Letting Go of a Story

Every time I finish reading a book I feel a slight sense of loss. I wish that I had just dragged it on a little bit more, not read those two hours the night before. Sometimes I get to be so much a part of the story that I want it to continue. I want to find out more about Polly O'Keefe, or even Zachary Gray (two characters in Madeleine L'Engle's "An Acceptable Time," my latest book to put back on the shelf). Thankfully, as far as those two characters are concerned, I can. Madeleine L'Engle is great about interlocking her characters throughout her young adult novels.

But what happens to the other characters whose lives are not finished for the reader? We may be expected to imagine a happy ending for the characters at the end of a novel, but you get to know the characters. Sometimes they are so interesting you would even enjoy reading about the mundane details of their happily ever after.

Knowing all this about myself I am always in search for new books to read. I always finish them too quickly. And, I always wish they had continued a little bit more. It doesn't mean I'm spending too much time reading other peoples' work and too little on my own. One of the most repeated pieces of advice I have been given is to know what's out there. You cannot be a good writer without enjoying reading as well. I'm prepared to be a great writer then (a little sarcasm...but not too much) because I almost never go anywhere without a book.

Always open to reading suggestions,
Monica