Feel the Connection

I didn’t feel a connection.

Anyone ever get those words in a rejection letter? I’ve seen them and never knew quite what the editor, agent or contest judge was trying to tell me. I finally got it today. Not the reject letter, the concept.

I love plays, musicals and any type of stage production. I especially like community theater or high school productions. The actors and crew really put their heart and soul into the productions. The audience can feel the energy.

Except today.

I saw a high school musical production of The Sound of Music. I love the story and especially love the songs. Must of us know them by heart, having sung the words by Rogers and Hammerstein from the cradle. The story is a romance story of a plain Jane Cinderella who finds her prince through the love of music.

So why didn’t I love the production?

All of the necessary ingredients were present. Good story, check. Great music, check. Local production, check. Energetic cast and crew, check.

What was missing? I did not feel a connection to the characters. I don’t know why; I can’t explain it. I was hopelessly bored before intermission. The person I went with felt the same way I did. Everyone else seemed to love the play and rave about the production. I smiled and only said the children put a lot of enthusiasm into it.

So, the next time an agent/editor/contest judge writes that he did not feel a connection to your characters, think of that movie or book that everyone raved about and you hated. The story just didn’t have that spark for you. That’s what the editor thinks about your story. No spark; no connection.