Writing with heart

This morning I finished reading a novel, the ending of which had such a powerful impact on me that I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything since. It’s one of the greatest joys in my life to read something so mesmerising that once I’ve finished it, I feel that my world has been changed and that the writing will stay with me forever.

But this wasn’t the best-written book I’d ever written; far from it. In fact, as I began reading, I felt that I wasn’t going to enjoy it, and this disappointed me as it was part of a series, the other books of which I’d read several years ago and loved. As I’ve become more skilled as a writer, I’ve lost some of the pleasure in reading because I no longer read uncritically. And this particular book was filled with fundamental writing errors. So much telling and not showing! Clichés everywhere! Unconvincing dialogue! Lack of subtlety! But as I became engrossed in the story, none of that mattered any more. Because I cared about the characters and was immersed in their world. And that, for me, is the key to great writing. The characters don’t have to be loveable, but they should make the reader feel something. Yes, you can follow all the rules and write sparkling prose, but if your writing doesn’t have heart, it’ll never achieve greatness.