Get Control of Your Characters

Ever have a character show up in your WIP and you liken the experience to a neighbor barging through your front door, bee-lining for your fridge in nothing but Fruit of the Looms?

I have.

So what to do when you’re cruising along with your novel and a character shows up out of the blue? Most certainly a good evaluation is in order. Fridge-going skivvy donning character needs to undergo a necessary exam before he off-roads your work and it ends up in a ditch, then ditched by potential readers.

The following are a few questions you may want to have on hand for an interrogation such as this:

• What is the purpose of this character’s presence in my work? What is his role?
• Does she help reveal any crucial elements about my MC?
• Does he serve as a distraction, thus earning the name Peter Cottontail for veering your work off course?
• Does she move the story along (read Patti Hill’s account of drop dead Fred in this Novel Matters post)?
• How well do you know him and can you trust him not to sabotage your story?

It’s fun to be a writer. We get to play with pretend friends as adults. But we need to keep our friends corralled and we can’t forget who bosses whom.

We are in charge. We can cut them out at any time. Like a skilled director, we too can yell “Cut” and remove characters when they don’t serve to better our work.

Have you ever killed off a drop dead Fred, a Peter Cottontail or a Wandering Wanda? Or on the flip side, have you ever been introduced to an unexpected character who managed to make your WIP sing?

*photo from Flickr

Self-Editing Checklist: Voice and Viewpoint

If you've been following along in this series, hopefully your scenes are taking shape with purpose and consistency. This week we'll take a look at voice and viewpoint. So without further ado, here are Points 4 & 5 of my self-editing checklist.

#4 - Is my own voice coming through, or is it contrived? Yes, this is the ever-elusive issue of voice. Everyone says it's the first thing editors or agents notice in a manuscript. I'll admit I was skeptical of this until I became a contest judge this year. The unique voices really did stand out above the floundering ones. But how do we know if our own voice is unique?

While it can often be an intangible thing, a good test is this. Have a friend read your work and tell you if they can hear you saying it. I've noticed this phenomenon with my blogging buddies. Ever since I met them at the ACFW Conference last year, I can hear them speaking the things I read on their blogs. That means it's true to their voice.

For more ideas on developing your voice, check out Cindy's post from a couple weeks ago, as well as these posts on Katie Ganshert's blog. (Awesome stuff there!)

#5 - Analyze the viewpoint. Are the characters too perfect? Are you portraying them as real human beings with real-life struggles? For those who write Christian fiction, is there any Christian lingo or jargon that could be confusing?

This point could spark a whole debate of how much "Christian" a Christian novelist should put in their books, but that's a discussion for another day. The key to this point is knowing where you stand on the spectrum, knowing where your target publisher stands on the spectrum, and then staying within it.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Work through some of the voice exercises in Cindy's post and on Katie's blog, then read your scene and listen for your authentic voice. Analyze the viewpoint in your scene and make sure it falls within your target publisher's viewpoint (and yours too!).

Have you discovered your voice? What are some tricks you've used to discover it? How closely do you pay attention to the viewpoint of your novel?

*Microphone photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

**Glasses photo by dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?"

In honor of Holy Week, picture of Via Dolorosa.

These past few months I have been teaching a Creative Writing course to a small group of nine and ten year olds. 

I spent hours grading the students' portfolios and I felt the Lord leading me to write a note to each student upon the conclusion of the class, sharing their strengths.

I don't think I will approach my writing life in the same way after working with a group of preteens.



What can we learn about writing from critiquing (or in this case correcting) other's work? 



Persistence.  One ten-year-old girl wrote three versions of her fairy tale.  She was encouraged when I shared that award-winning writer Hannah Tinti wrote 15 drafts of her story.  She wasn't pleased with her results, so she started from the top to change the story around.  Then she decided to try writing the story from the antagonist's perspective. I was surprised by her efforts since the students only had to hand in a rough draft and final copy.

Can you look at your story from a different perspective?  Would it benefit you to literally write a scene in first person or from a different character's perspective? Is there something you sense you need to change in your draft to improve?

Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary of well doing for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not.



