Using an Open Mind to Motivate Characters

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been watching a movie with my wife when a character does something that doesn’t make sense and she’ll say, “Why did he do that?”

Since I’m a wise guy, I’ll usually respond with something like, “Because it's in the script.” But what I’m really saying is, “I agree—the writer really didn’t set up that character’s motivation very well.”

But what exactly is motivation, and how do you use it as a writer?

Motivation is the internal force that drives a character to action. Steven Levitt, economist and co-author of the book Freakonomics, said, “If you can figure out what people’s incentives are, there’s a good chance you can figure out how they’re going to behave.”

Sometimes it's easy to understand someone's motivations. We've spent our whole lives watching other people, and consciously or not, we've picked up quite a bit of insights into the motivations of others. As a result, we usually know when a character's behavior is consistent with their motivation.

Sometimes, though, it takes effort to understand what’s motivating someone else. How often do we say or think the words, “I just don’t understand how anyone could possibly…” and then fill in the blank?

It's not always easy putting yourself in the mind of someone who is very different from yourself. But if you can do it, the rewards are tremendous.

There is a technique used by actors called Method Acting that can provide some help in this area. From Wikipedia:

“In [Method Acting] the actor analyzes deeply the motivations and emotions of the character in order to personify him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity.” Here are those words again—realism and authenticity. You’ve got to understand your character; in a way, let a small part of yourself become that character, so that their motivations and emotions ring true as you write them.

“Using the Method, the actor also recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed.”

This is easy to do when our characters are like us. In Bumpy Landings, Jordan MacDonald needs to confront his insecurities and stand up for himself, an experience that I shared and understand very well.

But what about characters who do things we haven’t—who do things we don’t believe we could ever do? The man who robs a liquor store; the woman who fakes a terminal illness; the teen who murders his parents—how do we begin to understand their motivation?

Let’s take the first one. Have you ever been so worried about finances that you did something you later regretted? Maybe nothing as big as robbing a store; maybe it was simply taking out a payday loan or selling a treasured family heirloom. But something that at the time seemed like a good idea, and in hindsight turned out to be a mistake.

That’s the kind of experience you can draw on. Plant it in your mind, nourish it with your imagination, and let it grow into an understanding of how someone might make a bigger mistake; an understanding of what it would take for a person to reach that life-altering decision.

In a recent interview, actress Thandie Newton said, “One of the special things about the creative world is that you can turn your discomfort into empathy. You explore the lives of other people and different modes of thinking, and that opens you up.”

For me, this open-minded empathy is one of the greatest joys brought about by writing.

What's Your Story?

As writers we have stories we want to tell. Some stories are sad but some are empowering. Some are hysterical while others are pathetic. We share ideas and experiences through powerful “what if” types of circumstances. We imbue our characters with heroic traits and fatal flaws because we all possess a portion of both within us and the story we tell is in many ways an extension of ourselves. We tell stories to entertain but also to educate and when all is said and done our goal is to make some kind of difference in the life of the reader, and if we accomplish that in even the smallest way, with a laugh or a cry, or sharing an “ah ha” moment, we feel successful.

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Sometimes we forget that not only do we tell stories, we ARE a story that is still being written. Our lives, our pains, our successes and failures all make up the story of who we are. Every person is a story. Some stories may seem more compelling than others but that is largely due to the way in which the story is told and of course, the ending. Some stories are short while others are long but we are all in the process of writing our own story. Are we writing the kind of triumphant story we hope for or are we living a tragedy?

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Are we the hero or the villain? Are we the main character or do we relegate ourselves to the periphery of our own lives, content to stand in the background to be controlled by the dominant forces around us? Do we succumb to our fatal flaws or do we overcome them in a way that would make a reader cheer and cry for joy because of our success?

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Our characters grow organically in ways we never imagined. This often happens because of unique circumstances that force them to face challenges they didn’t anticipate. We too will have opportunities to grow as we face challenges we would rather skip. Life cannot be planned out perfectly to avoid every danger and pain, sadness and heartbreak, but like our characters we can have a plan. We can and should have a destination in our mind that guides us through our trials; otherwise we will wander aimlessly as mere subjects to be acted upon.

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Would we care about the Lord of the Rings trilogy if Frodo Baggins gave up before finishing his mission? We couldn’t really blame him could we? His task was difficult, seemingly impossible. He could have quit, easily. He had numerous setbacks, but what value would that story have? Likewise, what value will our story have if we allow our flaws to dominate our lives? Conversely, how thrilling will our story be when we embrace our inner hero?

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This is the story of who I am… The ending is yet to be written.

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Check out one of my new favorite songs by Brandi Carlile- The Story.

