Connections -- Part 4

Finally, what you've all been waiting for: part 4 of my series on connections.

Connections in Writing

And what exactly do connections have to do with writing?

As writers, our strongest, most creative writing comes from the connections we bring to life through our words. Our characters can’t live in a bubble any more than we can. The more connections we give them, the richer and more meaningful our writing will be.

Yes, sometimes writers delve into lives that seem to have no connections. It’s never quite true, though. Look at some exceptions that prove the rule.

The boy who lived in a plastic bubble had no physical connections, but he had relationships, connections of the heart.

In Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, Ender had the lonely life of a leader, with no true connections. None except his sister, Valentine, who remained his anchoring connection to all that was good in the world.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes seemed to have no connections, living a life stripped of everything except revenge. Yet he did have connections…connections of pain and vengeance to the people of his past, connections of loyalty to those who served him, and a blossoming connection of love to Haydee.

Our characters and events can’t exist in a void. They must be connected. They must be connected to their worlds, to themselves and to each other. They must connect in some way to our hearts. When we succeed in that, we form one more connection..a connection with our reader.