August Newsletter

By Jessica Page Morrell

Deep Characters, part 1 We read fiction not only for story, but for a delicious ride inside the skin, the hearts and thoughts of the characters. We worry when they worry; we wince when theyâre hurt, we lust alongside them when they meet their beloved. The best fictional characters linger in our memories, so real and vivid and fresh that we are connected as if by muscle or bone. Thereâs a wide range of techniques available for creating characters, but not all work in all fictional worlds. Most fiction is about what a character fears most, a confrontation with that fear, as well as revelations of secrets and longings. We use distinctive dialogue, point of view, telling details and colorful descriptions to bring them to life. Then there are possessions and the places characterâs inhabit, along with gestures and movements, the opinions and reactions of other characters. I want to discuss writing about children, because to render them accurately, without making them flat, sickeningly precocious, or in any way too precious for words, is a sign of an accomplished writer. And because the best young characters make us remember our own childhood with accuracy and poignancy. Kids are complicated and difficult to write about, as Donna Tart noted in a recent interview. ãThe trick in writing about children is to resist the temptation to sentimentalize them or make them Îloveable.â Children perceive things quite clearly, but their motivations are murky and often quite primitive. And while children have very sharp powers of observation, they donât always entirely understand what they see.ä In Tartâs latest novel, The Little Friend she writes about a family ruined by the death of a child. The story is the haunting aftermath of his death and how his sisters Allison and Harriet live in his sorrowful shadow. The author describes Allison, the elder sister: ãAllison was now sixteen. A mousy little girl, who bruised and sunburned easily and cried at nearly everything, she had grown up, unexpectedly, to be the pretty one: long legs, fawn-red hair, liquid, fawn-brown eyes. All her grace was in her vagueness. Her voice was soft, her manner languid, her features blurred and dreamy.ä But it is in Harriet and her best friend Hely that Tart spends her details with a fresh eye and wicked discernment. ã·Harriet was a bossy little girl, not particularly liked. The friends she did have were not lukewarm or casual, like Allisonâs. They were mostly boys, mostly younger than herself, and fanatically devoted, riding their bicycles halfway across town after school to see her. She made them play Crusades, and Joan of Arc; she made them dress up in sheets and act out pageantry from the New Testament, in which she herself took the role of Jesus.ä But not only is Harriet a girl who seems freshly minted on the page, sheâs obsessed with her dead brother and determined to solve the mystery of his murder. This obsession leads her into danger and darkness and creates sometimes unbearable suspense. But perhaps my favorite fictional characters Iâve met recently are found in Leif Engerâs Peace Like a River, a book filled with characters youâll never forget along with their drenching sorrows and hard-won victories. After reading this book, youâll want to visit them for a weekend, pull up a chair on their wide front porch and drink in their stories. There is the father Jeremiah, who has Christ-like visions, powers and goodness; the narrator Reuben who at twelve has lungs so swampy and weak his life sometimes hangs by the slimmest thread; brother Davy whose exploits include a horseback escape into the Badlands; a cast of bad guys including the black-hearted Jape Waltzer. The cast includes Bible thumpers and oddballs and an FBI agent. I could mention the familyâs exploits as they head towards danger in the mythical and heartbreaking West, but I want to write instead about Swede, the youngest member of the family. ãSwede, who disliked long division, tried to win her teacherâs favor by composing heroic verse. What was Miss Nelson supposed to think when Swede, dimpled and blonde, coming up on nine years old, handed in a poem like ãSunny Sundown Delivers the Payroll·. Swede had lost her heart to the West early on, something that gave Dad no end of delight. He supplied her with frayed Zane Grey paperbacks thrown out by the school library, Wildnerness Trek and Robberâs Roost and of necessity Riders of the Purple Sage. Swede popped them like Raisinettes. ·ä She is a girl who is smart, funny, sly and heroic and whose character Sundown rises and falls like an ocean swell. But her endearing qualities are never saccharine, instead we embrace her with ease because we know her by her loyalty and schemes, and by a terrible scene where sheâs abducted, and another scene that describes her birthday where sheâs given a novel about a buffalo hunter, a typewriter and ream of paper: ã ÎNow put those cowpokes of yours in print.