Hello, writers,
I've often wondered what makes a book stick in my memory, its aftereffects lasting weeks, months, or even years. There are a select few that I think about often, no matter how long since I've read them.
What do they have in common? And can I replicate that effect in my own writing?
When you think of the books your brain can't let go of, what sticks out to you? Is it plot? Character? The setting, either of the story or of yourself when you read it? Is it a certain feeling?
And in your own writing, how do you try to make your work stick in a reader's brain long after he/she has finished reading?
For an audio companion, in this week's Yak Babies my pals and I discuss this very thing. For Aaron, the taste a book leaves him with depends greatly on its ending. For Brick, it's more about atmosphere and the burn of certain standout scenes.
For me? I'm inclined to remember a book by recalling the feelings and emotions I experienced while reading it.
