Finding Fireworks

Well, as you may be able to tell, blogging still happens pretty sporadically. Just hit the third trimester last week and you'd think that things would be going well. And they were. Until I ran out of anti-nausea meds. And discovered that I'm still quite morning sick. (This is the longest I have been sick out of 4 pregnancies. I'm really hoping it doesn't last the whole time.) So, I lost 3 pounds over the weekend and got my prescription renewed again. Good times. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about fireworks.

 Photo courtesy of Ziptivity.wordpress.com

I visited my family in the great city of Cedar City, Utah last week, where they celebrated the Opening Ceremony of the Utah Summer Games. It's a highlight of the summer because they usually have a pretty spectacular fireworks display after the lighting of the torch. I've missed it the last couple of years because of really small children, but since we were in Cedar anyway, we stayed up late to see the show.

We usually go out on the lawn near my Grandma's house. She lives just a block away from SUU's campus where the ceremony is held. We could almost watch from her front yard, but there are lots of trees in the way. They have a big set up with music and timed detonations and lots of planning for effect. The fireworks were amazing and the kids loved it. Even little girl who is only 18 months old. And it was worth it.

It struck me as we watched that fireworks are a lot like writing a book. The fireworks started out with a big burst that caught our attention. It stayed pretty steady and even until it hit a climactic point at the end of song. I almost thought it had to be the end, but it kept going at a new level of excitement and frequency. Another climactic moment came and I just knew it had to be the end. But it wasn't. Finally, after one more round of fireworks, the finale arrived. And when it hit, you really knew it. There was no mistaking it.

We need to do that in our writing. Make people think they are hitting the climax, but then, keep 'em going at that new level. And do it again. And again, until they can't wait for the end. When they are anticipating that ending, hit 'em with everything you've got. Make it spectacular. Bring it to the biggest possible moment and throw it all at em. And they'll love it.