X-pecting a moment.

Well it is late Friday, but I still made it. This is not so much a review as something that hit me while I was watching the latest X-men movie last week.

I have to admit that while most know me as a massive fan of all things comics, the x-men movies always leave me wanting. Their treatment of the characters and how the stories have been adapted usually has me shaking my head and leaving to complain with my other nerd friends on what could have been. 

I have to admit this was by far the best film in the series. The pacing was decent and the visuals, aside from Mystique's still horrible hair, were great. Without giving spoilers away there were moments that had me throwing up my hands and again shaking my head. 

As usual I left the theater to break down what I liked and didn't like. As I had some time to ponder the situation more I began to apply it to my story telling. I have come down to something that to me is the single most important thing you can do when telling a story.

Moments. Your story is a collection of words expressing ideas. These ideas have to lead to significant moments. They are what separate the great books from the good. Have you ever read a book and thought, "It was good, but that's about it." I can almost guarantee you that this was due to that lack of a big moment/moments.

A story has a lot of elements, but these all have to come together and give that reader that "Oh wow" feeling. The culmination of what you have been working towards the whole time. It doesn't even have to be some big twist, but just reaching that conclusion you alluded to. 

The subtleties of this art are great, but the best authors are all masters of this. For me I strive to always have my reader's leave feeling like they were just on a ride that ended in a way that got them excited. 

Anyway these are some of my thoughts. I hope you are all well. As always, have fun and keep writing.