Gillian Flynn and Gone Girl. Paula Hawkins and The Girl on the Train. Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, Jo Nesbø, Laura Lippman, Dennis Lehane, Sue Grafton, Stieg Larsson, or (insert your favorite author here). But what makes them special? Do the quirky British characters of Agatha Christie awaken your inner Anglophile? Are the pages of a Carl Hiaasen book tinged with sultry weirdness, coconut oil and mosquito repellant? Or does Janet Evanovich’s over-the-top bounty hunter protagonist make you secretly wish for big hair, hoop earrings and a Joisey accent?
(hint: you know it does)
And more importantly, as writers how do we tap into this nebulous and diabolical vein of readership desire? After all, we can string words together too. But it’s concocting that #%$*& secret sauce. That pinch of missing ingredient, to create the perfect combination of plot, dialogue, mood, character, setting . . . whatever. Crafting the right proportions to make people feel. Think about us on the subway ride to work. Taking a shower. Being trapped in a conversation with a boring neighbor. Having that last, final conscious thought before drowsing off to sleep at night. How do we occupy that space?
If you want to know, join us on Saturday, October 19, at the Hilliard Library (4500 Hickory Chase Way), from 12:30 – 2:30. Together we will discuss our favorite authors, what we like about them, then list and compare those traits to (hopefully) create a roadmap for how to reach that same rarified level of Hamilton-like popularity. Note: whether you’re a reader, writer or both, novice or expert, this will be an interactive discussion so be prepared to participate. Pinkie-finger-promise though, it will be an awesome, transformational and inspiring experience (or at the very least, a good way to kill a couple of hours). And as usual, please feel free to join us for lunch afterwards, where we will discuss writing, the Buckeyes, home repair, Balinese shadow puppetry, or whatever else strikes our fancy. But until then . . . keep writing.