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| Alexis A. Goring |
We
fiction writers focus a lot on character development, but what about our own
growth? Author Alexis A. Goring
encourages us to take another look. ~ Dawn
Character
Development
Recently, a reader who reviewed my new novella, A Second Chance, pointed out that,
“There wasn't a lot of time for character development.” She is not the first
reader to comment about character development in my fictional stories. Years
ago, when my first book was published, a few readers expressed the same view.
Since the publication of my first book, I worked hard to
improve my craft as a writer. I invested in books for writers, went to workshops,
networked with seasoned authors and hired an excellent editor. So by the time
my second book was published in Jan. 2017, I thought that my characters were
well-developed and believed that no one would say that the story moved too fast
or that they’d rather it have been a full-length novel to give them more time
for…you guessed it, character development.
While it was disappointing to find that I had not yet
mastered the skill of fully developing my characters even after four years of
practice, I also found this reader’s comment to be inspiring because I thought
of a spiritual parallel that’s true to our real-life story as humans on this
Earth.
I realized that The Creator of the Universe (God) is always
working on our character development. No, not for the fictional stories that
those of us who are authors may write, but He is working on our real-life
characters. The only attribute we’re taking to heaven is our character. We
cannot take our money, our possessions, our food, or any material thing that we
acquired on this Earth. Therefore, God works on our character development.
Just like earthly authors who create plot twists, obstacles
and other challenges for their fictional characters to grow, our Heavenly
Father (God) is continually putting us in situations and pruning us to develop
our character and make us more like His Son (Jesus Christ).
It gives me hope that according to Hebrews 12:2 (KJV), God
is the Author and Finisher of our faith because that means He doesn’t discard
us or give up on us when it takes months or even years to develop our
characters to be more like Jesus. He patiently works with us to get us to where
He wants us to be and complete our character.
The Bible says that we can be “confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:5, NIV).
Now that Bible verse gives me great hope because it means
that no matter what obstacles are placed in my path to develop my character,
God is not going to give up on me until my character in my real-life story is
perfected. This applies to everyone who believes in God and follows Jesus
Christ.
So if you’re in the fight of your life and you just don’t
see a light at the end of the tunnel, keep pressing into God. He is right there
with you and He promises to never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). So be patient as
your Heavenly Father completes your character. It will enrich your story and
you will be a blessing to others because it’s Jesus Christ who lives in your
heart and it’s His Love for humankind that shines through you.
And if you’re an author of fictional stories who struggles
with character development, keep learning how to improve your writing. Ask God
for His blessing on your stories and trust that if it’s part of His plan for
your life then He will teach you how
to develop your fictional characters as He develops your real-life character.
Newly
single food critic and newspaper reporter Traci Hightower is done with dating.
After the man of her dreams left her at the altar on their wedding day and ran
off with the woman she thought was her best friend, Traci resolves to focus on
work and resigns herself to being a bachelorette for life.
Marc
Roberts is a political reporter who is known as Mr. Nice Guy, the one who
always finishes last. However, Marc’s compassion and kindness are of invaluable
help to his newly widowed sister Gina Braxton who is trying to raise her two
kids in the wake of her firefighter husband’s death.
Traci
and Marc may be the perfect match, but they don’t know it yet. With God’s
guidance and the help of Gina’s matchmaking skills honed by her career as a
bestselling romance novelist, there is hope for a happily ever after for these
two broken hearts.
Alexis A.
Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA
in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her
stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.
To learn more and connect with Alexis, please visit the
following sites:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennedbyAlex
Website: http://www.screenwriteralexis.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capturingidea/
“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com
