Deep POV: Lesson Three by Karen Witemeyer

It's a challenge to include emotions in our stories. We have to be vulnerable. And we not only want to include our characters' emotions, we want to evoke our readers' emotions. Karen Witemeyer has returned with part three of her great series on deep POV. Read on for more great tips!

Deepen POV by Deepening the Portrayal of Emotion

One of the points we made last week about deepening POV, was about how important it is avoid the use of head words like "he thought," "she knew," etc. The same principle can be applied to portraying emotions.

Do your best not to name your character's emotions.

I won't lie to you. This is the hardest part of writing deep POV. An author has to dig deep to evoke emotions instead of simply naming them. It requires more words, more effort, and more editing. But the payoff is huge. 

If your heroine is afraid, we want the reader's heart to race. If the hero's been brutally wounded, we want the reader to wince. If the heroine believes she's lost the man of her dreams, we want a tear to slide down the reader's cheek.

Just as there are times to tell instead of show, there will be times to name emotions instead of showing them, but do this as little as possible. Showing emotions through direct thought, visceral responses, and active behavior creates a much greater impact on your reader than simply naming the emotion.

Example:

Stephanie eyed her rival, jealousy burning within her as the woman's manicured hand stroked Jason's sleeve.

Re-write:        

Stephanie eyed her rival, her throat constricting as she fought to keep her hostess smile from contorting into a snarl. That tramp! How dare she show up tonight on Jason's arm? And with her talons sunk into his sleeve like some medieval war bird. Where was a cat when you needed one?

You can feel the jealousy in the re-write can't you? And isn't your reaction stronger? Don't you relate more fully to Stephanie's emotions in the second version? 

Notice the visceral response: …her throat constricting

The action: …she fought to keep her hostess smile from contorting into a snarl

The direct thought: That tramp! How dare she show up tonight on Jason's arm?

The personality: And with her talons sunk into his sleeve like some medieval war bird. 

Where was a cat when you needed one?

Take a look at some of the emotion-packed scenes in your own manuscripts. Are you naming the emotions instead of evoking them? Look for ways to deepen your portrayal of emotions in those scenes and you will end up deepening the POV at the same time.

Next week: Deepen POV by creating fresh comparisons.

~~~~~ 

Short-Straw Bride released June 1, 2012.

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk.

Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.

Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?

~~~~~

Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

My Journey to Publication by Olivia Newport

Welcome to Fortifying Friday, the day we provide opportunities for authors to share their personal journeys to publication. It’s a way for us to see and acknowledge the different paths God has uniquely chosen for each of us. Today, we celebrate with author Olivia Newport on the release of her debut novel. 

~ Dawn

My Journey to Publication

By Olivia Newport

 “Did you always want to be a writer?” I suppose many writers hear that question. I consistently answer yes. Stories spun in my head when I was young. Words danced in my dreams. Teachers affirmed that my writing distinguished me. My classmates voted me “most literary” in the eighth grade! 

But life got in the way. First there was higher education. Believe it or not, academic life—even as an English major—squelched creative output. Fear shot through me. I would never produce anything that would stand up to scholarly scrutiny, so maybe it was better not to try.

Then came the challenge of financial independence. I could not simply collect my degree and put out my hand for a royalty advance. I had to live on something other than a secret talent.

I married. I had kids. Regular life stuff happened—some of it joyful, some of it painful. The impulse to write stirred inside me, but I had to make a living.

In these years the blessing of work came through jobs that valued my ability to smith words. I wasn’t writing novels—despite the stampede of characters in my head—but I was learning to write for a purpose, write to a target, and write under schedules. Now I look back and see that real life became a laboratory of words.

I was writing. Organizational newsletters, departmental reports, business project proposals, fundraising letters, ministry annual reports. I was striking out the passive voice, clearing clutter words, discovering the right starting point, weaving in emotion, getting to the point. Even though my name did not show up in public ways, I was writing. I’m a better writer because of those years.

Eventually I did write novels—I have the stack of manuscripts to prove it. These stories were not ready for publication, but they were not wasted effort. Pages sequestered in black binders at the back of my closet whispered to me that I can finish a novel. They nudged me along the path toward my own future. After years of writing whatever an employer assigned to me, I was ready to put my heart into my own stories.

Jesus lived in obscurity for most of his life. When the time was right, he stepped into the purpose God planned for him. I ponder that often lately. With the release of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, I hold the culmination of my own years of obscurity and the result of all the experiments in my real-life laboratory.

No piece of writing is wasted, even if it does not see publication or does not bear a writer’s name. Life that seems to get in the way of writing actually informs a writer’s capacity to express the creative gift and step into the purpose God has planned.

Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twenty-something children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.

To learn more, please visit:

www.olivianewport.com

@OliviaNewport

www.facebook.com/OliviaNewport

Letter to a New Writer

Dear new writer,

I want to tell you six things to remember. They all have to do with writing, but more about yourself.

