Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 4 by Susan May Warren

This Manuscript Monday, Susan May Warren concludes her series on the inner journey our characters get to travel (lucky them!). What a pleasure it's been hosting her. Enjoy!

Spiritual Journey of our Characters Series, Part 4*
by Susan May Warren

Now that our hero has confronted his Black Moment and seen the light, we have to know that the Black Moment and the Epiphany have worked and that our character has truly learned his lesson and changed.

How do we show this? There are a number of key elements you want to weave into the last section of the book – let’s say the last two-three chapters that will help you prove this.

First, we want to see that your hero/heroine is truly a NEW MAN. It’s the confirmation and presentation of the changed person he/she has become, complete with new skills, new beliefs, and new courage.

This New Man moment happens right before the finale of the story. We want to glimpse what our new man looks like.

Then you are ready for the finale: the TEST of the new man through the Final Battle.

The Final Battle is the cementing that yes, the truth is RIGHT and with it they can win the day.

The Final Battle (a metaphor for the concepts, just so we’re clear) has five parts:

Storming the Castle, Lie, Loss, Truth, Victory

Step One: Storming the Castle

In my book Nothing But Trouble, (the first PJ Sugar book), her black moment is when she is arrested at the end for something she didn’t do. She wants to run. But, she has learned that maybe God made her with a curious bone and all her crazy skills are a good thing. So, I have her go to get her nephew from where he is staying and, when she sees the potential mystery-solving clue, instead of giving up, she takes a chance, digs deep into her toolkit of skills and saves the day. It’s short, but it confirms that she’s a different person.

I often figure out how they will Storm the Castle by asking: what can’t they do at the beginning of the book that they can at the end? For PJ, it’s keep her commitments.

Now that we have the Battle overview, and their Storm the Castle action, now we have to add some conflict. Because only in conflict do we test/reveal the mettle of a man (or woman!)

The next thing we must do to test our character in the Final Battle is resurrect the Lie.

Step 2: Resurrection of the LIE

Your hero has to believe that he will lose the battle. This is where the lie raises its almost dead head. We see it again. Is it going to win, or is our man truly a new man, armed with the truth, willing to escape/defeat the lie?

PJ Sugar fails in her attempt to subdue the villain, and finds herself in trouble. She’s NOT amazing, she’s just a mess. (That’s the Lie).

Right on the heels of the resurrection of the Lie is a glimpse of what they might lose.

Step 3: Glimpse of the Loss

With the rising of the LIE, there is also the Loss of the goal. The realization that the victory could pass out of their reach.

For PJ, if she’s killed, the villain will also hurt her nephew, whom she’s sworn to protect. She’ll lose her sister’s love and her mother’s confidence. She really will be Nothing but Trouble.

Give us a glimpse of the loss…and then follow it quickly with a reminder of the Truth.

Step 4: Reminder of the Truth

At the pivotal moment, the hero/heroine has to remember the Truth and what they’ve learned. Just like all of us right before we do something we know is wrong, and we hear the voice of Truth that stops us, the Truth stops our hero.

For PJ Sugar, although she’s failed at her first attempt, knows that she knows the truth about the mystery and blurts out the plot to the killer. He accuses her of babbling and pounces on her…but it acts as a diversion so the good guys can burst in. She’s saved the day with her crazy, everyday skills.

This Reminder of the Truth is the key to cementing that character change, and leads us to Victory.

Step 5: The Victory!

Then, of course we must have that Happily Ever After that gives the Hero and Heroine what they want.

PJ Sugar, having saved the day with her crazy skills, doesn’t have to run from her past anymore. She a heroine in her town.

Mapping out the inner journey can be as extensive or as minimal as you want. I like to define the Steps that I’ve just outlined and let the story and characterization take it from there.

*From My Book Therapy, originally entitled: The Final Battle: Finishing the Inner Journey for your Hero

~~~~~

Susan's latest release: Nightingale

Wolfgang Jager grew up in Iowa---but he's fighting on the "other" side in World War II. And Esther Lange is trapped by her own battles. When Wolfgang is captured and sent to a Wisconsin POW camp, he's relieved---until he's accused of murder! Can faith save him and the woman he loves?

~~~~~

To learn more about Susan, visit her Web site.

Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 3 by Susan May Warren

We so appreciate Susan's willingness to visit us this fall with her series on our characters' inner journeys. This Manuscript Monday, she discusses the black moment and how it's pivotal in the character's inner journey. Enjoy!

Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 3*
by Susan May Warren

Okay, I’m just going to say it, and I’m using my Mom tone. The Black Moment is the POINT of your story. Because without the Black Moment, there is no epiphany and no character change, and if you are writing a romance, it is Absolutely Required.

If you don’t have a black moment in your story, then you don’t have a story. Sorry if that hurts…BUT, we’re going to fix it, right?

Last week, I promised more on the black moment. Today, let’s talk about how to weave in the lie with the black moment for effective character change!

Step Five: The Black Moment

In this step, the lie rears its ugly head, and the hero is caught in the darkness. This is RIGHT BEFORE the epiphany, and in a great inspirational story, the emotional and plot black moment can be entwined with the spiritual black moment. This is when, after he’s tried to escape on his own, he realizes he can’t – that the lie is pulling him back in. So, he drops to his knees and lets the lie cascade over him.

The spiritual black moment is when the lie seems bigger than life, and inescapable.

Why do you need this? Because this is when the TRUTH will come in and set them free. (That’s the next step and we’ll get to that).

First, how do you use the LIE in the Black Moment?

Sometimes, I have the Black Moment Event and follow up with a reaction where they realize the impact of that Black Moment Event, and thus see the LIE, which is inescapable.

In a romance, I might put the LIE in after he’s hurt the heroine and they’ve “broken up” (and/or vice versa for the heroine). Or, I might push it back to the moment when his greatest fears come true, and he realizes he’s lost her for good.

A LIE might actually occur BEFORE the black moment event – where his lie CONTRIBUTES to the black moment.

Or, you could have the Black Moment Event, then the LIE, THEN have the romantic black moment, as a result of all three.

How to decide when to use the LIE? Look at the rhythm of your story – does the lie cause the Black Moment, or does the Black Moment cause the revelation of the Lie?

Step 6: The Aha! The truth that sets them free

At some point during the black moment, you need to interject some light. It’s wonderful if it is delivered in a metaphorical moment, but it’s also good via another voice of truth.

This is where the character recognizes what they've needed to see all along.

Next week, we’re going to talk about the LAST step in the journey, something I call Storming the Castle.

* From My Book Therapy, originally titled: Set Me Free

~~~~~

Susie's latest book, Nightingale, released this week from Summerside.

Wolfgang Jager grew up in Iowa---but he's fighting on the "other" side in World War II. And Esther Lange is trapped by her own battles. When Wolfgang is captured and sent to a Wisconsin POW camp, he's relieved---until he's accused of murder! Can faith save him and the woman he loves?

~~~~~

To learn more about Susan, visit her Web site.

Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 2 by Susan May Warren

This week, Susie continues her series on developing the spiritual thread (inner journey) of our characters. I've found these posts very helpful! Please welcome her back this Manuscript Monday.

Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 2*

by Susan May Warren

Last week, we started our character’s spiritual journey by asking: What lie do they believe? This week, armed with the lie, the first thing you want to do on the journey, (even in that first scene) is PROVE IT.

Step Two: Confirmation of the Lie – Proof

What can you do to convince the hero that his lie is true? You want to do something at the beginning of the book that will cement him into this lie – of course, it needs to be something that only pushes him deeper in trouble.

In my book, Nothing But Trouble, PJ Sugar, my heroine believes that she can do no right – and that God isn’t on her side. In fact, that she’s a sort of misfit, and that He has no use for her, even though she is saved. And, in the first part of the book, we really see this as true – her “pastor” boyfriend rejects her, her nephew whom she is supposed to take care of hates her, and when she tries to help a friend in trouble, it only backfires on her. She is convinced that she is trouble.

Step Three: The Voice of Truth

In every book, you should have someone who is outside the lie. Someone who sees the truth and can declare it – either directly, or in their actions, or in some sub-texted speech to the hero/heroine.

Step Four: The realization of the Lie and the Testing of the Truth

At some point, your hero has to see that he’s been living in the lie, and that he CAN change. He has to see there is another way—if only he can embrace the truth.

Next week, we’ll talk about how to weave the lie in for maximum Black Moment effect!

(*From My Book Therapy—Originally titled “I Have a Lie, Really?”)

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Nightingale, Susan's latest book, releases TODAY!

