Vunerable Characters

Ok, this is so freaking cool!!! I picked this up by watching Mythbusters and I got an insight on characters.

Humans are an interesting breed. We try so hard to remain strong and courageous, facing danger with not even a blink of an eye. Yet we are like rag dolls, tossed around by circumstances. We build up defenses, protecting our tiny selves from each other, when we are all the same.

I was watching Mythbusters today and the group tested the Chinese Water Torture to see if it was true, that the victim would break with only a few drops of water. http://mythbusters-wiki.discovery.com/page/Chinese+Water+Torture So a young girl named Kari underwent the procedure. Her friends strapped her to a rack with her arms tied over her head, then her feet held down by chains. They opened a water valve which allowed drops of water to drip on her forehead. A paramedic and her friends stood beside her, ensuring her safety. After an hour, she broke down and wept, regretting that she agreed to do the stunt. But right away, she composed herself. After another half an hour, the crew untied her shackles, saying she was done. In an interview, she admitted she was ashamed she panicked and cried.



Now for the interesting part. We, as humans, use our own strength as a security blanket. God forbid if we should cry or admit we are afraid. So we bring the same blankey over into our characters. God forbid if Alice Smith, the heroine of our latest work, should cry when she's afraid or when she's angry. We have no problem allowing Alice to throw a temper tantrum or squeal in the fits of sexual passion, but never allow her to cross that almighty line of fear or vulnerability. So we keep her and ourselves far from this cursed chasm, never allowing ourselves or them to step into illicit territory. Even the word itself, say it - VULNERABILITY - makes us cringe. It means exposed, weakness, open, defenselessness, susceptible, helplessness, in a weak position. Everything we fear. The very idea of being helpless and depending on someone else to save us scares the very breath from our lungs. Shiver!! What if they don't show up and save me, what if they laugh at me, what if they think badly of me because I'm not strong enough to bare the load? Too many questions with no answers.



But to see Kari weep as her hands were held over head gave me a sense of pity for her and made her human, someone who needed rescuing. I cared for her. In the same sense when we allow Alice to travel over that border into the Land of Vulnerability, we create a sense of pity that echoes from the pages. Readers care about her, long to see her win and their eyes search the horizon for the knight in shining armor to save the damsel in distress.



Unfortunately, society has taught humans that tears equate weakness and weakness is bad. One must be strong. Kari felt ashamed that she broke down and cried. She snorted in disgust as if she had broke an unwritten law. That law resonates through us and controls our lives as well as our characters' lives. The unwritten rule: Thou shall not weep. So we hold Alice together for if one judges Alice, they judge the writer. Alice is, in a sense, the extension of the writer, a part of her soul.



What we forget is that weeping in the face of fear means we are just like the rest of the people crawling upon the face of this space rock. We are human. We all weep when we are afraid, either in the presence of others or in the safety of our own rooms. That's what brings the character home, makes you feel sorry for her, just as my heart broke for poor Kari. I would do the same thing in the same situation; I understand Kari and can relate to her fears. She has taken a step towards me, creating a sense of intimacy. I feel I know her just a little bit more, she is human just as I am.



How do we get Alice to cross that gorge into intimacy? By giving her permission. Just make sure it fits the scene. Crying over losing her keys might seem over the top, but crying because the lost keys broke the camel's back is appropriate. Example: Alice loses her job, her husband leaves her, the bank is foreclosing the house and then she lost her keys. Perfect time to let her ride the tides of tears. I've read so many books where the heroine is a emotionally and physically strong Zena, who never sheds a tear. She is strong in the face of turmoil even when her family is killed, her house burned to the ground and the enemy tortures her for five days straight. Now come on!! Who would still be strong after those circumstances? No one I know. Even after one hour and a half, her arms and legs released and sitting in a chair with her friends surrounding her and paramedics close at hand, Kari still suffered the effects of her "torture". Her eyes beheld her emotions. When the crew first strapped her to the rack, her eyes were strong, flat, ready. After, her eyes held a fear that she tried to reign in but couldn't. She was clearly shaken. A doctor trained in helping tortured victims sat across from her. I could tell he was concerned for her, his eyes never leaving her face and his body posture was very stiff as if he waited for her words to tumble from her.

Mark Bertrand said it best: "How do you create sympathetic characters? I think it might be as simple as placing the character in a situation of some sort, then giving her a reaction the reader would share. An internal reaction may be enough -- for example, your character sees a panhandler and goes through the familiar "I want to help but what if they use my money to buy drugs?" response. We've all been there, so we can sympathize. Now, if she overrules her natural disinclination and actually helps, that goes a step further. Not only is she reacting as the reader does, but she's doing what the reader wishes she herself would." http://www.jmarkbertrand.com/fictionblog.asp?p=2007_02_01_archive2.htm



So why not bring these same emotions into our characters? Why not tap into those feelings and thoughts of being trapped and alone? Why? Because the thought of Zena weeping as she describes her torture scares us more than the torture itself. The very idea of allowing vulnerability and our true selves exposed to the world is more terrifying that facing Freddy Krueger in a cemetery. But once we allow Alice to reach that point of exposure will also allow the reader to journey with her. The reader now cares for Alice just as I cared for Kari. The reader longs to see Alice saved by the handsome knight, just as I longed to see the brave paramedic lift Kari from the rack. So strap Alice to the rack of emotions, allow her to face her fears and give her the luxury of weeping. You'll see the outcomes, a character everyone cares for instead of a dull and flat Zena.



Be blessed in your writing,



Kim

Sparkling eyes.

