Making Sense of Things
I’ve
been doing a lot of soul searching lately, drawing closer to God and trying to
make sense of things. My son, David, goes skating on Friday and Saturday nights
and I usually end up watching television, searching for movies and programs to
occupy my time. Unlike the old version of me, I now search for comedy-based
content.
Last
weekend, I stumbled across two similar but very different movies: It Could
Happen to You, with Nicholas Cage and Bridget Fonda; and Peggy Sue Got Married,
with Kathleen Turner and Nicholas Cage. Both are well-written and well-acted
movies and I mean no reflection—one way or the other—but I found the first one
uplifting, but not the second.
It
got me to thinking. As writers, we are often asked why we write. We
answer in a variety of creative ways, but there is only one true answer.
Writers write to understand or make sense of their own lives. The beautiful
balance of the equation is that readers read for the same reason. As writers,
we pour ourselves and our hearts into the protagonist, or hero, and as readers,
we open our hearts to the same thing. That’s why simple three act stories with
happy endings are so satisfying. We all want our lives to make sense, have a
purpose, and end happily ever after.
Tragedy
based stories can convey valuable life lessons, but they are not for me. Most
stories end up being a mixture of comedy and tragedy, but in order to be
effective they have to lean one way or the other. Stories that try to balance
the two, or are intentionally written with an aim to break convention and
abandon plot altogether usually fail. If well written, which many are, they
might go on to win literary awards but such stories are rarely successful. And
by success I don’t mean achieving monetary rewards but truly satisfying the
reader’s needs.
It
just makes sense.
The
updated version of Sandcastle for Pegasus, is now available. If you haven’t
downloaded, or ordered a copy of Sandcastle for Pegasus, I ask that you give it
a try.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095TYJ7CR/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3
Also,
please don’t forget about my latest Detective Elliot novel, Identity Theft:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081K53NZV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1
As
a bonus for reading this newsletter, I will send the first two respondents an
autographed copy of your choice – Chosen from one of my books of course:
Twisted Perception, Beneath a Buried House, Footprints of a Dancer, Identity
Theft, or Sandcastle for Pegasus – and all you have to do is send me an email
at bob@bobavey.com
Please
tell your friends about my newsletter.
I
love each of you and pray that God will bring peace and love to you.
From
the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your continued support.
And:
https://www.blackrosewriting.com/mysterysuspense/identitytheft.
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I
also give programs for writing clubs, reading groups, or any group that’s
interested. If you belong to a club that needs a program speaker, keep me in
mind.
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This
article was written by Bob Avey, author of Twisted Perception, Beneath a Buried
House, Footprints of a Dancer, Identity Theft, and Sandcastle for Pegasus. .http://www.bobavey.com
