Showing posts with label #characterization. Show all posts

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Guest Blog: How to Describe an Estranged Relative Showing Up

Great Guest Blog by Angela Ackerman (Top photo from Elva's file. 😎😏)

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: An Estranged Relative Showing Up

Posted on April 25, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it’s an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could come from an external source—other characters, unfortunate circumstances, or the force of nature itself.

It’s our hope that this thesaurus will help you come up with meaningful and fitting conflict options for your stories. Think about what your character wants and how best to block them, then choose a source of conflict that will ramp up the tension in each scene.

Conflict: An Estranged Relative Showing Up

Category: Power struggles, relationship friction, duty and responsibilities, loss of control, ego

Examples:
An estranged parent appearing at the door unannounced
Falling out with a cousin and years later they call to ask for help
An estranged parent showing up at the hospital to meet their grandchild
A sibling that has been out of the character’s life for years in a bind asking for money
A relative banned from the character’s wedding showing up anyway
Feuding relatives showing up at a loved one’s funeral, wake, or will-reading
A child with an out-of-control addiction showing up because they’re in trouble

Minor Complications:
Anger causing rash behavior and words that can’t be taken back
Embarrassment, especially if the person shows up drunk, hungover, or behaves inappropriately in front of others
Having to navigate uncomfortable questions if the character has lied about the person in some way (that they are dead, or in a care facility, etc.)
Losing the esteem of others (the person behaving badly around colleagues, for example)
Exposing loved ones to a toxic person
The estranged relative catering to the character’s partner or child in hopes it will help them get what they want

Potentially Disastrous Results:
Being suckered into believing they have changed only to find they have not
A child building a relationship with their grandparent only to be later abandoned
The character’s hard-won esteem crashing due to gas-lighting
The character falling back into dysfunctional habits they worked hard to shake
Anger escalating to violence, and the police are called
Family drama ruining an important event (a wedding reception, graduation, etc.)
Discovering money or items are missing after this person’s arrival
The person’s arrival touching off a feud where relatives all takes sides
The estranged member causing friction in their marriage
People discovering the character’s past as they know it is a lie

Possible Internal Struggles (Inner Conflict):
Wanting approval still and so feeling weak for needing it
Struggling to not let one’s own “ugly side” take over due to unresolved anger
Wanting to resolve things but knowing it is impossible
Wanting to tell loved ones the truth behind the rift but being unable to return to the source of hurt
Anxiety over traits the character has in common with the estranged individual
Questioning their memory (especially if gas-lighting was a factor)

People Who Could Be Negatively Affected: the character themselves, loved ones (especially vulnerable ones like children or elderly relatives who could be taken advantage of)

Resulting Emotions: anger, anxiety, appalled, betrayed, bitterness, certainty, conflicted, confusion, contempt, defensiveness, defiant, disgust, disillusionment, dread, emasculated, embarrassment, flustered, frustration, grief, guilt, hatred, homesick, hopefulness, humiliation, hurt, insecurity, longing, neglected, rage, regret, reluctance, remorse, resentment, resignation, sadness, schadenfreude, scorn, self-loathing, self-pity, shame, shock, skepticism, suspicion, vengeful, vindicated, vulnerability, worthlessness

Personality Flaws that May Make the Situation Worse: abrasive, addictive, callous, confrontational, forgetful, hypocritical, indecisive, martyr, needy, perfectionist, subservient, timid, violent, volatile, weak-willed

Positive Outcomes:
If both parties regret the past, perhaps a more functional future can be achieved through forgiveness and accountability
Sometimes a person needs closure. Seeing the person again and knowing they haven’t changed may allow the character to move on.
If the character needed information (say on a birth parent to be able to fill out accurate health histories for their child), it is possible they can finally get it even if that is the only positive of the person returning.

If you’re interested in other conflict options, you can find them here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this conflict thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (15 unique thesauri and growing) is available at our main site, One Stop for Writers.

