People Need the Lord by Laura V. Hilton

… for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (Matthew 16:7b KJV)

Laura V. Hilton

There is a song that was popular many years ago. Written by Steve Green and titled, “People Need the Lord,” it talks about the people he saw each day who hid their pain and how Jesus knew the cares of their hearts. (To listen on YouTube, click here.)

The lyrics have been brought home to me lately as I begin a new story. As readers know, for characters to become real, their struggles must be realistic. Like the song, their lives must be hard, but I also like my characters to have a fun side too.

I’m struggling with these new characters because I know nothing about them. What lies do they believe about themselves? What is their private pain? I don’t plot out stories, but there are a few basic things I need to know to start. And yes, it could be compared to the military’s: “Name, rank, and serial number.” Or law enforcement’s: “Just the facts, ma’am.” But not exactly.

In the story I just finished and turned into Whitaker House, the heroine believed she was too outspoken to find love. Yet she couldn’t quite seem to manage her tongue. She even struggled to believe that God loved her. Did He hear her prayers? The hero believed that he wasn’t worthy of trust. He wanted to prove himself, but how could he when he failed so miserably? He was limping through life with weak faith.

If you were to meet these characters in real life, you’d think they were happy people. They knew how to laugh and have fun. They had jobs they liked—most of the time. They even said the right words when they were around other believers so people didn’t know they were struggling with their faith.

Just like us.

Sunday I was sitting in church, shamefully not listening to the sermon, but instead mentally composing a letter I would never mail, telling a family member what I thought about their actions and how much it hurt me. I looked at the pastor. I turned to the scripture references. To all intents and purposes, anyone in church would think that I was paying rapt attention to the message. I can tell you the scripture reference… but that is it.

I laughed and spoke with the other members of the church. But not one person there (other than my family) knew how much I was hurting. How much I struggled with the words someone had said.

I needed Jesus. I needed His help to forgive this person, and His help not dwelling on the way I had been treated. God is helping me feel peace and work through the pain.

And that is real life. We play church. We laugh and talk. We hide our private pain. And our characters have to do that too. Yet, since we are in their heads as we read, we have to know what hurts them. What they believe. And how Jesus is going to be able to reach out and touch them in that dark, painful spot so they can begin to find healing.

Is there some way that you need God to work? Can Jesus help you forgive someone for something? Do you need His spirit to heal the hidden pain in your heart?

Dear Lord: You see our hearts and know the pain we’re feeling. Please help us to forgive and heal our emotions. We need You. Amen. 


For more posts by Laura V. Hilton, click here.

About the Author

Award-winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom, and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Bird House in September 2015.

See below for information on Laura's latest, The Christmas Admirer. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura
http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blog: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Laura_V_Hilton or @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

Firestorm

Firestorm by Laura V. Hilton

 
Bridget Behr and her family migrate from the bustling Amish community where she grew up in Ohio to the mostly unpopulated Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a stalker breaks into their home. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to reside in a borrowed RV until the house and barn are rebuilt. While Bridget is hoping for a fresh start, she’s afraid to trust anyone—even Gabriel, the overly-friendly Amish man who lives nearby. Bridget thinks he’s a flirt who serial dates and doesn’t even remember the girls’ names.

Due to not enough construction work in his Florida community to keep him out of trouble, Gabriel Lapp has been sent to Michigan to work. His father is desperate for his son to settle down. When the family walks into Gabe’s home in the middle of a thunderstorm and he discovers their circumstances, he offers to help with construction. For Gabe, the beautiful girl he teasingly calls “the recluse” once he discovers she doesn’t attend youth events, confuses him like none other.

As Gabriel and Bridget grow closer, they realize there is more to a person than meets the eye. Just as Bridget is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding love, tragedy strikes. Now Bridget and her family must decide if they should move to another Amish community, or dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County.

Give Your Characters a Personality Test by Marie Wells Coutu

Creating fully developed characters can make or break your novel. No author wants to read a review that criticizes his book because the characters are “cardboard” or “one dimensional.”

Marie Wells Coutu

On my bookshelf, I have at least four different titles on building realistic characters, not to mention the numerous other craft books that devote chapters to the topic. Some writers use a 100-item questionnaire to “interview” their main characters about everything from their favorite food to their life goals.

Of course, it is important to know your hero and heroine’s backstory. Her story goal, greatest dream, dark moment of the past, and greatest fear are all important to developing a character your readers want to spend time with.

But I’ve also found that I need to know more about her personality. Otherwise, my characters all act and sound like me.

If you’ve ever worked in corporate America, you’ve probably heard of the Meyers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator or another personality test. You may even know your own 4-letter code. But have you ever given your characters a personality test?
There are several free quizzes online (just type “personality test” in your search box) and some that make the rounds on Facebook, but here are three that I like.
Meyers-Briggs uses 16 combinations of 4 letters. The test on this site (https://my-personality-test.com/personality-type-indicator) can be done in about 10 minutes. After your character “takes” the test, read the description of strengths and weaknesses, career paths, and relationships. (I copy and paste the detail into my Scrivener document.)

If 16 variations seem overwhelming, some tests have fewer categories and more memorable labels. From the same site, you can find out what “color” your character is: https://my-personality-test.com/share/5976783401268315692/true-colours. For instance, my heroine for my current WIP is Purple and my hero is Orange. Again, descriptions help you understand each personality or “true color.”
Christian authors Gary Smalley and John Trent developed a quiz that uses four animal types: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver. You can print their quiz from this site: http://www3.dbu.edu/jeanhumphreys/SocialPsych/smalleytrentpersonality.htm. You’ll see how the animal names play out for each personality.

No matter which test you use (I use all three and combine the results), the descriptions of that personality help me to keep my character acting consistently throughout the novel. It also enables me to develop aspects of his personality that I wouldn’t think of on my own, since he’s not like me. To provide an extra dimension, I may have him demonstrate a trait opposite his defining quality, but then I know I need to show his motivation for the change. If he’s normally likable and personable, in one scene he may act rudely, but I’ll want to show the trigger that causes him to act that way. (It may foreshadow his dark moment event later in the story.)

What’s even more fun is when the personality descriptions provide specific ideas for scenes. For example, my heroine (an ISFJ) is described as a “rule-follower” who “does things by the book.” The description states, “You can also become pushy and judgmental when you don’t agree with others’ decisions.” Bingo! When she’s upset over the actions of the hero, I can create a scene showing her to be pushy and judgmental without contradicting her loyal and responsible personality. Such a scene will deepen her character by revealing an underlying contradiction.

From these personality explanations, I can also see how my heroine and hero will react to each other and interact with other characters.

Spending the time to give my main characters personality tests helps make these people that inhabit my stories more believable. 

What tips do you have for keeping the characters in your stories from being all alike or one-dimensional?

About the Author

The Secret Heart
by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu began making up stories soon after she began talking. Her most recent title, The Secret Heart, and its prequel, an e-book novelette titled The Divided Heart, are published by Write Integrity Press, along with the award-winning For Such a Moment and Thirsting for More. She and her husband divide their time between Iowa, near their two children and four grandchildren, and Florida, where it’s warm all winter. Marie is working on a historical novel set in western Kentucky, her home state.


Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.