First, you are loved. You are loved whether you ever see your name in print, whether your novel or Christian Life book ever graces Walmart or Barnes and Noble. If you belong to Jesus, His love will never leave you. It doesn’t grow when you are published nor does it wane when you receive a rejection letter. You can always crawl onto his lap, like a child, knowing He accepts, approves of, and adores you.

Second, you’re writing is important. Please don’t make the mistake I’ve made by thinking if only a few people read it, my writing ministry doesn’t matter. Remember, you are writing for His glory, not your own. So if he calls you to write a blog that only six people read, He must have given you the perfect message for those six people. Don’t think about numbers, just write out of love for the Lord and a desire to help.

Third, have fun. Don’t get so bogged down by platform, marketing, and success that the joy of creating a gorgeous piece of prose falls away. Don’t let ambition steal from play. Writing a three-page synopsis, a one-sentence pitch, or a proposal can sometimes feel like trudging up a mountain, but do what mountain climbers do—keep the goal in mind. It will feel great when you finish. Plus, maybe you can grab the perspective to enjoy the journey. After all, even marketing is writing, and you love that, don’t you?

Fourth, don’t get discouraged if you’re not great at first. Nothing steals the fun more than this. You think your chapter glows with perfected glory, but then a more-experienced writer points out the head-hopping or weak verbs. Ugh. You have to go back and re-write. Find the joy in that. All writers have to re-write. There’s a  satisfaction to it. Embrace it.

Fifth, don’t lose sleep over writing. I know you want to get published. I know you’ve put your heart and soul into this, but writing isn’t everything. It’s a part of your life. It’s not your whole life. Rest. Enjoy your family and friends. Laugh…a lot! And you’ll be the kind of writer people are drawn to. A full-orbed person, attractive and layered—not just someone who writes.

Finally, don’t forget to pray. I can’t tell you the times I’ve thrown myself before the Lord and cried out in complete desperation. “I can’t do this! I don’t know how. Help me!” And that’s the best place to be. Bring all your writing—e-mails, proposals, character charts, chapters—before Him. He loves you (remember) and cares about your writing. He’ll help you along the way.

Remember these six things and you'll never fail, because even if you're not the mulit-published author you long to be, you'll know what really matters. 

God bless you, my writing friend,

Ocieanna

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Ask O Wednesday: Key Elements of a Romance Novel? Characters. What else?

 Happy Wednesday, my writing friends. Last week we started a series I called, "Falling in Love with Romance." 

Today we look at the first key element—characters.

What I Like About You

Who are your favorite “love interests” in books or movies? Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennett? Romeo and Juliet? Kermit and Miss Piggy (hee hee)?

My favorite romantic comedy is You’ve Got Mail, so let’s look at those two characters, Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox. What about their personalities makes us want them to be together?

First, they’re a lot alike—both are easy-going, fun-loving, laughing, a bit sarcastic, optimistic, and positive.

I don’t think we should skim over this point. For characters to fall in love, commonalities must exist! You wouldn’t want a dour, serious whiner to marry Tom Hanks’s Joe Fox. Immediately, we’d know she wasn’t right for him. Perky Meg Ryan fits much better.

So, when I first think up my characters, I give them a good hunk of stuff in common, at least four or five major or minor details.

I Can Do Without You!

Second, as much as the lovebirds need similar interests, they also need opposite characteristics. This is the fun part. Kathleen Kelly’s fatal flaw (as I see it) is lack of ambition. She doesn’t want to change, but to stay in her boring relationship and keep working at her bookstore even though she has dreams for more.

What’s Joe Fox’s fatal flaw? Too much ambition! Isn’t that cool? Their fatal flaws are opposite. This keeps them apart and draws them together at the same time. Yay!

Joe’s mega-ambition causes him to force Kathleen’s store to close. Kathleen’s passiveness causes her to follow bad advice (ironically from Joe, although he doesn’t realize it). And these opposing flaws create a world where they can’t possibly get together.

But the flaws also compliment each other, right? Joe needs to learn to care about people more than business. He can learn this from Kathleen. Kathleen needs to stand up for herself. She can learn this from Joe.

They really must get together, don’t you think? The perfect couple.

A Dry Well

Third, they both must possess a dry well. In other words, the hero and heroine long for something more. Their love barrel is empty. Throughout the beginning of You’ve Got Mail, we see both Kathleen and Joe in blah relationships, as if rambling around in Dorothy’s black and white Kansas. But every time Kathleen and Joe meet—vibrant Technicolor!

This emptiness creates desire in readers. It makes us hunger for them to get together, to find each other, and thus, find happiness. (As Christian writers, we know we can’t ultimately find happiness in anyone but God. I have certain ways I deal with that. Perhaps another blog.) For the ending to satisfy, a mighty longing for love must be established early on.

So, as you can see, a strong hero and heroine make up the key component to writing romance. We still need a few other elements, though. Tune in next week for fun with longing, suspense, and conflict in romance.

How do you create awesome romantic characters? I’d love to hear.

God bless and happy writing,

Ocieanna

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