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Coming June 4, 2013 |
I am endlessly fascinated with people. Especially with this question: why do they do the things they do? This is one of the reasons I write stories. When I'm plotting a book, I may be excited about the "hook"of the story ("Barefoot Summer": a woman must enlist the help of her handsome enemy to realize her dream).
But it's the character's inner journey that gets my blood pumping. (The heroine's goal is to win the local regatta, achieving the dream of her twin brother whose death she can't seem to put behind her.) People are motivated by so many things--the list is endless but here are a few: Greed, compassion, love, jealousy, fear--a big one!
It's my job as a writer to get to the bottom of things. Is my heroine afraid to love? Is she desperate for approval? Is she seeking peace like my "Barefoot Summer" heroine? And on to the deeper question: why? This question is the foundation of many great stories and the thing that ultimately stokes the fire for me as the writer.
As a reader, we can learn about ourselves by walking the protagonists inner journey and discovering what she fears (loves, needs) and why. Reading (and writing) is a great way to grow as a person, the pain-free way! Learning through other people's mistakes is a beautiful thing!
What have you learned, about yourself or others, through a book you've read recently?
Labels: Denise Hunter, Reading, writing
1 Comments:
I can't say I've learned much about myself. I do find the inner journey of the protagonist interesting. In a book I'm working on, it took me a while to get started because I didn't have an ending I was satisfied with. I knew some of the situation I wanted him to face, but I didn't know where he was going as a character. He faces a challenge that is the driving force throughout the story for why he is in the situation he is in, but it is the situation itself that causes the change that occurs in him.
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