I’m back! :)
For us down here in the Atlanta area, the kids are going back to school. If that seems early, don’t worry — they have been out since early May. Believe me, it IS time.
I really appreciate the book recommendations. :) I didn’t get as much reading in as I wanted during my break and although I didn’t finish writing all my new scenes for July, I did make some great progress, which I will continue for the rest of the summer. It’s getting close!
I posted the following picture on Instagram.
 |
It’s a stack of craft books that I used during this revision round. I’ll be sharing some gems I found in these books this month. One of the books I referenced was Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. It’s a great writing craft book.
In the book, the author talks about a character’s internal conflict, which he calls an “internal demon”:
“[...] an internal demon [...] hinders that character’s ability to make the best possible decisions under pressure. An inner drive, weakness, belief system, or kink that makes him weak, that tempts, diverts, and seduces, that blinds him to the truth, that summons skewed values and warps his ability to see more clearly.”
In my novel project, there is one scene where my main character makes a choice very out of character. Something that I don’t necessarily agree should happen. The consequences of her actions are catastrophic. But when I read this passage, I knew that bubbling under the surface — the reason for her choice — was her internal demons. In actuality, her actions were not out of character because of her “dark side” and it was the only way to move the story forward. The problem was that I had not exposed the internal demons as much as I should so that the reader could see it too.
As a reader, I love reading flawed characters. No one likes a perfect person — they don’t exist in real life and they shouldn’t exist in fiction.
Writer friends, have you fully explored the “internal demons” of your characters?
I like what you said about making sure you expose the “internal demons” so the reader can see it. That’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about as I revise. It also applies to villains and minor characters, finding tricky ways to bring out their flaws and internal motivations so that the reader can understand a little bit where they are coming from.
A book that can give you that kind of Ah Hah moment sounds like something I need to read! It makes me want to explore my characters inner demon more too. Thanks for the great recommendation!
ooh – excellent quote! My most beloved characters (as a reader and writer) are the complex ones. And they say the best villains do the wrong thing for an altruistic motive.
and … May! Holy Canoli that’s early! Our school goes through the beginning of July. Strangely, I’m more ready for my kidlet to go back to school after the 3 weeks of spring and fall break than the 5 weeks of summer break.
That’s a great quote. I love characters who are rich with internal conflict. Those characters are more lively and interesting than the ones who fall flat and don’t have much of a history behind them.
It’s almost school time where I am.
I love finding those gems in craft books, that one sentence about writing that strikes to the heart and eyes are opened! What a great stack!