The Human Approach: Connecting the Reader with the Main Character

About two decades ago I attended a writing class where the teacher said the main character needs to be larger than life but also relatable. Since then, I’ve read numerous books on writing and they all say something similar. Main characters are the center of the narrative because essentially, the story wouldn’t happen without them. If Harry Potter wasn’t the ‘boy who lived’ and hadn’t been marked by Voldemort, then the books would have been very different. If Frodo had never received the ring of power from Bilbo, he would have lived a quiet life in the Shire.

At the start of every story there is something called the inciting incident. This propels the character into the initial conflict. The character then has a crisis of conscious where they usually resist what is being asked of them. And then a bigger conflict happens thrusting the unwilling participant into the storyline.

But there’s a delicate balance to all of this because no one wants to read about a character that’s too perfect; that becomes boring. The main character must have a human side, something that draws readers in, making them care about the character and root for the character’s victory.

When writing my characters and considering this human side, I pull from my own life or struggles I’ve seen others face. The character’s story doesn’t mirror another person’s life, but I try to draw in the human side by considering the emotions and thoughts. For example, in Hidden, Tully dealt with a lot of anxiety. Her anxiety stemmed from not knowing her true identity and that her real identity had been a secret her whole life. This is not my lived experience. However, when writing scenes where Tully faces anxiety, I considered moments in my own life where I felt anxiety and what that was like. I magnified those emotional reactions and responses for Tully. Throughout the story, Tully does learn the truth of her identity and the more she learns it, the less anxiety she has. One beta reader said it best: What Tully thought were flaws and a disease, were really her perfect design.

As humans, this is a struggle we face. When we’re young, we’re trying to figure out who we are and how we fit into this world. We can get caught in comparison traps. Or we try to change ourselves because society and people in our lives tells us it’s ‘wrong’. I’m a strong introvert and for years people tried to make me more extroverted. It is almost like society thinks introverts are bad and extroverts are good. Whatever. We’re just built differently. Introverts are not shy, but due to our unique chemical make-up, we approach life, people, and crowds differently. Introverts are amazing in one-on-one conversations and they like to dive deep when getting to know someone. Introverts are focused and highly social, we just do things differently than extroverts because we are designed differently.

Before this loses focus, back to the topic of humanizing main characters. My point is, by pulling on lived experiences people face, the writer creates a connectedness between the reader and the character. Consider some of your favorite main characters. What is it about these characters that you connected with?

Creating Believable Character Trouble and Redemption

It is said that the author’s job is to make trouble for their characters. And then the character must find their way out of the mess to become the hero. It is also said that the reader must care about the character. So now the author has a delicate balance.

The author wants to make the main character’s trouble and the ‘escape’ from trouble relatively believable. It is easy to create impossible situations for a main character, but the escape must be plausible. It is too easy to trap a character in a room without a door, and then at just the right moment, a door suddenly appears. That is boring. The character has done nothing to earn that victory.

And for the audience to care about the character, the character must have certain relatable redeemable characteristics. To a certain degree, the main character is larger-than-life. They do things that a regular human can’t do. Consider some of the action scenes in movies. A normal human can’t stay awake for such an extended time without consequences. Or some of the fight scenes where the hero walks away. Our bodies just aren’t made to take that much abuse. And in a story, there must be a reason why the main character is fighting. There are people they care about or innocent people in trouble they must save. And caring about these people provides the redemptive qualities the hero needs.

In my book, The Original, Colin is a vampire who doesn’t care about vampires, he doesn’t care about humans, and he certainly doesn’t care about the shifters. But then one drives into his territory and he’s faced with a decision: Do I care about her and try to protect her? Or do I leave her to her fate? Throughout the story, the reader is provided with a backstory that gives reason for Colin’s reluctance to get involved.

Colin’s character doesn’t care. So as the author, I had to find a way to redeem him for the audience. I also had to find a reason to make him care. (SPOILER) I also had to find a way to make him care or want to get involved. There were a few ways I did this. Colin was frustrated with the vampire community and specifically his cousin who led the community. His cousin had broken Colin’s rules too many times and Colin decides it’s time for change. This starts him on his path to redemption.

I won’t share the ending as that would be too much of a spoiler, but Colin’s battle, one that he’s been fighting for centuries, is finally won.

