Character Growth

We all know characters need to grow in novels. The Susan Meier definition of plot even says...Plot is all the steps it takes a character to get from who he or she is at the beginning of the book (the terrible trouble, inciting incident, day/moment everything changed) to who he or she is at the satisfying conclusion.

Nothing wrong with that. It also doesn't seem too complicated. We all know characters must grow.

But do you really understand what character growth is and how some of the craziest things can mess up your character?

A character ISN'T growing if, every time he steps away from the heroine rather than kiss her, he uses the same excuse in his head.

i.e...

"But he wouldn't kiss her because his divorce had soured him on love." Next near miss, "He stepped away, tempted, but so soured on love he knew he'd never have another serious relationship." Next near miss, "Thoughts of his crappy divorce simmered in his gut. Much as he'd love to kiss her, his divorce still rankled."

They all work. They all make sense. They all provide motivation for the character's behavior. But we don't see any character growth.

So...If his divorce really is the genesis of his internal conflict...and he really shouldn't be kissing her...how do we handle it?  Can we change these three lines which will pop up in three different places in such a way that they show growth?

Yes.

I'm not going to show you how, but I'll give you some clues.

First, character growth isn't an increase in height (or weight). Second, people (themselves) really don't change. Their beliefs do.

So as you are writing about a hero who is having trouble getting involved with the heroine, HE isn't changing. His beliefs about his divorce, himself, what he wants out of life...and maybe even the heroine herself ... are evolving.

So he might not kiss her in the first encounter by simply reminding himself that since his divorce he's decided not to get involved ever again.

In almost kiss two, he'd be more tempted..maybe because she's changing his opinion of women. But the very fact that his opinion is changing would scare him...cause him to step back to examine that opinion before he did something he might regret. Hence, no kiss. But lots of demonstration that his beliefs are changing and he is evolving.

In almost kiss three, he'd have examined the fact that his opinion of women is changing so he wouldn't think of that...BUT...he might think about HER, the heroine, how a kiss might affect her. Which would demonstrate real growth for him. Because now he's not just selfishly thinking of his own broken heart, or how HE feels about women, he's considering the impact of a kiss on her.

So even though we start off with a guy who won't kiss the heroine because he's bitter about his divorce, he evolves into a guy whose feelings are changing, as his beliefs are changing. He's growing. We aren't rehashing the same stuff and readers won't feel they're back on page one!

Happy Monday

susan meier

I'm back

Anybody who follows me on twitter or facebook knows I've had a bit of a bad couple of weeks. Some things were God-awful...like my son being hospitalized and my main computer dying (still haven't replaced that so I'm on a laptop that hates me). Other things were fun like my niece's wedding. Other things we just won't mention. :)

But I'm back. And my head is full of great ideas for blogs about writing...Like this one:

Don't shy away from your scene.

I read a lot of stuff: friends' manuscripts, published books, contest entries, books for quotes...and the one thing that always amazes me is the shied-away-from scene. It's the saddest thing I see when I critique or read for contests because the author doesn't realize she's missed a chance to wow us.

I read a book about a decade ago wherein this group of paranormal creatures was preparing for battle. Tough guys were bragging. More sensitive types were praying or saying goodbyes to loved ones. They were fighting for a cause and they had to go -- but it was difficult. The build up was fantastic.

Chapter ends. I turn the page. And this is a paraphrase of what I get...

After the battle, the survivors got back on their horses and surveyed the scene...

What? No battle? But, all those wonderful characters has scores to settle and enemies to face...what happened?

We don't know. The dead were named. The author told us they had fought valiantly, but we never saw the battle.

Now, I'm not a ghoul, but when something is led up to the way this battle was, I want to see the battle.

Similarly, right after I began writing, I read a book where chapter two started off with the heroine punching out of her car, scrambling up the walk, saying, "Don't you walk away from me after what you did to me in town!"

And I'm thinking, "Oh, what did he do to her in town?"

He spins around..."You deserved what I did!"

Really? What'd he do?