Swing by and check out the video walkthrough, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Guest Post:: Your Character Arc in Six Stages

Guest Post by C.S. Lakin

www.livewritethrive.com

The Character Arc in Six Specific Stages

As a writer, you’re probably familiar with the term “character arc,” but what does a character arc entail? How do you structure this arc? And what informs the way your character changes, from the start of your story to the end?

While all characters in a novel can have arcs, it’s the protagonist whose change should be the most significant. Depending on genre and plot, your hero’s change might be subtle or life-altering. A suspense thriller or cozy mystery may show little character growth by the end, when the bad guy is caught or the mystery solved, whereas a thoughtful women’s fiction novel or relational drama may showcase monumental change.

But, in all stories, arcs are about change or transformation. And the stories with strong arcs show a character starting in what Hollywood movie consultant Michael Hauge calls identity or persona.

What makes for a great persona is a character who has suffered in his past and has developed a coping mechanism over time. This is his face he presents to the world that keeps buried his pain, fear, or hurt.

It’s human nature to deny and avoid painful feelings. But when we suppress them, it creates problems. We are never truly happy in our persona. It’s like having a tiny (or big) thorn in our toe that is festering. We keep our foot in a sock and walk around trying to ignore it, but it isn’t going to go away on its own. At some point we have to pull off the sock, look hard at the infection, then extricate that thorn and flush out the wound.

This gives us a blueprint for the process of crafting a strong character arc. While we understand coming up with “a wound” for our protagonist is key, we don’t want to make up any ol’ wound. We need to develop one that is intrinsically tied in with our premise.

Your character moves from his persona to his true essence in stages, gradually and in a believable manner. People don’t change overnight. Events erode a person’s grasp on his persona until he can no longer hang on to it. By the end of your story, your character finds no safe haven in that persona any longer.

Let’s take a look at these six stages of transformation, using the movie Hostiles as a perfect example.

Stage 1: This is your setup scene at the start of your novel. Your character is fully in his persona. This is the face he shows the world, and though it’s helped him cope with life, it has not brought him happiness.

In Hostiles, Army Captain Joseph Blocker has spent the last two decades fighting Indians, and he’s witnessed horrific things the Indians have done. He hates the Indians and cannot see past his hate to imagine they have any humanity or worth. Before he retires, he’s commanded to escort the ailing Cheyenne chief Yellow Hawk—his most despised enemy—to his ancestral home in Montana. He is fully in persona.

Stage 2: At this stage (between the 10% and 25% mark), your character’s entrenched views begin to be challenged. He gets a glimpse of his essence, of who he could be, if he let go of his persona.

In Hostiles, Blocker’s hatred begins to crack when he witnesses Yellow Hawk and the other Indians quickly move to join in protecting their group, even killing other Indians in defense. This glimpse of integrity that he sees in Yellow Hawk sparks respect and challenges his core beliefs that all Indians, especially this one, are savages and nothing more.

Stage 3: Somewhere between the 25% and 50% mark, your character, still in his persona and moving toward his goal, is gradually changing due to what he is experiencing and learning. A mentor or friend might mirror to his the way he is acting, pointing out how that’s not working for him. Or something someone says or does makes him stop and consider how his coping mechanisms aren’t making him happy. Think of creating a scene in which he takes the first step toward changing, or that shows he is already changing without realizing it.

In Hostiles, Rosalie, a woman whose family was butchered by Indians and who Blocker saved and has taken with him on this journey, has a deep talk with Blocker about life and spiritual things. This mirror moment gets Blocker questioning his life and values and begins to crack his hard shell.

Stage 4: This stage comes sometime between the Midpoint and the Dark Moment (75% mark). Now your character knows he must embrace his true essence. He is not there yet, but he fully realizes his persona is failing him. He must get the courage to be true to himself and face the truths he hasn’t been able to face. Often this is where the character backslides into his persona again, where it’s safe. But it doesn’t work anymore. There is only going forward.

