What Nicholas Sparks Taught Me About Love and Writing
So you’re probably tired of hearing this, but I adore Nicholas Sparks. He is the only author who I read religiously; I’ve read every book he’s released. He is one of the few authors I will spring for a hardcover book for because I have to read it as soon as it comes out.
Reading Nicholas Sparks over the years has taught me a lot about what I like in a book and what women tend to enjoy in a story. Without even realizing it, I was developing a sense of women’s fiction, of love stories, and of writing for a contemporary audience. Now, as I enter into the women’s fiction market, I have come to deeply appreciate what I’ve learned from being a Nicholas Sparks fan.
The art of letter writing isn’t dead
From The Notebook Dear John to The Longest Ride, Nicholas Sparks is a pro at showing that letter writings=romantic. I can’t help but feel adoration for John when he writes to Savannah. Nicholas Sparks shows us that texting and emails just don’t compare; if you want to win a girl’s heart for real, write a letter.
Multiple Perspectives Work
I like how The Lucky One flips between perspectives. It made me realize that sometimes you have to get inside a few characters heads to show the true emotional depth of a story, something Sparks excels at. If you want people to feel a storyline and its full power, you have to be willing to explore it from different angles. This is a tactic I’ve employed in my own writing.
Love is beautiful in every situation
I hate it when I tell people that I’m a Sparks fan and I get an eye roll. So many cynics believe that Sparks is cheesy, that is stories are all predictable. But I love that Sparks unabashedly explores romance and love in all types of situations. We’ve seen characters in comas, characters who just met, characters running away from abusive situations. We’ve seen cowboys and convicts, firefighters and veterans. The best part? All of them find the answer to what they’re looking for in love. If you ask me, that’s not such a cheesy notion.
Love is what unites us
I think Sparks is so successful because he hits a truth in all of us. We all want to find someone to share our life with, to make us better, to make us forget the past. We want love and all that goes with it—the hand-holding, the tears, the corny words, the kisses in the rain—to be a possibility. Sparks shows us that it is. As a writer, he’s taught me that there isn’t anything wrong with writing about love. It is the most universal theme you can explore.
Happily Ever After isn’t cheesy . . .
I don’t know about you, but I was angry at the end of The Best of Me and Dear John. Are you kidding, Sparks? A sad ending? I wanted to see them together, see love redeem them.
But such isn’t the case. Sparks was just capturing life’s reality . . .love doesn’t always win.
But then again, he also shows us what to strive for as both humans and as writers. Happy endings aren’t overdone or unrealistic . . .they’re what we all want to see deep down. Sparks reminded me as a writer that it’s okay to have a happy ending to my story. But it’s also okay if it doesn’t work out.
Who is your writing inspiration? What have they taught you? Feel free to start a conversation below!
Lindsay Detwiler, author of Voice of Innocence
www.facebook.com/lindsananndetwiler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMX826K
