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character to be where they are and doing what they are doing? Is the situation itself a little too extreme and far-fetched? How does the character live? How do they die? How is their past affecting their present and future? Is too much of their past being revealed too soon or in too much detail? Each of these questions and the hundreds more that go through my head when I am writing a scene must be considered carefully. If I answer them wrong, then I risk losing my reader, or at least their faith in the particular character and their value. If I answer them right, then I have a character that drives the story and makes it come to life.

I can only do so much as a writer, though. The rest is up to the reader. First off they have to be interested in the genre that I have chosen to write in. Then something in my writing has to pique their interest more than something else they are thinking about. Are they looking for a quick, fast-paced narrative or a long drawn out story? Do my characters appeal to them? Does the story make sense and jive with their beliefs? What kind of mood is the reader in when they are looking at the writing? Have they had a bad day? All the questions affect whether or not the reader is even going to look at my writing and how much of a chance they are going to give it.

Ultimately, when I write as an author or read as a reader, I want to hear the characters in my head and be so drawn into the story that I do not know that time is passing. That is when the juggling act between author, narrator, character, and reader becomes one of those fantastic performance you see when a professional juggler handles their flaming torches. The juggler leaves their audience extremely satisfied and entertained with a bunch of "Wows!" and "How they do that?" thrown in for good measure. If, as an author, I can achieve the literary equivalent of that, then I have done my job.

Learn more about this author, A. H. Manjikian.
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