â She touched the keys, ratcheted the carriage, pinched the curling ribbon and waved inked fingers. I never saw Swede look happier than she did with that monstrous ribbon machine sinking in her bedclothes as if her world were nothing but huge blue-skied future. But the smudges on her fingers made me think of bruises Iâd seen when her blouse rode up, and I wondered how much they hurt and how much she thought about them. ãThanks so much,ä she said, and may we all be paid one day with looks such as she gave Dad. Then Davy, whoâd smiled silently through everything so far, knocked us all flat by stepping out of the room and back in with a Texas stock saddle fragrant and lustrous on his shoulder. He said, ãSomeday youâre going to need this,ä and laid it on the floor beside her bed. Swede opened her mouth and couldnât find a word in it. While loving all things Western, I doubt the facts of horse and saddle had ever occurred to her as real; they were simply poetry, though of the very best kind·.. So the spell of the West, cast already by Mr. Grey, settled about Swede like a thrown loop. ·ä All our characters÷ the waitress, shopkeeper, and teenaged babysitter÷ who make brief appearances in the story, must be alive and breathing and real and complete. When creating fictional characters step out of the shadows of humanness and go deep where we live in our hearts. Explore your charactersâ bedrooms for a glimpse of the stack of books on the bedside table, the items not worn and tucked in the back of the lingerie drawer, the mementos that dot the dresser. Explore the dark side of humanness, the jealousies and rages, the grief and longing that naturally create conflict. Sketch children who are complicated and wide. Create them so we want to invite them on a long, rambling walk for the delight of their company. - to be continued- ******************************************************** I cannot help but mourn the speeding passage of time as summer wanes. It usually happens when I write the first check dated August 1 or spot autumn merchandise in the stores. I greet August with a sort of dread and nostalgia because so much of the year has flown by as if on wings. The world wilts in August even as tomatoes proliferate, sun tans deepen and the farmerâs market brims with bounty. August afternoons, in my unairconditioned garret, are an endless sun-drenched reverie. As the world bakes, a torpor sets in. My iced tea glass sweats on my desk and I feel like bees are buzzing in my head. So I slip out onto the deck with more tea and an editing project or perhaps a novel. From my deck I can accomplish many tasks that require discernment, or I can justify my reading time by stealing every chance to breathe outdoors. And, of course, I must check on my flowers, nurse them through the heat. The sun tilts lower and I think about evening plans and dinner. I slip in a few more hours of work and return to the now shaded deck and often a gentle breeze. The tea is replaced with a glass of chilled wine, and no matter what tasks are nagging at me, I relish the now, the blessed peace of Iate summer, the searing perfection of dusk. ******************************************************** Character Bios (part 1) Create profiles of your characters to make them believable and Name Birthdate Profession Height Weight Build Hair color Eye Color Distinguishing physical characteristics Annual Salary Assets Current occupation Satisfaction with this job Level of education Current relationship or marriage Happiness/satisfaction in this relationship How the previous relationship ended Parents Siblings Extended Family Most important influences and events from childhood (a biography worksheet is available at my web site www.writing-life.com) ********************************************************* Inspiration ãHuman beings have their great chance in the novel.ä E. M. Forster ãYou can never know enough about your characters.ä Somerset Maugham ãRemember two things when defining characterâs objectives: A. Goals should be tangible, and B. Goals should spark action, not re-action.ä Chad Gervich ãTo carry a theme you must embed it in full-blooded characters. All great stories are about people to whom the events happen and who change as a result.ä James Scott bell ãIn literature, as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.ä Andre Maurois ãI think it was Robert Cormier who told me this: ÎCharacter is the most important ingredient to any fiction story. A good plot with lousy characters makes a lousy book, but a mediocre plot with strong characters makes for enjoyable reading.â That advice makes sense. If Iâve got a hero who nobody cares about, no matter what jeopardy I might put him in, my readers will not be on the edge of their seats. But if they love this hero, theyâll feel every pain he or she feels and sing out in triumph if he or she prevails.ä R. A. Salvatore ãAll my books are character driven. Character is key. Character is plot÷character is everything and the story wraps around them.ä Nora Roberts. ã I try to imagine how certain people I know would behave in certain circumstances. Of course I base my characters partly on the people I know÷one canât escape it÷but fictional characters are oversimplified; theyâre much less complex than the people on knows.ä Aldous Huxley ãListen to the way people really talk. If your characters sound real, the rest is easy.ä David Eddings ****************************************************** Classes & Workshops÷Fall 2003 Creative Nonfiction workshop, October 18 Creative Nonfiction Critique Group Wednesday mornings, 10:00-12:30 8 weeks, October 1-November 19 The Writer Within workshop, Lincoln City, October 3-5 The Final Edit: Readying your Manuscript for Submission Workshop with Marian Pierce, October 25 Show, donât tell Workshop, November 15 One day workshops are Saturdays, 9:30-5:30 ********************************************************* Jessica Morrell has been described by a workshop participant as a ãtorrent of informationä and by Natalie Goldberg as ãan incredible teacher.