Okay, so yesterday we played around with our story premise. My premise still doesn't have the punch it needs to excite me. I'm a book reviewer, whose read many books both christian and secular for over ten years. When I pick up a book from my review pile or while perusing in Walmart, I can tell if the book is worth its salt from paragraph one. There are just too many books out there that prove this point. And I collect classics so a new novel really has to get my goat. But I'm not sad that the reading Diva in me doesn't want to purchase my own writing.
Let's be honest. Good reading is crazy hard writing[Mark Twain.] Even for a constant writing workshop participating, book reviewer like myself. Everytime my DHL buddy hands me a shipped manuscript I'm in awe that someone had the bra straps to put it all out there. I'm still the lion without courage, if you get my drift.
But what I have found through all of this writing and reading, is that no matter how well-crafted your novel is if your story doesn't have punch, it will sit on the shelf beside all the literary awards you won.
Can I get an Amen. So what do you do?
First, you have to remember that when you prepare this story you have to create it in a way that has some zest--some great appeal that makes it the best drink at the party. Honestly, your novel isn't just competing with the fifty other authors out there that fit your demographic.
You have to convince a Walmart shopper/browser that reading your book will be a more enjoyable trip, then skimming through the latest issue of
Essence Magazine(that cover is embarrassing, because Boris Kodjoe is supposed to be promoting a christian movie), purchasing
Star Wars
's Revenge of the Sith, or
Fantasia's
Life is Not a Fairy Tale. Your book needs punch.
How do you add punch to your premise?
Tip- You story needs to pep up your generation with a zesty ingredient. There are four different types of ingredients you can include in your novel. Today we will deal with one--a larger-than life main character.
Let's look at a recent Christian bestselling novel. -
Deanne Gist's
A Bride Most Begrudging to see how she made Lady Constance Morrow, a secret weapon against most regency type rejects.
Go to the
discussion board for the rest of this article.
Walter Wangerin Jr.'s Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel 
