Capturing the reader's emotions, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

Book 3 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series:
A Bright Darkness
https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/

When I began to write creatively, I wanted to write a story that would have some kind of impact on my readers - whether they be teenagers, young adults, or a young-at-heart adult. I didn't want to preach a narrative; rather, I wanted the characters to react to real life drama and adventure in a way that would resonate with the reader. The character evoked the response in the reader, either by what they said or what they did. If the character becomes 'real' in the mind of the reader, then the character's emotion becomes the reader's emotion. That, my friend, is a fine, visceral line for the author to convey.  

Can our books make a difference? Yes. A resounding yes. 

One of my friends told me that her daughter felt a connection to Jayden, one of the main characters in The Twisted Climb series. Jayden is a brash, assertive teenager who is torn between being 'nice' and being 'bully.' My friend's daughter does not have those personality traits, so why did she feel a connection to Jayden? Apparently she felt uncertain of her place in the world/school/friends and that uncertainty evoked an internal, angry response. When my friend's daughter read the following in The Twisted Climb: "There was only one way to make herself feel better. (Jayden) had to make someone else feel worse" well, my friend's daughter started to cry and then shared with her mom that she felt the same emotional turmoil, but was at a loss on how to deal with it. That honesty opened up a new dimension in their relationship, one that they've maintained to this day.

Recently, another friend said she had to share something very important with me. We met and she told me the following.

"When my son read 'A Bright Darkness,' where the plot revolves around the Ojibwe myths and the Seven Fires Prophecies, he was shaken to his core. You see, we are native Indian, from the Anishinaabe First Nation, and all his life he was reluctant to embrace the spirituality of our peoples. He's almost 60, by the way. So he phoned me, almost in tears, to tell me he was sorry he didn't espouse the native way as I did. And that he wanted to re-discover his heritage, because it's never too late."

If we can share a story or create a character that makes a difference in the life of a reader, well, I call that wonderful. I call that satisfying. It's one of the greatest compliments a writer can receive.

Thank you to all the readers who accept a created character and make them as real as can be in the playground of their mind. 

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3)
and
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
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