How do you find that balance betweenemotional motivation/inner conflict for your main character and not going tooemo? I know it has to do with story tone and genre too but do you have anytips?
Wow, Laura you did set the bar high on this one. What a great question! Yes, it does have to do with genre. For example, if you write YA, like I do, well, teens tend to get a little emo on occasion. More so than say a fifty-year-old lawyer. Yes, tone is important too. But that often depends on genre as well.
Let's dig a little deeper. You can't argue Twilight's success, but I've heard the complaint that Bella is a whiner, over and over again. When do you cross the line between whining/self-absorption and communicating true inner conflict?
I admit that was a major complaint from one of my trusted beta readers on my last manu
By: Kathy Temean,
on 12/7/2010
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Donald Maass in his noted book, Writing the Breakout Novel says, “Genuine inner conflict will make your protagonist memorable.” When we say create a memorable character, what are we saying? Mr. Maass says, “Simply that we are thinking about that character after the story is over. What causes us to do that? Inner conflict. When it is powerfully portrayed, it lingers beyond the last page. Readers seek to resolve it. They will mentally talk to your heroine, trying to make her happy. They will imagine scenes in which things come out better for your poor protagonist. Trigger that response in your readers and yolu will have succeeded in making you character memorable.”
Here are a few writing steps you can take to help you develop inner conflict with your characters.
Step 1: Thinking about your protagonist in the novel as a whole, what is it that your protagonist wants the most? Write that down.
Step 2: Write down whatever is the opposite of that.
Step 3: How can your protagonist want both of those things simultaneously? What would cause your protagonist to want them both? What steps would he actively take to pursue those conflicting desires? Make notes.
Additional work: Work on sharpening the contrast between these opposing desires. Make them mutually exlusive. How can you ensure that if your protagonist gets one, he cannot get the other? Make notes.
Conclusion: Donald Maass says, “In creating genuine inner conflict, it is not enough simply to create inner turmoil. True inner conflict involves wanting two things that are nutually exclusive. It is most effective when it tears your protagonist, or any character, in two opposite directions.
With more and more editors saying they want character-driven books, even to authors who write picture books, I think we can all benefit by creating conflict and memorable characters. Hope the last three posts helped you learn or remember some things that will deepen your characters and help accomplish your publishing goals.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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3 Comments on Steps to Create A Memorable Character, last added: 12/8/2010
There are two types of conflict, and both should be present in your novel.
External conflict is the depicted events the character encounters as obstacles during the course of the novel.
Internal conflict is the dilemma facing the character inside – the internal battle within a character and its impact on that character. Writers typically choose internal conflicts that arouse a universal emotion in people. It is the emotional fight inside a character; therefore, two equally strong opposites need to exist within the character. These opposites can be a mixture of clashing feelings like anger, hatred, and love, and incompatible goals, desires, uncertainty, pressure, uneasiness, etc. An inner conflict may also be between what a character wants and what he thinks he wants.
So give your characters the weaknesses, imperfections, quirks, vices and strengths inside them to build their inner conflict; they humanize a character. The audience can identify with them.These things will push the plot forward, and they humanize your character, so that the readers can empathize with him. Plus, they cause the tension to stay high and keep the conflict going. A strong internal conflict can make a good story great.
Since character growth is essential, sit down and decide what will drive your character to change. It should be complex and specific to that character, logical and motivated, and of consequence. This does not happen in one scene or with one incident, it usually happens throughout the novel. Cause and effect, action and reaction play key roles in fostering change and in facilitating conflict.
It’s important to note that a character typically has multiple conflicts to resolve. Most inner conflicts are the outcomes of a character’s misunderstanding of his self. Goals change during the course of the novel. New information or insight alters motivations and goals and lead to new conflicts and new potential solutions.
CONFLICT: THE THREE ESSENTIALS
No misunderstandings
No convoluted logic for convenience sake
No insignificant roots.
This is important: If a conflict is introduced in a story, it has to be resolved. Readers expect that from the writers, and if any conflict–internal or external– is not resolved, readers will feel cheated. Whether an inner conflict is subtle, breathtaking, or heartbreaking, it must be psychologically convincing to the reader.
Beware: Don’t limit the expression of inner conflict to the internal dialogue. Internal dialogue can be useful, but don’t use it as your only means to show inner conflict. That can end up being inadequate and cause your story to be dull. The best way to show inner conflict is to attach it to the external, interpersonal conflicts and circumstances, then let the character take action based on his inner urges.
What have you used to create inner conflict?
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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October is the month for characters. They appear in stores, restaurants, and on the streets; people become anyone they choose to be--from Snow White to Batman or from a Zombie to the President, with lots of characters in between.
Did you become a princess or Dracula? How did it feel to take on that persona? Perhaps you were Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ. Where did those red slippers take you?
Building a character takes that same kind of imagination. The role playing done while we were young can be used in our writing. You felt prettier or stronger when you dressed as your favorite character, and now your protagonist must be bigger and larger than life. She needs to be flashier, wiser, prettier or faster than all the other people in the work of fiction. Remember, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
A writer wants their characters to be memorable. A strong enough character to bring a person to tears when the hero fails or to cause shouts of joy at her accomplishments.
