cj Sez: I wish you an enjoyable Labor Day.
Did you know? Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is
dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It
constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to
the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on a Tuesday in
1882 in New York City, but in 1884, Congress passed an act making the first
Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia
and the territories.
***
Relationships. I may
have written a post about this before, but I think it’s worth repeating for all the authors building their fan bases.
I’ve read some really good articles on this subject, and the
following post is a product of some of the things I’ve learned.
The dictionary defines the word “relationship” this way:
relationship
[ri-ley-shuh n-ship]
noun
1.
a connection, association, or involvement.
2.
connection between persons by blood or marriage.
3.
an emotional or other connection between people:
the relationship between teachers and students.
4.
a sexual involvement; affair.
Really, you don’t need another person to have a relationship.
You can have a relationship with anything, animate or inanimate
In the movie Turner
and Hooch, Tom Hanks’s Turner character builds a crazy relationship with a
big, slobber-faced dog. What you see here is a compulsively neat, bachelor
detective whose tidy world encounters household destruction and chaos. . . The Odd Couple redux.
In the 2000 movie Castaway,
Tom Hanks’s marooned character creates a relationship with an inanimate object.
A Wilson-brand volleyball takes on a persona. He gives it a face and a name and
talks to it as if were another person.
 |
| Pet Rock 2018 |
In the mid-1970s, it was the Pet
Rock craze.
Every day we interact with animals, objects, and people of
all stripes—family, friends, coworkers, strangers, et al. Our relationship with
each is different, depending on the need.
Authors create relationships (interactions) between
characters in their stories.
If I’ve gotten you interested enough to continue reading
this brief post, then I’ve begun to build a relationship with you, my reader. This reader/author relationship is all about
how long can I continue to entertain your interest in what I’m saying … the
excitement of learning something new or discovering a statement that suddenly
makes sense to you.
That's how stories must progress if you’re going to keep
your audience interested in your work.
A writer’s skill at creating a story that draws in a reader
emotionally and intellectually is what keeps the reader coming back for more.
That’s when you’ve got the beginnings of a relationship.
One of the most important relationships authors can have is the one they have with their readers … the relationship they build with their writing.
How do you build a reader relationship and grow your fan base? Know your
intended audience as thoroughly as you know your characters, understand their
wants, and write the best story you can that appeals to their emotions and
intellect.
Caveat: It is
the author’s responsibility to maintain the relationship. The reader doesn’t
owe you anything and can end this promising author/reader relationship at any
time—sometimes for no apparent reason.
***
If I’ve given you something to think about, then I’ve done
my job, and I’m done here. What kind of things do you do to keep your fan
relationships alive and growing? Facebook? Twitter? Newsletters? Give-aways?
All of the above? What works best for you?
That’s it for today, folks. You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same.
cj
Stop by Amazon and pick up copies of DEADLY
STAR and CHOOSING
CARTER, (to keep me in good standing with Simon&Schuster), and if you
take a moment to leave a review (good, bad, or otherwise), I shall be forever
grateful.
Qrtly newsletter sign-up:
cjpetterson@gmail.com
What a great post! Informative and thought-provoking. (And I love your Pet Rock 2018. I'm a fan.)
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