I was thinking this weekend about the emotions of reading and writing. I love when I read a book that brings me to tears. It means that the author has pulled me in to his/her world and I’ve become invested in the characters. Isn’t it disappointing when you’re reading a book and it’s almost a chore to turn the page? You want so much to care about the characters but you just don’t. I know that it must be the intent of almost all authors to make you care about their characters, but where does it go wrong? Is it the failure of the author by keeping the characters too one-dimensional or is the failure of the reader to not find anything worth connecting to? I had a literary analysis teacher many years ago that told us that we connect, in movies and books, to what we are going through in our lives at that moment. While visiting my aging parents who are currently going through a health crisis, I saw an older man in the grocery store, his red-tipped cane announcing his lack of eyesight. His cart held only one item….a sleeping bag. By eavesdropping on the cashier and bagger, I found out that he is a homeless man who comes in to the store often to have a place to sit and relax. The man had gotten turned around in the store on this particular day and had to be directed to the bench. My heart was in pain, a cloud had come over the day. Was it because I’m overly sensitive because of what my parents are going through? Did I make a connection to the poor man’s plight because of my own situation? No matter the reason, my way of dealing with my pain is to put him in one of my books; give him a voice and provide him a happier ending than his reality.
Tag Archives: developing characters
A room of my own…
A woman must have money and a room of her own is she is to write fiction–Virginia WoolfWhen my older son moved out and my younger son moved into what he had always perceived as the “better” room, we turned his room into a guest room, complete with twin beds and a small bookcase with young adult books. At some point, though, we had to face the hard fact that there would be no more sleepovers. My younger son was approaching high school graduation and, believe it or not, nearly-adult men don’t often indulge in sleepovers. So we put the beds on Craig’s list and I fulfilled my dream of creating my own space in which to write. I never knew what I was missing. I have an over-sized chair and ottoman, a desk, music, and (most importantly) books. Rows and rows of books. At times, my husband will stick his head into the room and ask how the writing is going and is surprised to see me reading. “Research,” I mumble and return to a particularly juicy love scene. The point is, though, you have to have your own space, free of the distractions of being a parent, a spouse, a pet-owner, and an obsessive-compulsive house cleaner. In my room, my characters are free to walk around and talk to each other while my fingers on the keyboard try to frantically keep up with them. Find a space and make it yours; your characters will be waiting for you.
Flawed characters
There’s a saying: Perfect boys only exist in books. Although certainly true, you’ll never find a perfect boy in one of my books… or a perfect girl for that matter. I like to write flawed characters. I prefer that my characters say the wrong thing or wear the wrong clothes or think the wrong thoughts. Doesn’t it feel so much more satisfying when you come to the end of a book and the flawed character has found happiness or love or peace? He or she has learned a lesson and through doing so, is so much more deserving of our affection. When I was a young girl, I loved reading romance novels with perfect men. Then I became older and began to date such very imperfect men. I even married an imperfect man. This works out really well, since I’m nowhere near perfect. Perfect is boring. Perfect is a fairy tale. Bring on the flaws.
Sandy Huth 