There’s much that goes into building or becoming a character, use these points as a starting place.
8 Comments on Faster than a Speeding Bullet-Character Building, last added: 11/2/2010
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There are definitely readers that are more into the angst than others. The key is making there be other draws for different kinds of readers as well. You can't please everyone, but having a book be multi-dimensional is important (just like characters!).
Great post/answer!
Lisa, what a great answer! I'm not the type that likes a character to dwell, but I noticed I tended to beat readers over the head with the same inner conflict, so in revisions, I tried to get rid of repitition and echo the worry with actions or dialogue, hopefully in a more subtle way. And I like that you put Bella and Hamlet in the same company!
I think you said it best when you said reaction is important. "If she doesn't eat meat and all they serve for lunch is hamburger it's just not the same as her boyfriend committing suicide." Not every response should be so heavily emo driven or the woe is me attitude. Sometimes, she has to come out and say, "Aw hell, I'll go for the hamburger."
Wow, this is really good stuff, Lisa. In the first draft of my recent project, I have a feeling there'll be plenty of "we get it already" moments. But I have a feeling that if I don't catch them all, my TRUSTED BETA READERS will :D
Great question and tips! I think it's key to make sure that the reaction is appropiate for the character and situation. And I agree that betas are great for pointing out where you went too far.m
I am AMAZED at what beta readers catch that I was unaware of (aka = too close to). Great tips!
I guess I'll take your words to mean that I'm still a teen...my emos are way across the board...probably the result of raising three daughters! ;-]
I am working on this issue in my now, re-energized book. The MC is going to go deep, but he's a plumber...so maybe not too far down the drain.
you are so so SO right about the importance of betas in our revision process. And taste is a huge factor, too. Great points here. Thanks, Lisa! :o) <3
Thank you so much, Lisa! These answers are terrific! I always have to go through and delete repetitive internal thoughts and make them more relevant. I guess the fear is not that the reader will forget but afraid that the scene isn't relating to the internal conflict, so I repeat.
It's very hard to do. And I loved Twilight, still do. I loved her internal thoughts and it made up a huge portion of the book. It just fit with the book.
Beta readers can be such a life saver when it comes to these kinds of things! Great question and excellent advice.
Wonderful insight, Lisa. I think the repetition in different ways point is such a good one. It's so easy to miss that we're basically saying the same thing if we're not saying it in the same manner. But readers catch onto the feel of this repetition, and that's when it feels whiny.
Thanks for these great points!
Great answer! I think the key is that it's personal opinion. As you mentioned, some people hate Twilight and think Bella is a whiner, but others love it, so it really does come down to what works for your readers. And I LOVED your point about picking the very best way to say it, and then not repeating yourself.
Another wonderful post, Lisa! Love the idea that angst has to build so you have to leave room for that at the beginning.
Thanks so much!
Martina
Terrific post! I really have to watch the redundant writing - my first drafts are littered with phrases I don't need at all. Thankfully we get to edit! :)
I'm getting better at editing out repetition. Thanks for these tips.
This is awesome, Lisa! And it also hits the nail right on the head for me. This is something I've been battling in my latest WIP. I have so.much redundancy. I bet you're right that taking it out will make all the difference. Thanks!!
Brilliant answer, Lisa! Mixing up the emotions helps too. You don't want the 'whoa is me' happening through out the ms. There's got to be happier moments too. The contrasts help heighten the emotions. Otherwise, the one emotion seem flat over time.
This is a great post! I'm having this problem in my current WIP because my MC's boyfriend dies just before the opening of the book and I'm having such a hard time balancing the emotional turmoil she would be in without making her completely depressed and ... well, emo all the time. I think this will help me get some perspective. Especially the repetition thing. Thanks!
This does help. A great answer to a great question. Making sure a character's emotions are appropriate for that character as well as the variety of situations he or she encounters is something I try to concentrate on while writing.
This is so hard. But I like your ending comment about for every type of book, there is a reader.
LOL - Your Bella/hamburger example. I think angst/pity party works when we as a reader can relate to it and justify it in our own emotional landscape even if it is heightened in "teen land."
Such great advice! I especially loved this part, "pick the BEST ways to say it and do so at carefully spaced intervals." I need to look over my MS and do this more. :)
Now i'm going to highlight everytime my character thinks/speaks about her internal conflict, for analysis. such a good question and great answers!
What a fantastic answer! It's definitely difficult to balance the right amount of...emo-ness, I suppose, without going overboard. Beta readers most certainly help point out when your character has gone over to the dark side, so to speak. :)
This is definitely something I struggle with. More than once I've had betas tell me that characters were too whiny or not likable enough. It almost seems like I have to get the whining out of my system in early drafts before I can identify it and tone it down. :-)
my biggest complaint with New Moon was how whiney Bella was.
But, it all depends on the situation. If your MC's boyfriend DOES commit suicide, do you really want her to mope around for an entire book?
I think I tend to have the opposite problem. The MC in my WIP deals with her grief silently. She doesn't whine about it, she has a couple breakdowns, but overall she is quiet. I feel like I need to bring her out of her shell