tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post2496451295193828432..comments2024-03-19T03:21:49.937-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: ENDINGS: You Must Satisfy the Reader!Leigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-59308148647291592882019-02-23T21:28:10.829-05:002019-02-23T21:28:10.829-05:00Leigh, thank you. And thank your friend for me, p...Leigh, thank you. And thank your friend for me, please. You've both made my day.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-1392872667381928312019-02-23T21:09:43.233-05:002019-02-23T21:09:43.233-05:00Twelve hours ago, a friend who reads SleuthSayers ...Twelve hours ago, a friend who reads SleuthSayers but never comments (I've a few of those) remarked what a great article Melodie had written. Now at the end of the day, I finally get to read it and I agree.<br /><br />I can recall novels that didn't adhere to their contract with readers and detested the results. Melodie's assessment is spot on. Thanks, Melodie.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-4081289235359779342019-02-23T20:02:51.569-05:002019-02-23T20:02:51.569-05:00Eve, I think women in particular want justice to b...Eve, I think women in particular want justice to be served and the protag- if female - to definitely win. I think it's because women so rarely win in real life. And if we do, we usually feel guilty for it. So in our fiction, we want to win.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-54798078908120587922019-02-23T16:10:45.632-05:002019-02-23T16:10:45.632-05:00With you all the way. I want justice served, a ha...With you all the way. I want justice served, a happy ending if possible, and a protagonist who wins, one way or the other.Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-75522956060332260562019-02-23T11:14:16.314-05:002019-02-23T11:14:16.314-05:00Thanks, O'Neil!
Steve, I should add that. IN ...Thanks, O'Neil!<br />Steve, I should add that. IN fact, in another handout (the one that refers specifically to crime fiction) I do have that. No 'deus ex machina' - the protagonist must be in at the end, and must have a hand in solving the murder. Of course, I always have to explain what deus ex machina means grin.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-73599523150511527162019-02-23T11:11:55.472-05:002019-02-23T11:11:55.472-05:00Thanks Janice! Orca Publishers do a fab job on co...Thanks Janice! Orca Publishers do a fab job on covers. I think this one really reflects the whacky plot and characters of the book. Here's hoping readers like it :)Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-13398481450296677342019-02-23T11:10:48.576-05:002019-02-23T11:10:48.576-05:00Paul, I agree. What I fear with my students is th...Paul, I agree. What I fear with my students is that they want to be 'original' desperately. And that desperation often dominates over what a reader is looking for in their choice of book.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-16774371332646551692019-02-23T09:43:57.189-05:002019-02-23T09:43:57.189-05:00Great points, Melodie.
May I add one? The charact...Great points, Melodie.<br /><br />May I add one? The characters need to set up the ending. We should see it coming, even if we don't recognize it (surprise endings are GREAT if they make sense) at the time. It's even better if we don't see it coming. <br /><br />Lately, I've encountered far too many stories and novels where all the so-called "investigating" happens off-stage and the writer or a character only reveals it at the very end. It's cheating and it's lazy. <br /><br />Euripides could get away with the deus ex machina, but too many contemporary writers fall back on it. Steve Liskowhttp://www.steveliskow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-15159538479761518562019-02-23T08:10:53.077-05:002019-02-23T08:10:53.077-05:00Good advice and I do like your newest book cover, ...Good advice and I do like your newest book cover, too. Good luck with that.janice lawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-32259701155816842452019-02-23T07:39:22.499-05:002019-02-23T07:39:22.499-05:00Good lesson. Gotta love a good ending.Good lesson. Gotta love a good ending.O'Neil De Nouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142721824657611738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-64108309867012393232019-02-23T05:26:08.209-05:002019-02-23T05:26:08.209-05:00All good points, Melodie. And we really do have to...All good points, Melodie. And we really do have to satisfy the reader the way the genre expects. I suppose we can bend the rules, but probably shouldn't break them completely.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.com