Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 55

Updates on What I’m Doing

Bonus Material from the Nebraska Series is Now Available

Here’s the link if you want to get your copy

These feature blog posts with the Larson family (especially Dave, Joel, and Tom) that I wrote back in 2011-2012.  Remember that time when Dave Larson tried to rewrite the ending to Isaac’s Decision?  Remember when Dave, Tom, Joel, Rick, Owen, and Neil competed for the slot of “Best Nebraska Hero”?  Remember when Dave was “kidnapped”, and I ended up suing him for pain and suffering?  All of that is in this book.  Those were all good times.

It’s only $0.99.  I included some of the pictures.  I couldn’t include all of the pictures due to restrictions on how much Smashwords and Amazon would allow when I uploaded the file.  I think 15MB was the cap.  I started out with 30MB, so I had to trim back a lot.  But I was able to put in the best pictures, like Joel Larson in swimming trunks. ;)

I finished the first draft of Her Devilish Marquess

(Book 2 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

This means I can push up the release date.  Originally, it was going to let it go to May 8, but since I was able to finish it early (which I hadn’t expected last month), I can move the date up.  At the moment, I’m working through initial edits.  I don’t know when the new release date is yet.  It depends on when I get the book back from my editing team.

The hero of this book:

This book didn’t go the way I expected it to at all, which is why I’ll never be a plotter.  But things worked out, and I’m happy with the way it went.  The hero (Dr. Westward from The Earl’s Stolen Bride) turned out to be a total sweetheart who had a hard time keeping his mouth shut around prominent members of the Ton.  I notice Lady Cadwalader has been pretty much the most influential member of the Ton in all of my Regency books, and in this book, Dr. Westward (aka the Marquess of Dodsworth) tells her exactly what he thinks of her.  To be honest, it was one of the funniest scenes I’ve done in a long time.  So while the hero is really a lovable guy, he has a way of blurting things out that shock a lot of people.

The ongoing conflict at White’s:

One thing that wasn’t prepared for was the ongoing subplot that seems to be continuing through the entire Marriage by Arrangement Series.  In Book 1 (His Wicked Lady) we start off with the conflict at White’s between the gentlemen who want it to be free of wagers, gambling, and scandalous propaganda VS. the gentlemen who don’t.  So it all started with the vote for the infamous book on how to pleasure a lady (which has been an ongoing thing in all of the Regencies series) and continues on in Her Devilish Marquess with gentlemen starting to divide up into the two groups I mentioned above.  Malcolm Jasper (hero in His Wicked Lady) and Lord Toplyn (aka. Logan, hero in Ruined by the Earl) play a suitable role in this conflict.  Lord Edon (aka Ethan, hero in A Most Unsuitable Earl) and Mr. Robinson (aka Christopher, hero in His Reluctant Lady) also appear quite a bit.

All Regencies I write connect with each other:

One thing in particular I really enjoy about the Regencies is that the series are interconnected.  Since all of the books take place in the same world, it’s really an ongoing overall development.  Depending on which characters will add to the plot is how I pick who  to bring back.  I’ve grown attached to all of my characters, so if I can bring them in again, it’s like spending time with an old friend.

I’m 1/3 of the way into The Mistaken Mail Order Bride

(Book 2 in the Chance at Love Series)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

June 5 is the anticipated release date.  I don’t think I can bump this one up because it’s already March.

I’m at chapter 7, and the plot is going along smoothly so far.  I’ve already brought in the hero for Book 3 (The Accidental Mail Order Bride), and soon I’ll be bringing in Abe and Phoebe from Book 1 (The Convenient Mail Order Bride).  I don’t know how much Carl hero for Book 4 (The Bargain Mail Order Bride) will be in this book, but I do have to kill off his current wife to make way for Book 4.  So I guess we will see Carl.

I got the idea for Carl when someone on Facebook told me she’d love to see another redeemed character, similar to Neil Craftsman. :D  I’m looking forward to working with him.  I already know the end to Carl’s story, although I’m not sure how Books 2 and 3 in this series will end.  However, “how” I’ll get the end of Carl’s story is the mystery.

I love writing without knowing how things will play out ahead of time.  The unexpected twists and turns is what makes writing so much fun.

There’s still a ways to go in The Marriage Agreement

(Book 2 in the Pioneer Series)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

I’ve been hovering at the 10K word mark, which means I’m not anywhere near finishing this one.  Since this one is going with my awesome publisher, Parchment & Plume, I’m keeping the August 7th release date.  That one is fixed for this book.

