On Deadline And Your Characters Aren't Talking

by Patricia Bradley

I said I'd never be here again...You know, behind on my deadline. I turned in my last book in July last year and here it is the middle of March and I’m only half finished with the first draft of a book due May 1. Six weeks to write forty thousand words, and then edit all ninety thousand. Oh, and the manuscript has to shine, as well.

I’ll get it done. I have no choice. Well, I could ask for an extension, but I realllllly don’t want to do that. So, I’ll suck it up and do whatever it takes to make the deadline.

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Creating Characters We Want To Have Coffee (or Diet Coke) With

by Rachel Hauck

A book is about people. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Or, simpler, extra ordinary things.

But to feel for these people and go on the journey with them we have to see them with the eyes of our heart. Of our imagination.

How do we do that as storytellers?

Details!

Beware! I don’t mean physical details although those are great, but I mean personal, down-to-the-soul details.

Describe the protagonist life, hinting at wants, goals, dreams.

Why have they walked onto the page?

Imagine a play if you will.

The stage is dark save for the spotlight.

The main character walks onto the stage, in costume, and begins to speak.

What could they possibly say that will make you lean forward to listen?

What emotion or what story could they share that would make you care?

What opening line would grab you?

That’s how you have to build your characters before you walk them onto the page.

I used to play act as a kid, making up dialog between me and oh, you know, Donny Osmond.

We’d carry on whole conversations.

Now I do the same for my protagonist and secondary characters.

I see them in my mind’s eye.

I do my level best to get to know them in my heart.

Anyone who’s been in a writing class with me has heard the account of how I dug deeper for the characters June and Rebel in Softly and Tenderly, the book I wrote with Sara Evans.

I knew Rebel had been a cheater. And originally I decided that once he fell off the fidelity wagon, he intended not to do it again but just got caught.

Sin will do that — keep you longer than you intended to stay and take you farther than you intended to go.

But as I wrote the confrontation scene it lacked… punch. I felt like I was writing in circles.

I got up to take a break and ended up dialoging with myself, playing both characters, and I know you ALL have done it too, and came upon a break through line.

Here June is confronting him as to why all the affairs. Rebel is a high powered southern lawyer.

BEGIN

“It just got easy, that’s all.”

“Easy? Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep… How helpless I felt to stop you… I mentally packed my bags so many times.”

“I told you, it just got easy.”

“Does revenge taste that sweet Reb?” RH: Here’s where I learned June also had an affair. Early in their young marriage when she felt alone during Rebel’s law school years.

Rebel whipped around to face her. “You stole my son, June!” <– BREAK THRU LINE!

END

I gasped here! What does that mean? I didn’t know but I was going to find out. It felt brilliant!

So I dug around until I discovered the whole story! This bit of news popped the story wide open and created much deeper, more complex characters.

Here’s another example from How To Catch A Prince.

I created a fun, over-the-top media mogul, Gigi Beaumont. She’s both a protagonist and antagonist. I know… I know… but I like to bend the rules.

When we first meet her in the heroine’s POV, Gigi is commanding, smartly dressed with perfect hair and nails.

But when we switched to Gigi’s point of view, we see a different character.

BEGIN:

Gigi

Even when she was a girl running barefoot through the hills of her Blue Ridge, Georgia, home, Gigi Beaumont had a nose for news.

She’d collect all the best gossip by sneaking around the wizened mountain women— who had a knack for telling a yarn or two—as they talked in the Mast General or strolled the town square. Then she wrote their stories and mimeographed them on the machine she found in the church basement, producing her first newspaper at the mature age of ten.

When Mama read it, whoa doggies, she gave Gigi a walloping for the ages on account of what she printed about the mayor’s wife. But when it turned out to be true—an affair with the sheriff—Mama became her chief distributor and fact finder.

Forty-six years later, she still crawled around behind the storytellers and gossips, hoping for the scoop. The scandalous story that would turn the world on its ear.

Mercy knows, Beaumont Media needed a break. A big one. Hiring Mark Johnson was just one stealth move to reignite her newspaper’s faltering brand.

