Thinkin' Thursday - 212 degrees

I'm back to Orson Scott Card's Characters & Viewpoint today. Building tension engrosses the reader & aids them in the course of caring for the characters we invent. There are 5 methods writers employ to do just this.

You wound me, sir - Make them suffer; emotionally &/or physically. The story & characters determine which is appropriate. Whichever the characters are enduring needs to follow the believability predetermined by the author. And, the reader needs to be able to bear the pain alongside the character. However, there is a fine balance between too little & too much. Rhett Butler's departure at the end of Gone With the Wind is the last wound we know Scarlett cannot bear. But, rather than expound on how she fumbles through life, Mitchell leaves the rest to the reader's imagination.

Bring in the lamb - Sacrifice. Either the MC is throwing themselves down the pit or another character. Or, a minor character sacrifices him/herself for the greater good of the hero/heroine or another ideal. All sacrifice is relative to the choices characters make. When Boromir throws himself into the protection of Frodo, the reader is more emotionally involved because of his earlier deception. He is redeemed through his sacrificial choice.

This is Jeopardy! - Anticipated pain, suffering & loss. The level of jeopardy is directly tied to the amount of pain - a double sharp edge that will cut both ways. In Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, the reader is carried through the story with a radio that will cut off the MCs connection to the world. As fear mounts, irrational thought creeps in the back door building tension & increasing the level of emotional involvement.

My, aren't you attractive - The building blocks of sexual tension; even when it's not about sex. Not every romance results in the sheet-twist. But, it does provide a story line readers enjoy. A perfect example of how not to go to bed on the page/screen is Shrek & Fiona. It is the anti-attractive romance because ogres ain't pretty. But, viewers find the feeling genuine & invest in the pairing & believe in the attractiveness of the pair. They have kids, but they don't engage in sex. And, that, can be just as escalating as the act itself.

The birds, crows & owls - A sign of things to come. A character's connection to his/her universe creates strong descriptors for that world at rest & embroiled in chaos. My favorite example of this is The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's race to beat the twister; which does triple duty to re-order her world, her view & her place in it all. Without that single event, Dorothy wouldn't be thrust to change or Oz for that matter. Readers & viewers care because while the story is fish-out-of-bowl, it is also coming-of-age. And, we identify with her plight, her journey & her eventual change through the use of the natural/unnatural world to teach deeper internal lessons tied directly to Dorothy's apron strings. The signs are all around her & the reader.

Tension is built to increase reader involvement & to push characters to their change point. This change point is not unlike the boiling point of water. The seconds just before the roil begins are just as important as the build & spill when the pot gets too hot to handle without mitts.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Manipulative Intent

We’ve all heard or read about Ivan Pavlov and his doggie experiments – conditioning the mind for desired response.  There are a variety of manipulation techniques that people use every day; to get what they want, to avoid punishment, to hide. Characters too can engage in a variety of manipulation techniques or have them used against them.

 The Psyche (one) – Internal mechanisms, nature vs. nurture, personality all work to affect how individuals are manipulated by themselves. Phobias affect the way we respond to different situations; a perfect example – Indiana Jones & snakes. Fear is a wonderful & terrible motivator all in one. There is a yin & yang that co-exist to define a set of responses. Belief systems, ingrained, developed & integrated into the personality affect the worldview. ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a perfect example of this. And, Nick’s internal evolution is indicative of where he started & where the close-up view leads him in shifting his ideas/ideals.

Dialogue – Intimidation, provocation & uncertainty; all can be achieved through the use of internal & external dialogue. Self-doubt & wariness of others. The quickest way to split a couple in a romance is to introduce the sprouts of doubts – weeds of discontent & mistrust. This can be very effectively done through dialogue; “What do you think?” “Did you hear…?” 

Anger – When a person exhibits anger, it directly & negatively affects the body & the brain. An angry adversary is an ill-prepared one.  Harry Potter’s ability to set Voldemort on edge is directly related to the anger the latter conjures when dealing with his greatest failure & humiliation. This opens the door for Harry’s overall success.

The Interrogation (two)– Most often seen in mysteries & thrillers, police officers, agents, etc. conduct ‘the interview’. This interview may lead to a clue, resolution of the situation, or create additional questions. Some of the tactics to consider are: 

Indirect Communication – A chair scraping across the floor, adjusting the thermostat, slapping a baton on the table. These are only a few of the methods that can be used to induce fear, a confession, or answers. 

Indirect Questions – Open-ended, leading, fill-in-the-blank. Think courtrooms & lawyers. “You were at the bank & what were you doing exactly?” “When you arrived, she was standing where?”

Social Conduct (many) – Human beings like to belong within their group. The PTA, a work group, a social set. This is something that is used in historicals a lot; Molly Brown is a good example – nouveau riche. ‘The American Heiresses’ is a great example of how 3 sisters struggled in English aristocratic society. One of whom birthed Winston Churchill.

Social queues can be used to demonstrate rejection &/or acceptance. 

Inclusion - The right invitation or lack thereof, the inner circle. This aspect can have a direct effect on a character’s psyche, self-worth & self-esteem. To rise above as in ‘Pygmalion’ or to succumb as in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

Smiles & Laughter – When a person smiles, endorphins are released in the brain. They create the warm-fuzzy; more importantly, smiles from others indicate acceptance. Laughter intoxicates & spreads through a group. When the group isn’t smiling, laughing or participating, the outsider feels the sting of rejection.