Hard work often takes us much further than talent.  I was surprised to see which student had turned out the most outstanding project.  At the beginning of the class, I was given a heads-up that he might struggle because he has a learning disability.  I had a great big grin on my face when I completed his paper. He had consistently worked hard all semester and it paid off for him.

How often have we heard the story about an author who was persistent through many rejections? If God is taking us on the scenic route to publication (or maybe not that route at all)...let's remember He can use our writing for His glory in whatever way He chooses.  Are we so focused on wanting to be published that we may be ignoring the word of correction he may be giving us along the way to teach us about walking closer with Him?

Proverbs 12:24 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.



Ask questions to help others with their writing (and to help yourself).  The girl who wrote several drafts was spurred on by circle time where we asked "what if" questions to help her find a new vision for her story.

Likewise, the best critiques I have received ask questions in order to show me areas I can improve. Do we take the time to help others by asking the key questions about their work? When I ask questions about my own work, I have seen the quality of my work improve.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself.



"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?" As one student proclaimed with a proud grin as I handed the papers back, do we need the reminder?

We need to build humility, but we can still praise God for our victories and save up those great comments for the days when we have the writing blues.

Job 1:21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.


What have you learned from critiquing others' work? Or what have you learned about craft from reading other writers?

The Anointed Author

“An author can pen a book without the anointing, but only the anointed author can write words that carry the weight of God to accomplish eternal purposes in the lives of readers.” -Priscilla Shirer, Anointed Tranformed, Redeemed Workbook

I recently took a study on David called, Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. Yes, three amazing women teaching about an amazing God! I was excited to hear Priscilla, because she used examples of mothering and writing as she spoke on being anointed. Right up my alley!;)

 I write this post to give Christian writers encouragement to continue on this path, with the awareness that you are chosen to live an anointed life in all you do, even in writing!

Natural vs. Supernatural
As believers in Christ, we are all anointed to live in a “supernatural way” in our daily lives. Priscilla illustrates it in the following example:

The Task: Mother two small children

The Natural Accomplishment: Take care of their daily needs, and    provide a home for them

The Anointed Accomplishment: Instill in them a love for the Lord and a desire to serve Him

As a Christian fiction writer, I follow in her example and write:

The Task: Writing novels

The Natural Accomplishment: Create stories with word pictures, intriguing plots and characters.

The Anointed Accomplishment: Weave Christ through the story to touch the heart of the reader and bring glory to God

Sometimes I sit and struggle with weaving spiritual truths into my writing. I get swept away with the plot, the characters, what I assume the reader wants, and then realize I have turned my back on my anointing.
God is faithful though, and I know I am truly anointed to display God's truth in fiction, because of the unsettled feeling I have when I write away from His will. When I submit to Him again, He blesses me with an A-ha moment that knits His truth so perfectly in my writing.

Opposition to Our Anointing
Just yesterday, I was getting back into my wip, after a month hiatus (yikes!) and started down a path that wasn't necessarily against God's will, but was more of an easy way out for me as the author, and could have stolen away the impact I would have on my reader and ultimately fall short of bringing God His glory. Priscilla talks about opposition to the anointing, using King David's constant opposition as an example. But we all know that we have an enemy, and if we are doing something to bring God glory, that enemy will certainly show up! She says:

PDPhoto

“We have an enemy. He seeks to divert us from the course set for us by our Father. Once we are saved, our enemy cannot destroy us, but he will work hard to distract us. It seems he most likes to startle us when we have just closed our eyes and turned our chins upward to enjoy a sunny patch in our existence.” Priscilla Shirer, Annointed, Transformed, Redeemed Workbook

For a writer, that “sunny patch” is when the writing pours out, or your work advances in a writing contest, or you get a new idea for a story you can be passionate about...it is at these moments that you protect your calling, cling to prayer, focus on the God you seek to bring glory...because at these moments, opposition to our anointing will attack at full force.

In the study workbook, Priscilla says:
“We can stand firm against the Enemy's attacks because we stand on a foundation of unwavering faith and trust in the truth of God's word.”