The 4 C's of Writing with Emotion

I’ve recently been thinking about favorites. What makes a book one of my favorites? Why do I like a particular movie better than all others and what makes a song something I need to hear over and over. As I’ve created lists of favorite movies, books and songs lately I’ve realized that in each case, the book, the movie or song speaks to me and touches my emotions. It tells me a story and makes me feel something. Maybe it reminds me of a pain I’ve felt or makes me laugh at something stupid I’ve done. But ultimately, if I’m going to reread, re-watch or re-listen, I want to feel good at the end. This doesn’t mean everything needs to end perfectly in a utopian world with kittens and unicorns, but after being reminded of the sting of life I want to feel hope that things can be better and that even the most challenging struggles can be overcome. Some people prefer tragedies but I prefer hope.

In lending we determine an individual’s credit worthiness based on the 3 C’s: Capacity (ability to repay), Collateral (security), and Character (the likelihood that someone will repay- i.e. credit history). Today I’d like to refer the 4 C’s of writing with emotion. Perhaps we can evaluate the emotional worthiness of our work to make sure we pack the emotional punch we intend in connecting with our readers.

How do we convey the emotion that we want our reader to experience? Answer: the 4 C’s.

Content- This is the stimulus, or substance of what is meant to elicit the emotion. Maybe it’s the tragic death of family, or a child, or the pain of unrequited love. Maybe it’s anger or the fear caused by physical danger or emotional distress. In Defensive Tactics, Jimmy faces each of these emotional situations as he overcomes the tragic loss of loved ones. He finds himself in physical danger when he is unwittingly drawn into the heat of an FBI investigation. Hopefully the reader can feel the emotion of these situations. The themes must be broad enough to appeal to a large audience but feel personal enough to help the reader empathize and relate.

Conflict- This is the turmoil and tension created by the emotional situation. This drives the story forward and grips the reader by the throat to let them know, “You’d better keep reading. You can’t stop now.” This prompts us to read on so we can find out what happens.

Context- The emotion must advance the story, not act as a distraction. The emotional situation has to fit into the action of the story and not serve only itself. It needs to mean something in the larger scheme of things. How does the fear of physical harm move the reader? How does the understanding of Jimmy’s tragic past make us care about his future? How do we allow a glimmer of hope to penetrate the gloom of Jimmy’s life?

Character- If we don’t care about the character, we don’t care about the story. If I don’t feel a connection or have an emotional investment in the individual, I won’t care about what happens to him. I won’t tear up when he sits alone in a chapel, staring comatose at an infant casket and I won’t cheer for him when he starts caring for others more than himself. I must be able to invest in the character enough that I will invest my emotion in his story.

These 4 C’s must weave together, binding the reader to the story. Hopefully at the end, the reader will think about the characters and maybe even apply a lesson or two to their own lives. Hopefully, we will leave the reader feeling an emotional connection to the story so that the next time someone asks them if they’ve read any good books lately, they’ll remember ours.

What books have you invested in emotionally?

Character Imperfections

Nine years ago, I wrote my fist novel. It is still sitting on my desk in manuscript form, collecting dust, because it was never published. There are many reasons it was rejected, and one of them was because the main character had a huge flaw. She was perfect.

She was perfectly beautiful, perfectly behaved, perfectly everything and it was rather boring and maybe even a little annoying.

So when I wrote my second novel, I gave my main character, Lexi, some imperfections, something to make her relatable and approachable. She came alive and seemed very real, experiencing embarrassment, fear, insecurity, bravery, anger, and other emotions that we all experience in our life journey. This, in my opinion--because I created her so of course I would feel this, made her seem loveable, relatable, and unique. And if there is one thing I have learned as an author, it's that you want your reader to relate with your main character on some level, because when they care about the character, they care about what happens to them throughout the rest of the story. (You can read all about Lexi in Deadly Treasure. A novel based on the real life mystery surrounding the Lost Rhoades Gold Mines.)

So why is it hard to look at our own imperfections and flaws and feel loveable, relatable, and unique? The song "Freckles", by Natasha Bedingfield, was awakening for me. Some of the lyrics are: "A face without freckles is like a sky without the stars, why waste a second not lovin' who you are." Now, "freckles" could easily be changed to "wrinkles" for the aging, or even "pimples" for the youth. In any case, "those little imperfections make you beautiful, loveable, valuable, they show your personality inside your heart, reflecting who you are."

Not only are we still loveable despite our little imperfections, but maybe we're more loveable and valuable because of them. (Unless, of course, it's stealing or something like that. But then that would be a major character flaw, not a little imperfection.)

So take a step back and picture yourself as the main character in your life novel. What quirky little imperfections do you posses? I bet most of them make you unique, relatable, and loveable.

Listen to Freckles on YouTube.

Manuscript Makeovers

A few blogs ago, I mentioned that I liked makeovers of any kind, more specifically, what I call "Manuscript Makeovers." This is a happy way of saying editing, because sometimes when people think of editing, it is unhappy thoughts that come to mind.

