Serving Up What People Deserve

         One recent Sunday I was watching a story on the CBS Sunday Morning program. The segment that had me stuck in my chair, fascinated, was about the Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia. An award-winning restaurant (Rooster Soup) has teamed up with a homeless shelter to serve up restaurant-quality meals to people in need.

        No, the homeless don't stand in line for their gruel. They sit at tables with table cloths, they're served by wait staff (volunteers), and the food they get? Well, my mouth was watering over huge burritos that took up the whole plate and were drizzled with some delicious-looking sauce.

        The director of the program. The chefs. The servers. They all believe that no matter what people look like or how they smell, they deserve to be served up in a hospitable manner.

        Which got me thinking. What should we serve up to our readers? What do they deserve?

• The most delectable beginning we can mustard (okay, I couldn't resist) A memorable book, just like a memorable meal, begins with something to whet our appetite. Is your beginning compelling? Does it lure the reader into reading more?

• Some credit  Readers are capable of connecting the dots. Leave them in the dark for a bit... they'll nibble their way to the right conclusion if they're given some clues along the way. Don't insist on spelling every single thing out. Readers are smart and can think for themselves. Give them a little credit when it comes to their intelligence. 

• A warm welcome  No matter what kind of story it is, it's more engaging if the reader feels like they're being immersed in the events. If it's a murder mystery potboiler, the reader should feel like they're right beside the detective (or the future victim) as the story unfolds. The sensory details. The character's thoughts/inner dialogue. The ambience. Being able to escape into a book is a delicious way to while away an afternoon.

• A satisfying ending  A marvelous meal deserves a bit of dessert at the end. A well-crafted story deserves an ending that hits the spot, ties up all the loose ends and leaves a satisfactory aftertaste. If the book or short story comes to an abrupt ending, it almost feels to the reader like they were cheated... like they had their plate taken away before the meal was finished. 

           How about you? What do you like served up when you dig into a book? Hungry minds want to know...

Sioux Roslawski is a classroom teacher, a consultant for the National Writing Project, a freelance writer, a dog rescuer for Love a Golden Rescue, a wife, a mother and a grandmother. She's currently trying to finish up her 2017 NaNoWriMo project so that, someday, she can serve it up to readers. If you'd like to read more of her stuff, check out her blog.