Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 54

C is for Conflict

No story can survive without conflict.  No one wants to read about people who never have any problems.  Problems are exciting. They are fun.  They make things interesting.  (Maybe not so much in real life, but they definitely do in fiction.)

ID 57925754 © Marek Uliasz | Dreamstime.com

So today we’re going to look at the effective use of conflict.  The purpose of conflict is to provide an obstacle to the thing your character wants most.

There are many kinds of conflict that can arise.  You can throw in a lot of horrible things to delay the character from getting what they want, but I suggest focusing on one or two major things that is stopping the character from getting his happy ending.  If you throw in too many things, then you end up with a lot of side issues that have nothing to do with the actual plot.  So I suggest picking the biggest source of conflict and focusing on that.  That way the reader is focused in on that particular issue and will be more engaged with the character’s journey.

What would be a good rule of thumb for picking a source of conflict?  I suggest looking at the character’s personality and their goal.  Not all conflicts are created equal.  The conflict in question has to be something that will have the biggest impact on the character you’re writing.  It has to provide a huge enough obstacle that the character has to struggle to overcome it.

For example, let’s say you have a character who had an awesome childhood where she was readily accepted by her family and friends.  Then in your story, this woman is put in a situation where people are snickering at her.  Given her background, this isn’t a huge source of conflict.  She has no past demons to struggle with.  However, if you put in a character who grew up in a home where she never felt accepted and didn’t have any friends, then putting her in a room where people are snickering at her will be a whole lot different.  And that difference will provide the greatest impact on the character and her story.

That’s the aim in writing the character’s story.  You have to take that character’s personality and background into consideration when picking the conflict.  When tapping into the emotionally engaging character, everything is built around the character, including the conflict.  You don’t build your character around the conflict.  The difference in the two approaches is subtle, but it’s there.  And I believe focusing on the character and making everything in the story revolve around that character will make for a better story than doing it the other way around.

Whether or not the character succeeds all depends on the storyline, but I can tell you with romance, the character is going to have to succeed for the reader to be happy.  If you’re doing a thriller or horror story, then you get away with a sad ending.  In other words, the character didn’t get what they most wanted.  Or maybe the character does get it but at the expense of something equally important to him.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

B is for Bias

This is the most powerful tool in a writer’s arsenal when writing the emotionally engaging character.  Every character has to have bias in order to feel authentic.

What is bias?  I’m glad you asked because I found this great definition off of Dreamstime.com:

ID 61261966 © Alain Lacroix | Dreamstime.com

When we’re dealing with bias, we’re not concerned with the character being right.  The character can be completely wrong.  But in the character’s mind, they ARE right.

How many times have we seen people get into religious and political debates based on bias?  Facebook is full of them.  And guess what?  I’d guess the people giving their opinion on those topics believe they are right.  Sometimes it’s interesting to read through the threads and see how they justify their point of view because it gives great insight into how human nature works.

Knowing how human nature works helps us develop emotionally engaging characters because they’re easier to relate to.  The more your characters act like real people, the more emotionally engaging they are going to be.

Will letting your characters be human (with their own biases) annoy some readers?  You bet.  Why?  Because everyone who reads your book will be coming to the story with their own bias.  There’s bound to be some trait in your flawed (very human) character that is going to trigger some irritation from someone.

For example, I wrote a book a couple years ago where the reader wanted to smack the heroine for giving the hero a hard time.  Upon asking the reader if the behavior would have bothered her had the hero been doing it, she said no.  She was surprised by her own response.  But what she found out was that she’s more accepting of a man being “difficult” than for a woman to be the same way.  That is her bias that she is coming to the story with.

Another reader, by the way, loved the heroine because she didn’t put up with any crap.  She stood up for herself, and the reader respected her for that.

And this proves taste is subjective.  You can’t please everyone all the time.  All you can do is let your characters be who they are.  You are not your characters.  Your characters are their own people.  Dare to write characters who see the world from a completely different bias than you do.  This helps to keep writing fresh and will make your characters come alive in a brand new way.

An exercise that might be helpful is to close your eyes (or get out your pen) and imagine two characters who are complete opposites.  Maybe they’re sisters, and one loved their mother while another hated her.  Or take two students.  One thinks the assignment is easy and the other thinks it’s hard.  If you really want to delve into the difficult topics, dare to write two characters (both good guys) who are on opposite ends of the political spectrum with each side giving convincing arguments to justify their bias.

