Skip to main content

While You're Waiting on Your Miracle

The Character's Why -- And Why Not Everyone Needs to Know It

 

I’m trying something new with my latest project, The Second Prince. Having never been a plotter and having never rewritten a whole draft from scratch… I’m going to do both with this manuscript. 

via GIPHY

Thanks, Obi

One of the new-to-me pieces in the plot template I’m using is to get to know the character before you even begin to write. This may seem obvious to other writers, but for me, I always just got a one- or two-sentence idea for a person and just ran with it. With this method, however, I’m taking a lot more time with the characters before I dive into (re)writing their story. I have to research them in my mind, so to speak, brainstorming their past, their fears, their lies, their desires, all the deepest nuances that shape them as people and will shape their actions throughout the story. It’s been fun, in a way, because characters are always my favorite part of the writing process. But figuring it out before the writing is also very difficult for me. Now that I know all these deep dark secrets, all the issues and aches that drive them, I feel compelled to include every one, so that the reader gets them and loves them like I do. In thinking that I have to make the reader understand them from the get-go, I’ve been looking for ways to specifically spell out their motivations in the early narrative. Or I get caught up in trying to make their beliefs and their actions always align, forcing the character to always do the thing that follows their stated fear and misbelief.

The simple thing I knew and forgot is this: the character doesn’t have to know the deepest why behind everything they’re doing and even if they do know it, they may not always act on it. Some things, like an old ritual, routine, or purchase at the grocery store, people simply do without ever really questioning it. In more serious instances, like with my MC Laelia, the character may hide the true reasoning from even themselves until an oncoming trial forces them to face the truth.

Additionally, a character might hold to an idea both deeply and consciously—but they still might not always act on that idea. The other MC, Sirion, is afraid of making big decisions because he believes that he cannot make good decisions—yet he’s made the decision to believe that. Also, a decision he does make (he claims for his brother’s own good 😉 ) actually propels a whole section of the story forward. Real people are equally inconsistent; they’ll say one thing (“lying is wrong,” for example), then do something completely the opposite (tell a “little white lie” to keep themselves out of trouble) and never even realize the discrepancy. In our nonsensical way of being human, that behavior actually makes sense.

So, as I was able to recall before I drove myself crazy, as long as the actions follows a form of logic that (1) fits the character’s personality and (2) makes sense for the situation, it’s actually okay if the characters aren’t following absolute logic in their lives. Because, well, that’s humans for you. 😉

What’s something you’ve learned (or relearned) in your writing recently? What type of projects are you working on? Can’t wait to hear from you, and I’ll see you in the comment section! <3


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Holiday Movie Watchlist!!! 2022 Edition

Will all of these get watched? Mmm, probably not. But I’ll have to do at least a few of them because I said I would, lol. In truth, I love Holiday movies—when I can force myself to sit down and watch them; it’s the pausing to take a rest in the middle of a busy season and regular busy life that is the difficult part. So, here is my declaration to hopefully rope myself into watching a couple of these, along with a little reminder to you, dear reader, to make a tea or a cocoa, put on a favorite holiday film, and take a break if you need it. 😉 A Hallmark Christmas Movie    I’ve been watching one or two of these every Christmas season for the past few years ( Holly and Ivy was last year's choice), and I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve seen so far! They have such a perfect, cozy, heartwarming vibe that helps get me in the mood for the season if I’m struggling to really feel it (hello, living in the south and never having snow for Christmas time. :p) I’ve already watched The Noel D...

Beyond Her Calling Blog Tour!

Hey, all! Welcome to my first blog tour of 2022! Like I mentioned in my TBR post , one of my first reads for the year was Beyond Her Calling by Kellyn Roth. I've seen this series ( The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy ) around for literally years  and so was super excited to get my hands on a copy of the latest book! Proudly displayed ;)  There are so many wonderful posts on this tour, like, " Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre "; interviews with the author ; and a more in-depth look into the lovely land in which this book takes place . For a complete look at the schedule and a little more information, you can check Kellyn's kickoff post on her website or scroll to the bottom of this post to see where you are in the tour. :) Back? Fantastic! On to the book itself... Series: The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book 4 Genre: Christian Historical Romance / Victorian Romance Setting: Scotland, late 1881 Amazon Link Link to author's website Blurb: Ivy Knight feels...

One Year

As of today, this blog has been live for a whole year! A nd I have not posted nearly as much as I intended, haha . Honestly, it feels like I just started blogging again, and I can't believe we're creeping up to the end of 2022. This year has flown by. But on the bright side, it is  Fall again, my favorite season, and that does lift the spirits. Praise God for Autumn days <3 Source:  https://contemplatingoutlander.tumblr.com/post/188069902172/welcome-october-from-anne-of-green-gables Since my last post, I’ve been doing a lot of writing. I hit some snags in my WIP, a Cinderella reimagining called The Second Prince , which have taken all my focus and brainpower to work out. In truth, they’re not totally resolved, but I’m trying to take some steps back, get the fresh opinions of fellow writers, and then see what I might be able to work out. If you’re interested, here’s the concept for the book: Prince Sirion knows that his actions in the Island War have disqualified him fro...