Moment of pause (Updated)

I often talk about what inspires my writing, but what does it mean when something or someone gives me a moment of pause? 

In life, we sometimes are grabbed by a moment. It could be a conversation we have, something we notice, or maybe even an image we see online. It's that moment that we find ourselves replaying in our minds later because there's something powerful that has connected with us. There's a reason.

I find it's the moments I notice in television, movies, the news, in music, books, or just everyday life that cause me to pause, that often come powerfully creeping into my writing. There's a reason why that one specific moment or even split-second has grabbed me, and it's important to investigate. It also reminds me that art is a collection of powerful moments that should stick with the reader.

One example I often give is the television show, Ray Donovan. I had a 'moment of pause' with this specific show when I first watched Ray Donovan, dressed in a designer suit, go to his expensive car and take out a baseball bat which he, in turn, used to beat the piss out of someone. I was captivated by this scene more than if he had just punched the guy or taken out a gun and shot him because it was completely unexpected (unpredictable) and not something I thought I'd see from a man in an Armani suit. The bottom line is that my moment of pause that drew me in also made the show more memorable. When I took a deeper look, I realized that I was captivated by the contradiction and unpredictability. 

There are various scenes in both movies and television that stuck with me. This is often because they were so powerful, unique, or unexpected. For this reason, I've made it my goal to create those same kinds of scenes in my books. I think something is amazing about having a comment, a visual, or even a character themselves that captivates an audience that sticks in their head or their heart. And at the end of the day, isn't that every artist's goal?

Plant the seed 🌱(Updated)

It's vital that you 'plant the seed' early in a book to capture a reader. But what does that mean?

Planting a seed means creating situations, obstacles, and to a certain degree, some clues about what to expect in the upcoming chapters of the book. It could be in the form of foreshadowing or simply letting the reader know who your protagonist is, what they stand for, and what kind of craziness the reader can expect.

Here's a couple of quick examples of 'planting the seed' I've done in previous books:

We're All Animals

We're All Animals is the premier book in my current series where we meet Chase Jacobs. The young protagonist is very much the boy-next-door and in the early chapters. We learn that he recently was dumped by his high school sweetheart and reluctantly goes to a party to soothe his pain. While there, he is given a drug to 'mellow' him out and hooks up with a woman he isn't particularly attracted to, only to later learn she's pregnant. Forced by his mother to marry this mere stranger, Chase sees all his hopes and dreams go down the drain. All this while he lusts after his new BFF, who tells him she's a lesbian even though he's getting some strong signals suggesting the opposite. Add in his complicated relationship with his family, growing resentment about having no control in his own life, and you got one complicated seed about to burst through the ground. 

The Devil May Lie

Jorge Hernandez comes out with both barrels blazing in the 6th book of the series. Here, we learn that Jorge discovered an ultra-conservative movement within Canada that could affect his personal and professional life. He not only sees proof when his daughter has a confrontation with another child at school but learns it may be creeping into the general beliefs of Canadians, which could, in turn, affect his (legalized) pot business. What if laws are changed to make it illegal again? After working to get where he's at, Jorge has no intention of backing down. This seed is so powerful. The earth is shaking.

How important is it to plant a seed? Unless the reader has something to grab on, they have no reason to continue reading. Plant the seeds to make readers intrigued enough to keep reading.