I started The Earl’s Wallflower Bride

(Book 3 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series)

This one is very brand new in what I’m writing.  I don’t even have a cover for it yet.  I currently have the release date set at January 15.  I don’t expect it to take that long to publish, but I like to give myself a lot of wiggle room so I don’t have to push pre-order dates back.

The heroine here is Lady Iris who was in His Wicked Lady.  She’s the one who was at the dinner party where Regan (heroine in His Wicked Lady) told her to dump Lord Steinbeck because he was ignoring her.  So Lady Iris did dump him.  But guess who she got matched up with in an arranged marriage?  Yep.  Lord Steinbeck.  It should be fun to watch how this plays out.

Anyway, I created a Book Launch page for it with a couple of pre-order links and also included some comments from both Lady Iris and Lord Steinbeck.

The Emotionally Engaging Character Post 4: An Exercise in Being Aware of Your Own Emotions

I don’t know how well I can adequately explain the technique, but the idea is to become your characters.  When you’re in their point of view, you let them tell their story through you.  It doesn’t matter if you agree with them or if you would do the same thing they want to do.  This is their story, and they are the ones in control.  I think what it all boils down to is being able embrace the fact that your characters might be very different from you.

ID 53727302 © Iqoncept | Dreamstime.com

As I was debating how to do this post, I thought maybe it’d be good to begin with homework.  Now, I want this to be fun, so you get to pick the movies, books, and/or songs.

Here’s what I’d like you to do.

Pick 2-3 of your favorite movies and/or books.  If you want, you can focus in on key scene from the movies/books. 

While you’re watching or reading, make notes of what the triggers are and how you react to them.  A trigger is any event that takes you from apathy and makes you feel something. Then write what emotions you’re feel because of the event.  Include physical reactions you experience.  Often, the physical reactions will clue you in to the emotions that go along with it.  Human beings are complex.  What we think affects our emotions which, in turn, leads to a physical reaction.

For example, one of my favorite scenes of all time is from the movie Cars.  It’s during the final race, and The King is bumped off the track.  Lightning McQueen gives up the trophy in order to help him to the finish line.  I found it You Tube and will post it here in case you haven’t seen it.

(This clip is 1 minute and 42 seconds.)

The trigger is The King being bumped off the track.  Lightning McQueen reacts by going back for him.  Why would he do that?  What emotions might he be feeling in order to do that?  This is the emotion we’re looking at, and your answer might be different from mine, which is okay.  I’m guessing the emotion you feel while watching this will vary depending on the genre you prefer to write.

At the moment of the trigger event (The King being bumped off), I experienced a moment of shock as in “Did that really just happen?” Then I felt heartbroken when McQueen stopped.  Then I teared up because I was deeply touched by McQueen’s compassion when he went back for The King.  Then I smiled as the two went through the finished line.  Then I laughed when McQueen said, “It’s just an empty cup.”

So you can experience a wide range of emotions from a single trigger event. The key is “why” you feel this way and how that feeling affects you physically.  You’ll be wanting to tap into these things while you’re in your character’s point of view.

Sit down and listen to a variety of songs.

I don’t think the number of songs is important.  What matters is that you pick ones that cover a wide range of emotions.  Pick songs that cover sorrow (usually soft and slow, can make you cry), anger (usually edgy), calm/relaxed (again slow but without the depressing tone that goes with sorrow), love (usually soft and light), passion (usually has a sensual beat), happy (usually upbeat and light), and funny (also upbeat and light).  If there are other emotions you can pick out in the songs you like, add them to this list.

The idea here is to close your eyes and listen to each song, but do them one at a time.  After listening to the one song, play it again, and this time make notes on how you are reacting to the song (emotionally and physically).  This is similar to the exercise above where I gave the example from the movie Cars.

Do this for each song, and take your time.  I think there’s something in music that has the ability to tap deeper into our emotions than other mediums.  You’re hearing music, the lyrics (which is a story), and you’re forced to create an image of the song in your mind.   Best of all, songs are short in nature, and this exercise should go fairly fast.  This allows you to cover a wide range of emotions quickly.  If you need to take a break between songs, though, go ahead.  Sometimes it can take a while to get out of funk if a song seriously depresses you.

If anyone has trouble coming up with some songs to express a certain mood, let me know and I’ll share a link from You Tube.

***

If anyone would like to share something from the notes they took, I’d love to hear what you came up with.   As fiction writers, our goal is to create characters that feel deeply, and the best way to do that is to be open to experiencing all of our own emotions.