Twilight’s Princess: A Compelling Love Story in the Night Realm

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read Twilight’s Princess and you don’t like spoilers, wait to read.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that the whole inspiration for Twilight’s Princess actually came from her daughter, Nazira. I imagined King Phoenix’s niece coming to the Twilight Realm confused and upset because she just learned that her father, the king of the Night Realm wasn’t her father. This took me to her parents, Daniel and Zyanna.

Twilight’s Princess begins with Zyanna knowing nothing of her past. And in one day, her life and everything she thought she knew was proven false. After discovering she’s pregnant, she questions her relationship with Taven, and then finds out he’s cheating on her. At home, she learns she’s the lost princess of the Twilight Realm and her mother is really her nurse. Now she must flee to the Twilight Realm with a spy her brother sent for her, but the crown prince, Daniel, of the Night Realm discovers her identity and asks to escape with her for his own reasons. As they try to leave the city, they’re captured and taken to the Night Realm’s king (Daniel’s father). The next day, she’s forced into an engagement with the crown prince who doesn’t love her. And so begins their love story.

This story was a lot of fun to write and the push and pull between Daniel and Zyanna made for interesting plot moments. Like any ‘stuck together’ trope, how could these two characters fall in love? Daniel clearly loved someone else and Zyanna wanted to escape.

The first issue was getting the characters to notice each other. Daniel is a bit of a rescuer. He realized that Zyanna was hiding something and wanted to protect and help her. He found her when she ran away from the palace and covered for her. Then he started the dance lessons which gave them time to plot their escape but also get to know each other. He finds Zyanna is a woman of grace and after growing up with a manipulative, controlling father, he feels there is finally someone in the kingdom he can trust.

Now that Zyanna was spending time with Daniel, she couldn’t help but notice that he was a much better man than Taven. She saw that he was lonely and she quickly became his confident. As a result, she was conflicted about leaving him alone in the Night Realm with a cruel king, Daniel’s father. And can she trust him with the news of her pregnancy?

But a forced engagement wasn’t enough. The king learned of their plans because he has spies (The Unfortunate) everywhere, so a wedding was arranged. Daniel still promised to help Zyanna escape but now neither wants to leave the other though they haven’t revealed their growing feelings yet.

As the writer, Zyanna’s and Daniel’s love story was a gentle tug-of-war. There were so many elements between Zyanna and Daniel. It was like they were two sides of one puzzle and as the story progressed, the pieces between them fit until the picture was completed.

And Nazira? She grows up with two very loving parents not realizing Daniel isn’t her father until one day… and her story begins.

If you haven’t started the Twilight Series, then check it out on Amazon.

The English Teacher’s Magic: Tea and Lothair

Does a writer use the real world to inspire their writing? The simple answer is, yes! But is creative writing an accurate reflection? Or does the writer re-tell the experience?

Those are good questions and I’d say the answer depends on the author. Personally, my writing tends to step away from lived experiences. The world around me is certainly inspiring and The English Teacher’s Magic is definitely a good example since my career as an English teacher was the catalyst.

If you’re curious about some of the aspects of Tea (Pronounced: Tay-ah) and Lothair’s love story and where the idea came from, I’d have to tell you about two of my students. In 2009, I started a new teaching position at a local university. At that time, we had a huge influx of students from Saudi Arabia as the government was sponsoring their young people to study abroad. In one of my classes, there was a young guy (I’ll call him Mohamed) from Saudi Arabia who was single; most of the young men and women were.

A few semesters passed and I found myself teaching Mohammed again at a higher level. Only this time, he was considering engagement. In no way am I an expert on Saudi customs around arranged marriages, but I certainly learned a lot. When Mohammed felt ready for marriage, he told him mom and she began the search. Thankfully, she didn’t need to search far as the young lady (I’ll call her Sarah) she had her eye on was their next door neighbor. In fact, Sarah had been her student, so Mohammed’s mom knew Sarah well.

During the semester, Mohammed had to leave a few times for stages of the engagement process and celebration. It was rather interesting. (Again not claiming any level of expertise.) I grew to understand that once a couple was engaged, they could spend time together and decide if they were a right match. And then, if all went well, usually about a year later the young couple got married.

For the Fae culture and Tea and Lothair, I emphasized the engagement ceremony. The idea was certainly inspired by Mohammed and Sarah’s story, but as the author, I made the engagement ceremony unique to the Fae culture and played with the bonded mates trope. Tea and Lothair’s love story was a lot of fun to write and I enjoyed weaving in re-interpreted elements of engagement culture in Saudi Arabia.