ä She is the author of Writing out the Storm, booklets, columns and articles about writing and creativity. She works as an editor, writing coach and book doctor. For more information on workshops or editing, contact Jessica at 503-287-2150 or jesswrites @ juno.com © No portion of this newsletter may be reprinted without permission. The Writing Life August, 2003 www.writing-life.com Jessica Page Morrell Deep Characters, part 1 We read fiction not only for story, but for a delicious ride inside the skin, the hearts and thoughts of the characters. We worry when they worry; we wince when theyâre hurt, we lust alongside them when they meet their beloved. The best fictional characters linger in our memories, so real and vivid and fresh that we are connected as if by muscle or bone. Thereâs a wide range of techniques available for creating characters, but not all work in all fictional worlds. Most fiction is about what a character fears most, a confrontation with that fear, as well as revelations of secrets and longings. We use distinctive dialogue, point of view, telling details and colorful descriptions to bring them to life. Then there are possessions and the places characterâs inhabit, along with gestures and movements, the opinions and reactions of other characters. I want to discuss writing about children, because to render them accurately, without making them flat, sickeningly precocious, or in any way too precious for words, is a sign of an accomplished writer. And because the best young characters make us remember our own childhood with accuracy and poignancy. Kids are complicated and difficult to write about, as Donna Tart noted in a recent interview. ãThe trick in writing about children is to resist the temptation to sentimentalize them or make them Îloveable.â Children perceive things quite clearly, but their motivations are murky and often quite primitive. And while children have very sharp powers of observation, they donât always entirely understand what they see.ä In Tartâs latest novel, The Little Friend she writes about a family ruined by the death of a child. The story is the haunting aftermath of his death and how his sisters Allison and Harriet live in his sorrowful shadow. The author describes Allison, the elder sister: ãAllison was now sixteen. A mousy little girl, who bruised and sunburned easily and cried at nearly everything, she had grown up, unexpectedly, to be the pretty one: long legs, fawn-red hair, liquid, fawn-brown eyes. All her grace was in her vagueness. Her voice was soft, her manner languid, her features blurred and dreamy.ä But it is in Harriet and her best friend Hely that Tart spends her details with a fresh eye and wicked discernment. ã·Harriet was a bossy little girl, not particularly liked. The friends she did have were not lukewarm or casual, like Allisonâs. They were mostly boys, mostly younger than herself, and fanatically devoted, riding their bicycles halfway across town after school to see her. She made them play Crusades, and Joan of Arc; she made them dress up in sheets and act out pageantry from the New Testament, in which she herself took the role of Jesus.ä But not only is Harriet a girl who seems freshly minted on the page, sheâs obsessed with her dead brother and determined to solve the mystery of his murder. This obsession leads her into danger and darkness and creates sometimes unbearable suspense. But perhaps my favorite fictional characters Iâve met recently are found in Leif Engerâs Peace Like a River, a book filled with characters youâll never forget along with their drenching sorrows and hard-won victories. After reading this book, youâll want to visit them for a weekend, pull up a chair on their wide front porch and drink in their stories. There is the father Jeremiah, who has Christ-like visions, powers and goodness; the narrator Reuben who at twelve has lungs so swampy and weak his life sometimes hangs by the slimmest thread; brother Davy whose exploits include a horseback escape into the Badlands; a cast of bad guys including the black-hearted Jape Waltzer. The cast includes Bible thumpers and oddballs and an FBI agent. I could mention the familyâs exploits as they head towards danger in the mythical and heartbreaking West, but I want to write instead about Swede, the youngest member of the family. ãSwede, who disliked long division, tried to win her teacherâs favor by composing heroic verse. What was Miss Nelson supposed to think when Swede, dimpled and blonde, coming up on nine years old, handed in a poem like ãSunny Sundown Delivers the Payroll·. Swede had lost her heart to the West early on, something that gave Dad no end of delight. He supplied her with frayed Zane Grey paperbacks thrown out by the school library, Wildnerness Trek and Robberâs Roost and of necessity Riders of the Purple Sage. Swede popped them like Raisinettes. ·ä She is a girl who is smart, funny, sly and heroic and whose character Sundown rises and falls like an ocean swell. But her endearing qualities are never saccharine, instead we embrace her with ease because we know her by her loyalty and schemes, and by a terrible scene where sheâs abducted, and another scene that describes her birthday where sheâs given a novel about a buffalo hunter, a typewriter and ream of paper: ã ÎNow put those cowpokes of yours in print.