When I say I write suspense-thrillers, that comes with certain expectations, some of which weigh too much like rock-filled baggage. What expectations? That the story should move at break-neck speed. That it should have loads of action and that it should wow us with unexpected twists. None of that is bad. In fact, as a fan of thrillers, I love that stuff. But does it stop there? Or do we go a few layers under the surface? Do we keep digging until we get to core truths that undergird, support and drive all that awesomeness going on along that swift-moving top?

In my own story-telling I don’t pretend that the choice between an entertaining and a thoughtful, moving, inspiring story represents anything but a false dilemma. Are things going to slow down a bit if we take the time to go deeper into a character’s motivations? Are we going to lose some glitz or pop because we go beyond a cool concept to ponder underlying themes and complex questions of meaning? Not always, not necessarily, but maybe. Is it worth it? You bet.

More than that, I’d ask, is it worth it to spin seventy to one hundred thousand words for mere superficial titillation? Or should we use the power of the written word and its built-in capability to explore and expose the marrow of our existence to enlighten us? At least a little?

I’m sure others will likely feel different. But for me, writing is difficult and painful enough to demand more than having its end goal begin and end at superficial entertainment. I can’t get myself motivated to write a story like that. Even when I’ve said, “OK, this one is going to be a bullet train ride, full ahead, no stopping for introspection,” the story finds its own moral center, its own source of meaning. That also means I don’t have to shoehorn or force the deeper stuff. In fact, I can tell you from experience doing so doesn’t work out terribly well. It sorts itself out on its own. It rises unrelenting. It powers the story whether you realize it or not.

My experience writing Tracking Jane comes to mind. There’s a story that could have lived on the pure action-suspense, keep moving ahead, don’t over-think it model. I didn’t even try to write it that way. My heart knew before I jotted down the first word that story could not live there. It had to dive deep–deeper than comfortable at times–into the protagonist’s psyche. It had to show a messy, raw and often confusing reality that wheeled the plot along of its own volition. Not much I could manufacture there. Not much I could control or nudge one way or another. Yet–and readers seem to agree–what ended on the page feels real. One reader questioned whether it’s fiction at all.

Why do I bring this up? Because from time to time I run across a story with great promise only to see it flounder because it only sought to please, to hit all the right notes, and ultimately, to entertain for entertainment’s sake. Because we live a world moving at the speed of light where few stop to ponder whether all we’re moving deserves the energy invested to transfer it here and there.

I suppose we all carry our individual tastes and preferences. No amount of eloquence will compel a change of heart. But I hope you will at least feel the urge to stretch beyond the pure entertainment material out there to discover what richer ground inspiring story-telling will help you discover.