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This week: The 'Imaginary' Real Edited by: fyn  
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The one common thread in all of the books that are falling apart on my shelf? Characters—flawed ones with desires and needs who spend most of the story tripping over their weaknesses in an effort to get what they want.~~Becca Puglisi, quote from Getting to the Core of Character Motivation
The key to creating better plots rests in a deeper understanding of character.~~ Kristen Lamb, quote from Great Characters–The Beating Heart of Great Fiction
For every important moment, your character needs to react. First viscerally, then emotionally, then physically and finally, intellectually. Often a writer will show a character reacting with deep thought about a situation, when their first natural reactions are missing.~~CS Lakin, quote from 5 Key Questions to Ask as You Write Your Novel
For every fantastical trait or ability a character has, the author has to work harder to make sure the reader still believes in them. If they push it too far, the reader will simply switch off from the character, or even the entire story.~~Aaron Miles, quote from Keeping Characters Realistic In A Fantasy Setting
To have a great story and engaging characters, you would need to get under all that hair and makeup to find the not-so-beautiful person beneath who has needs and fears, and believes lies.~~ CS Lakin, quote from Ordinary Characters Can Be Extraordinary
Great characters need to be real, engaging, and motivating; they need to keep the reader reading. They need to touch something in the reader; so that they are remembered.~~Magdalena Ball, quote from Character Mapping for Juicy Characters |
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“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit
Real. 'Realness.'
real
adjective
1.true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent:
the real reason for an act.
2.existing or occurring as fact; actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or fictitious:
a story taken from real life.
3.being an actual thing; having objective existence; not imaginary: ~~Dictionary.com
How do you write fiction that becomes 'real' --that takes on a life of its own and becomes a breathing, moving, feeling entity?
One of the hardest hurdles for writers to leap is that hurdle between an imaginary character and one who, in the reader's mind, takes on all the characteristic of REAL. Yes, we are writing fiction, but we are doing far more than putting a game of 'Let's Pretend' onto the page. Readers need to be able, in their mind's eye, to see, hear, touch the characters who people a story.
Regardless if a character is a homeless woman on the street, a knight in dented armor, an energetic CEO with ankles of steel running around in three-inch heels or a purple-winged sprite taking on the Darkwyrm, the character needs to be intrinsically real to the reader. Our emotions, intelligence, and heart all need to be engaged, reacting, empathizing, and wanting to know that character to the point we can see ourselves sitting down for a mug of hot chocolate with them, or crossing NYC traffic in a blizzard at their side or cowering behind a rocky outcropping in a cold sweat behind them as the Darkwyrm unleashes the foulest-smelling blast of fire ever encountered. The writer must infuse their words with those that turn words into a world; one 'peopled' with heartbeats, blood, and all the sensory touches of the actual.
Beyond scenarios that might be unfamiliar to a reader, beyond the creation of the 'world' of the book into something with its own consistent logic and physics, it must be inhabited by people, creations or stuffed rabbits that the reader can connect to, feel for, get mad at or dissolve into tears over.
One of the reasons that Mara ♣ McBain  's books do so well, is that her characters have the qualities that readers recognize from their own existence. For example, Annie from Write Time for Love and Guided Home is utterly real. She drinks hot chocolate, is scared to death of interacting with readers at book signings, is afraid to fly and always double-thinking her emotions. Her self-confidence needs work, she falls over in dressing rooms squeezing into a pair of jeans that are a size too small and just wants to be accepted for herself - foibles, inadequacies, eccentricities and all. Sound familiar? I bet parts of her do. Why? Because she is an everywoman. She is relatable and real. She isn't a size two, isn't glamorous and sure, as heck, isn't always perfect in actions, thoughts or motivations. She's perfectly human, and as such, falls flat on her face, says the wrong things, doesn't always communicate as well as she might and is quick to think the worst of herself while giving the entire world the benefit of the doubt.