Compare how their bias toward a situation influences how they think.  What might their past experiences be that led to the particular bias they have?  Remember, neither side is wrong in their bias.  They are right.  It’s just the “how” they justify they’re right that is all important when you’re looking into creating authentic characters.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

A is for Antagonist

The antagonist in the story doesn’t have to be the “bad guy”.  It doesn’t even have to be a person.  It can be anything that opposes the hero (aka. protagonist).  For example, if a virus is running rampant through a town and the doctor (our hero) is fighting it, then the antagonist is the virus.  Another example, the heroine might think she’s unattractive and therefore, not deserving of the hero’s love.  In this case, her own belief in how unattractive she is the antagonist.

ID 36672433 © Dario Lo Presti | Dreamstime.com

But for the sake of this post, I’m going to focus on a character who is an antagonist.  I want to point out that the antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be “bad”.  How is this possible?  It all boils down to point of view.  When we’re looking at the emotionally engaging character, we are most interested in complex characters.

An emotionally engaging could appear to be bad when we’re in the hero’s point of view.  But, when you take a deeper look, the antagonist might actually come off as a highly sympathetic character.  This is why I love point of view so much.  It’s taken me about 5 1/2 years to finally grasp what point of view is all about.  It’s perception.  It has no basis in actual facts.  The person who tells the story determines the truth, but it’s only their version of the truth.

So when you’re in the hero’s point of view, take a look at how the hero views the antagonist.  What does he believe the antagonist’s motivations are?  Why is the antagonist someone he opposes?  What things does the antagonist do or say to make the hero perceive things the way he does?

Likewise, consider things from the antagonist’s point of view.  If you are going to truly understand the antagonist, it can help to imagine a scene or write one out where he confronts the hero.  How does he see the hero?  What things does the hero say or do that bothers (or amuses) him and why?  What is the antagonist’s version of the truth?

Most of all, are there any likable traits the antagonist possesses that the hero misses (at least for most of the story)?  It’s possible the two work out their differences.  In romance, the conflict between the hero and heroine who hate each other but later fall in love is a popular storyline.  So the antagonist might also be the hero.

Of course, there are some antagonists that don’t have any redeeming qualities.  There’s no way they can ever find a common ground with the hero.  But it’d still be intriguing if there was some sympathetic trait that the reader can relate to because the truth is, no one is 100% good or 100% bad.  We all fall somewhere in the middle.  And the same can be true for the antagonist.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

The Blogging from A – Z Challenge

I have never done this before, but I figured, “What the hey?”

So starting on Friday (April 1), I’m going to be doing daily blog posts.  This will be every day but Sunday.  I thought I’d go with the theme on writing.  I’ll pick writing different elements.

I’m going to try to make them shorter than my usual posts.  I know my tendency to ramble 1000+ words would get exhausting if I did it six days a week for an entire month.  So my goal is 500 words or less per post.

Also, I’m planning to release Her Devilish Marquess on the 17th (a Sunday), so I’ll sneak that one in to remind everyone it’s out.

To check out more about the challenge, click here.

Hopefully during this month, I’ll be able to check out a couple of new blogs I’ve never seen before, but we’ll see how much the kids and time in Omaha visiting Janet Nitsick again will allow me to do that.  (Janet and I plan to do more videos, but these will go on the blog for helping other authors, and we’ll upload them to You Tube during the course of the year.)

It’s Okay To Stand Up For Yourself

Tonight I watched one of the most horrifying things on TV I’ve ever seen.  If it was fiction, it would have been bearable, but this was something based on real life, and it made me sick to my stomach.  I don’t really want to go into what I watched, but suffice it to say a sixteen-year-old kid was pretty much coerced into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit.  They had the interrogations taped so you could view it for yourself.  I realize there are three sides to every issue (what he said, what she said, and what actually happened).  However, it was hard not to take a side on this issue.  I heard the way the investigators were asking their questions, and being a Psychology major, I picked out the ways they were forcing him to answer those questions in a certain way.  The way questions are asked does have an impact on the kind of answers you get, which is why it’s especially important to be objective when investigating a case.

Anyway, long story short, the whole time I was watching this, all I could think was, “Kids are so impressionable, and adults (esp. those in suits with badges) can be intimidating.” I remember what it was like to be sixteen and how scared I was of authority. Then I thought, it’s so easy to give in and do what others want me to do.

