One Thing That Determines Your Course

I’m a huge Tyler Perry fan because everything he writes deals with moral issues and contains messages of hope. 

I recently watched his movie “Good Deeds.”  In the story, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) is a successful, wealthy businessman who has always done what’s been expected. Those expectations involved how he handled his father’s company, his brother’s misbehavior, and his upcoming marriage. But when he gets involved helping a down-on-her-luck single mother, something changes in him. He begins moving towards the life he’s always really wanted.

I relate to Wesley Deeds in this story. I grew up trying to please people—trying to make everyone else happy. People pleasing can be emotionally, mentally, and physically draining. And it can leave a person feeling pretty unhappy and unfulfilled inside if taken to a certain level.

Like Wesley, I’m fortunate. I had people along the way who made it clear that I didn’t have to “please others.” I only needed to please God.

The writer’s life is not an easy one.  Okay . . . that’s an understatement. It’s actually filled with hard work. Sometimes, it can even be downright painful to see other writers receive contracts and accolades while we receive—once again—a rejection from a publisher or an agent. But some of us may also struggle with the following:

• Family members or friends who don’t believe in us
• Pressure to focus on careers outside of writing
• People who have strong opinions on what we should be writing
• A current market that isn’t excited about our genre
• A desire to prove to others that we are bona fide writers
• A yearning to receive praise from our family, friends, and peers

You know what the Bible says? “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT).  Wow! That’s powerful!

We can try to please other people and write for them. We can try to write for ourselves and fame. Or we can focus on pleasing God and writing for him. 

What is your true calling?  What does your heart tell you? It will determine your course.

Are you struggling (or have you struggled) with some of the things listed above? How do you handle situations, people, or temptations that threaten to steer you off course?

~ Dawn

Ask O: McCrit Rules Part 2

Happy Wednesday, my writing friends!

Last week we looked at part one of McCrit's writing rules--Vernonica's and Annette's. Today we'll check out Dawn's and mine. Enjoy!

Dawn’s Rules

1. All sentences shall make sense. Dawn rocks at noticing confusing or unclear writing. I’d written that something could “give way” to something else. In my head it made sense, but she showed me that it could have two very different meanings.

2. Head-hopping shall forever cease. It’s easy to slip out of a character’s point of view without even realizing it. While in Joe's POV, you might find this: “Like a typical guy, Joe loved machinery.” This doesn't work because a man would never refer to himself as a “typical guy.” Subtle slips like this happen. That's why I'm so grateful for my critique group to catch this stuff.

3. The prose shall flow. Choppy, overly long, or just plain awkward sentences perish under Dawn’s critique.

4. The same word shall not be used repeatedly. Actually, we all pretty much despise the repeated word issue. You know, “She pursed her lips as she bought the purse in the purse department.” It happens to all of us. Critique partners help to catch them.

Ocieanna’s Rules

1. The level of POV shall be deep. I’m a broken record, constantly saying, “Go deeper into the character. I want to feel her. I want to be her.”

2. Thou shalt show not tell. My McCritters know this rule, of course, but we all need to be reminded. Don’t say, “She enjoyed being with him.” Show a scene of her enjoying him. Don’t say, “She felt sad.” Show her fighting back tears, or, even better, a scene where her sadness is so real, it needs no explanation.

3. Clichés shall be banished from the land. I just can’t handle them. One that drives me over the edge is, “Heat rose to her face.” If I see that, watch out. I may throw your manuscript out the window.

4. The story world shall be real. I want to smell the stench of the cargo hold your character tarries in. Make me taste the foul gruel and then the relief of fresh water. I want to feel the hero’s rough, carpenter’s hands on her skin. I want to sit on the sofa with your character and watch as he makes me dinner.

Bonus: A few more, no extra charge.   

• No info dumps!
• No author intrusion!
• Good chapter length. 
• First chapter checklist. 
• Story question in first few pages.
• Ground reader in storyworld in first chapter.
• Interconnected themes.
• Fatal flaw.

Got it? Seeing these rules jotted down in one spot reminds me how hard it is to create awesome writing. It can be overwhelming, but the number one rule for me and all my McCritters is prayer. As we struggle to grow in excellence, our Lord guides us. With Him (and a fresh dose of McCrit rules) our writing will soar. 

God bless and happy writing! 

Ocieanna

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Creating Complex Characters Using Country Songs

Angie, here. I've always been amazed by how much you can learn about a character in a two- to four-minute song. I think that's why music videos came into being: people wanted to know more about that character. Today I'm using some country songs to illustrate Jack Bickham's techniques from his book, Writing Novels that Sell.

As novelists, we're told over and over, "show, don't tell." But when you're writing about an unfamiliar situation, how can you know how your character will react? How can you show an intense feeling you've never felt?  In his book, Bickham shares that sometimes your characters may not always show their true feelings, simply because they can't -- they're too afraid, they don't know them, or can't face them. You can show this in your character and reveal more about them in the process by using one of the following four behaviors.

Projection
Have you ever known a man who doesn't trust anyone because he feels "there's a sucker born every minute?" Or, perhaps you know a woman who believes everything her no-good, cheating boyfriend says because she's so trustworthy. Those are examples of projection. They are projecting their own behavior onto those closest to them because they can't bear to believe anything else.

I know I promised you country music, so here's the first one: Cleopatra, Queen of Denial by Pam Tillis.  In this song, Pam Tillis' character can't bring herself to believe that her boyfriend is a creep.  He can't buy her a ring because he doesn't have any money. (But he does have enough to buy himself a new pickup truck.) He constantly flirts with other women, but she thinks that's no reason to throw away their love. The real reason she puts up with him is because she thinks he's misunderstood. She doesn't want to admit that she's the misunderstood one.