â She touched the keys, ratcheted the carriage, pinched the curling ribbon and waved inked fingers. I never saw Swede look happier than she did with that monstrous ribbon machine sinking in her bedclothes as if her world were nothing but huge blue-skied future. But the smudges on her fingers made me think of bruises Iâd seen when her blouse rode up, and I wondered how much they hurt and how much she thought about them. ãThanks so much,ä she said, and may we all be paid one day with looks such as she gave Dad. Then Davy, whoâd smiled silently through everything so far, knocked us all flat by stepping out of the room and back in with a Texas stock saddle fragrant and lustrous on his shoulder. He said, ãSomeday youâre going to need this,ä and laid it on the floor beside her bed. Swede opened her mouth and couldnât find a word in it. While loving all things Western, I doubt the facts of horse and saddle had ever occurred to her as real; they were simply poetry, though of the very best kind·.. So the spell of the West, cast already by Mr. Grey, settled about Swede like a thrown loop. ·ä All our characters÷ the waitress, shopkeeper, and teenaged babysitter÷ who make brief appearances in the story, must be alive and breathing and real and complete. When creating fictional characters step out of the shadows of humanness and go deep where we live in our hearts. Explore your charactersâ bedrooms for a glimpse of the stack of books on the bedside table, the items not worn and tucked in the back of the lingerie drawer, the mementos that dot the dresser. Explore the dark side of humanness, the jealousies and rages, the grief and longing that naturally create conflict. Sketch children who are complicated and wide. Create them so we want to invite them on a long, rambling walk for the delight of their company. - to be continued- ******************************************************** I cannot help but mourn the speeding passage of time as summer wanes. It usually happens when I write the first check dated August 1 or spot autumn merchandise in the stores. I greet August with a sort of dread and nostalgia because so much of the year has flown by as if on wings. The world wilts in August even as tomatoes proliferate, sun tans deepen and the farmerâs market brims with bounty. August afternoons, in my unairconditioned garret, are an endless sun-drenched reverie. As the world bakes, a torpor sets in. My iced tea glass sweats on my desk and I feel like bees are buzzing in my head. So I slip out onto the deck with more tea and an editing project or perhaps a novel. From my deck I can accomplish many tasks that require discernment, or I can justify my reading time by stealing every chance to breathe outdoors. And, of course, I must check on my flowers, nurse them through the heat. The sun tilts lower and I think about evening plans and dinner. I slip in a few more hours of work and return to the now shaded deck and often a gentle breeze. The tea is replaced with a glass of chilled wine, and no matter what tasks are nagging at me, I relish the now, the blessed peace of Iate summer, the searing perfection of dusk. ******************************************************** Character Bios (part 1) Create profiles of your characters to make them believable and Name Birthdate Profession Height Weight Build Hair color Eye Color Distinguishing physical characteristics Annual Salary Assets Current occupation Satisfaction with this job Level of education Current relationship or marriage Happiness/satisfaction in this relationship How the previous relationship ended Parents Siblings Extended Family Most important influences and events from childhood (a biography worksheet is available at my web site www.writing-life.com) ********************************************************* Inspiration ãHuman beings have their great chance in the novel.ä E. M. Forster ãYou can never know enough about your characters.ä Somerset Maugham ãRemember two things when defining characterâs objectives: A. Goals should be tangible, and B. Goals should spark action, not re-action.ä Chad Gervich ãTo carry a theme you must embed it in full-blooded characters. All great stories are about people to whom the events happen and who change as a result.ä James Scott bell ãIn literature, as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.ä Andre Maurois ãI think it was Robert Cormier who told me this: ÎCharacter is the most important ingredient to any fiction story. A good plot with lousy characters makes a lousy book, but a mediocre plot with strong characters makes for enjoyable reading.â That advice makes sense. If Iâve got a hero who nobody cares about, no matter what jeopardy I might put him in, my readers will not be on the edge of their seats. But if they love this hero, theyâll feel every pain he or she feels and sing out in triumph if he or she prevails.ä R. A. Salvatore ãAll my books are character driven. Character is key. Character is plot÷character is everything and the story wraps around them.ä Nora Roberts. ã I try to imagine how certain people I know would behave in certain circumstances. Of course I base my characters partly on the people I know÷one canât escape it÷but fictional characters are oversimplified; theyâre much less complex than the people on knows.ä Aldous Huxley ãListen to the way people really talk. If your characters sound real, the rest is easy.ä David Eddings © No portion of this newsletter may be reprinted without permission.