Thursday, February 02, 2012
I want to talk about the spiritual journey of our characters in our stories. I'm not an expert on this, but I want to share with you how I come up with mine.
First of all, let me say that to give your story a faith thread takes more than an occasional Scripture or prayer thrown in. I think of how God is in my life--constant. I speak to Him throughout the day, read His Word for direction, all that.
Some authors may come up with the spiritual theme first. I like for it to arise out of my plot line. Once I see what my characters are dealing with, I can figure out the theme. Many times, my characters go through lessons that I'm learning. In "Hot Flashes & Cold Cream," my character was dealing with hormonal issues (menopause). So aside from the physical issues (hot flashes, weight gain, etc.), she was dealing with attitudes from the devil. LOL! I knew exactly what my character was going through, because I was going through them!
Maggie's (the main character) spiritual journey was to trust God through the difficulties of life. Take them to the Lord. Regardless of how you "feel," He will see you through.
I don't want my characters to just be Sunday-go-to-meeting Christians, but rather, I want them to walk with God daily. Their warts will show and His grace will shine. It's a wonderful journey.
That's just one way. Maybe you have a different way of figuring out the spiritual theme of the story. What's your way?
Labels: characters, plot line, spiritual journey, story
Diann Hunt
posted at
10:18 AM
Comments (4)
Thursday, September 08, 2011
When I played paper dolls as a kid, I had no idea it was shaping my future.
I loved paper dolls. Even the colorform kind--was that what it was called? I can't remember. But I loved dressing up my little dolls for appropriate social events, casual outings, whatever.
Think about it. When you played paper dolls, it wasn't all about the clothes, was it? I mean, in my imagination, it was more than that. They dressed for an event because they had a life. I knew quite a lot about my little paper friends. Their families, their quirks, their struggles and their joys (well, depending on how long my mom let me play). So you see, I was learning about building character and fictional lives even back then.
Some days I miss my paper dolls. So I just grab my laptop and start creating. The only thing missing is the paper. :-)
What helps you most with creating characters? Magazine pictures? Conversations? People watching? Playing paper dolls?
Labels: characters, clothes, imagination, paper dolls
Diann Hunt
posted at
10:00 AM
Comments (7)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
This is my beautiful daughter, Kara. She often appears as a heroine in a book. :) Recently, she had an experience that shows just how mean people can be, and for no good reason. I think this woman is going to appear as a villain in one of my books.
Kara owns See Spot Clean in Goodyear, AZ. She LOVES those dogs. They are like her babies. She would never allow one to be hurt and uses only the gentlest shampoos. One of the little dogs who had come into the shop had an allergic reaction and got red eyes. The owner freaked out and took him to a vet on a holiday which cost more. The vet told her it was an allergic reaction but she filed a lawsuit in small claims court to try to get Kara to pay the vet bill. Now you can't predict allergies. This little dog had had to have his shampoo changed before after 3 visits. This was his 3rd visit on a shampoo his owner requested when he had the reaction. The judge in the small claims court threw out the case, as expected.
But the owner has now embarked on an internet smear campaign, posting up bogus complaints on review sites. It's been weeks yet she still continues to do it. That kind of rage and underlying hatred is often what drives a villain in my stories, but this is the first time I've seen it first hand. It's going to make an interesting case study for me. And by the way, what she's doing is a federal offense. Kara's attorney has told her to contact the FBI which she has done. They will trace the IP address of the computers she has used.
What interesting characters have you seen that I might like to put in a book?
Labels: Anger, characters, See Spot Clean
Colleen Coble
posted at
8:01 AM
Comments (11)
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Writing Lessons from
The Help (By Kathryn Stockett)
Maybe you've seen The Help on the bookstore shelves--or on the New York Times bestseller's list, where it's been for weeks. I'd seen the book many times, knew it was very popular, yet three things kept me from buying it:
1. I found the cover boring. (No people?)
2. The plot sounded boring (Domestic maids?)
3. The setting is a time (1960s) and place (Jackson, Mississippi) of little interest to me.
Really, there was no reason for me to read the book, much less enjoy it, but after I downloaded the first chapter for free and it held my attention, I thought, what the heck.
I'm so glad I did. The story is long--464 pages--and I loved every one. Why, when I had all those reasons to dislike the book, couldn't I put it down? I learned so much from the story, but the writer's takeaway is this: It's all about the characters. Authentic, interesting, and unique characters will keep the reader reading. It's not that I didn't know that before. I just didn't KNOW it until I read a book that had everything else working against it (my opinion).
The characters' voices in The Help ring with authenticity and you know what? Days after finishing the story, I'm still thinking about Aibileen, Skeeter, and Minny. I can hardly believe they aren't real people, and I wish they were so I could invite them over for coffee and Debrands. Their stories moved me like I haven't been moved by fiction in a long time, and I know it's a book I'll revisit later, when I'm homesick for those characters.
What's the last novel you read that had memorable characters?
Labels: characters, novels, The Help
Denise Hunter
posted at
11:04 AM
Comments (6)
Delicious
This is my beautiful daughter, Kara. She often appears as a heroine in a book. :) Recently, she had an experience that shows just how mean people can be, and for no good reason. I think this woman is going to appear as a villain in one of my books.