 

 

 

Authors Work Hard and Should Get Paid a Fair Price for their Work

I wasn’t sure what to title this post.  It could have been many things because so many emotions are whirling around in me.  I know I have more posts to do on the Emotionally Engaging Character, and I will get to those.  I also have the last Larson questions post to put up.

I’ve been putting off doing this kind of post because I felt it was going to ruffle feathers.  I don’t really like confrontation.  I stay away from political and religious stuff because of it, especially on Facebook where people seem to argue all the time.

But there comes a time when a person reaches a place where they are just going to have to come out just respond to emails, Facebook messages, Twitter messages, and blog comments.  This has nothing to do with politics or religion.  This has to do with the value of an author’s work and getting compensated for it.

The comments I’ve been getting:

Over the past year, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had people write to me and say stuff like, “I will only read your books if they’re in KU.” Or “I’m on a limited income.  Do I really have to buy your books?” Or “It’s not like you’re the author of Fifty Shades of Grey or some other big name author.  No offense, but I can’t see putting money on a book unless the author is a bestseller.”  (I’m not quoting word for word.  I’m giving you the gist of the comments.)

Today, I thought I’d take this post to state my replies to each of the above.  Since some of  you who made such comments to me read this blog, I figure this is the perfect place to reply.  Then I respond to everyone at once.

Here we go…

First of all, not everyone reads from the Amazon store.  Some people prefer Barnes & Noble, some from Kobo, some from Smashwords, and some from iBooks.  KU requires an author to go exclusive with Amazon.  That means, I can’t be on the other retailers where people prefer to read their books.  If I go into KU, I am pretty much telling everyone who reads at those other retailers that I don’t care about them.

“Tell them to get the Kindle App on their device,” is an argument I often hear.  My reply to that, “No  I’m not going to tell someone to buy from a place they don’t want to shop at.” People have a right to shop where they want, and it’s not my job to tell them otherwise.

Yes, I get your point if you’re in KU. If you read a book under KU, you’re not “buying” it.  It’s like you’re renting a book, so you might argue, “I shouldn’t have to pay a full price if I only rent it, and I’m the kind of reader who’ll only read things once and be done with it.”  Well, that’s fine, and it’s your right.  But authors also have the right to ask to be paid the full asking price on their book.

For a moment, let’s talk about what it actually costs an author to write a book:

The first thing they give up is time.  They give up reading, watching TV, spending time with friends and family, and other things in order to write the book.  After that, they need to have it edited and get a good cover for it.  I spend about $600 per edit.  For a cover, I spend anywhere from $100-$400 depending on how complex the cover is for a particular book.  I do my own formatting to help cut on expenses, but some authors pay someone to do that for them, too.  I don’t have stats on what other authors pay out, but editors and cover artists work hard and deserve to be paid fairly, too.  (And you know what, they’ll have to pay taxes if they take on enough work.)  So I encourage authors to pay their editors, cover artists, formatters, etc fairly, just as you want to be paid fairly.

Now, the expenses isn’t over for the author once the book is published.  Authors pay taxes on the money they earn in sales.  I don’t bring home 100% of my income.  Authors are considered self-employed, which means they get to pay self-employment tax as any small business owner would.  I pay 40% in federal taxes and another 6.9% in state taxes.  (State taxes will vary depending on where you live and the income tax bracket you’re at.)

This means for every $1 I make, I only get to keep $0.53.  On top of that, authors don’t make the full amount they’re asking for their books.  A cut is given to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords, or D2D (depending on where the author uploads to).  So on a $0.99 book, I’ll make $0.35 because I get 35% of that sale.  On a $2.99 book, I’ll make $2.09 if I get 70% of the sale.  Since I’m not in KU, I will only get 35% of the sale in some international countries Amazon sells to, such as India.

So are authors really paid all that much per sale they make when you factor in their expenses and their taxes?  Your average self-published author isn’t exactly going around buying extravagant vacations, a BMW, a really nice cabin in the woods as a writing retreat, or an upscale home.  What you see in the movies is not anywhere near what it’s really like.  I own two 10-year-old cars, and I live in the double-wide trailer.  This isn’t exactly luxurious living here.  Most of the time, after I pay my bills (including the mortgage on the trailer), I have enough for taxes and home/car repairs.  I have to save up for trips like everyone else.

I’ve talked to KU authors, and while they may look like they’re getting a lot of money because of their ranking on Amazon, the truth is, they’re not making all that much either.  For a $2.99 book, they might make $0.80 that month.  Then they’ll have to turn around an pay taxes on that $0.80.  Amazon just did something to decrease the pages read in some KU authors’ books, and they saw a 10-20% decrease in income because of it.

