Welcome to IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a haven for insecure writers of all kinds. IWSG is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. Thank you to December co-hosts: Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine! To find links to all contributors, click here.
December 4 question - Do you write cliffhangers at the
end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?
Since I write what I like to read and I’m a tie-it-up-in-a-ribbon
type of reader, I stay clear of the cliffs. High stakes is one thing. Of course we want to keep readers engaged but to me, leaving readers hanging at the end of a book seems
like a manipulative way of doing so. I’m fine with stories that leave
points open to interpretation, but if the plot isn’t resolved by the end, I’ll be
disinclined to read that author in the future.
On other topics, the house is partially decorated and I’ve
bought a few presents. I’m looking forward to our annual festival on the common
this weekend I’ve written about so many times here. All of the local
churches gather together and offer jumble sales, meat raffles, book sales and clam chowder. In various iterations, Santa has arrived by boat or fire truck. Now he arrives in a vintage car and sits outdoors on a sleigh in the middle of
the town common for photos. At noon, a band made up of former high school
musicians from the surrounding area performs a Christmas concert in a church
that has stood since the 1700’s. The whole thing is low on pizzaz, high on
charm and it’s one of my favorite days of the year.
Wishing you all the happiness of the season.
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