Rosalie and the two native women are kidnapped by a group of fur traders who come across them as they wash dishes at a creek. Alerted by Little Bear, Blocker and several of his men, as well as Yellow Hawk and Black Hawk, track them down. They find the fur traders’ camp and witness one of the kidnappers beating Yellow Hawk’s daughter. When the kidnappers return to their tents, the men sneak down into the camp and attack the kidnappers and kill them. One of the rescuers is killed in the struggle. This intense event, which throws the opposing characters together, uniting them in purpose and morality, causes a further transformation of Blocker’s character. The Indians are people who strive, who suffer, who take care of those they love. He sees they are not all that different from him. He’s almost in his true essence.

Stage 5: This is the moment of arrival. As the climax barrels into him, he fully embraces his true essence, which gives him all that’s needed to reach his goal. He has everything to lose, but he goes for it. The final push to “arrive.”

In Hostiles, after a huge climax of death and mayhem, the group finally reaches Montana, and Blocker and Yellow Hawk, who is near death from cancer, speak. Blocker names some of the men he had lost fighting Yellow Hawk. Yellow Hawk responds by saying that he had also lost people. The two men shake hands in an apparent mutual act of forgiveness and friendship. When they arrive at Valley of the Bears, they bury the now dead Yellow Hawk using a traditional native burial scaffold. When white men approach and threaten them—mirroring the exact attitude Blocker had at the start of the story: hateful, racist, violent—we see Blocker take a stand, and he kills the leader of these men. Everyone in Blocker’s group is shot and killed except Rosalie and the young Indian boy.

Stage 6: At the resolution, your character is now fully in his essence; he has transformed and sees the world and himself in a new, healthier light. He is honest and transparent about himself.

At the end of Hostiles, Rosalie boards a train with the boy, heading home to where she will raise the young warrior. Blocker says good-bye, but because he is now fully in his essence, wholly transformed, he cannot leave the woman he loves. He is now able to do two things he could never have done at the start of the story: be at peace enough to allow himself to love this woman he cherishes and decide to help raise an Indian boy. He has broken through his racism and hate by way of experiences that taught him the lessons he needed to learn, giving him understanding that had never been within his grasp. A powerful story with a perfect transformational journey for the protagonist.

When you sit down to work on your character arc, consider using the Six Stage Plot Structure. Brainstorm scenes that will showcase the specific stage your character is in, for each turning point in the story. I also use this, and other, examples in my extensive online course on The 10 Key Scenes That Frame Up Your Novel. If you want to master this, take this course!

Using this framework will not only help you write a solid story, it will aid you in crafting a believable character arc for your protagonist that will engage and delight your readers.

***

Hope you enjoyed this guest post from C.S. Lakin. Her writers' blog is a great one to follow. Subscribe at: http://www.livewritethrive.com/
Has this article helped you in any way? Would love to hear your comments.

Blessings,
Elva Martin

Elva Cobb Martin is vice-president of the South Carolina Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a former school teacher and a graduate of Anderson University and Erskine College. She has two inspirational novels published with Lighthouse Publishers of the Carolinas. Summer of Deception, a contemporary romantic suspense, and an historical romance, In a Pirate’s Debt. Both have spent time on Amazon’s 100 Best Sellers List for Women’s Religious Fiction. She has indie published a Bible study on Amazon, Power Over Satan, on the believer's authority in Christ. Decision, Charisma, and Home Life have carried Elva's articles. She and her husband Dwayne are semi-retired ministers. A mother and grandmother, Elva lives in South Carolina. Connect with her on her web site http://www.elvamartin.com,on Twitter www.twitter.com/ElvaCobbMartin; Facebook http://www.facebook.com/elvacobbmartin; and Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/elvacobbmartin

Link to her romance novels and non-fiction works on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pOgVHI

Saturday, March 9, 2019

What Type of Violent Offender is Your Villain? - Guest blog

What Type of Violent Offender Is Your Villain?

By Guest Blogger Bonnie Randall on www.fiction-University.com Feb. 26

Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)

Within my work with Violent Threat Risk Assessment, I share characteristics of the four most dominant violent offenders; what motivates them, what personality traits each has, their inherent goals, and how they are most likely to react if / when they are caught.