I have a hard time saying no.  (Not so much now, but earlier on in life, I was horrible at it.)  I’ve been a doormat.  I’ve had people take advantage of me a lot.  It’s hard not to take a stand for something you know is right.  It’s hard to say no when you know you have every right to.  It’s hard not to try to give someone something they want.  Sometimes being sensitive to others’ feelings and needs can be a bad thing because we feel guilty when we put our foot down.  Logically, we know know it’s okay, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wonder if we are “mean” when we do.

On the flip side to this, of course, are the takers of the world.  These people never feel guilty for taking advantage of others.  In fact, they find all kinds of ways to try to make you feel like the bad guy for not giving them whatever they want.  I’ve learned there is no dealing with this type.  All you can do is ignore them as much as possible.

The older I get, the easier it is to detect who the takers are.  Learning to trust that gut instinct has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.  If you’ve ever had that “This is a bad idea” feeling in your gut, ignored it, and later lived to regret it, you know what the gut instinct is all about.  I will be about to do something or meet someone, and something in the back of my mind will say, “Don’t do it.  You’re going to regret it.”  Then when I tell someone (like my husband), “This isn’t a good idea.  We shouldn’t do it.”  He’ll ask me, “Why?” And honestly, I can’t tell him.  “It’s just a feeling,” I’ll say.  And he’ll look at me like I’m nuts.

So yes, I get it.  Some of you will have no idea what I’m talking about.  But I’m betting there are some of you who do.

It might seem irrational to go with that gut instinct, but I’ve found it has resulted in bad results every time I ignored it.  When I trusted it, things went way better.  This is true for people, for writing, and other areas of my life.  I will just “know” when something is right and “know” when something is wrong.

But anyway, I digress.  The whole purpose of this post was to encourage those of you who are givers (those who often will give to everyone before you even think of yourself) that it’s okay to think of yourself, too.  Yes, it’s good to care about people and do what you can to help, but there should be limits.  When you start to feel you’re being taken advantage of, that’s a warning sign.  When you start to feel guilty for not doing something and a trusted friend tells you that you have no reason to feel guilty, this is another warning sign.  Often others we love and trust can see things in a clearer light than we can.

There’s a balance between being a giving person and being taken advantage of.  The goal is to find the balance.  You don’t want to be selfish, but you don’t want to be a doormat either.

I guess this post really didn’t have much to do with the opening paragraph, but it helped to get it off my chest.  My advice, for what it’s worth, is to give your kids/grandkids a long hug tonight (if you have them) because you never know if something bad is going to end up happening to them out of their gullibility about the world.  It’s important they have someone they know loves them no matter what.  You can try to guide them and warn them, but I also know we can’t be there with them all the time to protect them from everything.  There are so many things I wish I had done differently when I was younger.  (I’m 41 now, so I still have a ways to go.)  But still, I like to think I’m getting wiser about things as I get older.

Okay, I’ll stop rambling now.

How An Author Decides What Book To Write Next

Intro:

I’ve gotten a few inquiries over the last couple months about writing a book in the Montana Collection.  For those unfamiliar with this series, the books in it are Mitch’s Win, Boaz’s Wager, and Patty’s Gamble.  The book would be a fourth one in the series, and it would be titled Shane’s Deal.

I’ve also gotten questions about more books in the Wild Hearts Series.  The first book is The Stagecoach Bride (a co-authored book with Stephannie Beman).

ID 22568038 © Odua | Dreamstime.com (For the record, I buy every single picture I use in my blog posts because I want to support the photographer. Photographers, like authors, deserve to be paid.)

The purpose of this post:

The purpose of this post is to explain what an author has to consider when deciding which book will be written next.

And yes, it really does come down to money.

Alright, so the best way I can explain this is that money plays a very big factor in what book will get written next.  I know there’s the “writing for the sake of art” argument, but authors don’t live off of the “art” sentiment.  They don’t pay their bills, feed their families, or pay taxes if they write books that don’t sell well.  Writing is a business, but it’s a business most writers love doing.

I love writing.  I don’t invest my time in a book I’m not passionate about writing.  BUT (and this is the key), I have to believe the book will yield enough sales in order to take the risk on writing it.  There are a ton of ideas I have that will never see the light of day, and the reason for it is because I don’t believe they have the potential to help me pay for bills, buy food, pay taxes, etc.  Remember, 47% of everything I make goes right out the door and into taxes (federal and state).  So I have to make about double the amount I pay into taxes in order to support my family.  When you’re pricing books at $0.99 and $2.99, this is not an easy task.

