How DOES A Walk Tattle-Tale Our True Thoughts?

Many children will aim straight for a puddle. What I find amazing about this photo is the little girl is not stomping to create a splash or kicking the water into the air. She is going somewhere and won't let anything get in her way. This young lady is determined and ready to tackle whatever is dealt.

I always knew when my mom was mad at my dad. She didn't need to say anything or even look at him. How then did I know?  Heavy placed steps boomed with a distinct rhythm throughout the house. Mom was actually walking from one room to another, but I knew that negative spirit thump without seeing or hearing her. I bolted to my room or slipped outside to play.

Our characters walk a lot in our stories.

They walk to the store, walk in the store, walk out of the store, walk to their car, from their car, in their house, to the kitchen, and at the end of the day they walk to their bed. Ho hum.

The word walk and some of its synonyms can drag the momentum of a story to a snail's pace. 

Walk is hardly descriptive other than to communicate a living creature moved from one location to another. What real benefit is that to move a story forward? 

Imagine treating this vague, nondescript, four-letter word as the diamond it's meant to be. A time to tattle-tale a person's emotion. Now we're talking.

Consider the devious thrill you, the author, will have when lighting a spark to a sentence by revealing the secret emotion behind the movement.

This topic popped in my mind when hubby and I toured Columbus, Ohio. Hubby and I waited at the light to cross the downtown street. A crowd of pedestrians from the other side stepped into the street when the light turned green and moved toward us. One young man, about college age, swayed side to side with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His baggy shirt covered the waist of his jeans which sagged lower than his hips. His shoulders took the lead, left, right, keeping a cool, tough, beat. He squinted, keeping his gaze forward. 

Then IT happened. Whoever he put this show on for must have passed. His eyes popped open to normal. His gait leveled as if strolling in the park. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and let them swing normally with his stride. I knew I had witnessed fodder for our characters. 

I had so many questions. Who did this young man want to impress? Why did he feel the Joe Cool walk would impress the person? Why did he change his gait after the person passed? See how this clarity of the young man's walk deepens our understanding and adds questions about him? 3-D material to the max!

Proviso: Getting wordy is not the answer. Purple prose, waxing eloquently, and pages of boring words do not help us understand a character. Being clear with our words is the answer. 

Think of killing two birds with one stone. So we invest a few extra words to communicate the manner in which a person moves and at the same time infuse what is conveyed by that style of movement. This could be a goldmine! 

Today I'm going to discuss a few styles of walk and see how we can help our characters show their emotion/thoughts in their movement.

Photo by Mary Vee

1. The cowboy walk. This phrase is used in many books today. What does this mean? After living in Montana, I've seen quite a variety of cowboy walks.

*We love to read about the handsome cowboy whose boots resonate on the floor, one step to every ten beats of our heart. Swoon. 
*What about the cowboy who walks off the arena after being thrown in a rodeo? His steps are wide to accommodate the chaps and planted firm in the dirt. The poor guy is embarrassed and hurtin'. 
*Consider the cowboy who found the missing calf tangled in brush and has to carry the injured animal to safety. The weight is heavy. His steps shorter. He is leaned back. His heart is filled with compassion. Sweat drips down his neck. 

The only thing all these cowboys have in common with their walk is their bowed legs.

Photo Courtesy

2. Maneuvering through a crowded area takes concentration.
Add to the mix: 
*A stroller. How many people's heals will be bumped? Space is a big issue. What if there is no elevator and your character has to tackle the escalator?
*Packages. 
*The slow moving person in the way when your character is in a hurry. Of course the slow mover slides in the exact direction your MC wants to go, compounding the problem.
 I haven't seen too many happy/bubbly people moving in a crowd like this.

Photo Courtesy

Slipping sandals off and strolling on a beach with your man is romantic. 
But, a sandy beach can be difficult to maneuver.
*An unexpected wave can send our female MC running to dry sand. To avoid getting her clothes wet, she crosses the foot in the water over the other before taking another step. She might trip. This doesn't upset her, though. She'll break out in laughter.
*Bare footed walkers curl their toes and tip somewhat to keep their balance. Calf and thigh muscles are strained. She is focused. Can be distracted from a conversation by a jelly fish, or stepping on a pebble.
*Beach walking is a workout and can cause her to become winded during conversations.
*Breaks are sometimes taken to watch ships, etc.
*Losing track of where one started is a common problem on the return stroll. 

Photo Courtesy

Walking is so much more than moving from one place to another. Our characters are using this action to communicate. 