There was something beautiful about watching the love story unfold between Mohammed and Sarah. Fun fact, a year later, I got to teach Sarah and eventually met their first child!

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into the inspiration behind Tea and Lothair’s engagement ceremony. And if you haven’t read The English Teacher’s Magic yet, consider checking it out on Amazon.

Fairy Tale Retellings: Preserving Tradition While Adding Uniqueness

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. -Oscar Wild

Do you agree or disagree? This quote is often used to justify copying. Perhaps someone says it as a form of comfort. Or perhaps it is said it to explain motives.

It’s a popular expression and to a certain extent very true. When studying drama in high school, the teacher showed us how stories as old as time were repeated throughout the ages. One of his example was Pygmalian by George Bernard Shaw which became My Fair Lady, a musical adaption by Alan Jay Lerner. The teacher went on to show stories that were hundreds and even thousands of years old that had a similar story-goal to ‘re-make’ a woman with no or little social graces into a woman who fit perfectly into high society.

Fairy tale re-tellings are super popular and they have been told and re-told for centuries. As mentioned in a recent post, fairy tale re-tellings are a new project in my publishing goals. The books will still stick to my brand of fantasy, urban/high, sweet/clean slow-burn romance, and strong female leads. The princesses represented in the books will either save the kingdom, or be a major part of saving the kingdom. The prince or male love interest will be more involved in the story as well.

So what part of my stories will hold to the original stories? In researching and in some cases (where possible) reading the original stories and then reading the stories throughout history, I hope to learn as much as possible about the original tales. In doing this, common elements rise to the surface. Even when the story has been gentled over the centuries, usually the key concept of the original story remains.

While holding to the key concepts and elements of the original stories, I am re-working the tale into something that is unique. My most recent work has been a Rapunzel retelling. I’m planning for this novella to come out this fall. (More details to come soon.) The main elements I held on to were the tower and the hair. There were other key ideas I played with, but those two are the strongest. I had a ton of fun writing the tale and the main character.

Are there fairy tales you love? What are the elements you connect with?

Mastering Narrative Payoff: Balancing Revelation and Surprise

Have you ever considered the work that goes into creating a tapestry, a hand woven rug, or blanket? I enjoy crochet, but that’s nothing to the intricate weaving of fine threads into beautiful patterns that grace our walls, floors, or even ourselves. The finely crafted pieces is made of uncountable threads twisted and folded together.

And good stories are made up for intricately placed threads that an author twists together, strategically places, then hides and reveals at just the right moment. If an author does their job well, the reader is left satisfied. The most challenging aspects of this process is deciding how much to share and when to share it in the overall story; it’s an art form. If key pieces are over overshared, the payoff isn’t enjoyed by the reader because the reveal was obvious. If under-shared, the payoff feels contrived. Finding the correct balance is a huge part of careful plotting.

What does ‘payoff’ mean? It’s the moment in the book near the end where everything comes together. When a book is opened, the first few lines and pages are meant to hook the reader. As the reader continues to explore, the story is revealed. Consider a mystery, the story begins with someone being killed. Then everything in the story is primarily about finding who killed the person and why. The author must delicately and quietly drop clues that aren’t too obvious to the reader so that when the killer is revealed, the reader is both delighted by the revelation and gently surprised because it makes perfect sense. While most obvious in mysteries, the same payoff is in all genres. In romance, it’s the couple finally getting together. In fantasy, it’s Harry Potter being revealed as the final Horcrux.

So how is this created? There are some basic guides out there like subtle mentions every ~40 pages. While a useful guide, this can be too obvious to readers. A huge part of satisfying readers is creating a story where a reader becomes lost in the narrative. The reader organically picks up key pieces that leave them guessing, curious, and wanting to find out how everything works out for the main character. Then when the payoff comes, the reader wasn’t expecting it, but because of the subtle gems placed throughout the woven narrative, the reader can say, ‘of course! That makes perfect sense’. So there’s no secret to this principle. Rather, it’s instinct and evaluating feedback.

Think of some of your favorite stories where the payoff was especially satisfying. How did the author work the narrative?

The Mirror Moment: A Reflection

Originally published in 2014, James Scott Bell wrote a book about writing called, Write Your Novel from the Middle. Bell, a crime/thriller writer who tends to lean towards courtroom drama, came up with the idea when reviewing numerous books and movies. He recognized a pattern that took place in the middle of all these stories. The main character essentially had a ‘mirror moment’ where they looked at themselves, their situation and had to decide what their next steps would be and the changes they needed to make in order to ‘win’.