Remember, Friends, you are writing for a divine purpose as an anointed author. And even though we can stumble, even in our fiction, in our salvation we can't fall so far that God steals away His purpose:

“Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:57-58, NASB).

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Conflict happens everywhere - and no week is more apparent of that than this one, when violent storms are crashing throughout the U.S.
My heart goes out to all those affected, or who may be affected by this difficulty.

As writers, we learn that conflict is the heart of a good story.
Necessary.
Uprooting our characters and sending them to a new place.
Real life examples give us fuel for our fictional worlds.

Not that I want to cause any conflict here on the Alley.

But in books?

Ah. Now there’s a different story J

Without conflict there is no story. The gathering storm. The foreboding discovery. The unsolved mystery. The unrequited love.

No conflict - NO STORY

Examples?

No big bad wolf – no story

No wicked step-mother – no story

No Civil War and selfish, green-eyed beauty – no story
(Aren't my boys to the right so cute ;-) No conflict in my home.)

And the conflict has to last throughout the ENTIRE book – so hit the poor hero/heroine HARD J

So What’s up the Street This Week on The Alley?
On Monday, Angie is talking about the calling to write. Inspired by Priscilla Shirer, Angie posts about Anointed By God to Write.

Can we learn by fixing others’ writing? Well, on Tuesday Julia posts about shaping our own writing by critiquing others.

On Wednesday,  Sarah has another one of her fabulous self-editing posts on the way.

On Thursday, Wendy will share her writing insights with you.

On Friday, Cindy finishes off the week with a focus on plot and characters in Scoring a Well-Rounded Manuscript.

Alright - here are a few helpful links if you want some ways to ramp up the tension in your story.

Conflict Generator - http://futureisfiction.com/plotpoint/index.cgi

Nice article on Conflict and types - http://www.plotcafe.com/conflict-in-fiction-writing/

Article from Seekerville on Ramping Up the Tension - http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2011/01/writers-ramp-that-tension-and-win-book.html

What's some of the best conflict you've read recently in books? Or have you written some pretty good conflict? Wanna share?


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www.theburningplatform.com

Short, sweet, and to the point

I've tried off and on for 3 days to try and write this blog post. I'd get something down, and quickly delete it. Nothing seemed right.

It doesn't help the matter that my daughter just got a heart transplant on Saturday evening and I'm going on very, very little sleep this week. She's doing great, but the recovery process is exhausting (more so for her... but Momma's hitting bottom of barrel too!)


So I am going to be short, sweet, and to the point today.

Life goes on.

After contest finals, and contest fails.
After manuscript requests from agent/editors, and after manuscript rejections from agents/editors.
After news of your baby's heart defect, and after heart transplant.

Life is full of ups and downs. The writing life included.

Embrace the highs,
hold tight during the dips,
and rest up during the breaks.

Perfecting Your Prose ~ Tips From A Rita Award Finalist

OK, right off the bat I have to admit that I'm still in a state of semi-shock over the whole RITA® Finalist thing. When Casey asked me to visit The Writers Alley and share what aspects of my writing I thought pushed my manuscript to the top of the RITA pile, my first reaction was – How can I possibly know? Contest judging is so subjective. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that even though I haven't received any feedback from the RITA judges, I have received feedback from other judges—readers. So the tips you'll find here today, are based on what I have gleaned from the comments of readers and reviewers.


Characters impact readers more than plot.


"What amazing characters... I loved Jericho and Hannah. It was as if they were real people."
"Her characters live and breathe, not only within the pages but long after the cover is closed."
"Her characters were flawed in ways that made them endearing and gave you a vested interest in their individual quests for happiness and fulfillment."


My goal in designing main characters is twofold: have every woman who reads my story fall in love with the hero, and have every female reader wish to be the heroine. In order for me to accomplish this, as an author, I need to do exactly the same—fall in love with my hero and live vicariously through my heroine. If the characters aren't real to me, they won't be real to the reader either. So what makes them real?


• Use Deep POV- Spend time in the character's head. Express his thoughts directly using language that matches his personality. Show his reactions and emotions instead of explaining them to the reader. Give him a distinct narrative voice.