*small steps are taken when concerned (ice, stilettos, obstacles, pacing)
*long strides are taken when angry, in a hurry, motivated
*one foot is placed in front of the other (like in the picture) when having fun or following an intentional path. Children walk on cracks. Adults follow colored stripes in hospitals.
*hips sway when female characters call attention to themselves, shoulders sway when male characters want attention. Think of models or when we parade a new outfit.
*slow steps are used when contemplating, relaxing, sad, lost, lonely, reflecting,
*hard steps with intention are used when confident, angry, in charge.   



Consider one of your scenes. Most likely someone is walking at some point. How can you demonstrate what the character is feeling, thinking, sensing, etc by their movement? Can you substitute some clarity where you have the word walk in this scene?


Photo Courtesy for top photo: MorgueFile.com by hotblack-photo modified for this use. 

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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Backing Up Backstory

Someone may read the following texts between my crit partner, Ashley, and me and think we have some warped sense of gossip...

Maybe Grace's real mom went to them when she was pregnant, but they had high hopes for their son and pushed her away without telling him it was his baby?

Ohhh, or maybe the other way around-- maybe he knows but they don't and he's trying to keep them from finding out?

And it gets even worse a few days later....

I think this is sounding fabulous so far!!! I don't know if you need the miscarriage though... Maybe he just has a niece or nephew and when his brother does (committing a crime?) he doesn't want the shame/guilt/punishment to affect the kid?

 Ooh, maybe he felt it as a child...and he wants to break the cycle??

 

When you have a story brewing, I have learned as I delve into a new story recently, that sketching out the backstory of my characters has proven ESSENTIAL to getting my story off on the right foot. Sure, I may not want to dump all the back story in the first chapter...or the first five chapters...a sprinkling is more intriguing anyway...BUT, as the writer, having my backstory laid out as reference, is a tool of many uses...this much-proclaimed pantster admits!

How many times have you written or read (eek!) a story and suddenly the character is dealing with an emotion, a situation, a spiritual thread that flies in from out of nowhere and yanks you right out of the pov into  "Ah, the author needed some spice here"...or..."Perhaps the writer accidently edited the necessary backstory right out of the chapter before." 

As a writer, if we don't have the backstory hashed out from the beginning, then we might find ourselves hopping over tall obstacles of inconsistency or unbelievability.

Take your backstory tool out of the "low priority" drawer, and discover how useful it is as you begin your novel's journey:

1. A writer who has a solid backstory in mind writes three dimensional characters right off the bat.

If you have a sketch of the hopes, desires, disappointments, struggles, situations, that your character has encountered, then when you start her pov, she is "in" her own skin, with all her baggage prodding your fingers to type out her story and give her:

• emotional depth

• spiritual height (or lack thereof...room for growth)

• situational width (how does she react within her surroundings, with others). 

2. A writer not only brings to life a three dimensional character when they have the backstory laid out in their mind, but they write a character whose feelings and actions are validated because of their backstory.

If a writer has a good sense of where their character came from, then they are able to steer the character's emotions in a way that is backed up by their back story. If a character is defensive in a seemingly neutral situation, but has no backstory discovered to later validate that reaction, then it will strip away believability of the character, or cause the future reader to think they've missed something.

Every reaction and emotion needs a raison d'etre. There are two places we see it as writers/readers:

• In the active scene on page--in the moment.

• In the foundation laid through backstory (even if it's revealed later on. That emotion/reaction "backs up" the backstory once it's revealed. It gives the reader the "ah ha" feeling of...ooooh, that's why she was like that!)

 

3. This leads me to my last point: Well thought-out backstory gives your writing a power boost when you get to the black moment...or any powerful moment, really. 

You will have a better idea as to what will really devastate your character (muwahahaha). You will stay true to your overall theme throughout the writing process if you know your backstory and allow it to give you advantage in the "what happens next and why does it happen?" Your plot will begin to unfold in an intelligent way, as a series of intertwined events that lead up to the big one, with the backstory backing it all up.

Bottom line: Get that backstory firmed up before you decide to pour out your story. It will save you a ton of rewrites and give you the fuel you need to craft your story world. No matter if you are a pantster or plotter, when it comes to back story hash it out. Because that's where the first breath of life should stir from your characters....

It's where their first breath was stirred, after all!

How do you develop your character's backstory? Conversationally? Grids? Worksheets? 

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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across historical cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

Deepen Your Characters - Tips from Susan May Warren

Well, as you already know from last week, I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference in Black Mountain, NC.

It was a wonderful experience in so many ways – but particularly the teaching. Since I was only there for two full days, my class list wasn’t very long, but the information was timeless. Over the next few posts I want to share with you some nuggets of inspiration I received while there.

