What did I learn from a show about spies? @sloanebcollins #amwriting #amreading #plottingprincesses

What lesson did I learn from a spy show?

My husband & I started watching a 6 part spy series the other day, "The Night Manager" on AMC. It's good, and we like it, but we were about 40 minutes in to the first episode when something happened, and he said "Finally. Now the story is moving along."

I need to post that on my laptop so I always remember to keep the action going in the books I write. 

I don't have a lot of time to read, so it's usually on the train to/from work, or a few minutes on my lunch break. There are some books I've read lately that it's ok to read snatches here and there. I can pick it back up and continue on. A short book may take several days to finish. Last week I read "Falling Into Bed with a Duke" by Lorraine Heath. I read 387 pages in less than 2 days. It was so awesome and compelling I had a hard time putting it down, so I read every minute I could (and almost missed my stop twice!). 

That's how I want to write. To keep the action up so readers don't want to set my book down, they want to see how it turns out. And to fall in love with my characters. (Yes, I fell hard for Lorraine's duke...and the woman he wanted to be with desperately!)

Back to that mini-series we started watching.
We got through 3 episodes on Sunday, and while the story has progressed, there are long stretches where I keep expecting the other shoe to drop, but don't get the payout. 
Note to self: don't disappoint the readers!  Keep the story moving, throw in some twists and turns to keep the reader's attention. 

Side note about that show on TV: while I know Hugh Laurie is British, after watching him on "House" for so many years, it's weird hearing him speak in an English accent. 

I'm in a critique group that is awesome and so very supportive. Just last week they pointed out a few sections in which I need to ramp up the action. I don't need bombs exploding or people dying in my stories, but I need to write so it's as if the reader is living the story. 

I don't write about spies (yet), I do want to write compelling stories about characters who are exciting and fun to read. 

And just because my kitty Oliver looked so cute and adorable this morning on my way out, I'm sharing this with you here.

Readers: what types of books and movies do you like? Do you stay within the same genres?
Authors: what important lesson have you learned from a movie or TV show?