This was a very cool experience and I learned so much!!! I love my friends. She asked me to meet her at the book store to talk about writing. Of course I agreed. How can I turn down discussing my, well, second love? We chit chatted a bit about the Christmas play we were in last year and about Christmas, we spoke of receipes and church, just always staying above the surface. That's when the itching over took me and I had to asked the mighty question: What do you want to know about writing? Her eyes lite up and the questions tumbled forth like a waterfall. She asked about Characters, POV's, fiction vs non-fiction. She told me her writing dreams of the future and what God had laid upon her heart. I was looking beyond the Looking Glass and into sacred territory. Her life twinkled in her eyes and her cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and excitement. For some strange reason I felt as if I were the only one to hear these sacred and treasured dreams. I was stepping amounst the daiseys and I had to be careful not to crunch them. They are delicate, these dreams we treasure deep inside. So I told her to go for it, to follow God's directions - Go after this like a pitbull.

That's when I saw it, a miracle blooming before me. The dream began to form and take shape as her words seeped from her. It grew legs and arms, a beating heart and seeing eyes. It peered out at me and smiled softly. Its lips moved and whispered, Thank you for believing in me.

I guess the lesson today is believe in others, don't be jealous or trash their hopes. I pray to God that my friend becomes the writer that lives deep inside her and she surpasses all others. Go for it, dear, like a pitbull dog. :)

Where in the world should I start???

Where do I begin when I write? Well, I begin at the beginning and work my way to the end. I also start with an outline. It looks like this:

I. Imogene is in the park working off her probation.
II. She finds a medallion and it takes her to another world.
III. A guard finds her blah, blah, blah.

It's really basic, super duper basic. Then I move to making it more detailed, then I start writing. It's very telly, no metaphores, no details, sounds more like a story one would tell around a campfire or a bedtime story. Then I go back and fill in the details and add more spice to the story. Works for me. :)

I really admire the writer who just sits down and writes straight through to the end. How do they do that???? How do you create characters by straight writing through ????? Doesn't make sense to my little noggin' but my little noggin' is different from others. Then there are those who can write one page, go back, fix it and move on. ARGGG!!! I'd shoot myself before trying that writing scheme, but it works for others. Strange how that happens, huh?

But I guess the most important piece of Advice is to the christian writer. Write what God tells you to write, not what others want you to write, capise???

Peace!!!

kim

What if . . . .

I got to thinking about characters and how we make them. I love to play the What if . . . game. It's where you ask the What if question which can lead to interesting stories. I'm watching The Santa Clause and I was wondering. What if instead of Tim Allen's character being a workaholic divorced father he was instead Jack Bower of '24'? What if the guy who put on the outfit was a member of the CTU unit? Now that would be a story, don't ya think? Here's Jack Bower trying to hunt down the bad guys while Bernard is telling him he needs to check "The List". The Chinese finally get Jack/Santa only to be rescued by E.L.F. S. who use Candy Cane bullets to shoot at the bad guys and stuff cookies in their mouths. And don't forget their magic Tinsel, not just for Christmas trees anymore. Jack no longer yells "Cloe, I need that data now!" into his nifty phone. Nope, now he's screaming, "Cloe, I need those coordinates to that kid's house now! Comet's getting restless." Jack kills the bad guys, then jumps into his sleigh. He's got presents to deliver, not to mention there's a terrorist out there who has a bomb. Jack suddenly realizes that there is a kind and good side to him and it peeks out each Christmas Eve. Now Jack has a reason to go on, he has to deliver gifts each year to deserving kids. Cute, huh? Yeah, I know, I need help.

That's what I do, I mix stories, trying to find an interesting twist to any tale. Learn to do this, if you want to be a writer. I think folks are scared of the What if . . . game. It can be scary mixing up a story especially if you fear others will laugh at you. But that's the price you pay, exposing your ideas to a world that's totally technical and more interested in Survivor than War and Peace. Deal with it. Now, back to my game.

What if . . . .


Be happy!

Kim

Coming out of my cave.

Well, I did it, I started my very first blog. I've come out of my electronic cave and squinted at the bright sunlight like the day I bought my very first DVD player. I was so proud, bringing in the large box, opening it up and pulling out the electronic masterpiece. After hooking it up, I dropped in my first DVD, Lord of the Rings, my favorite movie. And there was Orlando Blooming running across my screen, his blond hair flying in the wind. I was so proud that day. Now again, I stand on the mountain and roar.

Ok, so it is a bit dramatic, but hey, I'm a writer or at least I'm making my way down the road of writing. I wrote a book, no one wanted it, so I'm on the next one. It's ready to go to a publisher, but my procrastination keeps standing in my way. It punches me in the stomach and whispers cruel words in my ears about failure and even success. But I've socked my foe in the belly and finished my query letter and synopsis, the two evils of writing. Now all I need is the marketing proposal, which I will do today, I think. Anyway, I want this blog to be about my first, well, actually, second love - writing. Jesus is my first love. (Yeah, I'm one of those.) So maybe a combination of my first and second loves? We'll see. But isn't it wonderful the way these words appear on the screen? Words that invoke anger, hatred, love, romance, longing, every emotion we humans poses. Words reach down inside of us and pull out those feelings. With them, we either lavish or trash another human and it all came from the words printed on the screen. Cool, huh?

Anyway, this is my journey with Jesus and writing, mixed. So much is running through my head like little mice scurrying through a desert house. People I've met in my journey whom I miss with my heart, others I'm glad are gone. Anyway, I'm learning so much from others that I need a place to organize my thoughts. So this is it. I want to put down lessons I've learned from others and stuff I've just picked up along the way. This will help, a lot. So as I learn things, I want to document them so I at least can remember them. It seems that the older I get, the less room there is in the old brain. :))

Well with that said, I guess I need to get back to my fire, it seems to be going out and the cave is getting chilled, not to mention there's a bear on the ridge. He looks hungry.