Today, it’s a glimpse as Susan May Warren’s Becoming Your Own Book Therapist course.

Now, I’m a speech-language pathologist by-day, so I get the whole “therapy” idea. It’s what I do.

1.       See a problem

2.       Dissect the root of the problem

3.       Take steps to fix the problem through a series of questions/activities

4.       Celebrate your brilliance (I added that part, of course ;-)

So when I was introduced to a few of Susie’s techniques, it was a “light bulb” moment. Aha! There’s the problem. Let’s fix it!

Today we’re going to focus on Character Development.

If a judge/editor/agents says:

All of your characters sounds the same

What’s the problem? – Your characters are not developed enough. Not deep enough. He/she needs layers – like a coat. Each layer removed provides something ‘closer to the skin’ of your character. (okay, those last few statements were from Pepper, not Susie J

How do you deepen the character development?

Ask your character questions. Have an interview. Sound weird?

I’ll use one of my characters from the story I’m going to write next (so it’s BRAND NEW TO ME too) to show you how it can work.

I’m using questions from Susan May Warren’s FABULOUS book, The Book Buddy, and notes from her class.

1.       Who are you - the bio

Ava Paige Emerson

27 years old

High School History Teacher

2.       Tell me about the darkest moment of your past, something that shaped you.

My big brother dying in Afghanistan five years ago. I caused me to hold on to my parents – but then, a year ago they died in an automobile accident while they were away in England trying to salvage their marriage. One of them cheated on the other – I’m pretty sure it was my father. He travels for business and men are usually known for their faithfulness, right? If someone’s going to cheat, it’s most likely going to be them.

3.       What kind of person are you today because of that moment?

Hmm, well I guess I’m independent, and more cautious about possible romance. Okay, to be completely honest, I don’t date. I haven’t since they died. I can’t bring myself to try and trust somebody who is probably going to leave me in some form or other anyway.

4.       What Lie do you believe that drives you and shapes your spiritual beliefs? (okay, if this one isn’t obvious from Ava’s answers so far….)

Nothing is constant – especially a man, so I can’t trust one. I have to stay independent and rely on my own strength to be happy. A guy is just going to betray me and being numb is a lot easier to bear than hurting through loss.

5.       What is your greatest fear?

That I’m right, I guess. That being alone is the only option for me.

 The point is…you keep asking until you get to the heart of your character. You search for her greatest fear, the lie she believes, her deepest wound, and her greatest dream. Those are the heartbeat elements strumming through the pages of your novel pumping life into your one-dimensional character. It's my first time using these questions for my new book - but it's helped me to start fleshing out my heroine, and I love the twists it begins to develop in my novel.

If you want to learn more, purchase Susie’s tool, The Book Buddy – a GREAT buy.

You can also check out my very first VLOG where I mention The Book Buddy and tell a little more about it.

Do you have any tools you use to help deepen your characterization? Any books you'd recommend?

What is your current heroine's greatest dream?

What I've Learned About Writing From Joining a Book Club

I probably shouldn't have joined a book club. It's not like I don't have enough to read. The good thing, however, is that we read pretty much anything and everything I'd probably never pick up on my own. Maybe that doesn't sound like a good thing, but it is! It helps me branch out and grow as a writer. And not only that, the feedback from the rest of the group has shown me what different readers (different genders with different tastes) really do and don't want in fiction.

So what have I learned about writing from my book club?

1. Multiple POVs or scene shifts can be confusing or annoying
If there's not a reason to shift scenes or POVs every page or two, then maybe think twice about doing it! I know it works for some authors, especially those who are more established, but some members of my book club bring it up time and time again. The constant POV or scene shifts are too much!

2. Relatable characters are a must
Yeah, we writers hear this all the time. And hey, now we know it's not a myth! Readers are looking for characters they want to root for and if they don't like the character, they're not going to want to read about them for several hours and several more pages.

3. Ditch the description
There are readers in my group (none of them are writers, by the way, except for me) who are fans of literary fiction and genres that tend to have more description. And even they are saying, "I ended up skimming the story for pages and pages because there was too much description." It's worth it to watch your words and make the most of page space. It might result in a devoted reader instead of one who wants to put your book down.

4. Misleading back page summaries are disappointing
I know much of this has to do with the publisher, and authors don't always get a final say. But if you do have some say when your book is published, the closer the summary resembles to the book, the better.

5. Pacing is important and first pages are really important
Gotta start with momentum and keep it up. Also, as far as pacing, it's great to switch between description, internal thoughts, dialogue, etc. Paragraphs upon paragraphs of just one thing gets overwhelming. Mix it up!

