09.03.08
Give me One
I’ve long realized that there are a few movies which, despite the fact that I own copies of them, I’ll still watch when I happen upon them on TV. Ever After, Speed, Never Been Kissed, Dave. I watch because I’m waiting for the pay-off. In the case of each of the above, it’s The Kiss. As I’m a romance author, this doesn’t come as a surprise to me and it shouldn’t to you.
However, there’s another movie I own and will watch from whichever point I tune in, and it’s not because of a kiss. The amorous happenings are somewhere in the middle and a happy ending is not in the cards. Titanic I watch for the concept of One.
If you’ll remember in the movie, the excavation/exploration crew is hunting the Titanic. Having found it and the safe where the jewels were to be, they’re disappointed when the find for the loot is a bust. Onboard comes an old lady and her granddaughter. The former has a story to tell and no one but the boss is particularly interested. Still, she starts her tale.
With an audience of One.
Soon, as we weave back and forth in time, between the story of her and her young love and the further exploration of the wreck, her audience increases. Slowly, she mesmerizes the entire crew. I love watching the rapt faces increase in number.
It’s my pay-off, the audience I want for my books. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, perhaps the best selling tool out there. All it takes is a mesmerized audience of one. That’s what I want and whom I’m writing for. One. One person to love my book and then tell another. And another.
And, of course, then to pick up another book.