Character and Purpose

In my previous post on character, I talked about motivations of developing a good character and why that is important to story. In this post, I want to take that concept a little further.

The power of character in a story lies in our ability to relate to that character or the character's adventure or story. It is through our common experience with that character that the story itself resonates with us. The plot and setting create the milieu and circumstance for excitement. They also provide the element of fantasy common to all story, it is the place where our minds go when we read.

But the character itself is who we see, or who we see ourselves as being, or the person we don't want to be. That person exists through the process of story, but only as through the interaction with the reader.

I've heard Tracy Hickman say that story exists only when the reader reads it (he may have been quoting someone else, I can't recall, but he shared it so intimately that it was definitely part of his personal feelings of writing). That means that stories, whether they be in books, songs, or good, old fashioned tales told out loud, come to life when they are transmitted to another person.

That interaction is why I believe that characters have power to influence other people. It is why we have a responsibility when we write to ensure that our characters are not just believable, but that we are aware of what their existence will do to those who read. Everything we do, everything we write, everything we create, will have an impact on other people, whether we are aware of it or not. That is the way of things, the way the world works.

And so what we say, do, and write, can either be an influence for good or an influence for bad.

I don't mean that we have to be moralistic or preachy, or cynical or some other opposite. I mean that we need to be aware and purposeful.

That's why I don't believe that art for art's sake is sufficient of an excuse for creating story that may in some way lessons or weakens or in some way cheapens humanity. In fact, we have a responsibility to see that its impact is as good as it can be.

The challenge for writers is to build a better world but do it in a way that is subtle enough that readers still enjoy the journey. In fact, it may have to be so subtle that they aren't aware it is there. Again, I don't mean subliminal coercion. It is something deeper that lies at the heart of our work.

This is a concept I'm still developing. More next time.

I'm featured in the Author's Incognito March Newsletter

So, I completely forgot to mention that Author's Incognito, a really solid online writing support group, has a great blog. They have a little bio interview of me that appeared earlier in the month. You can read it here. Just scroll down about halfway through their March newsletter and you find it. Let me know what you think.

Character and Arc

I've always had an easy time creating plot. In fact, my stories tend to be plot driven. I understand that's often the way guys think--especially guys who write SF&F.

For me, it's a natural outgrowth of daydreaming, of simply imagining fun, fantastic, dangerous, supernatural things that take place and being a part of it.

Like many writers, I often imagine myself in the middle of my own stories. It's part of what makes the creative outlet so enjoyable. I get to be there doing those amazing things with magic, swords, dragons, you name it. And it's a lot of fun.

But plot is only part of what makes a story work. Ultimately, stories are about people. I've read this a gazillion times. Everyone has something to say about how character must drive story, about how it's their struggle that ultimately is what makes a story good.

That's not the most intrinsically easy thing for me to understand. But I think I've finally begun to understand this process a little better--for two reasons:

1. Characters are what make a story, deep down, interesting to readers. They of course love the action and imagery and movement of plot and setting. But within they have to relate to the characters, be able to see themselves in the role or near the role somehow. That's why even the bad guys have to have good qualities, and why the good guys, if they are too good and perfect, don't engage readers the way they need to. It's something about us doing things and being part of things that speaks to us on a deeper level.

Thus, the character drives the story. That's because a character with no real emotion, with no arc, no sense of becoming something different or more or evolving in some way, seeing the world differently by the end, or gaining hidden strength, or some such, that's part of the human process. Our lives are mundane and boring if nothing ever changes. And stories where the character is cookie cutter, exactly the same person in all reasonable senses, in terms of how they think, act, or do on all levels, from page one to the end, feels just like that: a non character. Our lives may get mundane, but usually things happen that cause us to answer deep questions about what we believe and feel or do--and not too infrequently, really.

2. I want to enjoy the story, so I don't have to decide from the beginning: the character must change, therefore make it happen. Rather, I think about what their motivations are and what causes those motivations to be in jeopardy. Then I think about what kind of message their responses will send. Some have taught that their responses will flow naturally from the situation. But I find that only partially true. Most of us are complicated enough that Sherlock Holmes would fail--that we are not always predictable in how we respond to life. Thus, I have to weigh how the characters respond because that will ultimately mean something, as well as determine the flow, weight, feeling, tone, and result of the novel.

Thus, character for me is becoming deeply important, even essential, to the make up of the story. And that's both refreshing and a bit scary. I still love to just daydream and see what happens!

Whitney Awards Gala on May 7

Hi Folks,

On behalf of the Whitney Awards committee, just I wanted to send out a reminder about the Whitney Awards Gala hosted on Saturday, May 7, after the Storymakers Conference. The Whitneys recognize outstanding literature in the LDS market. Many of you know people who are up for awards. To learn more, go here: http://whitneyawards.com/wordpress/about-the-whitney-awards/

This is from the official site:

What are the Whitneys?

The Whitneys are an awards program for novels by LDS authors. Elder Orson F. Whitney, an early apostle in the LDS church, prophesied “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.” Since we have that as our goal, we feel that we should also honor those authors who excel and continually raise the bar.

The Whitney Awards honor novels in the following categories: General Fiction, Romance, Suspense/Mystery, Speculative Fiction, Youth Fiction, Historical, Best Novel of the Year, and Best Novel by a New Author. Novels can be nominated by any reader (via this website or by mail), and nominees are voted on by an academy of industry professionals, including authors, publishers, bookstore owners, distributors, critics, and others.

The awards were founded in 2007 and operate as an semi-autonomous subsidiary of LDStorymakers.

Currently you can buy tickets to the Gala at the LDSStorymakers registration:
https://storymakersconference.myshopify.com/

To all who have already registered, good for you! You'll definitely enjoy the nigh.

Thanks for thinking of us, and for passing this info along!

Josh