"I've never been so embarrassed."

I've never been so curious.

"I should slap you..."

Slap him? Really? What the heck did he do?

I went back to chapter 1 to see if I'd missed something. I hadn't. It took four pages of banter (which was not good btw if only because it was so vague) before one of the characters actually told us what had happened in town and it was cool. I thought...Gee, why didn't you show us that scene?

I had a guess. I guessed the author was a pantser who had started that second chapter with the punched-open door and could only follow up such a dramatic character movement with some dramatic dialogue.  "Don't walk away from me after what you did to me in town." Then, after writing that, she needed to think of something the hero had done in town, and she did. She came up with something great -- without realizing that what she'd done was made the "reason" more interesting than the argument itself.

I've done that. Actually, it's very much a part of the creative process. We can't know everything about our books before we start. We also don't "get" our stories in chronological order. Sometimes we get the  "sequel" argument before the scene. If that's the case, don't panic...just write the scene! Don't try to explain it in weird dialogue that will leave the readers feel she's missing something.

But the battle? Why wouldn't an author show us a battle? Especially, a battle she'd built to? Frankly, I think the author believed her aftermath scene more important than the actual battle.

Or maybe she didn't know how to write a fight scene?

Or maybe there were so many characters involved that the scene itself would have been huge or overwhelming?

Or maybe she was squeamish about writing about blood and gore?

No matter what the reason that's not my problem as a reader.

However, when I, as a reader, get annoyed because I feel like I was left out, it IS the author's problem.

You can't be afraid of scenes. You can't be afraid of the emotions that need to be on the page, or the details needed to create a scene that's true to life.

If you're writing erotica you need to know how to write fantastic, detailed sex. If you're writing a paranormal about battling tribes of unicorns you need to know how to write about battles (and unicorns). If you're writing a romance you need to show us the steps of the characters falling in love, not skip one because you're not sure how to write it.

If I told you what I was working on right now, you would laugh yourself silly, but it's a project that interests me ... Actually, it intrigues me. Because it's suspense, not romance, I am back to the books, learning how to craft certain types of scenes. I'm researching, getting my facts straight...not figuring out how to work 'around' things that make me uncomfortable...but studying. So that when I actually write this book, I can go where the story leads me...not fake it. Not dance around the blood and guts and gore. Not use transitions that give facts but shortchange readers of the adventure.

Because in the final analysis, all books are an adventure. Falling in love is as much of an adventure for romance readers as saving the world is for thriller readers or investigating for mystery readers.

If you fake, pretend, work around, transition your way through the book, you cheat your readers but you also cheat yourself out of some of the most fun parts of writing a book.

So do the background work, albeit research or craft study, and both you and your reader will love your book. :)

Happy Monday...

And glad to be back, by the way! LOL

susan meier

Fast Draft

I've never gone to Candace Havens' fast draft class, but she did hand out a list of 10 "rules" for fast drafting that I'd read and I was intrigued by the idea of writing like the wind and getting things done so quickly.

So when a few friends and I decided last week to go full speed ahead and fast draft our books, I was excited. I liked the list. I figured I could do it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that I wasn't starting from scratch. I had an "accepted-by-Harlequin" proposal. 50 whole pages and a detailed synopsis.

I spent Monday reviewing what I had ... so I figured that would make my weekly total shabby. But, at the end of the week I had 60 brand-spanking new pages!

So now I have 110 pages of a 220 page book!

I like Candace's idea of pushing yourself so your subconscious can just go! I like the idea of not letting your internal editor make you insane. (Because we all know she can.) But I'd also listened to some pantsers talk the week before about how their endings just kind of pop up, exactly what's needed, when it's needed...and, well, I envied that.

I take so much time figuring things out (and I love that -- so I'm not going to stop) that every once in awhile I think it's good to remind ourselves that writing is supposed to be fun. And sometimes it's fun to just push and see what comes out. Free fall. Have some fun. See where your subconscious takes you!

