That Certain Spark, by Karen McCullough
I recently finished reading a book for a contest that got me
thinking about what makes a book enjoyable. The book in question was
well-written, had an interesting central idea, a decent basic plot, and a group
of potentially interesting characters. All the ingredients that should make for
a good read.
It wasn’t. In fact, it was a slog to keep going through it.
When I tried to figure out why, I came up with one word: shallow. The dialogue
was smooth but a little stilted. It advanced the plot but offered very little
insight into the characters speaking. The descriptions were reasonable but
rather uninteresting. The writing was good and kept the story going but didn’t
delve into anything other than surface descriptions of a large group of
characters and a rather complex macguffin.
It was missing the magic ingredient that turns a competent
story, with decent plot and good characters, into an interesting one. Something
that’s hard to put your finger on, but you know it when it’s there. Or not
there. Texture. Depth. Resonance.
Of course, knowing that doesn’t tell you how to fix it. I
like to think it’s all about the detail. As texture of fabric and depth come
from varying heights of the yarns, texture in a story comes from varying levels
of detail. You don’t describe everything in the story in depth as that would
not only grow tiresome quickly it would make all your stories much, much longer
than they need to be. But some pieces of the story don’t demand the same amount
of attention as others.
Deciding what details to use is part of the art of
storytelling. It’s finding that right thing to include that helps the reader
see more than just the one thing.
In the opening scene of my recent romantic suspense release,
Hunter’s
Quest, my heroine is driving in the North Carolina mountains. I
describe dark woods that come up to the edge of the winding road, wildflowers
blooming along the edge and the aroma of honeysuckle wafting through the air. I
could have added the chirping of birds, the tangled undergrowth, small animals
running across the pavement, but I didn’t. I didn’t feel like those details
were needed and I didn’t want to overload the paragraph with description.
I hope I set the scene well enough so that when the crack of
a rifle shot shatters the peace and a man runs out in front of her car, the
contrasts will shock the reader into awareness and draw them into wanting to
know more about what’s going on.
Blurb
for Hunter’s Quest: Kristie
Sandford's vacation is interrupted when a man jumps out in front of her car.
She avoids hitting him, but when she stops to see if he's hurt, he demands she
help him escape from the people chasing him. Kristie has an odd
"gift" - she occasionally gets warning messages, and she gets one
saying he needs her help or he'll die. Jason Hunter is an NC SBI (North
Carolina State Bureau of Investigation) agent working on his own time searching
for a friend, an investigative reporter who disappeared while tracking down
rumors of corruption in the bureaucracy of a small mountain town. Jason is
grateful to Kristie for rescuing him, but dubious when she insists she has to
continue helping him. Kristie is attracted to Jason, but the edge of danger she
senses in him reminds her too much of the abusive family she escaped as soon as
she could.
Still, the message said he'd die if
she didn't help him, and the messages have been right before.
- Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X3Z8VLB
- Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunters-quest-karen-mccullough/1125808779?ean=2940157500979
- Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70503
Bio:
Karen McCullough is
the author of more than a dozen published novels in the mystery, romantic
suspense, and fantasy genres and has won numerous awards, including an Eppie
Award for fantasy. She’s also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist
in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen
Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and
numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance
genres. She has three children, seven grandchildren (soon to be eight) and
lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.
Author’s links:
Website: http://www.kmccullough.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough
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