These qualities, which in their own way are each both foibles and fortes, are what make this character real. I want, as both reader and human being, to actually interact with Annie. I want to have a girl's night in with her. I want to wrap my arms around her when she's hurting. And CJ, her husband? Yeah, that a whole other story!
By far, the best compliments I've ever received are those regarding my characters being 'real.' When someone writes that they were in tears when such 'n such happened or that I 'nailed' the reactions to a scenario or set of happenings, I know I've done well. Then when someone asks, "How did you manage to get inside my head?" or "If you've never done ______, how could you possibly know what I was thinking or feeling? But you did, and I could see me right there in your story," it makes me smile that I manage to connect so thoroughly.
For years, here on WDC, my newsletters have focused primarily on one thing. I don't come out and say: do this or that. But I focus on trying to get people to be inordinately observant. Anyone can research a subject. But it is that research combined with observations of the human condition that add layers upon intricate layers to anyone's writing. It is using that awareness of what goes on around us in all the plethora of folks we stumble across every day and to do that, we must be aware of it.
Perhaps my age is showing here a bit, but the world does not exist on the screen of a cell phone. The world exists in the contrails across an eye-searingly blue sky or a red-tailed hawk sitting on the top-most branch of a tree. It exists in the gentleman holding a door open, a young man helping with groceries or the woman with a baby strapped to her back reaching a can of corn off the top shelf for a woman in a wheelchair. Life exists in stepping up with some kids are bullying a boy in the park. Life is not buried in a computer game onscreen, living and breathing in socio-political ramblings on FB or breathing in endless texts of a non-vital matter. (All these things are fine in moderation, mind you, but so many people spend their days with their noses and thumbs glued to the screen.) I literally watched, as my scream went unheard, as a man was clipped by a car sliding to a stop when he walked off the sidewalk, mid-block, to cross the street, never so much as glancing away from his blurred-thumbs texting. I felt terrible for the teenager who had tried valiantly to stop. The texting guy yelled at her. She tried, which is way more of a responsible reaction that he had shown in blithely walking across the street without bothering to look. Observations of people, becoming a consummate observer, is vital in having actions translated to words in such a way that we hear that screech of brakes, get splashed by the slushy residue on the road, watch the girl with tears streaming and listen to the idiot screaming so loudly that his voice cracked even as his face turned sunburn red!
I, of course, mostly observed the entire situation (aside from a few words to said idiot and filling in the cop on what 'really' happened which had nothing to do with the idiot's version and everything to do with what the girl was saying transpired) and then filed it all away for 'future reference. Just as I did when my husband talked through a yawn and what he'd said was mostly unintelligible. I told him that I wasn't fluent in 'yawnish.' Yup, that'll show up in a book. As will the recent earthquake centered right where my book is taking place - and why hadn't I thought of that before now? And it is perfect! From falling off false eyelashes to dogs barking because someone had the temerity to walk down their street, to watching three eight-year-olds having a worm race, being observant of people is the key to making the words of a book come alive in high def, 3-D reality.
Listening to what goes on around us, watching what transpires is so important. Watching as people interact; their movements, their facial quirks, their eyes and how they move. These are just teensy examples that translate into characters moving, being real. They tend to come in handy in the 'real world' too. One must be a student of the human condition. It is a part of walking that mile or fifty in the shoes (stilettos, hiking boots, sandals, or toe shoes to be able to not only write about a character but to understand them, their motivations, their wants, needs, and desires.
My latest series of books deals with suicide survivors in higher than average risk situations. I spent two years researching book one. I interviewed countless people both in person and online or by email. I hung out in places I never expected to be. I read books, blogs, accounts, obituaries. I attended memorials and rebirthing celebrations. Characters in the books are straight, gay, transexual, old, young, catastrophic injury survivors and more. People are unique. Their quirks, idiosyncrasies, troubles, pains, outlooks, and experiences are all unique. Observation allows me to create characters that read as real. To be told by survivors that I had 'gotten in their heads' and asked if I too had tried to commit suicide. No, I have not. "How could I have understood where they were so well?" Research and observation. Observation and more research. "How could I possibly understand how and what they felt?" Same answer.