Please, if you really love your author (whether that author is in KU or not), pay for the book.  Because the truth of the matter is, if the author can’t sustain a living wage at writing their books, they will be forced to find other jobs.  And if they do that, they won’t be writing any more books that you love so much.  Now, maybe one author is as good as another to you, and it really doesn’t matter who you read because you pretty much figure all authors are the same.  But for those of you who have that one special author or two who really “wows” you, please pay them.  Otherwise, they will be forced to either write less or not write at all.

In regards to people on limited income: 

I feel your pain.  Really, I do.  Because I’m on a limited income, too.  Most authors are.  You’ve probably heard of the authors who make $1 Million dollars with their books.  Please understand these authors are the exception.  They are rare compared to the total number of authors out there.  It’s like winning the lottery.  The majority of us just don’t do it. But you’ll only hear about the ones who do.  Why?  Because sensational news like that is popular.  No one wants to hear about the struggling author living in a one-bedroom apartment who’s barely getting by.

We work just as hard as you do (or did, if you’re retired and living off social security.)  I get it.  I know the price of everything is going up while it seems the amount you’re bringing in seems to shrink all the time.  I have just experienced a 60% drop in my income over the past two months, but I still have to pay taxes as if I was making the same amount as I did last year.  This puts a huge strain in the budget (esp. when I have four children to take care of and bills to pay).  At the moment, my husband stays at home to free me up to write more books, but we’re currently talking about him going back to work.  If he does that, I will write less.  If I’m the one who gets the job, I’ll be surprised if I can get one book out for a year.

What I’m asking those of you on limited incomes to do is to please don’t try to wiggle a free book out of an author who is already struggling.  Authors run giveaways, they often put up sales so you can get the books at a discount, and they might already have some free books out there.  Most authors (like me) are trying to keep the price of their books as low as they can to give people like you the best deal we can while still being able to make enough to live on.  This is why I still price new releases at $2.99.  I know the economy sucks.  I know people are struggling to make ends meet.

But we work hard, and we do deserve payment for it.  So please, don’t try to guilt trip an author into giving you a free book.  Wait for the giveaway and enter it.  Or, offer to give the author an honest review in exchange for a free copy.  There are legitimate win-win ways you can help an author while not breaking your budget.

For those of you who won’t buy an author’s book unless they’re a big household name:

I don’t know what you hope to accomplish by saying this, but I would never go up to a waiter/waitress at a cafe and tell them, “Unless you work at a five star restaurant, you don’t deserve to be paid for your work.  I still expect you to serve me and give me a good meal, but you won’t be seeing a tip.”

If you don’t value someone’s work, by all means, don’t buy it. (Also, don’t read it.  Authors don’t want someone reading their work if the person doesn’t value it.)  I have no problem with this.  But don’t insult them by telling them how they are not “worth your money”.  That’s just rude.  As my mother said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

 

Questions for the Larsons: Part 2

I’m finally getting to the second part of the Larson post.  The first one is here in case you missed it.

I hope to do another post on writing an emotionally engaging character in the next two weeks.  All I can say is the tax season is full of distractions.  But I finally get to the accountant this upcoming week.  *fingers crossed this will be it for another year*

As it turned out this post reached 1000 words after two questions, so I have to make  Part 3 now for the Larsons.  I swear, when you get the Larsons going, there’s no stopping them from rambling.  LOL

**********

K-Tina says: I like all brothers and can’t seem to chose between them and as much as I love hearing Dave’s story and I really do. I would like to hear more about the other stories, and their children especially Richard’s!!

Richard Larson

Richard says:  K-Tina, you are awesome.  So many people overlooked me in the past.  While all of my brothers and sisters got in the spotlight, I was left behind.  Sure, I got a vague mention here and there, but no one really got to know me.   This was why I insisted on starting a brand new series.  I didn’t want to get lost in the “Nebraska” crowd.  Because of this, I have petitioned Ruth to give our children their own series.  There’s no reason why they should be lost in the crowd like I was.

At the moment, she’s been working with Dave’s children.  Of course.  I mean, it’s all about Dave Larson.  I still don’t get the appeal, but people can’t get enough of him.  So we have Issac’s story (in Isaac’s Decision), a little of Rachel’s (in Boaz’s Wager), Rose’s (in Catching Kent), and Rose’s (in His Convenient Wife).

None of the other children have gotten their stories yet, and from what I hear, the only one who has a chance of getting his story is Sep from Shotgun Groom.  He’s not really one of the children, though.  He’s Joel’s wife’s brother.  Remember April?  Yep, her little brother.  I hear he is on the list for 2017, and I believe the title will be His Auctioned Bride, but don’t quote me on that.

