What’s it all About?!
Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
I have to admit it made me quite curious!
I needed to know who she may have been hanging out with and what they had possibly been talking about that caused her to wind up in this state. In fact, it made me want to hear lots of details about her life. What had happened to her?! Why was she in this position? Why was she was wearing that particular outfit? Was she not well liked, or was one individual upset with her? In the past, there were times I totally resisted going after that kind of information….
But, this time had me totally drawn in and I couldn’t help wanting to know all the hidden background stuff! Now you may be thinking – that’s yentery! One should have the self-control to respect people’s privacy!
But, I’m thinking- finally a well begun novel that’s drawing me in!!!
That’s how it is, half the time that you start a novel you want to shoot yourself. It’s made up of slow, boring, drawn out, descriptions. Maybe some lackluster history or bland setting or some repetitive inane details.
When a novel starts like this for example – “there she was, so young and beautiful, helpless, sprawled out in her fashionable navy suit, clearly unconscious, lying on the newly polished floor, with her face and arm covered in bruises ….” one cannot help but want to turn the page and answer the questions I asked above. It makes you curious. Was it something innocent? Did she slip on the slick floor while preparing their favorite meal hitting her face and arm on the exposed oven door?
Or – did her heel break while rushing to a meeting, causing her to lose balance and get hurt rolling down the flight of steps?! Was it possibly foul play, or a more dreadful situation?
Where did your mind go as I shared the beginning line of the novel?
The point is, a good start draws you in. And that’s what we want from a good, light read.
We want dialogue. We want the desire to turn the page. We want to feel we can just give our minds over and get a little break from some of the more stressful, pressing thoughts or obligations in our lives. We want some time to float through the pages with some carefree abandon.
Sure, one likes to appreciate well written prose. Sure, beautiful settings and well developed characters are valued.
But, for one to immediately push through, or tolerate, detailed layers of description or run on thoughts, it is best for an author to first prepare them, as one does in good relationships, with the incentive to stick through the tedious times!
If I’m going to curl up with a book for some light reading, I want it to slide down like a delicious puréed soup. I don’t want to be tortured to want to keep going.
I’m not saying a great recommendation doesn’t sometimes help a reader stay patient with a slow book or being perhaps being familiar with an author you liked in the past.
I’m just saying, sometimes you don’t want to have to work so hard to be curious and to want to continue reading. After all this is not some school assignment. It’s supposed to be pleasure!!
When a book lures you in right from the first page, it’s like being in the hands of a capable massage therapist. They seem to identify right from the start where your knot or tension lies. After that you can relax and stay with it, confident you’re in the right hands. Even if there are a few blips along the way, you feel you’ve entrusted yourself to a professional.
That’s the flow of the very readable book. There may still be some passages you feel were off target or unnecessary, but you can ignore them and move on because you feel you’re in the hands of a writer who gets you overall.
So, the next time you overhear someone sharing what might sound like some juicy gossip, don’t immediately think, why don’t they control themselves? Recognize they may just be sharing the start of a novel. One that’s capable of capturing a person’s attention.
And by sharing it, they’ve actually given over something that will help another person spend time reading, de-stressing, and even avoiding opportunities to hang out in a crowd and, possibly, really gossip!
Hope you find a very readable book this week. And if you do, maybe share it with a neighbor who looks like they can use a good massage!
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com