The four types of offenders are easily identifiable in fiction, film, and real life once you know what you are looking for. And, in turn, villains are much easier to create when you have the recipe of characteristics that create the perfect storm that forms The Violent Offender.

So, without further ado, let’s examine the four types of violent offenders, starting with:

1. The Traditional, Predominantly Cognitive Violent Individual

First and most important trait to note: this character is not emotional. A thinker, a plotter, and a schemer, this person will have excellent control over his feelings during a violent episode—there will be no squeamishness, and he will be highly unmoved by his victims cries for help. In fact, if there is any remorse to be felt, it will be only because he wished he would not have had to embark on the ‘extra’ work of hurting or killing someone to get what he wanted; he will know that business would have been much more expedient without the need to now dispose of this pesky dead body. But…what can one do? Sometimes a cumbersome crime scene to clean is the cost of doing business.

Make readers an offer they can't refuse.

The Predominantly Cognitive Offender does not necessarily enjoy violence, and violence in and of itself will not be their goal. Acquiring the sack of rubies will be the end game. Or the brick of cocaine. Perhaps the priceless painting. Violence for the sake of violence is actually a waste of their energy, and beneath their sophistication. Yet, if killing someone is the only way to get the real job done, then…whaddaya do?

The Predominantly Cognitive Offender is most definitely on the sociopathic spectrum; he is a cold fish with little ability and no desire to attach. He will not want to get caught, and in fact will be as slippery as minnows in your swimsuit when it comes to being nailed; unencumbered by any anxiety that might trip a normal person up, this offender will instead be able to lie smoothly, glibly, and there is a high chance he could even easily beat a polygraph. He can and will delay acts of violence if it means a greater likelihood of attaining what he wants and / or lowering the risk of getting caught. He has patience in spades and will execute his end-game expediently and emotionlessly.

(Here's more on developing villains)

Examples of this type of offender include Mario Puzo’s Godfather, and (at his most profound development) Breaking Bad’s Walter White. El Chapo is another stellar example of a Predominantly Cognitive Offender. For these types, it truly is…

All business, baby.

2. The Traditional, Predominantly Behavioral Type:

Create your dream bad guy.

Like the aforementioned Cognitive Offender, this type is also highly unemotional, and she too falls upon the sociopathic spectrum. The difference here is motive. Where our other offender uses violence as a means to an end, this offender gets off on the act of violence. Governed by appetites instead of emotion, and certainly highly sadistic, this psychopath is into the thrill of the kill. Think Voldemort employing the Cruciatus Curse while wearing a pleased smile. Or Freddy Krueger building his ‘special’ glove. Ted Bundy, too, was a Behavioral Type Offender; it was the sex/killing that got him off—in fact, he never stole a single valuable from any of his victims, despite being in some of their houses.

Like the first Type, these offenders too are difficult to catch because, while having no emotions of their own to muddy the water, they have become excellent at exuding the charm and glib charisma that often seduces other people into liking them (and believing their lies). These offenders are 100% morally bankrupt, and if they are ever caught, they will never admit their crimes—and will blame anyone and everything for “how they are”.

(Here's more on six steps to creating a great villain)

3. The Mixed Type Offender

Keep your villains from being dull boys.

If our first two types are always in their heads and never their hearts, then this type is the opposite. Mixed Types are HIGHLY emotional. Hotheads who are easily offended and have hair-trigger tempers, these guys are caught easily because they are so incredibly impulsive and wear their emotions (and motives) all over their face. The littlest things can and do set them off; Mixed Types are always at risk of losing their proverbial sh*t because they feel huge emotions about everything.

Simultaneously, they will feel highly justified when they lash out and hurt someone (as opposed to our first two types who, despite being sociopathic and psychopathic respectively, are fully aware, and even agree, that violence is wrong). A Mixed Type will be indignant and resentful if caught and punished—because from their warped point of view, they have been wronged…and so whoever they’ve hurt had it coming. Often odious or at the very least uncomfortable to be around, good examples of a Mixed Type can be found in many Stephen King novels, most notably Jack Torrance in The Shiningand Annie Wilkes in Misery.

