Drawing the S Line in the Sand

I forgot an S yesterday. Shock. I thought I would add it today. You could replace Speculation with Shock or I could say the 4 s's of writing. almost sounds like a hiss! Maybe it is a symbol. lol

We heard the term Shock and Awe back in 2011 and it was said pretty regularly for a while. Have not heard it spoken recently so I guess it is Ok for me bring it back.

Does a writer wish to shock and awe her reader? What is the difference between Shock and Surprise and Awe and Ahh? I can answer that with a really old saying ( a judge used this one time when defining porn) I know when I see it! lol It is true. There is no actual line in the sand that takes a surprise from a bunch of people jumping out yelling Happy Birthday to walking in to your bedroom and your hubby is ....... fill in the blank with anything you might find Shocking!

So how do I shock my reader? Do I want to? and have I done that yet. Well, yes I want to shock my reader but it must be a very rare occasion. I have not yet crossed that line in the sand. Well, not in any posted chapter.

Whoa. Lightning. I am sitting in the middle of a lightning storm here. Yellow sky, flashes of brilliant light, rolling thunder. In the mountains we are closer this weather and so the lightning is more vivid, the thunder deafening and the rain, well, ok wet is wet! oops there goes another lightning flash. perhaps I should go make some coffee. I feel sorry for the old lady walking her dog on a morning like this. and no I am not going to shock you with some awful joke like the lightning struck the lady or the dog. That is not shock that is just well stupid. The rain up here is different - it almost always rains straight down. Rarely does it come in the windows. Never lived in a place like this. oops there goes a big one and a loud clap. Exciting two watch. I wonder if I should be on the computer. Our Electric and Phone lines are underground so I suspect I am ok.

Back to shock and the line in the sand. A writer often has to choose the method for conveying new information. But the difference between surprise and shock is nothing more than a line drawn in the sand. The sand shifts and so does the news. I believe a few people would say Rawlings preference was a shock, but I drew the line and deemed it a surprise. I jumped out to the readers and yelled "Surprise, surprise". There are people that are easily shocked and then there are folks like me. So my line in the sand is a lot closer to the water's edge for the shocking news than anyone thinking my surprises have been so far. (damn this last sentence is just crap.)

Now I do have a couple of well place shocks. At least in my opinion, but they are reserved for climatic scenes. I don't just jump out and shock you. Surprise yes, shock no. I try to build up to the shock with surprises and suspense and then just when you have speculated the situation, I shock you. lol

Rawlings liking Lydia - surprise
Blake and his intentions - suspense
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- shock

Stay tuned.

and the Awe! well that is a tidbit for another day.

gayle