“Some studies show that people who are depressed have weaker smiling muscles and advocate smiling therapy.”Psychological Manipulation

Understanding the psychological inner workings is key to determining how best a character can use & be used by the persuasive method -  manipulation.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Thinkin' Thursday - Words to Touch Someone By

Yesterday I started reading 'A Twisted Ladder' by Rhodi Hawk. This is her debut novel; a Southern Gothic. So, here I sat in my recliner, reading the first few pages when a line struck me. Profound enough that I grabbed one of my highlighters & covered the words in lime green. Here it is:

"Beads formed and traced lines of clarity down the glass."

The simplicity of it, mono-syllable mostly, created a picture that really brightened my view of the world she was creating. Which leads to the question; what lines in your reading really stood out for you? What resonated as pure beauty, genius or both?

Happy Writing,

Patti

Flying within the Lines

This year has been one of change, overcoming obstacles & emotional clearing. In March, my 17 y.o. decided to go live with her dad. As hard as this was for me as a mother, I did it & I survived. Ten days of tears, five months of learning to let go. And today, she is flying home. Starting over, moving forward, dealing with issues - we pray.

Excitement & apprehension broil in a bag of emotional hope & doubt. My first full-length novel's MC is based on my daughter. Everything that she represented from an emotional standpoint - uncompromising, peevish, the teenage stuff.

As writers, it is our job to translate those real events to the paper. All of the emotion, growth, learning; the elements that turn us from one point in our evolution to the next.

I recently tucked that piece into its hidey-hop & began working on something new & different. I needed to for my own sense of self. But, it made me question the therapeutic nature of what we do. The interpretation & reflection of art & life poured onto the stage.

Emotion - Throughout any given day, we experience a range of emotion. From disgruntled to be awake to glad to hit the down comforter; we traverse a minefield of feeling. Each new piece of information rides a super-collider of action/reaction neurons that we contend with in microbursts. No two reactions are the same.

Viewpoint - Looking back on this last year, I have reflected on how I have changed, how my family has changed. The growth each of us has experienced or not. The story of the last six months as seen through 4 sets of eyes is varied in its emotional depth. It is different because we are different. And, it is different because the lessons each of us needs are different.

Motivations/Goals - Six months ago, my goal was to give my daughter something that I believed she needed in order to move forward, let go & forgive. I didn't like it. But, it wasn't about me & I had to let her go. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't the true test of parenting. I also wonder how she will view this short passage. Now, we obviously had very different ideas of how this whole thing would roll out. And, now I am curious how her mots/goals have changed. Has she grown? Is there perspective? What will the next 6 months bring?

Conflicts - And egads were there scads. I remember being a teenage girl. That time is not as far distant as my children would have one believe. Disgruntled, bristling, angry, flagless.

Now, here I am on the other side of those well-worn pickets & the head-butting has morphed into a perspective none has at 17. Those tense, tear-strained, kidney twisting moments feel like the Spanish armada has come to town. And, they are the moments upon which we build & shape our independence. The milliseconds of space-time that determine a direction, set us on a path & ultimately teach the lessons we need most.

So, in the grand scheme of this whole scene, I do have hope. We have seen positive momentum, actual thinking processes & we are excited. However, that doesn't mean we aren't waiting for that boulder to start rolling back down the mountain. The perpetual parenting pose - smile with a chance of falling rocks.

What does this have to do with my writing? Everything. The cathartic nature of the work allows each of us to rewrite, edit & monitor our actions/reactions. It also permits the artistic driver's license we need to make sense of our world.

Today, I am the scribe of a new chapter. For all the world's a stage & we but merely players. Somedays the role is the grand piano & others it's the prune. May all your characters find that for which they search & may you, the architect, discover that which forms, drives & elevates.

Happy Writing,

Patti

If it Cries, It Dies

You're right in the midst of a pivotal emotional scene & then - your MC blubbers. While this may be the appropriate response based on your set-up, if you tell readers she/he cried - your readers won't.

Show me the tears - There are two songs that come to mind when I think about this; Behind Blue Eyes by The Who & Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack (although, I dig the re-make). Both of these songs evoke a teary-eyed response every time & not because they bawl. Because they don't.

Five years ago, my son & I read 'The Vampire's Assistant' by Darren Shan. Mostly brutal vampiric stuff, but he dug it & he was reading. So, I did the only thing a mother can do & I listened to him recite it to me. I don't want to spoil it here - sufficed to say, we blubbered like fools at the very end. So much so that we had a hard time getting to the final words. The emotional connection overpowered us both. Not for the same reasons because we don't have the same perspectives, experiences, etc. And, not once were we told that the MC was crying.

Men cry, just not on paper - It's true. I've seen my father, my husband & my son do it. The reasons are varied, but the sentiment is still the same. The overwhelming outpouring when nothing else will do. Even the Alpha MC cries, he just does it in the white space. He doesn't want to blur the ink & leave any evidence you see. He's the Alpha; that's why.

Emotion clouds our judgment, makes us angry, shreds our dignity. But, it doesn't mean our characters have to tear poetically over it. William Wallace killed the English soldiers, Ben Hur drove the chariot of doom, Willy Wonka shook his head in disappointment. Sure, they wanted to cry - but they didn't.

Soap Opera Tears are Not Dramatic - Writers write drama, not melodrama. And soap opera heroines cry over everything! They roll through more mascara in one day than a herd of super models do in a year. It plays fake, unrealistic & over the big top.

Scarlett O'hara used tears to disarm & charm. Rhett didn't bite after a while & neither do we. If your heroine cries, your story dies. The reader cries for your character, not with them. And that's the way it should be.

Tears are the great emotional release they are because we don't do it every day. If your heroine cries every time she breaks a nail, your reader won't care when her dog dies, her boyfriend leaves & her truck won't start. Hmm, country song.

Happy Writing,

Patti