Wolfgang Jager grew up in Iowa---but he's fighting on the "other" side in World War II. And Esther Lange is trapped by her own battles. When Wolfgang is captured and sent to a Wisconsin POW camp, he's relieved---until he's accused of murder! Can faith save him and the woman he loves?

~~~~~

To learn more about Susan, visit her Web site.

Spiritual Journeys of our Characters, Part 1 by Susan May Warren

Susan May Warren is here this Manuscript Monday to continue our series on spiritual threads. For the next three MM's, she'll offer some practical advice on portraying our protagonists' inner journeys. Welcome, Susan!

Spiritual Journeys of our Character, Part One*
By Susan May Warren

As a reader, I don’t want the spiritual plot to be so thick that it strangles me—and as a writer, I don’t want to strangle my reader. I want the story to intrigue, to draw my reader deeper, to allow them to look at the issues and wrestle with them without feeling as though they are told what to believe and think. I want a journey for my character that feels unique, and yet personal—both to the character, and ultimately for the reader.

How do we do this?

Every story has a character on an inner journey—that’s actually the point of the journey—to teach your hero and heroine some truth that will change their lives. Even for general market books, a character is on this journey—they just don’t point to the source of truth.

As you’re writing your book, you might start out with a truth you want to reveal. Or, you might start out on the journey, not sure where you’re going to end up. Either way, you need a game plan on how you are going to get there.

Let’s start with a roadmap:

Step 1 – Spiritual Darkness – The Lie They Believe

In plotting my stories, you know I often start with a story question – and the same thing goes for the spiritual thread.

Knowing your hero’s dark past will help you understand their lie.

start by going to that dark moment in their past and ask: What lie do you believe from that dark moment?

The lie will lead you to the most important question in the interview: What holds them back from a relationship with God? Try and boil it down to one sentence.

In my book Happily Ever After, my heroine, Mona needed to trust God and forgive herself (accept God’s forgiveness). My hero, Joe needed to forgive his father.

In Francine Rivers’ book, Redeeming Love – Angel needed to accept God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, and then see Hosea as God’s instrument to love her.

(*From My Book Therapy—Originally titled “What Lie Do You Believe?”)

~~~~~

Nightingale, Susan's latest books, releases November 1, 2010 from Summerside Press

