Happy Wednesday, my writing friends,
Deep, multi-layered characters hook readers, am I right? I know this, and I’ve heard and read lots about it over the years. Typical advice: don't be nice to my characters, find out what lie they believe, figure out what they want and why they can’t have it.
Yes! These are great words of wisdom, which I try to follow,
but recently I’ve noticed another way to create that intensity.
Family.
Mainly from being sucked in to TV dramas (some have pretty
good character development), I’m learning to see how important—maybe even
critical—family relationships are for my characters. There’s a universal understanding of the
heart connections here. The hurts pierce deeply; the joyful bonding resonates intensely.
And if I can be purposeful about my hero's and heroine's connections to family, perhaps I can add that intensity to my story.
Shared Experiences
No one knows what we’ve been through like our family. “Remember how mom used to…” or “I’ll never forget that road trip…” Common memories signal a unique love we all long for.
Deep Pain
For most of us, those closest to us caused our deepest pain
from the past. Consequently, loved ones also have the greatest propensity for future
potential hurt. With family we’re at our most vulnerable.
Forgiveness
Let’s face it, who have we hurt more than our very own
parents, siblings, or children? A longing for forgiveness, or the relief of
receiving it, molds who we are, building either confidence or insecurities.
Expectations
All family relationships come with certain expectations. I
expect my husband to protect me both physically and emotionally. I expect him
to cherish me and love me. If he falls short of these things, it hurts! Same with
parents. We expect them to be supportive and loving, but how heartbreaking when
father ignores a son or a mother calls a daughter fat?
Can you see the potential for our characters? What a wealth of emotion just wating for us to tap into!
Each family relationship—parent/child; sibling/sibling, grandparent/grandchild—touches
on these emotional hot buttons in different ways. Next week we’ll explore how these specific relationships
impact our stories.
How have you used family relationships to deepen your characters? I'd love to hear.
God bless and happy writing!
Ocieanna
Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/o5com/5126947030/">o5com</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a
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