For more info about fast drafting...here's the url for Candace's blog.

http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/blog/

Happy Monday!

susan

a little thing I like to call talent

Because this is a holiday week, I'm not much in the mood to talk about crafting...except to tell you that maybe, sometimes, you're a lot smarter than you think.

I'm teaching a class right now called Journey Steps, a no-frills guide to plotting.  And believe me, when I say it's no frills...it's no frills!

I tell each person in the class after lesson 2 or 3 to go into his or her WIP and look for the action/reaction/decision sequence. Even if they've never heard of this sequence before, most will find it working (and working well) in their manuscripts.

I like to call that talent. Instinct. :) There's a part of us that kinda sorta already knows to do this. We don't need to be "taught" just reminded.

Same is true for knowing when a journey step (which is a step in the hero or heroine's journey) needs to be an entire scene, a few pages, or maybe just a paragraph or a sentence. As I say in the workshop, if we're with the hero as he fights a barn fire do we really need to take a walk through the charred ruins to know his horses are dead?

Probably not.

But...the very fact that our instincts tell us to just give the journey step as a succinct sentence is yet another proof of talent.

We may struggle sometimes with whose POV to use for a scene or what the heck should happen next, but when we're cooking that stuff just seems to come out of thin air.

And in the end, our books work.

So since this is a holiday week and we all should be taking a break, appreciating our kids, our country, our spouses...let's also take a second or two to respect and appreciate our talent.

It's not easy to write books. If it were, everyone would be doing it. (Well, in this day and age of self-pubs a lot of folks are!) But not everyone is...So thank God for your country, your kids, your spouse and add in a thanks for your talent.

Give yourself that little bit of recognition!

Happy Monday!

susan

The Lost Importance of Bad Books

This is going to be a weird blog. At least some people will think so. If you've read the free workshop on my website, HOW TO ANALYZE THE BOOKS YOU READ, you know that I love bad books.

Really?

Heck yeah.

First off, what's bad to one person might not be bad to another. Taste is subjective. (To say the least.)

Second, before the days of indie publishing, even the worst book had been bought by an editor and that meant there was a reason she'd bought that book. I always believed if I could figure out the reason the editor bought the book, I'd also be figuring out one of the things she was "looking for" for her publisher or line.

For instance, decades ago, I read a book I considered dreadful. Though it was a romance, the hero and heroine were barely together. I thought, "Why the heck did this editor buy this book...or maybe why'd he or she publish it as a romance when it was barely a romance."

It was a real stumper until I went to a conference, back in the day when conferences were "the" place to get information, and an editor from this publisher said, "We are looking for angel books. Send us anything you have that has an angel in it." I thought...Bingo. The book I didn't believe was romancy enough had an angel. And apparently angels were selling.

Though it sounds unorthodox, if you're really trying to crack the code of what a publisher is looking for, take a look at the worst reviewed books for that publisher or line. Recognize that a review is just one person's taste. :) But then look for common denominators among those poorly reviewed books. Are they all baby stories? Funny books? Vampires? Dark. Family-oriented. Populated with secondary characters. Or maybe populated only by the hero and heroine?

Whatever the connection THAT'S what that publisher is looking for. Maybe because they see it as the next big thing? Maybe because that's what's selling for them now? Maybe because that was a specific editor's taste? Who knows? LOL Whatever the reason that's what they're buying.


I'm still a firm believer that a writer should never totally diss a bad book. Especially if it's been traditionally published. First, as I said, it may be a great book that you simply don't like -- in which case you can certainly learn from it. But, second, that book may hold the key to the "likes" or "must haves" or "want to sees" for that publisher or line.

Unless you're going indie, we're all trying to please an editor. Any crack in the code is a good one.

Happy Monday!

susan

Knowing your story

So far this year I've taught four workshops. Two on conflict. One on revising. And now we're doing Journey Steps (a no-frills guide to plotting).

Doing these four back-to-back, I noticed that I consistently tell people to write a one-sentence or one-paragraph story summary.

Why do I torture people that way?

