Val Dumond

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Articles on Writing, Grammar, and Publishing
by Val Dumond

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Val writes articles on grammar, the art and science of writing, and publishing, for budding writers and seasoned authors alike. These articles are not only informative and educational, they're entertaining - written as only Val can. Enjoy this latest of her articles:

What Do You Want?
by Val Dumond
© Copyright 2010

Identifying what readers want is as difficult as knowing what women (or men or children) want. If you want to stop someone in their tracks, ask the simple question, "What do you want?" Most people cannot answer that question because they don't know, can't decide, or just plain never gave it any thought.

I'm not talking about what do you want to eat for supper? - although that is one that Moms ask and kids ignore. I'm talking more about "What do you want for your birthday (or Christmas or graduation or Mother's/Father's Day)?" This question is always difficult to answer; if you're a caring person, you care about how much the questioner is willing to spend on you. And you're reticent about asking for a dream.

More likely, this question is difficult because we don't feel we deserve the things we secretly, in our deepest souls, really want. A store clerk asked me recently, "Is there anything else you want?" I mentioned a red Ferrari and got this blank look. Perhaps I should have said "a bracelet from Tiffany's" or "a home in Provence".

I bring up this question now because first, we're approaching the holiday gifting season; second, because it's a gnawing question that comes up when you've lived a long and fruitful life; and third, because I still want to write the great American novel.

As a kid living through the Great Depression, I never had a bicycle. With salaries low and prices high, it just wasn't in our family budget. A neighbor girl had a gorgeous red bicycle with red rubber tires and a kickstand. She used to let me sit on it (with the kickstand in place) and operate the pedals. I got closer to actually riding a bike when my boy cousin let me ride his rickety old bicycle, usually managing to get my slacks caught in the unguarded greasy chain.

But oh, how I wanted a bicycle of my own. I finally received one, a gorgeous shiny green bike, sitting with a big red bow on its handlebars, next to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. My teen-age son had scraped together his meager income from doing odd jobs, checked the classifieds, and bought the bike - all by himself. I've never been sure who was more proud when I saw that lovely gift and heard the story behind it.

The green bike long gone, I bought myself a new bicycle, decorated with lotus flowers, a few months ago. Seems that some "wants" just won't go away. But I digress.

With that long introduction comes the next question. As a writer, how do you know what your readers want? Do you ask them? Or do you watch the sales returns? Do you guess? Or do you analyze what attracts you to a certain story?

Here are some of the things I think readers want, based on what I like to read:

• Humor, warmth
• A story with ups and downs
• Mystery
• nformation I didn't know before
• Humor, sarcasm
• Word images that paint the story
• Words that encourage me to keep a dictionary handy
• Humor, irony
• A turn of events that surprises
• Characters I can love or hate
• At least one scene that makes me cry
• Oh, did I mention humor? Not the slapstick stuff, just an occasional bit of business that lets me know the author is aware that I (reader) am in the room.

What do you want in your reading material?

Can you write to please yourself and your own tastes?

Isn't that what makes a piece of writing ring true?

Val has three soon-to-be-published books: The JOY of Grammar, The Creative Instinct, and Ahlam, Story of an Iraqi Life.

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