Novel Reaction

NovelReaction.com is excited to welcome author Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen as part of the blog tour for her new novel Trapped.

________________________________________________

Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen’s numerous magazine and internet writing credits include fiction and nonfiction published byThe Friend, New Era, Ensign, Guideposts for Kids, Class Act, and yourLDSneighborhood.com. She  also enjoys teaching writing and speaking in various venues.

Ronda first knew she wanted to be a writer when she was in the 6th grade. Her English teacher had been reading S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders to the class, and when she reached the section where Johnny urged Ponyboy to stay “gold,” Ronda realized she wanted to write “golden” words just as Hinton had. More than that, she wanted those words to encourage the “golden” in others. That remains one of her goals.

MODERN READING: VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE

By Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

We read for many reasons, such as trying to gain knowledge or to escape the everyday pressures of life. But as an author, what also concerns me is 1) what makes a novel catch fire in the hearts of modern readers, and 2) how can I meet that requirement?

Through study and observation, I’ve concluded that novel readers mostly seek a vicarious experience. David Farland seems to agree for he’s described this concept, at least in part, as the physical responses people have to the novel.  Reader’s endorphins react, he details, to the obstacles, emotions, and climax of the story.

Which leads to my next question. If vicarious experience is key, then how do I as a writer, create that experience? In answer, I’ve looked to some of my favorite writers and I’ve determined that at least three elements are critical: mystery, detail, and restraint.

Take the modern novelist, Stephenie Meyers , for example. Not because I enjoyed her Twilight series—which I did–and definitely not because I crave vampires—for I absolutely don’t—but because Meyers has the ability to make her stories come to life, to make readers feel as if they are living in the moment, and to give life to her words in such a way that they jump off the page. She knows how to create vicarious experiences.

For instance, consider Twilight’s revelation scene when Edward allows Bella to figure out who he is. There in the restaurant, the reader already guesses Edward is a vampire, so that in itself creates mystery and nervous emotion—suspense–in the reader. Then, throughout the discussion, Meyers incorporates tiny details that describe how the couple responds to each other as well as a sense of Edward’s physical restraint.  The following few sentences, alone, depict what I mean, but as you look through that entire section of the book, you can see numerous, similar examples:

“I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, placing both of his under the table. But he leaned toward me.”

If you’re anything like me, you’ll notice both your heartbeat and breathing kick up a notch just from the memory of that scene or from the sentences I’ve quoted here. That’s vicarious experience. So that’s what I work to create in my own writing. Have I succeeded? Only you, my reader, can answer that question.

________________________________________________

August 9
Heather Gardner

August 10
Jewel Adams

August 11
Mary Greathouse
Teri Rodeman

August 12
Lynn Fowlstone
Christine Bryant

August 13
Valerie Ipson
Sheila Stayley

August 16
Deanne Blackhurst

August 17
Connie Hall
C.S. Bezas

August 18
Kimberly Job
Tristi Pinkston

August 19
Karen Hoover
Nichole Giles

August 20
Alison Palmer
Jessica Williams

August 23
Joyce DiPastena
Laurie Lewis