Because you need a guide. You might not need to know details but you need at least an idea of what kind of story you're writing, the external conflicts, the big picture, so that you start your story in the right place and the right way.

If you want to get a little more specific...you can then move onto a storyboard. I love storyboards because they help me to "see" my story.

That's actually what I did all last week. I plotted out my next book on a storyboard so I could see it at a glance. Of course, first I went to Staples and bought poster board and lots of colored markers...there's no reason a storyboard can't be fun. And in the end you have a very clear picture of your story. In living color if you choose!

Little tools like these seem to take up so much time that we think it's easier to just jump into the book and start writing...esp if you have a good idea for your first chapter.

But, trust me, having a one-line explnation of your story and  a storyboard can actually save you more time than you ever expend creating them.

Plus, playing with colored markers and post-it notes is fun. :)

No matter where you are in your story right now, consider doing a storyboard. Write out your journey steps (the purpose for each scene) on a post it and slap those babies on a piece of poster board by chapter. You'll be surprised how easy it will be to write from that point on...and how easily you'll see mistakes. :( We don't like mistakes, but once we find them, we fix them and then move on.

And, really, isn't that better than struggling! (Or rereading your entire manuscript every time you forget what came before.)

Happy Monday

susan

Getting Back in the Groove

I spent last week in Virginia Beach with my family...three sisters and their families and a Whitman Sampler selection of in-laws. Not to mention, me, my husband and our son--who almost drowned, but that's another blog post.

I took an entire briefcase of work with the best of intentions of getting up before everyone and working. As it turned out, I wasn't the earliest riser and it was ... well, nice to have people to talk to over toast and coffee. (It can be very lonely to live with two adult males who believe grunting is morning conversation.)

After chatting every morning, I took a walk on the beach. I'd come back sweaty and since I was already in my suit, I'd swim. Then read, then play yatzee...well, you get the picture. Writing just didn't factor in. Except on Thursday when I had to write 2 pages or my head would have exploded.

So, here it is Monday. I'm not behind because I'd sent a proposal in the Friday before I left (LOL...sneaky, huh?). But I could have "written ahead" last week so now I'll be starting where I should have been last Monday. So I have a "behind the eight-ball" feeling.

So the first self-talk I did this morning was to remind myself of Rule #1...don't panic. So you took a off week or (or a day or even 2 weeks or a month)? This is life and sometimes life interferes. Frankly, I seriously needed a vacation. It probably did my writing mojo more good to get a break than to write when I was mentally exhausted. The same may be true for you. Sometimes you need to take a break. And sometimes life just plain won't give you time to write. Don't beat yourself up. Do not panic. Be grateful when the moment comes and you can sit down to write! Be grateful! Not grumpy. Or scared. Or panicky. Give yourself a break.

But...Rule #2...eventually you have to get back to it. And that might mean getting out a wet noodle and whipping yourself. You may indeed have to force yourself to sit in the chair and open a Word document. You may need to bribe yourself...Hey, I'll buy you an ice cream cone if you write five pages today.

But...Rule #3...don't lie to yourself. Do not give yourself the ice cream until AFTER you've written the five pages. But, also, don't tell yourself that "reading" somebody's book is writing. Email's not writing either. Neither is twitter or facebook.

Writing is writing. I count synopses. I count storyboards. I count outlines. I count real pages. I even count lists of twenty. Because they are all work that goes toward creating a story.

I do not count my ezine or even my writing workshops. They are writing of a sort but they are not work that gets me into a new fiction project/book.

Rule #4...just think how good you'll feel after you've accomplished a new outline, five pages, a synopsis. Seriously, when you sit at your computer, close your eyes, pretend you're done...no, don't pretend. Actually imagine what it will feel like when you are done. Feel the rush. Feel the relief. Feel the pride. Then think of what it would be like if you'd written ten pages or twenty...Let yourself experience the rush of happiness, confidence, success...then open your eyes and start typing! LOL

I'm about to get going myself. So maybe if I say one-two-three start, we can all begin this glorious Monday morning together?

Happy Monday!

susan