The Little Things

Stories have a tendency to be grandiose. There's nothing wrong with that in itself, but it overshadows the power of the little things. And after all, it's the little things that make up life.

How much effort does it take to hold a door open for somebody? Not a whole lot. But, what does it say about you when you hold a door open for somebody? Sometimes, it's the one thing that makes my day. It is a minuscule gesture, but it is still a gesture of kindness. And for me, knowing that somebody would choose to be kind warms my heart.

And that is the power of little things. Holding open a door for people will never change the world, but people still do it anyway. When your characters put forth effort to do something nice, you see what they truly feel. Of course, the same thing is true when they go out of their way to be jerks. People could just as easily not do those little things, but they are compelled to do it.

The little things also have another power: they can add up to become big things. Look at love. There are two ways to show somebody that you care about them. The first is a big, flashy, brilliantly thought-out and perfectly-executed romantic gesture. The other is to do little things that add up. Do those things that take no effort, but show who you are. Tell them when they look nice. Laugh when they're funny. Give them a gift for no reason other than they think they would like it.

Making the little things add up can be thought of as repetition. When a character does something inconsequential like buying lunch for friends, it's easy to ignore, but when they're doing nice things in every scene they're in, you get a feeling of comfort and happiness from them. You know you can trust them, but you don't know quite why.

That subtle, imperceptible influence is a great power in writing. If you can affect your readers without them able to know how, you are quite a magician. And people like magic. So don't forget the little things.