What I also know is that some people have requested a third Dave and Mary book.  (Something that boggles my mind since I do think we should be focusing more on the children at this point in the game.)  Although, some requests have come in for my parents.  That’s just gross, guys.  I will not read that book because never in a million years will I ever admit my parents had sex.  Ever.  I will go to the grave believing the stork delivered me and my brothers and sisters on their doorstep.  I sleep better at night that way.

However, when the other children will get their series?  I’d say start looking out to 2018.  I know.  Bummer, right?  Ruth really needs to up her writing.

***

Tina says: Richard was so sweet and a close second to Dave. I love Dave and Mary. My favorite couple and book. I would also like to know what brother he is close to and his journey and starting his own farm.

Dave Larson with his favorite dog, Jasper

 

Dave says: If I were everyone, I’d ignore Richard’s rant above.  What he neglects to mention is Eye of the Beholder was written before any other Larson book.  Yep, that’s right.  Eye of the Beholder started the whole thing.  Had it not been for me and Mary, none of those characters would even exist.

Ruth Ann Nordin says: I’m interrupting Dave just to say that Richard made a good point.  The world does not revolve around Dave, no matter what he thinks.  It wasn’t like he was the one who started me in writing.  I was writing long before he came along.

Dave says: Hmm…  If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be where you are today.  As I recall, no one even knew you existed until Eye of the Beholder came along.

Ruth says: Not true.  More people have read An Inconvenient Marriage.  That was written before your book was.

Dave says: No one ever mentions that one.  They only mention mine.  I think people read An Inconvenient Marriage to find out how horrible it was.

Sally Larson says: Once again, you two are arguing.  Save it for another post and answer Tina’s question!

Dave says: Gladly.  If I were to say I was close to any of my brothers, ironically, it’d be Richard, whom, up to now, hasn’t done anything to bother me.  Tom and Joel are closer than two peas in a pod.  Don’t let their constant bickering full you.  The two like to play all kinds of pranks on others, though it wasn’t recorded in any of the books.  It turns out Ruth didn’t think those pranks added to the plot.  The worst prank was during “A Bride for Tom” when Tom and Joel snuck some beetles into my sack of jerky.  But you didn’t know about it because it was never included.  At least Richard leaves me alone.  I’m not so sure what I think of him now that I know he’s complaining about my books and how unfair it is for my children to get theirs first.

Dave continues:  Anyway, growing up, I was a middle child, and what typically happens with middle children (as it happened to me) was that I disappeared in the background.  Richard was the oldest, so everything he did was “wonderful”.  Tom was always complaining about something, so he got attention.  Joel was “cute” because he was the youngest, and he knew how to play the “I’m the baby of the family” card really well because he got out of doing a lot of chores.  So when it came time for me to leave home, I was happy to be on my own.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents.  They had a lot to contend with.  It’s not easy raising six children.  Having seven children myself, I can understand how hard it is to give each one your full attention, especially when you’re trying to make a living off the land.  Farming’s been a very rewarding life.  I’d go through it all over again.  It’s not always easy to be dependent on something you can’t control (like the weather), but I’ve learned hard work and patient pays off.  For me, it’s the best life I could ask for.

***

Photo Credits:

Richard Larson: ID 29179573 © Otmar Winterleitner | Dreamstime.com

Dave Larson: ID 12985873 © Ron Chapple | Dreamstime.com

More Updates

I’m a little late in announcing this on here, but The Convenient Mail Order Bride is now available if you’re interested. :)

Here are the links below:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

I do plan to release the Bonus Materials from the Nebraska Series book next month

The editor is just about done with it, so I might as well get it out into the world.  Please do not buy the pre-order for this book.  I’ll explain below.

I’m putting Her Devilish Marquess back at May 8 for a release date.

Due to the issue I’ll mention below, I figure it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep this at May 8.

Something has come up that has forced my hand, and I have debated how much to say or keep quiet about.  In the end, I decided to go with the “the less said the better” approach.  Suffice it to say, right now I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place where I might have to make a very hard decision.

The books will release on the dates promised.  I estimated out far enough where I’m actually ahead of schedule.  But the release dates have nothing to do with the situation that popped up late Friday and has me stuck in limbo.  I’ve done everything I can on my end to verify things are correct.  Now it’s up to the other party to do their part.

The writing part is the easy part.  It’s the business side of things that get complicated.

Updates on What I’m Doing

The Convenient Mail Order Bride is due out on the 13

Click here to reserve your copy!

