Readers Appreciate the Simple Things

[Peg Herring]

I'm reading a book by Beverle Graves Myers. Her protagonist, Tito, was castrated as a youth so that his beautiful operatic voice would not change. Ouch. Bev's plots are good and her history fascinating, but I'd like to comment on an aspect that might be overlooked. She remembers to remind the reader periodically of who the characters are.

I'm always reading more than one book, and I read in snatches: fifteen minutes here, a half hour there. Plots are easy, at least the good ones are. I'm back into the story after a line or two. But secondary characters may be a problem. Mysteries need large casts; if there were only two people available as suspects, the solution wouldn't be very difficult. But the reader needs a reminder from time to time who is whom, especially if characters come back after a long span. "Conrad entered the room with a doleful air, as if being a butler added weights to his ankles and his shoulders." The line such as this moves the story along, but it also reminds us of Conrad's identity.

A writer can't insult the readers' intelligence, of course, so the reminders must be woven in rather than baldly stated. Foreign and historical names are particularly difficult for readers to hang onto, and stories where several characters have similar names require careful telling. You may have a family of Smythe-Barnhardts who are heirs to the murdered man's estate. As an author you must be sure that Alistaire Smythe-Barnhardt is clearly distinguishable from Anniston Smythe-Barnhardt. Better yet, you might change Anniston's name to Charles.

Sometimes it's small things that help a reader out, but good authors know enough to pay attention to such things. It may make the difference for a reader, the difference between enjoying the ending of your novel or never reaching the end at all.