Fluff Defined
One of my readers wrote:
"I agree about planting seeds, but that can be done even in lighthearted books.
We don't have to be serious to go deep with the Truth."
I'm not going to argue with that. Lighthearted stories can kidney-punch some powerful wallops of Biblical truth (which is what I was advocating in my previous post). Humor is a fantastic approach to impart hard principles in a way that is more palatable.
It's not lighthearted I have a problem with. It's fluff. Here's a dictionary definition:
fluff
(fl
f)
f)
n.
1. Light down or fuzz, as on a young bird or on a dandelion or milkweed seed.
2. Something having a very light, soft, or frothy consistency or appearance:
a fluff of meringue; a fluff of cloud.
3. Something of little substance or consequence, especially:
a. Light or superficial entertainment:
The movie was just another bit of fluff from Hollywood.
b. Inflated or padded material:
The report was mostly fluff, with little new information.
4. The parts of a junked car that are not metal and cannot be recycled.
Definition 3A...now that's what I'm talkin 'bout. Note that it says light, not lighthearted. This is exactly what should be considered when developing characters, plot and theme.
Banish the Fluffy Characters
If you don't make the reader care about your characters, they won't give a flying wingnut about what happens to them, even if it's catastrophic. Your job as a writer is learning to be a good tightrope walker. It's all a balancing act. Villains can't be all bad. Heroes and heroines can't be all good. A reader connects emotionally to a multi-faceted persona because that's the way people are. It makes them more relatable instead of superficial.
Axe Fluffy Plots
Not that you have to have mushroom clouds and/or zombies dominating every scene, but you do have to include increasing crises which build to a climax. This doesn't have to be physical. Emotional confrontations create fireworks as well. This is especially important to remember in the middle of your tale.
Say No to Fluffy Themes
This is where you have the chance to impact a reader's life. Don't waste your opportunity with platitudes. You can go simple but go deep.
Example: forgiveness. Sounds easy enough, but if you pick apart the act of forgiveness, you can share nuggets of Biblical truth all the way from bitterness to freedom. And this can be done in any genre, from humor to horror.
I suppose the point of this rant is to make your writing count. When it comes to words, quality is indeed more virtuous than quantity.