Last week, I watched Mega Piranha and it got be wondering about the difference between A & B movies (or perhaps, better stated, the difference between a well-acted versus not-so-well-acted movie, since there are some REALLY stellar B-movies & some horribly stinky A-one).

I know there’s the usual factors in a good versus a bad movie: better costumes, stronger plot, more money on special effects, but as I watched the Mega P., I began to wonder if part of the difference is this: when I watch this particular movie, I was very conscious that the actors were actors.  (Well, save one of the guys who played the scientist & the other who was the lead).

When the cast was in the scene, it felt like, œI’m TIffany, playing the role of the lead heroine.  Whereas with other movies”say Colin Firth in The King’s Speech”Firth seems to believe he is the king, and so do I¦the whole thing had me wondering about the self-consciousness of acting”when the actor isn’t fully committed to the role & so creates a disconnect between the viewer and the story.

And it got me wondering about books and how authors do the same thing: often you read a story and there’s a plot hole or a character inconsistency, and it’s as though the writer is trumpeting, œDon’t worry. It’s just a story. It’s just make-believe.

Well, yeah, but isn’t the point to make me believe these people & their situation really exist?

It’s stuff to think about as I start my latest WIP¦am I fully committed to the story, the characters, and the plot or am I creating a gap between my readers the the novel?