• Use Contrast – My hero is a grouchy, set-in-his-ways livery owner, but that crusty exterior hides a soft heart that leads him to perform acts of kindness when no one is looking. His words might sound arrogant, but his actions show his inner goodness.

• Give them flaws to make them real. Give them quirks to make them unique. Give them noble motivations to make them likeable – Hannah was living her dream of opening her own dress shop but she struggled with her lack of business savvy when customers were scarce. Her quirk – she's a 19th century fitness maven with a daily exercise regimen that most folks scoffed at. As for motivation, she wanted to have a successful shop, but not at the cost of being a stumbling block to others. Her ultimate aim was to use the gifts God had given her to serve her community not simply to support herself by making a good living. Giving her a more noble motivation increased her likeability even when her stubbornness and pride led her into trouble.


• Have well-developed secondary characters – Many readers have asked me about turning A Tailor-Made Bride into a series because they found themselves so attached to the town and its characters that they wanted more. What a fabulous compliment! Even though secondary characters don't have their own POV, make them memorable and real to the reader. Make them quirky and fun, or have them tug on the reader's heartstrings. Use them to open the eyes of your main character when he/she is struggling to come to grips with a specific truth. But remember, their purpose is to enhance the story of the hero and heroine, not to steal the show.


• Use dialog as a romance tool – Witty dialog is something I greatly admire in novels and strive to incorporate in my own. My favorite way to use it is between the hero and heroine as they fight against their attraction. Let them tease, flirt, and spar with each other as a way to build romantic tension. Sometimes having a character be audaciously honest can be a delightful surprise. One of my favorite scenes from A Tailor-Made Bride uses this technique. Hannah has learned Jericho's true name and is teasing him with it.



He prowled forward, jaw clenched so hard, his facial muscles ticked. "The name's J.T."
"No," she said, tapping her chin as if pondering some great mystery. "Those are initials. Your name is Jericho."


Wiggling his fingers to keep them from curling into fists, J.T. reminded himself that she was a woman.


"Are you purposely trying to rile me?" His voice rumbled with menace, warning her against such a dangerous path.


An all-too-innocent smile stretched across her face. "Why, yes. Yes, I am. Is it working?"


Deepen Your Spiritual Theme with Layers

"Besides a beautiful romance, this story has take-home value in it that made me stop and reflect…The characters grew not only as individual people, and as a couple, but as children of God as well.""…you will also find the Lord's "thumbprint" on every page. Her words ministered to my spirit in such a deep, penetrating way."
"…while the book is highly readable and enjoyable, it is also thought-provoking. I found myself pausing time and again to reflect on my own life, particularly as it relates to God's purpose for me."


• More than skin deep - On the surface, the key spiritual message of A Tailor-made Bride seems to entail the issue of beauty vs. vanity. However, if you look deeper, you'll see that the true message is about balance, unity, and opening yourself to God's truth even when it goes against long-held beliefs based on personal experience.


• Complicate things - Another aspect that I believe made my theme unique was that I allowed both characters to be right. Both had a biblical foundation to back up their position, and as I wrote their story, I found myself agreeing with both sides. The true issue is not who is right and who is wrong. The true issue is how can we treat each other with love, even when we disagree? And can we set our dogmatism aside long enough to see if there is any truth to be gained by pondering the opposite perspective?


• Sprinkle other spiritual truths throughout the story in addition to the main theme – In real life, we rarely deal with one issue at a time. So in addition to the beauty-vanity theme, I also sprinkled in thoughts about running a business as a person of faith, using gifts to serve others even when the service goes unnoticed, and reaching out to the outcasts among us. Remember, however, that story rules. Never incorporate a spiritual thread simply to teach your readers a truth. Everything has to spring naturally from the characters and the plot, otherwise it will come across as preachy.


Question for you:


So when you think about your favorite books, the ones that linger in your mind long after the last page is turned, what is it about them that impacted you most? If you were a RITA judge, what would you be looking for?


Bio:

Karen Witemeyer writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House. Her debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride, is a 2011 RITA® Finalist for Best First Book. Her latest novel, To Win Her Heart, releases in May. Visit her website to learn more: www.karenwitemeyer.com