An Emotional Deep Dive!
Fiction is primarily an emotional exchange. The reader stays connected to the hero because they feel the story. The reader wants to see the character succeed, or at least wants to see what happens next, because of this connection. The debate whether a story is character-driven or plot-driven is outdated, even cursory. The truth is characters drive the plot, and the plot molds the character. The relationship is intimate and inseparable. And at the core of this connection is the heart – the emotion -- of the story. Remember how you felt when you read Wilson Rawls’ W here the Red Fern Grows , or the tear-worthy Marly and Me , by John Grogan? Did you gasp when you read Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon ? Or Alice Walker’s The Color Purple ? Eegads, I still cry at the very thought of Fred Gibson’s Old Yeller ! Did you cheer (as I did) when Harry Potter finally, finally beats Voldemort? I could go on, but you get my point. These reactions -- and the ensuing thematic expressio