I actually enjoy manuscript makeovers for a number of reasons (which I won't get into here because the list might be rather lengthy and boring), but there is a certain order to all kinds of makeovers. For example, when making over a room, you may begin by clearing out all the furniture and stripping off old wallpaper, then come in with fresh paint and new or remodeled furnishings and decorations. You first clear out what isn't needed anymore, then add things you do want. When making over a face, it's similar (although you can't really peel off outdated skin without drastic measures), but you can begin with fresh, clean skin. Usually you apply the foundation first, hence the name foundation, then add other things like blush, eye makeup, and lipstick, all applied in a different way, in the hopes that the "after" will be better than the "before."

So when I makeover manuscripts, there is a certain order I take, which is this:

1. Plot-I go through the whole manuscript to make sure the plot is solid and moves well. (If it's non-fiction, I still go over the whole thing to make sure it's set up in an orderly fashion.) This I like to do first, because it's kind of like the foundation. And it includes chopping out and or livening the boring parts lest my audience falls asleep, or worse, the potential publisher falls asleep and therefore my hard work goes unpublished so that there will be no audience.

(These next few steps can be done in any order, and not necessarily at different times. Sometimes I'll go through looking for improvements in all these areas, making notes to the side, then go back and fix them all.)

2. Character-Are there any parts that need more character and voice? This is a must because character, in my opinion, is every bit as important as the plot. I try to add character throughout the story in the rough draft, but there can always be room for improvement. Are there any places that could use more emotion or feeling or inside-the-head comments or weird quirky things that make the character lovable? Are there any places that could use less of these things because it slows down the plot?

3. Show vs. Tell-I look for any parts where my mind starts to wander. (When I start thinking about doing the dishes or wondering what I have planned for dinner, it's usually a sign that the story has lost me. And usually when a story has lost me, it's because it's doing way too much telling and not enough showing.) Adding a little show in place of the telling does wonders for adding back spark, and then I'm engaged in the story.

4. Dialogue-This is so entwined with show vs. tell and character, but basically, I look to make sure the dialogue is natural. For example, "Charlie, I am so sad that our cat, Fluffy, got hit by a car. I am going to cry," Martha said sadly to her husband. This is kinda boring and uses the dialogue to explain the story. Vs. "Charlie! Come quick!" Martha ran to the street and scooped up Fluffy. He was bleeding and didn't appear to be breathing. "Oh, baby, don't die, please don't die!" This shows a lot more emotion, character, and you automatically know that Martha is probably sad or panicked without having to actually say it. (This example also shows how character, show vs. tell, and dialogue can be intertwined. You improve one, and it improves the others.)

After I've gone through the first four steps, then it's time to move on to more technical things like spelling, grammar, word choice, and word flow. These don't have to be done in any order, and I can take the manuscript and pencil in any mistakes or improvements in any of these areas and go back and fix them all.

After all that, I like to read through the whole thing again just to make sure there isn't anything I missed. (By this time, the entire thing is pretty well memorized, so perhaps saying that I like to read through the whole thing again is a misuse of words.) Plus, it's always nice to have someone else, or several someone elses, read through the manuscript carefully, because lots of times they can catch things I missed because my brain automatically sees the sentence as complete when really it's not, no matter how many times I read through it.

I have by no means perfected my process of manuscript makeovers, but it works for me by giving me some sense of order and by making it fun as well. If you would like to see an example of a manuscript makeover (which includes living examples of character, show vs. tell and dialogue,) click here.

Character

I know I usually write about humor, but this time I just had to blog about an author who I admire named Georgette Heyer. She lived and wrote from the early 1900's to the 1970's and her specialty was regency romances. I love her books because they are clean and beautifully written, most especially the vivid characterization of her main characters. Her characters are so full of life they just pop out of the pages at you. You literally fall in love with them. I have been trying to study her works to find out why this is, and I think that I have discovered several reasons.

1. They are fallible- Her characters have faults and plenty of them. It is so refreshing to read about 'real' people, especially as they struggle in a time when it wasn't okay to be 'real'.

2. The characters keep us guessing- The characters in her books are always doing something wierd for some reason that you never find out until the end.

3. They grow- Georgette is an expert at showing how a character grows and changes from the beginning to the end of the story.

4. Her character's dialogue is witty and fun and full of Characterization- Some of the dialogue in her books are riotous in their humor and Characterization, for example in her novel "Frederica" a young child who's about to live with a Marquis who has fallen in love with his sister asks him, "Would it be all right if you built me a workshop if I promised not to blow anything up...at least very much?"

4. She shows, rather than tells- When you read this passage from one of her books called, Devil's Cub you will see what I mean:

"The man in the coach drew his right hand out of his pocket at last. There was an elegant silver-mounted pistol in it, still smoking. The gentleman threw it on to the seat beside him, and crushed the charred and smouldering portion of his greatcoat between very long white fingers."

You can just feel from this passage how smooth, cold, and emotionless this man is. And the best part is we get to read about how he grows from this cold emotoinless state and how he got there. Georgette is wonderful at not letting out these details too early and keeping us in suspense.

If you want to improve your characters and make them more vivid I highly suggest reading a few of Georgette Heyer's novels. I have found that by studying a master's work, I gain many insights that make my writing better.