The Aftermath

There are millions of books in the world.  A percentage of those books are worth reading.  Sometimes, they are a relaxing or slow read and perhaps take months to finish.  But they are powerful, enjoyable and wonderful.  There are also exciting books - the kind you can't bear to put down.  The ones that you sacrifice sleep for...the books that force you to stay up until 3:00 in the morning so you can finish them before school the next day.  Both kinds of books can be epic.

I just finished reading a series that I've been following for several years.  I knew this book would be the last book, and was pleased that it matched the epicness (pardon the repetition) of the pervious books.  But when I finished the book around midnight last night, I could feel the aftermath.

For me, a myriad of feelings rush over me when I finish a good book.  They are usually thoughts and feelings like...

- It's over?  What?  Nooo!!!

- I love _______ (a character)

- Such-and-such a scene was wonderfully written.

- I hope there's a sequel!  

Etc.

For some books, it's almost relief when the book is over.  I can stop wondering what will happen to the character because now, I know!  (unless the novel ends in a cliffhanger...)  Of course, the suspense of what will happen to so-and-so is part of what drives the book on and forces you to read.  I enjoy the suspense...  usually.

I usually reread my favorite scenes and try to relive the moment of when I first read them, not knowing what would happen next.

I usually end up jealous of whatever girl gets to have the handsome guy protagonist. 

If the book is, for example, a romance, then I want to change my book to be more romancey.  If the book is an action / adventure, then I'll want to add more action into my own book.

If the book is extremely good, I usually end up slightly depressed.  Simply because the book draws on all sorts of my emotions and when it's over, I can be a little letdown (especially if one of my favorite characters dies).  

That, for me, is the aftermath that occurs when I finish reading a good book.  It's rather hard to describe, so if you are staring at this blog completely clueless as to what I'm trying to say, please don't write me off as a crazy person.  I'm not, really (I don't think).  

Well, enough rambling.  I just wanted to write out the signs of aftermath for you.  :)  If you as a writer experience similar feeling when reading books, then try to figure out what parts and elements of those books cause you to become so drawn in and so connected to the story.  Then, try to make similar connections with your own readers.  You might end up doing some analyzing and studying, but hey, summer is on its way!  That means we have time to mess around with literature, right?

-- Klara C.