I’ve been keeping my prices low because I know a lot of people who are struggling.  We are all on limited incomes.  I can’t buy everything I want.  I don’t personally know anyone else who buys everything they want, either.  I have to watch my budget very carefully.  In fact, I’ve decided not to attend the RT Convention in Las Vegas because I can’t afford it.  I have also decided I won’t be going to any more conferences for the time being.  They’re expensive, especially given the traveling, lodging, and food expenses.  I clip coupons and I watch every dollar I spend.  So yes, everyone is on a limited income.  But I will save up and spend money for things I value, and yes, I do support authors I enjoy by buying their books.  If I don’t vote with my dollar(s), how will that author know the book was a success and that I want more like it?

So here’s why some books get written and others don’t:

I have to write what I believe has the very best chance of selling.  And that requires me to make some very hard decisions.  These are decisions I don’t like, but I don’t believe in digging my head in the sand and pretending everything is going to butterflies and cute little puppies.  I’m a realist.

The simple fact is, Shane’s Deal doesn’t have the potential I need in order to write it right now.  The Montana Collection does okay.  It’s not my best selling series.  It’s not my worst either.  So it’s on the “when I get to it” shelf.

I handed the Wild Heart Series over to Stephannie Beman because my co-authored projects don’t sell as well as those I write on my own. (This also includes the anthologies I’ve done with other authors.)  Stephannie Beman said she’ll be happy to write the rest of the series, but (and this is important), she needs some monetary reasons to do so.  So if you enjoy the book, please spread the word about it to people who’ll buy it so she’ll want to continue writing it.  She can’t work for free any more than I can.

These are hard decisions to make:

I’m not trying to be mean by not following up with additional books in these series.  The reality is that the sales on these books have not proven to me that there is enough of a demand for them.  If someone is providing a product that isn’t making enough money to stay in business, that person is either going to provide a different product, raise the price, or give up.

I’m really trying as hard as I can to keep my price at $2.99 for new books.  I’m not at the point where I’m going to quit writing at this point in time.  Right now I’m doing everything I can to keep doing this because it’s what I love.  But the day might come when I’ll have to raise the price to $3.99 or walk away from this and get another job.  That’s just how things go.  It’s how it goes for every author.

If you have a favorite author, here’s the best way to support him/her:

I’m making this pleas on behalf of all authors out there who work hard to produce a well-written, compelling story.  Here are some things we really need if we’re going to keep writing the books you enjoy.

 Please show your support by buying their book.
Spread the word to your friends and/or reading groups.  Word of mouth is something we can’t do.  You are the only person who has creditability with the people in your life to be able to say, “Hey, this book is worth buying.”
Please don’t ask us for free books.  The majority of us already have put up free books for you to read.  If we’re not worth your money, then fine, don’t buy our books.  Move on to an author who is worth your money.  But don’t come to us hoping to get more free books from us.

Here’s why authors don’t believe the “I can’t afford it” line.

I once had someone on Facebook gush on and on about how much she loved my books, but since she was broke, she couldn’t afford to buy any of them.  (Mine are priced at $0.99 and $2.99).  Guess what?  A month later, she made a post on her Facebook timeline about this incredible book she BOUGHT for $7.99.  It was fiction.  It was a historical romance.  Just like the kind I write.  But by a different author.

Another case in point: someone messaged me and said, “You’re my favorite author.  I just love your work.  But I’m on a limited income, and I can’t afford to buy Eye of the Beholder.  Can you please, please, please gift it to me?” (Eye of the Beholder, by the way, is only $0.99.)  About a week later, I see this person make a post about a brand new movie she PAID to see on a Friday night.  And guys, I don’t have to tell you how expensive those movies are when they’re new in the theater, do I?

These are just two examples of the many I’ve personally witnessed since I got started in this business in 2009.  And it’s not just me this happens to.  I’ve heard of other examples from many other authors in a variety of groups (on Facebook, forums, in private emails, and in person at conferences).  This is a widespread scam.

So I have a very hard time believing anyone who tells me they are too broke to buy a $0.99 or $2.99 book.   And I suspect other authors have a hard time believing this as well.  The truth is, you will buy something if you value it.  As authors, we will only write the books that have enough “value” to people.  So that’s why some books never get written.

Conclusion: 

I hope I didn’t come off as sounding rude in this post.  That wasn’t my intent.  My intent was to explain why authors need a financial reason to want to write the next book.   If the money is there, we will write it.  If not, we won’t.  When there are a finite number of hours in the day, we can’t afford to waste our time on things that won’t yield the greatest financial result.  It’s not rude.  It’s just being realistic about how the business really works.

