Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Throwing Rocks

By Connie S. Hall

When I visit a lake one of the things I enjoy doing is throwing rocks into the water. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that rocks make big waves, but little stones barely touch the surface. I rarely throw small stones because it’s more fun to see how big a splash I can make.

That is how I feel about writing. I try to write a lot about a few things, but only a tiny bit about lot of things. Your readers don’t care about the little stuff; they are looking for the important events. They don’t want to read about the ordinary bits and pieces of everyday life. They want the phenomenonal experiences, the trials that are life altering. Readers want to see the big splash.

2 comments:

Paradox said...

The more hedonistic facet of my personality wants to agree.

But as someone who is currently reading Catch-22, I think it's safe to say that the insanity found in every-day living is just as effective through the eyes of the right wordsmith.

Annette Lyon said...

Not to mention that it's the little details that bring a character and a story to life--so long as they aren't the primary focus. Ideally it's what--a few big splashes and lots of tiny ones? :)