I confess that while I’m not a fan of James Scott Bell’s genre, his books on writing have been very useful. Learning to identify the Mirror Moment has been tremendously helpful as an author. According to Bell, finding the Mirror Moment can help with determining theme as well as what the main character struggles with in the story which helps when developing the character arc.

Does the mirror moment mean the main character looks at themselves in the mirror? No. They can, but the mirror moment is more about the character looking internally. The character practices self-reflection with regard to their circumstance and out of that internal processing, the character will determine a new course that usually falls into what James Scott Bell says is an either/or change.

  • Growth to become a different person
  • Growth to become stronger to survive

I have two favorite mirror moments in my books. The first is in Hidden where Ciaran, who’s been ignoring a traumatic event of his childhood must face it to go forward. In this case, he goes to the place where his Uncle died. The moment is too long to share here. My second favorite mirror moment takes place in Realm of Choice and Life. Not only is it the mirror moment for the book, but it is also the mirror moment for the series.

I left Naila’s shop and walked down the rain-soaked street. It was quiet and serene with cool fresh air and a light mist coating my face. Moisture soaked into my shoes, but I didn’t care and laughed. In the reflection of a window to a restaurant, my face was spotted and streaked from the water.

Only a month ago, I knew who I was. Or I thought I knew. But now… Who was I? Human? Fae? English teacher? Was I what Rose wanted? Patrick? Lothair? My students? Scattered pieces of me intersected with the lives of others like the drops of rain that ran down the windowpane and then into each other. But underneath the rain, was my reflection.

Living up to everyone’s expectations was impossible. I wasn’t trying to please everyone, but in the midst of trying to do my best at work and build relationships, I was losing sight of myself.

I shook my head at the thought. I wiped the rain-spotted reflection with my hand and saw the complete me underneath. A small smile crossed my lips.

I was enough.

Both these books are available on Amazon if you are interested in checking them out.

The Mirror Moment is a moment of reflection that the main character has at a pivotal time in the story. Consider some of your favorite books or movies, can you spot the mirror moment?

Fairy Tale Re-Tellings

For the longest time, I avoided fairy tale re-tellings. Even when an author I like came out with a fairy tale re-telling, it would take a long time before I’d finally read it. And when I read the book, I read it mostly because of the author. Do I still feel this way? Truthfully? Yes and no.

Fairy tales haven’t totally won me over. My two big problems are: I’m not into the passive princess waiting around for a prince to save her. And I’m not into the ‘true love’s kiss’ or we don’t know each other, but you’ve come into my life and rescued me and now we’ll live happily ever after.

But fairy tales are still around centuries later. They exist in many cultures around the world, and are still beloved. Granted, many fairy tales have very dark origin stories that have undergone a gentling and softening process. But what makes them so enduring? Beneath the superficial romance, fairy tales do have deeper universal themes society aligns with.

Consider a beautiful girl who’s lost everything, becomes an orphan and a slave. Now, she has to fight to survive. Her kindness gains her allies and help to overcome those who oppress her. This is a bit of an underdog story, but also Cinderella.

There are themes of survival, strength, and overcoming impossible odds all while being sweet and nice. There are themes of friendship and teamwork where the main character overcomes their obstacles because of their supportive network. Snow White needed the kind huntsman who spared her life and the seven dwarves. Beauty needed the enchanted characters in the Beast’s castle.

And fairy tales satisfy with their promised Happily Ever After. Let’s be honest, we like a book to end on a positive note. We like to close the cover and know that everything will be okay with the Main Character and they’ve managed to ‘save the day’.

So let me ask, what’s your favorite fairy tale? Or what fairy tale theme do you gravitate towards?

New Release: Twilight’s Strength!

I am super excited to release Twilight’s Strength. It is the final book in the Twilight Realm series and brings everything to a satisfying conclusion.

If you’ve read the other books in the series, you’re probably wondering:

  • Do Zoe and Nix finally get together?
  • Do Zyanna and Daniel take down King Edmund?
  • Will Daniel finally be crowned king?
  • What of Zyanna’s child?
  • Will Nosh Dem finally be revealed and this dark influence taken care of?

If these are some of your questions, then you are in for a deliciously satisfying treat! Enjoy.