I have to leave town this weekend, so I might not get the email out to those of you on my email list (via MailChimp) until late Sunday.  The email will contain a deleted scene and an epilogue for this book.  I will do everything I can to get the email out on Saturday.  It all depends if I can get online.

In the meantime, if you pre-ordered the book, it should show up on your device automatically.  I’ve been testing these pre-orders out on my iPhone and my Kindle, and they show up like clockwork as soon as the release day comes.  Let’s hope that continues.  (The mother in me always worries something will somehow go wrong, and I don’t know how I can turn that “mother” part of me off.)

I do have it on pre-order at Amazon now.  It’s already been on iBooks, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords.  You can click on the cover above or here for the links.

This will still be coming out next month

Click here to reserve your copy today!

There’s not much to add to this one.  I’ll be getting it up on Amazon for pre-order soon.  I will aim for a mid-March release, which puts me a couple weeks earlier than planned.

I’m at Chapter 15 now in this one

Click here to reserve your copy!

The surprising thing about this book is how the subplot that I started in His Wicked Lady is playing through this one.  I didn’t expect that. I also didn’t expect Lord Steinbeck (Malcolm’s friend, Warren, in His Wicked Lady) would be so difficult.  I think he’s one of the most unlikable characters I’ve ever done, and he’s supposed to be the hero in Book 3 (The Earl’s Wallflower Bride) of this series.

 I have my work cut out for me with Warren.  But, on the plus side, when the heroine (Lady Iris, whom I introduced in His Wicked Lady) is matched up with him, it’ll make perfect sense why she is going to really hate him.  At least I won’t have to come up with a suitable conflict.  :)

The Mistaken Mail Order Bride

Click here to reserve your copy!

I’m really enjoying this one.  I found myself tearing up when I was writing a couple of these scenes.  The heroine (Caroline) in this one fascinates me because her background is so rich in depth, and I sense she’s had to grow up fast in a short amount of time.  She’s just come out of the Civil War, and she lost her parents and the plantation she grew up on.  So there’s a lot to work with and explore.

When you read The Convenient Mail Order Bride, you’ll be introduced to the hero in this book.  The hero is Eric, and he’s the sheriff who has a small part in bringing Phoebe and Abe (heroine and hero in The Convenient Mail Order Bride) together.  He comes in later in a more prominent way in that book, but it’d ruin the story to explain how.

What I will say is that Eric’s character is pretty easy to figure out.  What isn’t set is Caroline’s, and the more complex the character, the more fun I have.

***

I’ll end this post here.

The Emotionally Engaging Character: More on Point of View (Homework Time)

But this is fun homework. :D

To get another aspect of how point of view works, I am going to send you to a You Tube video.  This is exaggerated, but it helps to illustrate the magic of “point of view”.  Sometimes seeing this in action can help understand the concept of point of view much better.

This scene from the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond called “The Can Opener” is about six minutes long.  The quality isn’t that great, but you can get the gist of what’s going on.  (To see the show in its entirety, you can go to Netflix.  I think it’s in season 4, but I’m not sure.)

If you’re an X-Files fan, the “point of view” angle was tackled in episode “Bad Blood” (Season 5, I think).  It is on Netflix.  I couldn’t find the entire episode on You Tube.

 

Lorna Faith Interviewed Me (An Interview That Will Hopefully Inspire New Writers)

Lorna Faith did a lot of work in putting this together, so all the credit goes to her. :D

Below is the You Tube video.  You can also listen to it on iTunes or listen to it directly off of her blog.  She did a great job of summing up what we said, too, if you want to read it.

The goal of the interview was to inspire new writers. Topics include the following:

pursuing your passion in the face of opposition
an idea for creating a writing/publishing schedule
what to do when you get stuck while writing
the steps of writing a book
benefits of self-publishing
creating the emotionally engaging character by digging deep into point of view
advice on writing historical fiction
marketing advice for introverts: building relationships instead of trying to sell books and stick to 2-3 things you love, email list, Bookbub author profile, Book Launch pages, pre-orders
how to get over the urge to give up when things get rough
putting feedback in perspective

By the way, my experiment with the pre-orders is over, and I found the book that was on pre-order at Amazon sold the same as the one that wasn’t.  I’ll do a more detailed post at http://www.selfpubauthors.com in a couple weeks.

Lorna’s blog and the blog post she made about the interview

Link to the podcast on iTunes

 

The Emotionally Engaging Character: Post 3 (A Deeper Look at Point of View)

To get a better look at how complex point of view is, let’s consider two fundamental things: every character is RIGHT when we are in their point of view & point of view all boils down to how a character REACTS to events.