Wolfgang Jager grew up in Iowa---but he's fighting on the "other" side in World War II. And Esther Lange is trapped by her own battles. When Wolfgang is captured and sent to a Wisconsin POW camp, he's relieved---until he's accused of murder! Can faith save him and the woman he loves?

~~~~~

To learn more about Susan and her books, visit her Web site.

Tips for Using Allegories in Fiction by Denise Hunter

This Manuscript Monday, we're continuing our series on including spiritual elements in our writing. Have you ever thought of including allegories in your writing? This is Denise Hunter's specialty. Please welcome her today as she shares some very helpful tips.

Tips for Using Allegories in Fiction
by Denise Hunter

Allegory--a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.

An allegory can be a subtle yet powerful way to offer insight, spiritual or otherwise.

Should you use allegory in your story and, if so, how do you incorporate it effectively?

Think about it: Jesus used allegories to teach. He called them parables. The story of the prodigal son comes to mind. You can use an allegory to highlight a point in your story or you can build an entire story around an allegory. Let me explain.

In Driftwood Lane, circumstances beyond her control force Meridith from her comfortable home to a dilapidated bed and breakfast in Nantucket where she must become guardian to three siblings she doesn’t know. I chose driftwood to represent Meridith. Ironically, her father, who had abandoned her, was a sculptor of driftwood.

In order to open the readers’ eyes to this allegory, I needed to include some key hints. At one point of the story Meridith finds a piece of driftwood, which has washed up on the shore. She has the following thought:

Some time in the past it had been pulled from its home by a storm and spent heaven knew how long drifting aimlessly before reaching shore. Only to lay here, discarded for months or years.

During such passages, the astute reader will see she’s talking not only about the piece of driftwood, but also about herself. The oblivious reader will go happily on her way, none the wiser. *smile*

Allegories can also be used in broader ways. In Surrender Bay, my goal was to show that God will never leave us. I used the love story between the hero and heroine to demonstrate this.

Samantha has been abandoned by everyone she loves and is now afraid to love and trust. The hero, Landon, loves Samantha unconditionally. Samantha represents us, always pushing God away, and Landon represents God, always loving, always wooing. No matter what Samantha does, no matter how much she rejects Landon, no matter how much she hurts him, he continues to love and forgive her.

If you go for this broader approach and don’t use any other spiritual elements in the story, you’ll need to include some phraseology and symbols to help your reader see the deeper meaning. Here’s one such segment from Surrender Bay:

He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head, and she melted. Why can’t life be like this? Why can’t I stay here forever and let him love me? Only when he held her did she realize she was a starving beggar, and he was the bread she so desperately needed.

Most Christians know that bread is a symbol for Christ. When writing Surrender Bay, I actively sought symbols used in the Bible and ways to use those symbols when referring to the hero. The trick is to use enough symbolism to clue the reader in without overdoing it.

I love using allegory in my stories. But if you choose to do so, be aware that no matter how well-handled the allegory, not every reader will pick up on it. For those who do, though, the story becomes a much richer experience, and the spiritual content becomes more meaningful.

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Denise's latest book, Driftwood Lane, released in June, 2010.

Meridith can handle anything: guardianship of three distant siblings, a dilapidated Bed-and-Breakfast, even an ever-present handyman who's dismantling more than her fireplace--or can she?

When the death of Meridith's estranged father leaves her with custody of three siblings she's never met, she reluctantly goes to Nantucket to care for them--but only until their uncle returns from his trip. Little does she know, the uncle is already there under the guise of her friendly handyman, with plans of his own.

Will the love that grows between them be strong enough to overcome the secrets that brought them both to Driftwood Lane?

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Learn more about Denise and her writing at her Web site.

Writing In A Visitation from God by Rachel Hauck

Today we're continuing our series on including spiritual threads in fiction. (Annette here.) This Manuscript Monday, we have guest author (and worship leader extraordinaire), Rachel Hauck. In reading one of her recent books, I enjoyed her depiction of an encounter one of her characters had with God. She's graciously agreed to share her "secrets" with us for including this type of spiritual thread. Welcome, Rachel!

Writing In A Visitation from God
by Rachel Hauck

One challenge we face as Christian authors is how to write about our God in a real and uncliched way.

Christianese often peppers our stories. Church foyer or Bible study conversation sounds stayed and stuffy, even preachy, on the novel page.

When I began writing trade paper backs, I quickly learned the language I used to talk about God did not work in my stories. I had to think outside the box.

Doesn’t God manifest Himself in ways other than quoting scripture, offering a spontaneous prayer or a preachy monologue. And isn’t that mostly “me” and not God?

What were ways God had reached out to me and touched me beyond my logical thoughts and feelings?

During a trip to Israel, I smelled the fragrance of the Lord. Since then, I often smell His fragrance. I’ve had the Lord speak to me in dreams. Friends have seen the Lord in person. One of my friends sees into the spirit realm. She’s had feathers fall out of nowhere. I’ve also seen feathers falling inside a building.

During one youth retreat, everyone in the room where we gathered saw a light smoke and smelled incense.

As much as we often shun the supernatural in Christiandom, it actually works on novel pages.
In Georgia On Her Mind, a secondary surfer-dude character sees Jesus when he’s swirling under the ocean during a shark attack.

Caroline, in Sweet Caroline, wakes up in the middle of the night with the perfume of the Lord filling her living room. She knows she’s on holy ground.

Elle, in Love Starts with Elle, sees feathers falling out of nowhere. Readers wrote me after reading her story telling me of the times they found a feather just when they needed some glimmer of hope from the Lord.

In The Sweet By and By, Jade experiences the wind of the Spirit as she confronts a painful part of her past.

Scripture is full of the supernatural. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, why can’t He encounter us the way He encountered Moses, or Joseph or Daniel? James said it best, “You have not because you ask not.”

