One of the key factors in writing a novel is memory, which is to say, the ability to remember what you wrote, while remembering where you are going. One of the strengths of the novel is the making of connections, connecting what has happened to what will happen, remembering character traits, or other details that bind the book together, that can give it depth. Consider, for example, the Harry Potter books, which, taken as a whole, and in this context, are a huge achievement. Make no mistake, readers can and will take the author to task if you make a mistake, if the shoe, so to speak, which was put on the right foot, appears on the left. Readers, I believe, love those connections, particularly when you catch them by surprise, yet they grasp what you have done. The seed dropped, so to speak, on page two, which flowers on page two ninety two, smells sweet. Not only do readers love it, writers love it, too.
2 thoughts on “Making Connections”
I do appreciate an author’s consistent use of details. For the reader, it feels like a reward for paying attention and being deeply engaged in a story. I think you did a good job of that with Sophie’s War–I really felt like I was back in the era and the progression of details throughout the story felt true.
This is one of the qualities I love in Beyond the Western Sea. That Patrick in Liverpool sees “Shagwell Cotton Mill” on a cart. And that the scene between the Sergeant, Toggs, and Fred is a replay of the argument between Lord Kirkle, Albert, and Laurence. It makes rereading a joy.