Engagement Required:
Young children often want the same book reread again and again or will latch on and study one book over and over, excluding all others. When this happens many parents worry about their child’s development. According to developmental specialist, children commit to this rereading so their imaginations can acquire deeper levels of meaning.
Imagination and Deeper Meaning:
The other day my six-year-old granddaughter came to spend the night with me. She often spends nights with me but normally with prior notice and preparation because we live sixty-miles away. Her daddy dropped her off that afternoon with hugs, kisses, and her overnight bag.
This vibrant, happy child emanated despondency. No, she didn’t want a snack. No, she didn’t want to go see the bee hive. No, she didn’t want to play a game.
We sat on the porch swing in silence. Finally, I pulled her close and asked if she wanted to talk.
“Grammy, do you think the police will arrest my mommy and daddy?”
Puzzled, I asked her why she thought this.
Tears flooded her eyes. She whispered, “They’re up high, so I couldn’t hear much.”
“Up high? Like upstairs?”
“I’m not big. They are up high.”
Her father is over six-feet tall. I got it. “What did you hear?”
“Tonight they plan to escape.”
I bet you’re conjuring up all sorts of scenarios, too. Comparable to reading, when minds get to play with scenery, characters, and plots automatic engagement happens.
The Escape Plan:
My son and daughter-in-law and a few friends decided to check out the Jumanji Escape Room experience, if they could find babysitters. Nothing demonstrates the height of engagement better than imaginations gone wild.
I’m an compulsive reader. I’ve judged hundreds of books for writing contests, intellectually flinging each book into one of five categories: 1. A waste of paper, 2. Needs help, 3. Almost there, 4. Excellent, and 5. Dang it! .
Excellent Writing—Mundane Stories:
Category five books are Dang it! books because they seem to be written by excellent writers. These books often have well-constructed sentences, clever plot ideas, great vocabulary, strong verbs, but, to their detriment, these authors write with complete clarity and say exactly what they mean. With no worrying, concern, empathy, or suspense the motivation to turn pages or stay up all night reading doesn’t exist. These well-spelled-out books, similar to difficult college text books, leave no room to emotionally interact. Often these well-written stories start with the mundane, ignoring most readers’ desire to experience something unique. Category five authors strive to provide their readers with everything the author wants the readers to know. However, ultimate control kills imagination and ends engagement.
When writers use on-the-nose dialogue, haven’t employed subtext, and have explained every minutiae of appearances, scenes, and emotions, they’ve stolen the readers’ joy of enhancing their fictitious world. I don’t remember who, but some author said if your character cries, then your reader won’t need to. Brilliant.
Your Emotional Coauthor:
No matter what we write on paper, the reader’s mind has the power to enrich our stories by creating even more dynamic characters, scenes, and actions. During revisions, search for sentences, dialogue, and passages where your reader can use the uniqueness of their imagination. Go ahead. Assign them to be your emotional coauthors and let them help you create page-turning winners.