END

Here we have a bit of Gigi’s character history (which is very different from backstory!) and we see this woman is both hungry for success and gifted.

She’s following a life long passion, her superpower!

Hopefully I created descriptive elements to help the reader know who they are dealing with in this story.

We don’t need a lot of physical description here. We get it in other scenes.

What I needed in this scene was her heart. To show just who Gigi Beaumont was and why.

So, how do you know if you have a dynamic character that can rise off the page and grab the reader?

Here’s an example from award-winning author Deborah Raney’s novel, Home to Chicory Lane.

BEGIN
Still, despite his rough childhood, and a couple of wild years in high school, Chase had defied the odds and turned into a good guy. A really good guy. Their youth pastor from Langhorne Community Fellowship had taken Chase under his wing, and by the time Landyn was old enough to date, Chase was toeing a pretty straight line.

Well, except for the tattoo. Dad had come completely unglued when he heard Chase had gotten inked. She’d finally calmed him down by explaining that Chase’s Celtic cross––on his collarbone, so it was hidden under most of his shirts––was a symbol of his faith and of the permanence of God’s love for him.

END

I can see this guy, can’t you? Wild, tattooed, but wearing the symbol of his new faith. I get him right away. We see he’s “toeing” the line so perhaps he’s still trying to earn God’s favor. And the tattoo is kind of his reminder, “Behave yourself.” There are a lot of places Deb could’ve taken this. Great description.

Here’s a clip from best selling author Denise Hunter’s Married ‘Til Monday. (Great title, eh?)



BEGIN

After work Saturday Abby showered off the bakery smell, dried her hair, and pulled it back into a messy ponytail. She scrubbed the makeup from her face, exposing the freckles on her nose, and threw on a pair of jeans with her Eagles T-shirt, hating the way her hands trembled. It was just one date. Then he’d leave her alone.

END

What I love about this is her Eagles t-shirt and trembling hands. We know what kind of music she likes and that tells us a lot about the character. And trembling hands indicates she’s nervous. Funny to me she’s going on a date and trying to look her worst. No make up, sloppy ponytail. Makes me ask, “What’s going on here?” Denise took the opposite of the norm. Good idea to always flip a character or scene upside down and see what’s on the other side.

Here’s a few tips on how to create deeper characters:

1. Be specific. Get down to nitty gritty details. Tell a slice of life and use it to shape the character.

2. Utilize MBT’s Story Equation — the SEQ. Dark wound of the past, lie and fear, contrasted with greatest dream.

3. What’s your character’s happiest moment. (Be specific!)

4. Remember your story is about dealing with a specific issue (notice the word specific is used a lot) so build your details around that one event.

5. Go beneath the surface. Turn a character or situation upside down. Instead of a male character what happens if you make him a her? A character is more than hair or eye color, or skin color. More than she liked cafe mochas and the Beatles. Those are great but you must answer the question: Why does she like those things? Dig deep. Think outside the box.

Now, go write a brilliant character.

TWEETABLES

Creating Characters We Want To Have Coffee (or Diet Coke) With by Rachel Hauck (Click to Tweet)

Tell a slice of life and use it to shape the character~ Rachel Hauck (Click to Tweet)

Turn a character or situation upside down~ Rachel Hauck (Click to Tweet)

New York Times, USA Today ​and Wall Street Journal best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a past ACFW mentor of the year. A worship leader and Buckeye football fan, Rachel lives in Florida with her husband and ornery cat, Hepzibah. Read more about Rachel atwww.rachelhauck.com.

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What Love Requires, Y'all

By Michael Ehret

(Scene: Country radio studio where the host, Jimmy Guffey, is about to talk with New Yorker Patricia Talbot, sweetheart of bullriding star Talon Carlson, the hometown boy. Guffey has heard that Talbot has talked Carlson into giving up bullriding and, as a longtime fan, he wants to know why. See the contest offered after the post!)