Now, if you don’t want any spoilers, please don’t continue reading. Not that I’ll give too much away and ruin the fun of the unfolding of a good read.

For the final book, I knew everyone had to come together and I knew I had to resolve story threads started in Twilight’s Curse. I also realized that there would be a mixture of all four POVs from Twilight’s Curse and Twilight’s Princess since readers would be invested in these characters and would want to know how everything was worked out. Because of this, Twilight’s Strength has the POVs of Daniel, Zyanna, Zoe, and Nix! And they each have conflicts and obstacles to overcome.

Daniel wants to take down his father, protect Zyanna, and when Nix comes along, get his approval. Daniel’s struggle has always been his insecurity. He has lived under the fear of his father and afraid to trust everyone. Now, he has a wife, child, and the Loyalists who will fight for him to protect. True to Daniel’s nature, he doesn’t want anyone to be hurt because of him, especially Zyanna, so he goes a little overboard which creates some fun tension between the sweet couple. This also creates an obstacle or two (or more) for Zyanna to overcome.

Zyanna comes into her magic and she is STRONG! (Nope, not the reason for the book title.) I had so much fun writing her and won’t tell you more about her magic or how she uses it in the book. That’s for you to discover. In this book, Zyanna must step up and fight despite her husband and brother wanting to hold her back. While in Twilight’s Princess she had to rely on and learn to trust others to achieve her goal, now she has to decide if she’s going to stay safe or risk everything to save the elves and realms she loves. You can probably guess the direction the story will go since it’d be a pretty boring book if she stayed safe. But to risk everything, she must stand against Daniel and Nix which creates some fun tension, and forms a friendship between her and Zoe.

Zoe is a little older, wiser, and a little softer than when we first met her in Twilight’s Curse. At least she’s no longer pulling out her daggers and threatening Nix. But that is part of the fun! Zoe’s life has reached a cross-roads of sorts. She’s not sure she wants to leave the orphans she cares for, she’s confused by Nix and a certain commander who’s showing interest in her. So, she decides to join Nix’s response to Daniel’s request for help to try to find her place in the world. While her fighting skills and childhood experiences with Nosh Dem send her to the Northern Wastelands to learn the truth, her heart is conflicted with Nix’s mixed messages and the commander’s interest. And she doesn’t like being responsible for the lives of those under her charge especially when they’ve been wounded. To defeat Nosh Dem, Zoe will have to face truths about her past and unwind the knots in her heart.

Nix is established as the king of the Twilight Realm, only he finds it’s a lonely rule without family. He finally hears news that his sister is alive and Daniel, the crown prince of the Night Realm begs him for help. Nix knows he must go to Zyanna and the commander prepares the royal guard and soldiers, but Zoe is the one elf he wants by his side. She agrees to come! As soon as they reach the Night Realm, Nix is forced to confront a sister who is now married and with child, and a crown prince who appears unconcerned about his kingdom. Feeling more alone than ever, Nix must decide if he should send Zoe to the Northern Wastelands to track down Nosh Dem or keep her close. He sends her north which puts a deeper wedge in their relationship. And Zyanna’s disappeared. Now he’s stuck with Daniel and saving a kingdom that isn’t his.

What I loved most about this book, is the characters facing their worst and coming out on top. Of course I won’t tell you how they worked through their issues, but I hope you have as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.

Pop Culture and Writing

You’ve heard the expression, ‘history repeats itself’! And it’s true, but have you considered why?

Think back to your childhood. Was there a toy, movie, T.V. show, a place, or something else that you connect with positively? Hopefully, there’s more than one! And when we see those same things in our present, they become a tie to our past.

To this day, whenever I hear music from the 1950s and 1960s, I immediately think of time with my dad. He loves music and when he would put on one of his old records, he’d start dancing and so would everyone else. They’re fun memories.

What if I said, ‘Just do it!’ You’d probably think of the Nike check and slogan. Or how about, ‘My precious.’ Does Gollum from Lord of the Rings come to mind?

So what does this have to do with writing? Well, something that’s important is learning to write to market and doing that means the author is aware of their readers’ interests and the things that carry meaning/memories.

If I wanted to write a romance novel for a woman in her 20s, I need more than good structure. A writer needs to know what the audience expects

  • Do they want spice or clean?
  • What kind of music or entertainment do the readers like?
  • Are there certain memes or expressions these readers like?
  • What are common occupations? Or are they in school?

The more an author can discover what their audience connects with, the better the audience will connect with their book and characters.