Exercise 1 - What I want for my readers

When readers read my novels, I want them to feel satisfied with the conclusion of the story but wanting more. Content that the characters have completed their life cycle at this particular moment in time but ready to pick up and carry on should the next story need to be written. I want them to feel like they have grown with the character, standing witness to all the trials the hero must face or celebrate with each victory. I want them to be able to empathize with the character and understand the character’s anxiety, joy, dread, or loneliness. I want the reader to know the loss when the character makes his/her final goodbye to the reader but I also want the reader to sigh and smile fondly knowing the story is finally at the end.

That's because, to me, novels are the truest form of escapism because novels make you imagine and wonder and dream. Visual media show you everything and point to the way you should feel but a novel makes you feel the emotions. Reading a story that actually gets your heart racing as you turn page after page to see what is going to happen next to each character is one of the best ways to spend an afternoon. The novel will make you think and analyze and Monday morning quarterback the author’s thought processes. Or it can have you wondering and wishing and praying for happy endings, rescues or discoveries of truths or treasures