Point of view shows differences between characters, and each character is right in their own point of view.

There’s an expression I heard long ago that’s stuck with me through the years, and it goes like this: There are three sides to every story.  What he said, what she said, and what really happened.

ID 56379036 © Iqoncept | Dreamstime.com

Nothing is more true than in writing in a character’s point of view.  This is where writing in different characters’ points of view can be magical.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

Let’s say you have two characters (Carl and Abe) who hate each other.  They are half-brothers, and there’s a dispute over the same piece of property.  Carl feels that the land is rightly his because it was left to him in their father’s will.  But Abe feels the land is his because his uncle originally owned it.  (The uncle had sold the land to the father.)

Who’s right in being angry at his half-brother?  The answer is both are right to be angry.  The whole thing boils down to the third (aka “objective”) side.  The author is the only one who knows all the facts.  The characters don’t have access to this information.  The characters have to find out all the information they can from conversations with other characters or through their own experiences.

So in this example, what does the author know that Abe and Carl don’t?  The author knows that the father was a very selfish and greedy man who married one woman to get her money.  He had a child with her, and this child is Carl.  Carl was never loved.  In fact, he was often despised because the father had nothing but contempt for Carl’s mother.  Meanwhile, the father loved his mistress and often gave her brother supplies in return for being able to see the mistress at his convenience.  The father loved Abe since that was child from the woman he loved.  Abe, however, never felt loved because he was stuck with the stigma from the townsfolk for being the child of the mistress.

The reality is neither Abe nor Carl loved the father, and they have a lot more in common than either side is aware.  Carl isn’t holding onto the land out of spite.  He’s holding onto the land in hopes of getting enough gold to get him out of town so he can be free from his past.  Once he is, he plans to give the land to Abe, something Abe doesn’t know.  If both sides understood the other’s point of view, there wouldn’t be so much hate and animosity between them.

That example aside, I want you to consider that point of view is all about a character’s perception of events. 

In real life when people tell their side of things, they are giving a biased version of events, even if they aren’t trying to.  The reason for this is because no one has all the facts.  We only know what we can see and hear.  This brings together our perception of what is going on.  Because we perceive things a certain way, this is how the world is according to our point of view.  Likewise, a character will only have some of the facts.  Their point of view will be slanted to the way they perceive the world.

Point of view is about how your character REACTS to things. 

You start with a reaction and then the character acts, setting off the domino effect that will enhance the conflict (aka plot) in your story.

ID 56379036 © Iqoncept | Dreamstime.com

This is where a character’s perception of what is happening leads to their reaction to the event.  The event can be anything that is outside the character.  It can be something another character says or does.  It can be an impending storm.  It can be an animal that comes into the camp.  It can be a sweet fragrance.  As long as it’s the thing our point of view character sees, hears, smells, tastes, or touches, this qualifies as an event.  The event in itself is a neutral thing.

What matters is how the character reacts to the event.  The character is the one who brings meaning to the event.  Did you ever wonder how some people could be celebrating after an election while other people are crying “doom and gloom”?  Or how one person can say, “I love it when there’s a thunderstorm” and another looks upon the same storm with dread?

Let’s use this storm as our example.  I used to live in Nebraska, and in the town I was at, thunderstorms often meant a loss of power.  More than that, we’d have tornadoes in the area.  I got lucky.  The tornado never hit my town, but I did hear about them hitting neighboring towns, and a couple of deaths often resulted from them.  So for me, a thunderstorm was a scary thing, and I hated them.  I have a friend who had the opposite reaction to thunderstorms.  She loved them.  It was a good excuse for her to sit on the couch with a warm blanket and read a good book, meanwhile listening to the soothing pitter-patter of rain on the roof while thunder boomed in the background.

The beauty of point of view is that you can have the same event happen and two of your characters can react to it differently.  That would be a possible point of conflict if the two characters don’t like each other or get into a fight over the way they react to the event.

Also, when you’re writing, don’t worry about whether you would react to the event in the same way the character is reacting to it. This is the character’s point of view.  You’re telling the character’s story through their eyes.  I’ve heard one of my author friends say they were having trouble with the story because the character wasn’t reacting to an event the same way she would.  Well, that’s because she’s not the character.  This is the character’s story, not hers.

Let your character be their own person.  Let them react the way that is natural for them.  Their reaction to the events in the story will go a long way to advancing the plot and bringing the reader along for the ride.

 

The Emotionally Engaging Character: Post 2 (Point of View)

The key to creating the emotionally engaging character is point of view.  Point of view is something I have found difficult to wrap my mind around for years while I was writing.  I understood you pretty much stuck with that character in a scene, but I didn’t understand there were subtle elements that go into it.  I’ll be discussing these today.

