Yesterday I met a woman in the veterinarian's office who had a bulky English bulldog on the bench beside her. He was so ugly he was cute. Had the typical scrunched face, was snorting and doing his best to get off the bench and get to me. So, I petted him. Adorable dog. The only problem...according to this lovely woman who was in one of my Bible Study groups, is that he's always horny! She says he humps everybody's leg consistently and she doesn't know what to do with him. Even the vet had no idea how to break him. All I know is I'm sure glad she was able to keep that huge dog under control!
On the way home, I got a great idea to use this to my advantage and include it in one of my books. I'm thinking it would make a great novella story...maybe something for Easter. Wouldn't it be great if the dog belonged to a Pastor's family?
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Friday, February 03, 2012
Friday, February 11, 2011
Building Layers to Enhance Characters
I've been working on characterization to understand the motivations behind my characters. After doing so, I've developed a short paragraph around my heroine's journey.
The heroine in my upcoming release hasn't had a happy childhood. Raised in a series of foster homes, she begins to foster her own false beliefs that she will never be good enough to be loved. Her life becomes one of running away from problems, rather than facing adversity. Friends? Not really. Just acquaintances she keeps distanced from her heart. When she's involved in a terrible tragedy, guilt piles another level of protection around her. Once again she runs away and lands straight into the arms of a man who has an open and caring heart. Stranded in a small town where love is given unconditionally, she begins to hope for things she's never dared to dream. As the layers of her heart slowly peel away, she experiences the joy of being loved.Then her past roars into her new life and she regresses to flight mode. But, when a little girl becomes the target of her nemesis, she realizes she must stand and fight. For the first time in her life, someone else means more to her than running away.
I'd strongly suggest to every other pantser like me that you take time to develop your heroine's/hero's story. What makes her who she is? What has shaped her growing up years? When I first began writing I sketched out details like what color of eyes, hair, stature, mother and father, other family, favorite color, hobbies, etc. I'm not saying these aren't important, but those things weren't enough to really understand my characters. I bumbled along, learning as I wrote, and found the "dreaded middle" a horrible thing to encounter. Many times I remain stuck, trying to add "things" to move the story along. Eventually I'd get there, but along the way I lost a lot of sleep. Character templates that ask questions just don't do it for me.
I've tried, but what I come up with is superficial. If those work for you, hurray! You don't need to use my method. Well, not my method, but that of author Rachel Ballon in BREATHING LIFE INTO YOUR CHARACTERS. This book is an invaluable tool to me. For the very first time, I'm getting to know my characters intimately. This makes my writing richer and I'm hoping makes my characters jump off the page.
What tools do you use in your writing endeavors?
The heroine in my upcoming release hasn't had a happy childhood. Raised in a series of foster homes, she begins to foster her own false beliefs that she will never be good enough to be loved. Her life becomes one of running away from problems, rather than facing adversity. Friends? Not really. Just acquaintances she keeps distanced from her heart. When she's involved in a terrible tragedy, guilt piles another level of protection around her. Once again she runs away and lands straight into the arms of a man who has an open and caring heart. Stranded in a small town where love is given unconditionally, she begins to hope for things she's never dared to dream. As the layers of her heart slowly peel away, she experiences the joy of being loved.Then her past roars into her new life and she regresses to flight mode. But, when a little girl becomes the target of her nemesis, she realizes she must stand and fight. For the first time in her life, someone else means more to her than running away.
I'd strongly suggest to every other pantser like me that you take time to develop your heroine's/hero's story. What makes her who she is? What has shaped her growing up years? When I first began writing I sketched out details like what color of eyes, hair, stature, mother and father, other family, favorite color, hobbies, etc. I'm not saying these aren't important, but those things weren't enough to really understand my characters. I bumbled along, learning as I wrote, and found the "dreaded middle" a horrible thing to encounter. Many times I remain stuck, trying to add "things" to move the story along. Eventually I'd get there, but along the way I lost a lot of sleep. Character templates that ask questions just don't do it for me.
I've tried, but what I come up with is superficial. If those work for you, hurray! You don't need to use my method. Well, not my method, but that of author Rachel Ballon in BREATHING LIFE INTO YOUR CHARACTERS. This book is an invaluable tool to me. For the very first time, I'm getting to know my characters intimately. This makes my writing richer and I'm hoping makes my characters jump off the page.
What tools do you use in your writing endeavors?
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Voices, Personalities, Baggage, and Charisma!!
I'm sure, like me, you have seen many different movies, television programs, and read many, many books. I don't remember all the things that happen. I might have scenes that stand out in my memory bank, but mostly it's the characters I remember.
For instance, I loved the series of "Who's the Boss?" I can't tell you much about the silly episodes, but I remember the chemistry between Tony and Angela. Their characters are still vivid in my mind. My current favorite series is "Castle." I don't watch for the murder they solve or how they do it, but for the characters of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett. I loved Gone With The Wind, but I don't remember many scenes...just a few major ones and what keeps them fresh in my mind are the characters, Scarlet and Rhett. Without great characters, it is easy to forget.
Authors must be cognizant of making their characters come to life on a page. They must have individual voices, personalities, baggage, and charisma. We learned as toddlers to remember things by "seeing" them. A chair, a table, a nose, a smile, a dog, a cat...and the list goes on. Likewise, we remember great books by seeing the characters and the action playing out in our brain. It takes a good writer to be able to paint those pictures for the reader.
Do you have characters you remember vividly?
For instance, I loved the series of "Who's the Boss?" I can't tell you much about the silly episodes, but I remember the chemistry between Tony and Angela. Their characters are still vivid in my mind. My current favorite series is "Castle." I don't watch for the murder they solve or how they do it, but for the characters of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett. I loved Gone With The Wind, but I don't remember many scenes...just a few major ones and what keeps them fresh in my mind are the characters, Scarlet and Rhett. Without great characters, it is easy to forget.
Authors must be cognizant of making their characters come to life on a page. They must have individual voices, personalities, baggage, and charisma. We learned as toddlers to remember things by "seeing" them. A chair, a table, a nose, a smile, a dog, a cat...and the list goes on. Likewise, we remember great books by seeing the characters and the action playing out in our brain. It takes a good writer to be able to paint those pictures for the reader.
Do you have characters you remember vividly?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Haunted by Characters and Their Story
I'm diligently working on editing my manuscript. The plot wasn't working and in order to fix it, I had to change the beginning and a major part of the backstory. That, friends, means a complete rewrite. I can salvage pieces of scenes, but most of the work is new pages.
The new plot is working well, and the story is 100% better. Some writers would have shoved this aside and gone on to write a new book. I tried, but the characters and the situation kept haunting me.
What about you? Have you ever had characters and story that just had to be told, even if it meant a rewrite? How did you handle it?
The new plot is working well, and the story is 100% better. Some writers would have shoved this aside and gone on to write a new book. I tried, but the characters and the situation kept haunting me.
What about you? Have you ever had characters and story that just had to be told, even if it meant a rewrite? How did you handle it?
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