Updates on What I’m Doing

Her Devilish Marquess (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 2)  is with my awesome editing team!

Click here to reserve your copy today!

I’m aiming for an April 16 release date, which puts me three weeks ahead of schedule.  So that’s very cool.  In many ways, this book acts as a bridge between Book 1 (His Wicked Lady) and Book 3 (The Earl’s Wallflower Bride), especially with the events happening at White’s.  I know these are romances, but I probably enjoy all the scenes at White’s the most because that is where the funnest interplay between the heroes occur.  Best of all, the ongoing theme with White’s can span across multiple series in the Regency world, which means I get to revisit old characters.

The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (Chance at Love Series: Book 2) is halfway done, and it has taken a turn I hadn’t expected.

Click here to reserve your copy today!

Originally, I expected Abe Thomas (hero in Book 1, The Convenient Mail Order Bride) to be the key person in revealing what happened in Caleb’s past.  Caleb in the seven-year-old African American boy the heroine finds abandoned on the streets on her way to meet the hero, Eric Johnson (the sheriff).  The reason I picked Abe was because his parents weren’t married and he’s not 100% white.  I thought he and Caleb would be a good fit in that Abe would help Caleb talk and heal from the events in his past.  I know what happened to Caleb, but I don’t want to throw out any spoilers in this book.

As it turns out, I don’t think I’ll be able to answer the question of what happened to him in this book at all.  I think it’ll take Book 3 (The Accidental Mail Order Bride) to be able to do it.  The hero in Book 3 is a recluse and has scars on him from a childhood incidence of chickenpox (though for the sake of the time period, I call it varicella).  I’m starting to think Caleb opening up is actually going to work only if he helps someone else overcome their insecurities.  In other words, in order to heal, he is going to have to heal someone first.

We will see if things play out the way I’m starting to think they will.

I still think June 5th will be the release date for this one.

I’m working on The Earl’s Wallflower Bride (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 3) to get it out this year.

NO COVER YET

But I do have a pre-order link

After finishing up with Her Devilish Marquess, I went right into the next book in this Regency series.  I want to write it while the series is fresh in my mind.  I’m at chapter 4 where the poor heroine realizes she can’t get out of her marriage to Lord Steinbeck (aka. Warren).  I’m starting to understand why Lord Steinbeck is the way he is in His Wicked Lady and Her Devilish Marquess, but I also realize he needs to lighten up–a lot.  It’ll be interesting to see how he gets there.

I’m hoping to have this out this summer, though I’m still putting January as the release month.  Until I have a firm date this summer, I’m keeping the January one in place.  There’s no sense in moving release dates around.

I’m now at chapter 7 in The Marriage Agreement (Pioneer Series: Book 2)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

This one has been one of those books where I’m not exactly sure what happens from one scene to another.  The main characters, Jesse and Laura, are about to marry, and they’ve decided to do it at Ma and Pa Larson’s place.  It turns out there’s a lot resistance to them getting married.  I’m not sure what will happen after they do, beyond irritable Mrs. Shaw giving Laura trouble.  That’s why this book has been so slow to write.  It’s harder to figure out, but at least it’s faster than Wagon Trail Bride is.

A Scene in The Marriage Agreement that is Inspired by Real Life

Laura just barely ducked in time to miss the biscuit Joel flung at Tom at the dinner table. She couldn’t believe it. For an eight-year-old, Joel had a strong arm! The biscuit landed right on Tom’s jaw and sent him tipping back in his chair. If Laura hadn’t been sitting next to him, she wouldn’t have been able to straighten his chair in time, thereby stopping him from falling to the floor. Who knew what mess he would have made if his feet had hit the table?

“Joel!” Mrs. Larson gasped as she bolted to her feet. “What is the meaning of this?”

“He was looking at me funny,” Joel said, pointing to Tom, who was rubbing his jaw and moaning in pain.

With a groan, Sally glared at her little brother. “You threw food at him because he gave you a funny look?”

“He does it on purpose,” Joel argued, crossing his arms. “He sits over there for every meal and looks at me as if I have something stuck between my teeth.”

Laura glanced from Joel to Tom. The two sat on opposite sides of the table and diagonally from each other. Sally had told her that their parents had chosen this particular arrangement because it meant the two couldn’t kick each other under the table or touch each other. But it seemed no matter where they placed them, the two brothers still found a way to get in trouble.

Mrs. Larson looked at Mr. Larson, silently begging him to help.

Mr. Larson placed his napkin on the table and gave both boys a pointed look. “If you can’t sit at the table and eat the meal in peace, you can go to bed hungry. Now, are you going to finish the rest of this dinner in peace, or are you done?”

“He started it,” Joel said.

“Did not,” Tom replied indignantly.

“Did, too,” Joel argued.

“I didn’t ask who started it,” Mr. Larson intervened. “I don’t care who did what or when. All I care about is stopping this right now.”

After a moment, both boys relented and turned back to their meals.

The above is what I pretty much go through every night when I’m having dinner with my family, and I decided to capture this ongoing drama in The Marriage Agreement.

Click here to reserve your copy today!

Two, in particular, are notorious for doing and saying anything and everything to antagonize the other.  These are my 10 and 12 year olds.  I’d say the 12-year-old is more like Joel, and the 10-year-old is more like Tom. The oldest (now 13) pretty much stays out of the whole thing, which is similar to Dave.  The 11-year-old likes to point out who is causing all the trouble, but he has a bit of Joel in him because he’ll kick different people under the table and blame it on one of his brothers.

And do you think a warning works with these kids?  Well, let’s see how this scene from The Marriage Agreement continues….

Sally shook her head. “We’re sorry you had to witness this, Laura. Brothers are the worst. And you’d think since Tom’s sixteen, he’d know better.”

“Whoa,” Dave, the thirteen-year-old, piped up. “I did nothing to get in trouble.”

Sally’s eyebrows rose in a way that meant to challenge him. “You’re just as bad as Tom and Joel. I’ve heard you competing with them in your burping and farting contests.”

Eleven-year-old Jenny gagged. “I’m trying to eat.”

Sally smiled as if Jenny had just proven her point. “See? Jenny is disgusted by it because she’s a girl. I swear, boys have no redeeming value at all. Sometimes I think I’d be better off living my life as a spinster. Who needs all this to deal with for the rest of her life?”

Mrs. Larson waved her fork at Sally. “It seems to me you were prettying yourself up last Sunday in hopes Jimmy would notice you at church.”

“Ha!” Joel cried out and stuck his tongue out at his sister.

Sally’s face went red, but to her credit, she refused to admit had a weakness for members of the opposite sex. Instead, she said, “I’m no longer concerned about Jimmy.”

Joel smirked. “Because he asked Annie if he could court her.”

“No,” Sally began. “I got close to him and realized he smells awful.” She turned her gaze to Laura and added, “That’s another thing about living with a bunch of boys. They never wash up, and they often wear the same clothes for days. Sure, it saves on laundry, but it smells worse in here than it does in the barn.”

“That’s enough, Sally,” Mr. Larson said. “You’re eighteen. You won’t be living here much longer.”

“You’re father’s right,” Mrs. Larson added. “Whether you want to admit it or not, soon you’ll meet someone and fall in love with him, and then you’ll want to marry him and start a family of your own.”

“I can only hope he knows how to change his clothes and manages to keep his farts and burps to himself,” Sally muttered.

Mrs. Larson let out a heavy sigh, and Sally took that as a warning to stop complaining.

Laura found the whole thing fascinating. She’d been an only child, so she had no idea what it was like for people who had brothers and sisters. While the boys were definitely a source of frustration to Sally and, to a lesser extent, Jenny, Laura thought the family was a happy one.

Everyone felt free to voice their opinion, and even if others didn’t agree with it, there was still the underlying sense of love in the group. Laura hadn’t realized such a thing was possible. Too bad things weren’t the same in her family.

She wondered if she might have this kind of thing with Jesse. Granted, she and Jesse weren’t marrying for love like Mr. and Mrs. Larson did. Theirs would be a marriage in name only. But she thought he was a good friend, and she felt they got along well enough to make a happy home for Elliot. Elliot wouldn’t have brothers and sisters like the Larsons did, but she and Jesse would treat him differently than the way her parents treated her. And that right there was a big improvement.

From next to her, Tom crossed his eyes at Joel. This, in turn, led to Joel pointing his finger at Tom and shrieking, “He’s doing it again!” in a pitch so high that only a young boy could manage it.

Laura’s ears rang, and she blinked back the water filling up her eyes. Thank goodness she was sitting next to Tom instead of Joel. She could only imagine how much worse it’d be to have to deal with that shrill tone when it was directly in her ear.

