#TipfulTuesday: Robert Frost

This last week I read through my manuscript for a final edit. Sure enough when I landed on the scene where the MC's friend throughout the story, one who was near and dear, who had been like the perfect sister and listened, one who protected her ... died ... I cried. What had happened wasn't right. I found myself feeling sad for a time afterwards. This had to be at least the 30th read through of that scene since I first wrote it and still... I needed a tissue.

In other books, I've reread a scene and laughed...again! Because the words built to a funny moment. Even though I knew the outcome, I still laughed. Mary Connealy's writing is an example of this style. There isn't always a single joke, she builds an entire scene around the humor.

If a writer isn't fully engaged in the story...we're talking laughing out loud, unsure who hid in the shadows, jump at a creepy sound--that in reality came from some appliance in the house or a tree outside--surprised when the phone rings, and yes, tears flowing, then most likely the reader won't be either.

These are ingredients that make stories worth reading:

            *  Vivid imagery and emotions.

            *  Characters so fully developed we definitely would recognize them on the street.

            *  Pace that feels real.

            *  Concerns so deep they rip our hearts.

Find a powerful scene from your story. Reread it. Did you feel the emotion, the power, the call to respond?

I have a cyber tissue for those who wept. A pat-on-the back for the successes. A guffaw for the humor. A swoon for the kisses. A hug for the scared. Which did you need?

~Mary Vee

photo credit: Pixabay-Lukasbieri

Mary Vee -  Mary Vee - Rock climbing, white-water rafting, and hiking top Mary’s list of ways to enjoy a day. She was homeless for a time, earned her MA in Counseling, and married an Air Force vet.  Mary has been a finalist in several writing contests and writes for her King.

Visit Mary at her website, blog, and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter