Last weekend I took my family snowtubing in the Poconos, where you sit on what looks like an inflated tire and race down a bill for maybe 30 seconds going at least 30 miles per hour – without a motor, seatbelt or helmet. It is a fun adrenalin rush and a good exercise for getting beyond fear. It is also a good demonstration of what authors need to give their readers.
We want to feel the rollercoaster moment as often as possible in life. We want to feel insulated against danger, but we like to see how close we can get to it while leaving unscathed. We’re always looking to dance with the devil, but we never want the dog to bite us. Readers love snowtubing in their minds, to feel the action is so real and pulsating that if a mistake is made everyone dies.
Actually, our snowtubing escape had one real scare, which made it all the better. For our last romp, we tied our tubes together and linked to our friends. Seven of us were charging down the mini-mountain. It got out of control. The force of our gang thrust our tubes beyond the rubber mats at the bottom that were intended to halt us. We rode up the side of the low snow wall and toppled back onto the course. It all had happened so fast and yet it felt like it was happening in slow motion.
For a scary second I didn’t know if anyone was hurt. My eight-year-old son jumped up from the pile of snowtubes with snow on his face. I asked what all parents fear the answer to: “Are you OK?”
He said: “Yes” and then added, “That was the best!”
He is right. Though it could have gone from thrill-seeking folly to ambulance activity, when you escape injury from a daring act you feel a moment of euphoria and invincibility. Fear conquered. Bottle that up and unleash it upon your readers!
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2013 ©
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