(Here's more on 10 traits of a great antagonist)

4. The Non Traditional Type

Some "villains" we actually want to root for.

Out of all the violent offenders, the non-traditional type is by far the most tragic. For while attachment disorder and emotional neglect built our first two offenders, and Borderline Personality is likely at play in our Mixed Type, the Non-Traditional is not someone mentally unhinged or disordered. Instead, the Non-Trad is someone who has either been deeply wounded or horrifically abused…and has coped as best as he/she could until their coping ability ran dry. Now violence is their only option.

(Here's more on creating relatable antagonists)

Think Carl Lee who kills his daughter’s rapists in John Grisham’s A Time To Kill. Or Carrie White who burns the school down after her last humiliation at the prom in Carrie. These offenders are emotional like the Mixed Types, yet the difference is that while Mixeds are violent often, Non-Trads will usually only ever be violent once in their lifetime. A further distinction is this: A Mixed, if they do feel remorse after committing a crime, will say “I can’t believe I did that” while a Non-Trad will say “I can’t believe I did that to them.” See the shift in empathy? Subtle, but powerful.

Okay! There’s a quick snapshot of each offender. Questions? Comments? Fire away, and make your villains authentically villainy!

Bonnie Randall is a Canadian writer who lives between her two favorite places—the Jasper Rocky Mountains and the City of Champions: Edmonton, Alberta. A clinical counselor who scribbles fiction in notebooks whenever her day job allows, Bonnie is fascinated by the relationships people develop—or covet—with both the known and unknown, the romantic and the arcane.

Her novel Divinity & The Python, a paranormal romantic thriller, was inspired by a cold day in Edmonton when the exhaust rising in the downtown core appeared to be the buildings, releasing their souls.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciated the great info in the above guest blog. It's a good keeper with all the extra links printed out for a great file on "Villains." Hope you liked it. Would love to hear your "villain" comments.

Blessings,
Elva Martin

Link to her romance novels and non-fiction works on Amazon:http://amzn.to/2pOgVHI

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Planning Your Novel - Part 6 - Hero Charactization

by Elva Cobb Martin

How do you like this photo I chose to represent my current hero, privateer Captain Ethan Beckett?

Doesn't that face, that intense look inspire you? It certainly did me. It is actually the face of the Turkish actor who played the hero in the NetFlix historical romance series "Kurt Seyit and Sura." I highly recommend this series for historical romance lovers.

Here is how I've planned out my character,

Captain Ethan Beckett, formerly Rev. Ethan Becket of Charles Town.

Basics: grieving widower, bitter since wife’s death, left the ministry and returned to the sea, his first love.

Physical Description: tall- 6 feet, 2 in.; muscular, deep-set pewter eyes, chestnut brown hair pulled back in a queue (braid), full beard and mustache, sun-tanned square face; flaring nostrils; straight eyebrows; thick neck, arms, chest; thin lips; great with sword and sailing a ship.

Internal Goal/motivation– overcome his grief and bitterness over wife’s death and second child at birth and raise his first child Joshua in a happy home

External – Find and rescue his sister from Spanish captivity

Core Need: To find the peace and happiness he once had during his first marriage and ministry

Character and Spiritual Arc

Persona: (face he shows the world) Bitter, easily angered, arrogant, now drinks, doesn’t think God cares or was fair in letting his godly wife Olivia and child die in child birth. Vows never to love again.

Essence: unmoored, feels cut-off from all that is good, guilt-ridden for backsliding, feels a failure, wishing he could find his way back to sanity and peace.

Will Become: a stronger minister than he ever was with renewed faith in God’s love, care and power to forgive and cleanse. No longer angry or bitter, quits drinking, humble, able to risk loving again.

I have further notes planning my romantic arc for Captain Becket.

Now you've been introduced to my heroine and hero in my wip. How do you like them? In my next blog I'll share about those important secondary characters that enrich our story.