Jimmy: This is Jimmy Guffey on KPLR, Praise the Lord for the Rodeo Radio, 104.3, on your FM dial. Today, on “Bustin’ Broncs for the Kingdom,” we’re talkin’ to Patricia Talbert, a New York hoity-toity social coordinator who’s fallen hard for our #1 rodeo hero, Talon Carlson, from right here in Stephenville, Texas.

Jimmy says this is a photo of Talon as a
young cowboy. There's no proof of that claim.

Talon, as y'all know, loves nothing more than bullridin’ and the rodeo, save perhaps The Man Upstairs, so when this longtime fan of his heard he was givin’ up bullridin’, well, I just knew there had to be more to this story and, as one of Talon’s biggest fans, I’m itchin’ to find out the truth.

So, Patty, what’s the scoop? Fill us in, if you can. I understand a gal name of Linda Yezak—she ain’t country, now, is she? Not with a name like Yezak. Anyway, I understand this Linda has told your and Talon’s story. So tell us what you told her. How’d you convince our Talon to leave the circuit?

Patricia: Well now Jimmy, Linda may not have been raised in the country, but she's always been country at heart. Her husband, on the other hand, was raised on a farm in central Texas. You want country? His family didn't have electricity until he was six. Now that's country!

You really want to know how I made Talon promise not to ride? Well, I decided to show him what it's like to watch someone he loved get thrown. I rode Mostro—the wildest steer on the Circle Bar Ranch.

Talon taught me how to ride bulls. Even though they were fairly tame, he made me ride them without a flank strap, which, as you know Jimmy, tends to make the ride more dangerous. I wanted the strap when I rode Mostro, but I didn't know what I was in for. It made him so mean and wild, he threw me into the next pen.

After watching me get tossed, Talon didn't think twice about making the promise. Of course, it helped that he was recovering from a concussion and a broken arm he'd received when Burnt Biscuit threw him into the ER not days before. Linda told about that event in Give the Lady a Ride.

Jimmy, there’s a Bible verse comes to mind. It’s 1 Corinthians 13:7 about all the things love does—and not all of them are easy! In fact, they can all be difficult when you think about it. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I’ve been reading up on that lately, and when I think about it in connection to Talon and me, it gives me pause.

Jimmy: I’m glad you brought that up. As I understand it, you’re learning to put boots on that verse and walk it around the ranch, so to speak. Tell us about that. For instance, “Love bears all things.” What kinds of things are you willing to bear for love?

Patricia: I know what I can't bear—to see Talon hurt again. But it seems Aunt Adele is pushing him to get back on a bull, just so she can see him ride. She's my aunt and I love her, but Talon and I both have to bear with her attempts to take me back to Manhattan.

The verse says, “Love bears all things.” Love isn't restricted to any particular type. It can be the kind of love Talon and I share, or the kind I feel for the ranch, my friends, and my family—even Aunt Adele. Right now, bearing with her is stretching my patience!

Jimmy: The next part of that there verse says that “love believes all things.” I dare say that could cause some problems. Let’s just say Talon has been known to stretch a truth a time or two—he ain’t perfect. So Patty, er, Patricia, beg yer pardon, why do you think you can believe him when he says he’s never going to ride another bull?

Patricia: Ha! You know him well. His practical jokes and tall tales are legendary. I still remember the one he pulled on me when we checked for estrus cows. Almost had me convinced that the only way to know they were in heat was to approach them with a thermometer . . . well, that's another story.

For all his pranks, though, I believe in him. He's not at all like the men I knew in New York—or DC either, for that matter. We've been together about a year now, and everything I see of him smacks of integrity. He's the preacher at our Cowboy Church, and he's highly respected around here. Not to mention how patient he has been with Aunt Adele. That alone just amazes me. I can't imagine him breaking a promise to me or anyone else.

Besides, he had to do all his ranch work one-handed while he waited for his arm to heal. I'm certain he wouldn't want to risk that again.

Jimmy: Hope is what keeps many a cowboy in the game, as you know. Hope that next time he’ll make the eight or win that buckle. “Love hopes all things.” What does that mean to your life?