“Both of you, out,” Mr. Larson told Tom and Joel.

Tom gasped. “I didn’t even look at him.”

“I don’t care if you did or not,” Mr. Larson said. “I’ve had it with you two. It’s bad enough when you do it when it’s just us, but we have company.” He gestured to Laura. “The least you can do is be on your best behavior for her sake.  Apologize to her then do your chores.”

Tom and Joel both apologized before leaving the room. From there, the rest of the meal went along peacefully.

The script pretty much plays out the same every single night of the week in my house.

So are authors ever inspired by real life events when they write their books?  Oh yeah.  Remember A Husband for Margaret?  Those kids were based off my own sons when they were younger.  I write this all down so I don’t forget.  Someday when my kids are grown up with kids of their own, they’ll claim they never acted up.  All I’ll have to do to prove they did is pull out the book and show them how they were as kids.  (Sometimes being a writer has its perks.) ;)

The Emotionally Engaging Character: Tapping into Sorrow

I’m going to give an example of how you can tap into a specific emotion when you’re writing in your character’s point of view.  The emotion I’ve picked is sorrow.

The important thing to remember in all of this is that the character needs to bring you to the emotion.  You don’t bring the emotion to your character.  There’s a subtle difference between the two approaches.

In the first approach, the character is the one in charge.  Everything you write stems from what the character reveals to you as you’re writing the story.  The character is free to be who they truly are, without any restraints from you.

In the second approach, you are telling the character what they should be feeling and how they should react based on that feeling.  You are the one leading the story, not the character.

The emotionally engaging character is the one in full control of the story.  The character sets the tone for everything, and you are simply there to record what is happening.  To me, this is the most effective way of bringing your reader into the story.

Keep that in mind as you delve into tools that can help you convey what the character is thinking and feeling.

So let’s look at sorrow.  If you’re having trouble coming up with things to help show the reader this emotion, I suggest sitting down ahead of time to write out possible thoughts and actions that usually coincide with sorrow.  If you need inspiration, I recommend watching a sad scene from a movie, reading a sad scene from a book, or listening to a sad song.  It has to be one that brings you down to the pit of despair.  Unless you can go into the very depths of sorrow, you won’t be able to connect with the character who is going through it.

As a quick example, let’s say you wrote out this ahead of time:

Sorrow

Possible actions – cry, gulp, sigh in despair, shoulders slump
Possible thoughts – “Why wasn’t I watching where I was going?” “All I wanted to do was give you the perfect day” “What’s the point in trying when I keep failing?””Please don’t leave me.” “How am I going to tell him/her the bad news?”

Now let’s say, you’re writing your story.  The father was taking his son to the park when he got into a car accident.  The son ended up in the hospital and the doctor’s prognosis isn’t good.  If you’re struggling to come up adequate ways of describing his pain, you can refer to the list above to help get things going.

Sam squeezed Jesse’s hand, but the fragile hand of his four year old was still limp.  He swallowed the lump in his throat.  How could  a simple trip to the park end up so badly?  If only he hadn’t been trying to text his boss he’d have the work done by Monday morning…  Maybe he would have seen the driver zoom right through the stop sign in time to stop.

“I’m sorry, Jesse,” he whispered, his voice cracking.  He blinked back his tears and waited until he could talk without breaking down completely before he continued.  “All I wanted to do was give you a perfect day, and I ruined it.  Just like I ruin everything.”

The snippet above did go differently than I originally thought it would when I started it.  Originally, Sam was supposed to be outside the room, watching Jesse through the window as the doctors worked on him.  I had pictured Sam as one of those uninvolved fathers who felt obligated to take his son out to the park because his ex-wife was nagging him about not spending any time with his son (hence the text to his boss).

But then Sam decided he wanted to be an involved parent who is still married, and (though I didn’t have time to put it in) his wife is on a business trip so she can’t be there at the moment.  Though, the last sentence does suggest there are marital problems, which would be further explored if I were to continue writing Sam’s story.

Also, Jesse was originally eight, not four.

So the character (Sam) told me what he wanted, and I just went with it.  For me, writing in the character’s point of view and letting the character lead me works like this.  It’s why I don’t plot.  I can’t.

This method won’t work for everyone.  I don’t believe there is any one method that fits all writers.  This is just one idea for anyone who is struggling to write an emotionally engaging character.