I'm busy finishing the first three chapters and a proposal for some editors I met at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in May who liked my pitch for this series and asked to see a proposal. Yes, tis a lot of work! But I'm taking you on the journey with me!

Are you working on a novel? Would love to hear your comments or questions. And please do share this blog on Twitter and Face book by clicking on the icons below.

Blessings,

Elva Cobb Martin

Friday, August 11, 2017

Planning Your Novel -Part 5 Deep Heroine Characterization

by Elva Cobb Martin

Planning an Heroic, Determined, Compassionate Heroine --start with a picture or two.

Here are a couple of the photos I've chosen for my heroine in Spanish Captive, showing her two sides as a lovely Spanish lady and a trained sword-fighting foe when necessary. (And, yes, it's going to be necessary). I love having an idea of how my heroine might look as I plan and write the story.
(Do you recognize Catherine Zeta Jones?)

My heroine:

Doña Marisol Valentin

Physical Description: Medium height, long, curly, dark hair, hazel eyes with a tinge of gold, dark arched brows and thick lashes, skin color and texture from her English mother – creamy ivory; face structure – oval/oblong with high cheek bones; straight nose, full lips and gleaming straight white teeth, small but strong hands with long, tapered fingers; general body structure – small bones, lithe, well endowed, much stronger than she looks. Had Spanish father and English mother.

Special skills: Trained in sword fighting. Is excellent horsewoman and Flamenco dancer. Raised on an Andalusian Stud Farm in Cadiz, Spain

Don't forget my premise for this novel:

Love, forgiveness, and determination can overcome the most horrifying experiences and poor choices when God is invited into the equation.

Here are some characterization details I'm working out for Marisol that will help develop and bring my premise into realization. Of course, some of this may very well change as I write the story. I keep my plotting outline fluid!

Internal Goal/Motivation – to overcome her terrible past and find love, security, respect. She falls in love with widower privateer Captain Ethan Becket, but sees little hope for that relationship due to her terrible past with the murder of a Spanish noble who attacked her.

Spirit of Rejection - desperately wants to be part of a loving family circle but doubts she's worthy.

External Goal/Motivation- Escape from Spain to New World. Later, help Captain Ethan Becket find and rescue his sister from Spanish captors thought to be living in Cartagena.

Core need: to find true love, security, respect and a new beginning.

Greatest fear: That ALL her past will be revealed and she’ll suffer great consequences, even to being garroted (in Spain) for murder. And Ethan Becket will never understand if he learns of the murder.

The incident that wounded her earlier in life that got her to believing a lie.

Her stepfather tried to marry her off to a rich, wicked don she refused to marry. One day the nobleman attacked her but she managed to stab him, accidentally killing him. She had to flee her home and live by her wits and charms. She escaped from Spain by becoming an indentured slave on a ship bound for the colonies.

Character Arc:

Persona (face she shows to the world): A very capable, sometimes harsh, sometimes vixen, fearless young woman.

Essence: An insecure, frightened, low self-esteem, young woman, who longs to escape her past and find love, family, and security.

Will become: a strong, godly young woman willing and able to fight and sacrifice for others.

Spiritual Arc

Marisol starts out as a nominal believer, not sure what blessings faith affords. Even though she repented her past sins, she still feels like soiled goods and knows she’ll go to prison or to execution if the murdered nobleman's family finds her. She is sure no one will believe her version of the attack vs. the version of the man’s family, who are wealthy and of the Spanish nobility.

She Will Become: Marisol will discover through scripture and experiences that God wants to wipe away all that stains her mind, will and emotions and help her become a true woman of God worthy of respect and love. The battle she will face when the murder catches up with her will serve to strengthen her, not to destroy her, and will build a strong faith in God’s justice and belief in his love for her.

Romantic Arc

Marisol falls in love with widower Captain Ethan Becket, but many hurdles stand between these two ever finding love and a HEA.

Do you like this heroine so far? Please do leave a comment and share the blog on your social media by clicking the square links below.