ID 37421510 © Orlando Florin Rosu | Dreamstime.com

Point of view is biased.

We all have our opinions when it comes to things.  We are born into families with certain way of looking at the world, and this will have some impact on how we continue to view the world as we become adults.  Other influencers on our viewpoints stem from friends, our experiences, level of education, and other factors.  The point is, we all have our biases, whether we want to admit them or not.

The easiest example I can give on varying viewpoints is the one that sparks the greatest fights, esp. on places like Facebook.  Ever look at a political or religious rant on Facebook?  Typically, there are a ton of comments beneath the post, and you’ll notice people have very strong opinions on these topics.  Pay attention to the tone they are using.  What emotions are prominent?  How are these people justifying their views?  Some will manage to keep a cool head.  Some resort to name calling.  You might even know some of these people are super sweet in real life and get surprised they are leaving the kind of comments they are.  (I know I’ve been surprised.)

Now, let’s use another example that often evokes a lot of comments.  When someone is in need of “thoughts and prayers” from family and friends because of death, illness, or a natural disaster, what do you notice in those comments?  How do these comments differ from the political/religious ones?  One I can tell you off the top of my head is that people (regardless of political/religious affiliations) will often rally around the person in need.  So the person who might seem like  a “jerk” in the political/religious comments, can be the most caring and sympathetic of all the comments in a totally different situation.   Again, study the choice in words and what emotions are behind them.

Bottom line: the character isn’t “bad”, but the character does have a viewpoint that will contain some prejudice.  No one is 100% apathetic to everything.  There will be things the character loves and hates.  Embrace these things when you’re writing in the character’s point of view.

Point of view can change over the course of the story.

The redeemed character is one of the most complex but also most powerful type.  Case in point, Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic book, A Christmas Carol.  He was stingy with his money in the beginning, but by the end, he became generous.  Another (more contemporary example) is Lightning McQueen in the movie Cars.  The hero starts out being selfish, but at the very end, he gives up the Piston Cup (his goal throughout the movie) in order to help out another car.  In other words, he does a total reversal from being selfish to being selfless.

A good exercise is to watch movies or TV shows where the bad guy becomes good.  Write down the things you notice as the story progresses.  What were their thoughts/logic behind the choices they made?  What behaviors follow these actions?  How about after they change?  What thoughts are behind the choices they make then?  What behaviors result from these news choices?

Point of view allows for imperfections in the hero.

No one is perfect.  None of us are born 100% happy 100% of the time.  We have bad days. We aren’t always at our best.  Your character is going to have these, too.  Even if the character manages to bite their tongue and not slip in something rude, there’s going to be a wicked thought or temptation to blurt out something inappropriate.  This makes the character more real.

Now, let’s look at what can happen if the character’s thoughts lead them to make the wrong decision.  The truth is, even in real life, good people screw up and make bad decisions.  Your character may say the wrong thing or may behave in a way that makes the reader go, “What the heck?” Point of view should clue the reader into why that character did what they did.  Now, the important thing is that your hero doesn’t get stuck in this bad decision.  The character may have to deal with the consequences of it, but the character should make up for their bad decision(s) by the end of the story.

When would the hero make the wrong decision?  In a moment of weakness.

This could be stemmed from fear.  Let’s say the character is afraid he’ll get shot.   I can’t remember the name of the movie because I saw it when I was a kid, but there was a situation where a man ran into a family’s house because he was being pursued by a gang, who wanted to kill him.  By entering their house, he put them (the innocent people) at risk.  At the end, he went back outside, willing to die but knowing he had saved the lives of the innocent people.  So the hero made a bad decision out of fear but redeemed that by doing the right thing, which in this case was tragic but heroic.

Another moment of weakness could stem from love.  If the hero is afraid someone he loves will be hurt if he doesn’t act, he might make a bad decision.  An example off the top of my head is Denzel Washington’s movie, John Q, where he holds some patients and staff at a hospital hostage (a bad thing) because he can’t get a life-saving surgery done for his son.  His motive was love.  One could also argue his motive was frustration because his insurance wouldn’t cover the operation, and no one was willing to work with him on the issue.

Not all bad decisions a character makes stems from evil motives.  But the key is, what is the reasoning (aka point of view) the character uses to arrive the decision to act in the way they do.  This also goes for good decisions, too.

*****

I’ll go more into point of view in another post.  I want to go into the magic of multiple points of view and how this technique can really make for awesome conflict in a story.