Patricia: My hopes are centered around making a life here at the ranch. It's totally different from New York, but I believe God wants me here. Aunt Adele thinks she can lure me back, but I love it here too much, love the people too much. I love Talon, and he belongs here, which means I do too.

I have hope that God will convince Adele—and my mother, who no doubt put her up to making my life crazy—that I am where I belong and with whom I belong.

But I also hope that the scars from my past will heal, and that this time, with this man, things will be different.

With God, all things are possible, and He is the source of my hope now.

Jimmy: Now I know you don’t want to give away too much, Patricia, and ruin things for Linda and her readers, but endurance—that there’s another great cowboy trait. I’ve seen Talon endure some pretty tough times, on the bull and off. But what does that mean to you? What are you willing to endure for your own sake? For Talon’s sake? For the Lord’s sake?

Patricia: That’s a great question, Jimmy. Honestly, at this moment, I don't know for certain what God has in store for me here. So far, all I've had to endure is the insufferable Texas heat—and Consuela's cooking lessons and a lot of ribbing from the men for being such a greenhorn.

But since I returned to my Savior last year, I've spent every day studying His word, learning who He is, and lamenting what I've missed all these years separated from Him. Whatever He sends my way, whatever I'll have to endure in the future, I know it will be much easier than what I've endured in the past. Because this time, I'll have Him to guide me through it.

Jimmy: Well, that’s about it for us folks here KPLR, Praise the Lord for the Rodeo Radio. Today we’ve been talking with Ms. Patricia Talbert about love and what it does—and what it requires. Look for the complete story of Patricia and Talon in the books by Miz Yezak, Give The Lady a Ride and the just released The Final Ride, available now in fine stories everywhere and online.

Y'all enter this contest!

Before you go folks, I am feeling led to announce a contest! That’s right, a chance for y'all to win both of these fine books by that Yezak filly.

No, I ain’t gonna make it easy on ya’—what’s the fun of that? But just answer this question below and you’re entered!  

Question: When have you had to put 1 Corinthians 13:7 into action in your life? Creativity and giggles count, so give it your best shot.

Here’s the skinny on that Yezak woman:

More than 25 years ago, after a decade of life as a "single-again," author Linda W. Yezak rediscovered God's love and forgiveness when He allowed her a second chance at marital happiness. She is now living her greatest romance with her husband in a forest in East Texas. After such an amazing blessing, she chooses to trumpet God's gift of second chances in the books she writes. Linda's novels are heart-warming hallmarks of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings.

Connect with her at: Facebook Fan Page, Pinterest, Amazon Page, Goodreads, Newsletter, at 777 Peppermint Place, and on Twitter at @LindaYezak. 

____________________________________

Michael Ehret has accepted God's invitation and is a freelance editor at WritingOnTheFineLine.com. In addition, he's worked as editor-in-chief of the ACFW Journal at American Christian Fiction Writers. He pays the bills as a marketing communications writer and sharpened his writing and editing skills as a reporter for The Indianapolis News and The Indianapolis Star.

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Character Interview ~ Emma Rae Travis

I am so excited today because I get to spend a little time (and so do you!) with one of my favorite fictional characters of all time: Emma Rae Travis, the pastry chef at The Tanglewood Inn (a fictional wedding destination hotel here in Roswell, GA) from the Another Emma Rae Creation series of novels by author Sandra D. Bricker and Abingdon Press.

Sandie says she came up with the idea for these Laugh-Out-Loud books while on a quick “potty break” during an all-day Amazing Wedding Cakes marathon one Saturday afternoon. “I remember thinking about the phenomenal design of those delectable cakes and wondering, ‘Wow! What if God gave those unbelievable cake skills to a diabetic who couldn’t enjoy them?’ And three hours later, Emma Rae was born.” And we’re so glad she was!