Honestly, how could I not put the work into understanding the very people and then the characters I was writing? Unfortunately, many people do. The problem is then that a reader, with a generally similar experience, will know. And see that the writer is not well informed or hasn't done the work to back up what they are writing about. This is not goodness!
I wrote a short story about a heart transplant once here at WDC. People wrote me asking when I'd had mine. And those people would write saying it was nice to read about the transplants from someone who clearly understood all the myriad feelings a heart transplant patient has about doing their new heart justice, the guilt of having a heart someone else died to give them. Again, the heart beating away in my chest is the one I was born with. But I did the research and the observations.
Reading about 'strawberry bushes (they are plants) or a town called Coldwater in Michigan being ten minutes from 'the lake' (meaning Huon) is what I call a stopper. In the case of Coldwater, it IS a town in Michigan, an hour away from Lake Michigan and was an imaginary town. Poor research/thinking there as it wasn't noted until the end of the book in some notes, but in the meantime was very confusing.
As writers, we need to observe the world around us. We need to train ourselves to be hyper-aware of what is going on around us. It should be a habit. It should be to the point it no longer requires thought. Then that information is kept, filed and stored so we can bring it out, dust it off and use it as a situation requires. It doesn't matter what genre we write in, the interactions between people, wolves, pterodactyls, mermaids, kings or peons need to fit the characters like a glove, be consistent and work well within the reality of that world.
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These pieces all contain characters that are 'real!'
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Quick-Quill  sniffs: Here I sit at work, sneaking a read and crying. This is the best Newsletter I've read in a long time. It didn't teach me anything about writing except you have a way of telling a story that had me in tears. I'm printing this newsletter and Christmas Eve I'll pass it around before we open presents asking the younger ones to read an excerpt. Thank you for these wonderful stories.
Purple Christmas is my favorite. I'd love to see this story expanded with more detail. Establish her fear that Santa isn't real. Not in words but in the actions as you stated. Resistance. Then the change. I still have wet eyes.
If you check in my port, I took your advice and wrote Christmas Magic!
gingerlyme writes: Thanks so much for sharing your Christmas stories! I barely celebrate Christmas and have struggled to generate any spirit whatsoever this year. I tried writing a short story for the holiday and it turned into a horror that just happened to take place at the North Pole.This newsletter was just what I needed.
Pumpkin  says: Merry Christmas. Good newsletter. We had oranges and nuts, too. My parents were kids in the depression, so it meant a lot to them.
Elle - on hiatus  adds: This was a really heart warming newsletter. Thanks so much for sending me a little of the magic of Christmas. 
LegendaryMask❤️  writes: Awesome newsletter enjoyed it very much 💓
Dartagnan  says: There can be nothing more special than opening up your home to friends and loved one for the Christmas Season. Even someone in need of a place to stay through the Holidays. That makes Christmas time even all the more special. My home is small and modest. My wife and I opened up our home to our daughter and her family about five years ago. She has four kids and we all live together. Our home was actually to small but somehow we managed to make it work. When your family is in need, you must be there with open arms.Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year.
LinnAnn -book writer  adds: you made me cry my eyes out. Well written and so sweet. Merry Christmas
Azrael Tseng adds:Thank you for sharing your ramblings about Christmas. Your anecdotes really put the Christ in Christmas! Thank you for warming my heart.
willwilcox says: What lovely family traditions you have.
Thanking you all for the lovely comments and wishes! Tons of fun finding these comments and especially those which showed my words 'got' to them - engendering real emotions! Goes along with this week's newsie on 'real' - *grin!* Happy New Year to all!
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For Authors: January 10, 2018 Issue [#8701]
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