Denial
This device is a little different from projection. Instead of a woman refusing to believe that her man is cheating, a character in denial is more like The Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers. In this ballad, Tommy promises his father, who is dying in prison, that he will not fight. He represses (denies) his anger in order to keep that promise in spite of the fact that the rest of the county calls him a coward.

But the character arc in this song shows Tommy's change from cowardice to heroism when the woman he loves is attacked by the Gatlin boys. Twenty years of buried feelings explodes in Tommy as he defeats all three of Becky's attackers. When he watches the last one fall, he says, "Please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek ... [s]ometimes you have to fight when you're a man."

Reaction
Sometimes the pressures of life can be so great that it drives someone to do something out-of-character. For example, how many times have we seen wedding videos of a bride and groom standing before an altar, a solemn look on the pastor's face as the bride (or groom) giggles uncontrollably?

This is a wee bit of a stretch, but you could think of the basic Cinderella tale for this technique. Taylor Swift's You Belong to Me shows a shy young girl stuck on the sidelines, in love with the high school quarterback. She's miserable as she watches the head cheerleader break his heart over and over. In desperation, she makes herself over and goes to the prom solo, where they fall in love. Those around them are shocked.

This technique works because even though her actions are far different from her normal, there were hints that she was changing. Earlier in the video, they shared notes in their windows. He smiled when he peeked through the curtains as she was cavorting around in her room. He knew there's more to her than just a wallflower. These hints added layers to her character.

Displacement
Your character can go crazy with this last behavior. Sometimes you can protray your protagonist's agony by having them displace their emotions onto something or someone else.

Did Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats come to mind? Carrie's character thoughts about her boyfriend out with another woman infuriates her. In her rage, she trashes up his most prized possession -- his "pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive." You can feel her righteous anger as she carves her name into his leather seats and you know she's done with him when she says,"I mighta saved a little trouble for the next girl ..."

Bickham says that when you illustrate your characters' emotion, those around them may be puzzled by their behavior, but you and your readers will sense that emotion on a more instinctual level. Showing great emotion can be difficult, so the next time you find yourself stuck in an intense scene, just find a country radio station and try one of these techniques.

What techniques do you use to show high drama? Have you ever used one of these? Share one of your scenes with us. ~ Angie

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Build it Right Series: Add Cohesive Elements by Dora Hiers

Adding cohesive elements: 

Believable Plots, Appropriate Conflict, 

Setting, Theme

Build it Right Series by

Dora Hiers

So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest 

in and care for one another.

(1 Cor. 12:25 AMP)

Last week we talked about building our story on a firm foundation. This week we’re adding cohesive elements by installing walls, windows, and doors.

When we built our house, we used a general contractor. Although he visited the site frequently, he rarely participated in actual labor. Instead, he subcontracted the work to various trades. He didn’t expect the plumber to install the air conditioner, or the carpenter who mounted the doors to paint. Sub-contractors added their individual component, their skilled trade, creating another valuable element to the house as a whole. 

Just as different subcontractors work together to contribute essentials to make our house a home, a writer must join various elements for a cohesive story, or risk discord with the reader. Let’s talk about some basic elements, using romance as an example.

Believable plots. 

In romance, we want our readers to journey along with the characters as they fall in love. Unless the characters were in a prior relationship and the fire hasn’t quite burned out, a declaration of love on the fourth page doesn’t work. The same goes for a suspense plot. Readers don’t necessarily care about the heavy technical details, but the plot must be believable.

Appropriate conflict.

 

Who wants to read a romance where the main characters constantly argue with each other? Aren’t they supposed to be falling in love? Conflict doesn’t mean regular clashes with one another. Conflict should arise internally, from their dreams and ambitions, their insecurities, and their belief and value system. Externally, what stands in their way of reaching their goals? 

Setting.

Your setting is as fundamental to your story as the siding on your house. Stucco is common in Florida, but stucco would strike a discordant note in North Carolina where the majority of houses have brick or vinyl siding.  

Whether fact or fiction, you can cement the reader into your setting. If your book is set on a tropical island, readers expect salty breezes and palm trees, the lingering scent of suntan lotion, and seafood dinners on a sandy beach. Offering sensory details harmonious with your setting will make the locale more realistic.

Theme.

Whether you write for the inspirational or secular market, a theme should weave through your story, as integral and seamless as the electrical wires running through your house. Simple messages of forgiveness, that it’s never too late, of second chances and rebuilding trust, and that with God all things are possible will resonate with the reader and keep them turning the page.

Do your individual elements work in harmony for a cohesive story? 

Join us next week as we discuss adding the finishing details.

~~~~~

 

Journey's Edge:

A Routine Audit? Hardly. Red flags-including some goon who's following her-raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman-the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart?

~~~~~

After a successful auditing career, Dora Hiers left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest son didn’t want her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started writing heart racing, God-gracing books. Dora belongs to the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Carolina Christian Writers. Her first inspirational romance, Journey’s End, released with White Rose Publishing in 2011, and her second, Journey’s Edge released in March 2012. White Rose also contracted her third book in the Marshals of Journey Creek series, Journey’s Embrace, and her first short romance, Small Town Treasure. Dora and her husband make their home in Kannapolis, North Carolina. 

Connect with Dora:

Website: www.dorahiers.com

Email: Dora@DoraHiers.com

Blog: http://dorahiers.blogspot.com/

Facebook: Dora Hiers Author
Twitter: @DoraHiers