6. Don't write too many subplots
Yeah, my other book club members dislike too much of this, as I do. It can get confusing if not done well, and hard for readers to get one defining theme from the story. Which brings up my next point...

7. Tie up loose ends
Along with all those plots comes several threads that need to be wrapped up. Readers don't like to be left hanging. It makes the reader not trust the writer. They want to know that the time they invested has a conclusion, and a good conclusion at that!

Have any of you ever been involved in a book club and what have you learned about writing from it? Or, if you haven't, what kinds of things do you dislike as a reader?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.blogspot.com

What Up the Street For Next Week?

Have you found your favorite costume yet?
If you're dressing up (or if you could dress up as anything) what are you going to be?
It's so much fun to put on a mask and change your personality into someone (or something) you can only be in make believe.
Don't we do that a little bit with our characters? Put on their personalties for a little while as we write them?
Are there any characters you're writing who are difficult masks for you to wear? Difficult to get into their skin?

Some books about writing characters:
Characters, Emotions, & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
Plot Versus Character- A Balanced Approach to Writing Great Fiction by Jeff Gerke

Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors by Brandilyn Collins
Believable Characters: Creating With Enneagrams by Laurie Shnebly

What's Happening This Week?

Monday - Angie brings The Writers Quench to you today - what do you do with thirsty sentences?

Tuesday - Julia challenges Pepper's last week post about Plotting from a Panster, with her own spin about Pantsing from a Plotter :-)

Wednesday - Sarah comes to help set you straight on setting goals with Goals-Schmoals: Here's What You Really Need

Thursday - More from Wendy from the fantastic book by Swain called Techniques of a Selling Writer

Friday - Cindy continues her series What's Missing From Your Novel? with Deep POV.

SIDEWALK TALK

It pays to be a frequent guest at The Alley - winner of Diann Mill's novel Attracted to Fire is Joanne Sher.

Here's some helpful (and fun) tips for Character Development:

http://www.keirsey.com/

What's your movie personality? http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/Movie-Personality-Quiz.aspx

Classic Movie Personality Test - http://similarminds.com/movie.html

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/37_Hc1O/Which-Lord-of-the-Rings-Character-are-You

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/1ew_zT/Which-Jane-Austen-heroine-are-you

The First-Rate Characters of Secondhand Lions

Quirky...lovable...loathable...three-dimensional...complex...dynamic.

What does it take to create the kind of characters readers will remember long after they put your book down?  Pop some popcorn, put on those fuzzy bunny slippers, grab a cup of tea...we're headed to the movies once again.

When it comes to quirky, three-dimensional characters Secondhand Lions is one of my favorite flicks.

Dialogue speaks volumes about our characters and this movie provides some excellent examples.  Meet Mae.  In the unbearable Texas heat, Mae drops off her son with his great uncles.  Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth are sought after by relatives and salespeople alike who are anxious to stake claim on their fortune...and Mae is no exception.  As she drops off her son for the summer, she asks him to look for the "buried treasure."

Her parting lines to Walter include:

"You're gonna have to work on that smile while I'm gone, OK?"

Mae isn't exactly lovable.  She talks down to her son.  Lies to him repeatedly throughout the movie.  She is more concerned about getting and keeping her latest boyfriend, no matter how he treats her or Walter.  Not only do we immediately dislike Mae, we don't respect her either.

Walter is the protagonist.  We see him in the beginning as an adult, creating a popular comic strip.  He takes a phone call and suddenly the viewer finds herself riding in the backseat as Mae drives Walter to an old rickety house and two strange uncles who will change Walter's life.

Walter is the "sadder but wiser" character, even in his eleventh year. 

"I'm an only child mom, I know what uncles are."  Walter is a shy but witty child.

Meet the uncles.  Great Uncle Hub and Great Uncle Garth live in a worn-down old farmhouse in Texas.  Two eccentric brothers who live alone.  Instead of following the stereotype of old men seated by the television set with a cold drink...they spend their days on the porch "sporting" by shooting at traveling salesmen.

Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth quickly introduce themselves in this bedtime interchange.

Hub: Hey kid, you sleep up there in the tower.

Garth: Hey, we don't know nothing about kids.  So if you need something--

Hub: Find it yourself...or better yet learn to do without.

Garth: We're both getting old.

Hub: Fixing to die anytime.  So if we kick off in the middle of the night, you're on your own.

So Walter's first impression of the gruff, rich uncles is less than stellar.

A dusty house with strange relatives.  No wonder Walter has trouble sleeping...and comes across Uncle Hub sword fighting an imaginary opponent in the backyard...with a plunger.

