The other day, I lightly debated the idea of drama as entertainment and deduced that ultimately, we love it and we need it, in life and in art. (Read the blog
here!)
Recently, however, I've been confronted by another topic: the idea of a good mystery being used to grasp people's attention.
Here is a handful of scenarios to consider:
(1) I once worked a gig with a group of beautiful, talented, smart girls, who were all open with their feelings and would talk about pretty much anything. The girl I was most curious about was the one who spoke very little.
(2) You'll frequently see men and women offered the world by a particular love interest, and yet they often want the one who barely expresses interest.
(3) It's the tight-lipped celebrities whose lives often get probed the most. People talk about them, chase them, and openly wonder about their lives.
(4) And for crying out loud, how many times did your mother tell you not to "give it up too soon"?
You know what they say:
You always want what you can't have.
It makes me think...This is clearly something we should be implementing in our entertainment; and when people know what they're doing, they do! In many cases, we're taught in life to give little in the beginning to prolong something, i.e. make a man chase you and he won't lose interest.
So shouldn't we be making audiences chase the characters of the book or film so that they don't lose interest? Isn't that what keeps the page turning--the desire to know more?
It's a fairly simple concept and one that might seem obvious, but I don't think we all automatically utilize it. I know that there are certainly characters in my books who could stand to leave more to the imagination. I've found myself asking: "Why will the reader keep reading?"
Maybe it's time to leave audiences more in the dark. Just an itty.
And in an effort to practice what I preach, stay tuned for my next blog, where I will reveal my one true love.
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...
But not really.
