Going Deep

Recently I had a very interesting conversation. It was on my favorite subject—books. 🙂  My big sister and I were talking about books. We both love to read and many times read the same books then compare them. Our discussion was about a book we read and we were talking about the story, and then my sister said something I found interesting—that she felt the book hadn’t gone deep enough for her to feel a strong connection with the characters thus the story.

Whoa…her words were like she had taken then out of my head and said them out load. It was the exact same feeling that I had when I read the book. I even said it aloud when I was finished. I didn’t say it to my sister because I wanted her to read the book without any preconceptions. But now we were both finished with the book, and talking with her I found she had the same feeling I had. There have been many times my big sister and I have had the same impression about books, but this is the first time she stated exactly as I was thinking without me even saying it to her first. Don’t get me wrong. The book was a good one…but the feeling of the story not doing, as I like to call it “going deep,” made the book a good read but not one that would be on my keeper shelf.

When I read, I want more than just an entertaining story or likeable characters. I’m looking for characters, plot and story that will make me remember a line, moment or action from the book. I can remember this days, weeks, months, or years later, and when I recall something from the book it will make me go and find the book to read it again. Those are the books that are on my keeper shelf. They are books “going deep” and giving me a deep connection with the story. They made me feel like I know the characters and have walked a mile in their shoes. That I have lived each moment with them and felt each emotion as my own. The “going deep” goes hand in hand with what I’ve talked about before about “The Ah Hah Moment” in books.  As a reader I look for the “going deep” and/or “The Ah Hah Moment” in books I read. As a writer I work to give the reader either one or both of these things I mentioned so I can be on that keeper shelf. Reading is a journey and like any good journey, you want great memories that will last a lifetime.

****

Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

Dark Callings — When faced with your destined bond you either accept or face the consequences.

Buy here at Total-E-Bound.