Suddenly Uncle Hub takes on a whole new dimension. 

When a distraught Walter runs away to the gas station to call his mother...he finds out she has once again lied to him.  He has no idea where his mom is. 

Uncle Garth shows his softer side when the brothers find Walter.

"He sure annoys the relatives. If you stay for a while, our relatives are going to hate it..."

He gives Walter a motive to return with them and convinces Walter he's helping Garth and Hub in the process.

Uncle Garth and Uncle Hub are anything but one-dimensional. 

Uncle Garth's stories bring a sense of adventure and courage which Walter carries with him into adulthood.  He is a mentor or guide, perhaps he is the reason Walter wrote comic strips in his later years.

These stories also allow Walter to dream of a more exciting reality in the midst of his harsh childhood.  Stories also provide a way of understanding what it means to be a hero...and what it means to step up to the call of manhood.

There are many scenes where "mystery" is kept, the uncles are cranky...yet wise and loving.

Secondhand Lions is a movie I will return to again and again...a great model of how to create first-rate characters in our own novels.

Have movie characters "helped" you in the creation of your own characters?

Family Favorite Movie: Beauty and the Beast: 3D characters

Picking one movie to address in this post was a pret-ty difficult task.

I decided to ask experts in my circle (aka family and friends) which movie stood out in their mind  for any reason. Oddly enough, the 1991 Disney version of Beauty and the Beast won.

Ah, yes, I thought to myself. Good choice. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated movie nominated for an academy award for best picture; it also won the Golden Globe the same year.

But, when I asked my experts why they chose this movie, fully expecting the answer to be Disney's state of the art animation, they answered: "The characters." Belle's father became a significant character to this story as did others who may have never been mentioned in the original story." ( La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumon)

Characters so vivid they became 3D memorable! 

Instead of throwing a didactic grocery list of what makes a main character 3D to you, I decided to take a left turn and zoom in on characters who typically wouldn't be 3D in most stories: the secondary characters.

How did the writers for Beauty and the Beast craft 3D secondary characters without letting them steal the scene/plot/story?

Here's how:

From the cast of secondary characters (Maurice, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Lefou) we'll look at Maurice.

Could you recognize Maurice on a crowded sidewalk? Probably. He's short, pudgy, white balding hair, bushy, white mustache, thick brown eyebrows, and older-almost grandpa looking. 

This simple recognition, however, is a 2D feature-the basic components of a flat character.

So, what components made Maurice a 3D memorable character?

3D Maurice Description:

*Needs thick glasses when doing his work
*Knows what tool he wants but not it's name
*Thinks his daughter fits in the community
*He is open and friendly with the unusual (talking furniture-he only mentioned the beast as unusual to the villagers)
*Inventor of time/energy saving devices
*Gets lost easily 
*Poor
*Wants to "strike it rich" with an invention
*Belle's loving father
*Gets sick easily
*Blind to swindlers
*Helpless

How did the writers cause Maurice to become memorable in the limited time given to a secondary character?

Maurice had conflicts-
*He wanted to take his new invention to the fair, but he didn't know the way.
*He wanted to leave the castle prison, but not sacrifice Belle.
*He wanted to tell the villagers about the beast, but he didn't want them to think he was crazy.

Maurice had contributing dialogue-

His personality came through his speaking parts: caring, easily frightened, unable to find a solution or plan B for tragedies, happy, confused, and etc.

Maurice had a Distinctive Description-

Contrary to minor/flat characters in this movie (3 bimbos who wanted to marry Gaston, the baker, bookseller, etc.) Maurice had a fully developed description.  See partial list above. Beyond his physical description, we also knew what his home looked like inside and out, including furniture, and a basement/cellar.

Sounds like secondary characters need a lot of space? 

No. More is not better

Writing secondary characters into more scenes does not transform them into 3D. Disney writers used Maurice only as needed. He served as:

*the tool to get Belle to the castle,

*the interruption to engage the townsfolk in a rescue,

*a mere cameo at the end.

Each moment Maurice appeared on the screen he revealed:

*more about himself,

*his purpose for taking time and space,

*his essential contribution to the story.

Think of a card house, if one seemingly unimportant card fell or was removed, the whole house would fall.

Writers/Authors CAN craft secondary 3D memorable characters with Tight-Powerful Writing that doesn't allow a second to pass without revelation.

Readers/viewers expect main characters to be 3D. Beauty and the Beast has risen to the top by incorporating 3D secondary characters that don't steal scenes. 

Take a look at the secondary characters in your WIP/manuscript.  

Are your secondary characters stellar 3D memorable?
How can you fine tune your secondary characters?