Applause! A Wimpy Kid Movie Moment

Last Friday, I saw the movie of Diary of a Wimpy Kid... and experienced a moment sure to make any author happy. "And what was that moment, Greg?" I hear you ask.

There was applause for the credit "Based on the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney."

Yes, the crowd applauded for the author and his book - the only applause in the credits, in fact (and they are END credits at that).

Maybe I'm reading into this, but my takeaway is that kids do bond with books and authors, not just with marketing. In fact, it wasn't commercials that filled the seats on Friday: it was a love of the books.

The movie is not a cinematic masterpiece, but I don't think that was its goal. Instead, I think the filmmakers understood who was gonna see this movie and not only what they'd want from it but what they'd demand from it (and what they wouldn't tolerate). It didn't attempt to expand for a bigger audience ala The Lightning Thief because, frankly, that wouldn't have made any sense here. I hope it continues to draw an audience beyond opening weekend and prove that there is room for movies like this.

Yes, Wimpy Kid is unique in that some 70,000,000 people have viewed parts of it over at Funbrain. But at the end of the day (or the end of the movie, really) the applause was for Jeff Kinney and his book.

So author friends... keep that in mind as you're writing. You do connect with your readers. And some day, perhaps, that applause will be for you and your book.

What a sweet sound that applause was, in oh so many ways!