It’s hard to write about something you’ve never experienced. Ask the Lord to teach you about the supernatural. Ask for your own welfare, not your characters. Our number one goal is to grow in the knowledge of God! Then we have a wealth of understanding to draw from to create our characters.

Hang around people who understand and engage the supernatural. My experiences are minimal compared to some of my friends. But I learn from them and draw off their heart.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind writing the supernatural into your novels:

1. Pray. Ask the Lord to teach you and show you.

2. Don’t write about it if you’ve never experienced it. I’ve read a few novels where I know the author had no knowledge of the supernatural or angelic. Reading scripture teaches what we need to know. Experience makes the knowledge come alive.

3. Don’t overwrite the supernatural. Don’t write it on every page. One or two encounters is enough. No more than five if you’re writing a supernatural thriller.

4. Be creative in your descriptions but don’t give God, or angels or devils weird or code names. It doesn’t feel or read real.

5. After you’ve written your character’s supernatural encounter, read it over and over, cutting a little bit every time. Should be no longer than a page.

6. Be sure to allow your characters to respond and grow from the encounter. A man cannot encounter the living God and not be changed.

7. Pray. Again and again.

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Rachel's latest book, Dining with Joy is set to release in November.

Joy Ballard has a secret: she's a cooking show host who can't really cook.

When her South Carolina-based cooking show, Dining With Joy, is picked up by a major network, Joy Ballard's world heats up like a lowcountry boil.

Joy needs help. Then she meets chef Luke Davis who moved to Beaufort after losing his Manhattan restaurant. A cook at the Frogmore Cafe, he's paying debts and longing to regain his reputation in the elite foodie world.

Luke and Joy mix like oil and water…until Joy is exposed on national television. With her career and his reputation both under fire, they'll have to work together to fix the mess. Is it possible that they can learn to feast on God's love and dine with joy?

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Learn more about Rachel at her Web site.

How to Infuse Spiritual Warfare Naturally into Your Story by ML Tyndall

This Manuscript Monday, we're beginning a new series about including faith elements in our writing. It's tricky, so wouldn't it be great to have some advice? For this series, we'll hear from some pros on how to include spiritual elements professionally. Kicking things off is author MaryLu Tyndall who writes historicals for Barbour. One of the elements I noticed that sets her writing apart is her ability to include elements of spiritual warfare in a genre which traditionally didn't include them much—romance. She's here today to share some advice with us. Welcome, MaryLu!

How to Infuse Spiritual Warfare Naturally
into Your Story
by ML Tyndall

One of the main things that sets my historical romance novels apart from others is that I incorporate some element of spiritual warfare in each of my books. Let’s face it, when you think of historical romance novels, you don’t exactly think about demons and spiritual battles, Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti’s books, maybe. But romance? For example, in my very first book, The Redemption, Satan appears in the form of a black crow that harasses the heroine on more than one occasion, attempting to frighten her and distract her from seeking God’s salvation. In The Reliance, the heroine calls down lightning from heaven to disrupt a mutiny on her ship which would have certainly ended in her death. In The Red Siren, my characters are confronted with a band of warlocks who are attempting to cast a spell on the heroine’s sister. The hero rebukes them in the name of Jesus and sends them fleeing. In The Blue Enchantress, a woman is delivered of demons. In The Raven Saint, the heroine must deal with a Satanic Voodoo curse put on another character.

The question is, how do you incorporate this type of spiritual warfare without it seeming too unbelievable, too weird, and too silly? Here are some suggestions that may help you.

The spiritual battles should not solve the main struggles of the hero and heroine. In other words, don’t use miracles as a bandage to plug a hole in your plot. That’s when your readers will shake their heads in disbelief and put your book down. Along those lines, however, you can certainly use a miracle or a spiritual battle to rescue your hero or heroine out of a dangerous situation. These type of events happened all the time in the Bible.

Don’t use spiritual battle as the only thing that convinces your unbelieving characters that God exists. It can certainly be a main factor, but there should be other things, such as witnessing godly character in others and seeing lives transformed, that convince the character that God loves him or her.

The spiritual battle should be a natural part of the story, not just some crazy scene thrown in for entertainment. It should morph naturally out of one of the story themes or plot lines.

Most importantly, you should educate yourself on spiritual warfare. (And not just for writing. This is something we Christians need to understand and be ready to use!) Read books on demons and deliverance. Read books on other Christians’ experiences in spiritual battle. Read the Bible and see how Jesus and His apostles battled the forces of darkness. Recall in your own walk with God the times that you’ve personally done battle. The best writing comes out of personal experience.

Finally, taking all the things above into account, when you are developing your character arcs and plotting how your characters will grow and change, decide where and when to incorporate a miracle or a spiritual battle as part of their natural growth. Then keep that event in mind as you begin writing and how it will affect your story and all of the characters involved. Then it will seem more naturally a part of the story. Just like in real life when God comes through big time as He so often does in our own lives!

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On the brink of the War of 1812, Marianne Denton must marry to unlock her inheritance. Without the money, her mother can’t receive medical care and her sister will be destitute. But Noah Brenin needs to sail his cargo to England before the war commences in order to prove his worth to his father and make enough money so he won’t have to marry at all.

But when Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah’s ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple are impressed into the British navy.

While a young lad’s prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to find a way to escape and fulfill their destinies—destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.

~~~~~

M.L. Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but expose Christians to their full potential in Christ. For more information on MaryLu and her upcoming releases, please visit her website at http://www.mltyndall.com or her blog at http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/