Sandie has graciously agreed to let us spend a little one-on-one time with Emma today. So sit back and relax; let’s enjoy the company of someone who has become an old friend to us all. And watch between what Emma says for some good tips on finding characters. And if you have a comment or question for Emma Rae, you'll be entered in a drawing for a package of all three books in the Another Emma Rae Creation series. Continental U.S. only please.

ANE: Emma Rae, we’re so thrilled to have you with us today, and we really do appreciate you taking time away from your work at The Tanglewood Inn to join us. I’ve always wanted to ask you about your relationship with Sandie. Your story and friendships are so interesting; they just keep us turning the pages to see what happens next. It’s kind of a chicken versus egg kind of question, but which one of you calls the shots?

EMMA: Well, I would definitely say it’s her. I mean, those are her fingers on the keyboard. But she says it’s me. Sandie’s an interesting sort in that she’s a Type A – like my best friend Sherilyn from Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride – and is first to admit that she plans out every aspect of her life with schedules and lists. But when it comes to writing, she flies by the seat of her pants. She says that every book is a surprise to her and that she writes them “on a wing and a prayer.”

ANE: So you’re telling me that the vivid details of The Tanglewood Inn…those are a figment of a writer’s imagination?

EMMA: (laughing) No. I’m not telling you that at all! Sandie says that everything she’s done in her life, every place that she’s ever visited, every random person she’s passed while shopping or waiting in line at the bank…little details about them have been stored away in her memory for use at a later time.

For instance, back in the ‘90s, Sandie was an entertainment publicist in Los Angeles. The demands of her job had gotten particularly stressful, and her business partner went looking for somewhere they could go – far enough from L.A. to give Sandie a decompressing vacay experience, but close enough that they could get back quickly if necessary. That’s when they found The Horton Grand Hotel in San Diego.

ANE: So the Horton Grand…

EMMA: You guessed it! That hotel, with its carved staircase and vintage rooms, all surrounding a courtyard of chirping birds and twinkling lights, later became The Tanglewood Inn. Sandie says she just picked it up (mentally) in San Diego and dropped it down in Roswell, GA, where she dedicated a year of her life working publicity and event planning for a children’s charity many years later.

ANE: I guess it’s too much to hope for that your fiancé Jackson Drake is actually out there somewhere?

EMMA: Sandie tells me that Jackson is a combination of several men she’s known over the years, but she’s quick to add that she turned her back on their more negative qualities and only borrowed the great ones to construct the man I love. Bless her heart!

ANE: What about the more minor characters appearing throughout the series? There are some really interesting and fun people, like Russell the Aussie actor and your wonderful Aunt Sophie. Are they based on real people?

EMMA: Sandie says they’re each compilations of several different people. Russell, for instance, is the sum of three different, really cute Aussie men she’s known over the years, with a little dose of naughty from each of them. She says that’s the way her writer mind works. Often, after meeting someone new, you’ll notice her pulling out the notebook she carries in her purse and scribbling fast notes about something that struck her about that person.

ANE: That’s kind of scary!

EMMA: Tell me about it.

ANE: Emma, can you tell me about the various books in the Another Emma Rae Creation series?

EMMA: Speak for Sandie, you mean? I don’t think she’ll mind. Book #1 is my book, Always the Baker Never the Bride. It starts right before I step foot in The Tanglewood, and takes readers through my initial fall for Jackson, his family, and his hotel. Book #2, Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride, is my best friend Sherilyn’s story as she moves back to Atlanta to marry a doctor and join the Tanglewood staff. Book #3, Always the Designer Never the Bride, introduces Audrey as a wedding dress designer who joins the family when she comes into town for her best girlfriend’s wedding.

ANE: And there’s another one coming up, right?

EMMA: Always the Baker FINALLY the Bride comes out in the spring, and it will wrap up the series with my engagement to Jackson. I can’t tell you whether you’ll actually get to attend our wedding, despite the title of the book, but I can say you’re going to have a blast finding out.

ANE: Emma, that’s cruel!

EMMA: Come on now. You know Sandie would kill me if I told all of the secrets!

ANE: Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I know there are a lot of loyal fans of you and your cohorts, so come back any time.

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