAT coming'.
Alicia, Jennifer, Debra, I can see I'm preaching to the choir. :) We sing a pretty good song,so that's okay. Thank you for sharing your insights.
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party, today, but welcome to HWH, Rue. I agree with what the others have said. Everyone knows a romance is going to have a happy ending but to keep the reader reading, we have to keep them wondering how the hero and heroine are going to overcome their problems and conflicts. It's our job to include a few twists and unexpected turns that the reader is not expecting.
ReplyDeleteA great topic. And I agree with the others, you can take the fast motorway/freeway or the scenic/mystery route to your destination. When I read I much prefer the scenic/mystery route :-0
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to phrase it, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteSherry and Paula, sorry to be so late responding, but I was called in to work for a while. I love the phrases, Sherry, and I think each method has its place. My preference in reading is probably for some of both. Thanks for visiting and sharing ladies.
ReplyDelete