If you have more ideas, feel free to mention them.  I think like a panster, not a plotter.  I don’t sit down and write out actions and thoughts ahead of time for a scene.  I listen to music that fits that scene and let things evolve as they will.  I honestly don’t know how to explain how to do that, so I’m hoping the one I did above is better. :)

Questions for the Larsons: Part 3

Kerry says: I love them all, but I would like to know where do you find inspiration.

Ruth Ann Nordin, taken years ago but still the favorite picture, despite the towels hanging on the deck behind her.

Ruth says: Thank you, Kerry.  I play the “what if” game.  That’s what originally inspired me to write An Inconvenient Marriage.  I was writing Falling In Love With Her Husband (the first romance I ever wrote), and I thought, “What if my hero and heroine were forced into a marriage and had no desire to ever be intimate?” You see, in Falling In Love With Her Husband, the hero had loved the heroine and had always wanted to be intimate with her.  But in An Inconvenient Marriage, I got to write the book where neither hero nor heroine wanted to be together.

Eye of the Beholder was inspired by the idea of a homely looking woman, who was faced with a lot of rejection, going out west to marry a man she never met in hopes of having children.  Going in, I knew the hero’s brothers would make fun of her in some way, but I wasn’t sure how.  Also, at the time, Neil Craftsman was supposed to be the hero.  (If he’d been the hero, the Larson family would have been the Craftsman family.)  But while I was writing the original version of the train station scene, I thought, “Would the book be better if Neil rejected her?” After thinking about it for a day or two, I went back to the story and rewrote the whole scene.  That’s how Dave Larson took Neil’s place.  Then I went back and wrote in the scene where Dave goes to the mercantile and decides to check out the bride Neil was expecting at the station.  The rest just fell into place.

So the inspiration works like that.

***

Leona says: I like the Larsons but more interest lies with their sister (Sally) and how she felt about her brothers.

Sally Larson

Sally Larson:  I’m so glad you asked because I was the oldest girl.  Yes, Richard was older than me, but he was no help at all.  To him, cleaning a plate meant rinsing it off (without soap) and throwing it back on the shelf (without drying it first).  That left the bulk of the cleaning up to me.  All I can say is brothers are the worst.  They thought burping and farting were fun.  They played stupid games like “who can stink the worst?”  And don’t think Richard and Dave are innocent in all of this.  Yes, it seems like those two are angels because Ruth portrays them that way, but believe me, they were just as bad as Tom and Joel.  They just knew how to hide it better.  If it weren’t for Jenny, I don’t think I would have kept my sanity.

***

This question came in from my blog (from anonymous): I have something I have to say about the Larson series. I fell in love with the series because of Mary. There aren’t many books out there about ugly ducklings, but I have a very imporant question. How come every time you write about Dave, he seems so boring? He seemed fun and interesting, but now futher in the series, he seems dull. Why? Are you planing on writing abook about Joe? My neiece and I really enjoy it and want to know what happens. You are our favorite author. Thanks for writing these amazing books.

Ruth’s favorite pic (if only her hair still looked this great) LOL

My answer: This is a great question about Dave because it helps to demonstrate how point of view works.  I often have writers coming by this blog, so I think your question will help them.

According to Dave’s brothers and sisters, he’s boring.  They look at him, and he just seems like a lump on a log.  He’s more like a decoration piece than an actual participant in the action. He just comes and goes, occasionally saying something, and then he leaves.  He doesn’t really interact with his brothers and sisters.  He’s more of a loner, and while he’s not terribly shy, he does feel as if he got “lost” as a middle child.

I really think what makes him dynamic is Mary.  Mary brings out the part of him that enables him to be someone important.  Sometimes it’s the person we’re with and the way we see them that make them interesting.  According to Mary’s point of view, Dave is the most fascinating person who ever lived.  He was the only man who took the time to look beyond her appearance to see her as she truly was.  And, I think love makes people see the one they love in a magical way.

As for Joe’s story, I plan to have it out around next spring.  I already have his book cover:

In case anyone is wondering, Groom for Hire is Book 3 in the Pioneer Series.  (Book 1 was Wagon Trail Bride.  Joe was the one leading the group on the trail.)

And if anyone is wondering about the basic plot, here it is: When asked to lead another wagon train West, a man offers Joe Otto money to marry his daughter so she won’t have to go on the trails without the protection of a husband.

I’m hoping for March or April 2017.

***

That finishes up the Larson questions!

Photo credits:

Sally Larson: ID 37771458 © Syda Productions | Dreamstime.com

Ruth Ann Nordin: taken by her oldest kid who was given a chocolate bar in return for taking the picture