In my opinion, all
successful/popular novels, no matter what genre, have one key element:
emotion. Emotion lies at the core of
every character’s decision, action, reaction, and motivation. All of which drive the story. A character’s
personal journey does not exist without emotion—it would be pointless. The plot
would be made up meaningless events that a reader would not invest any time to
read. Why? Because above all else, the readers choose a
novel to have an emotional experience.
Be it a wild roller coaster ride of pure terror in a horror novel;
reliving the sweet courting experience of an inspirational romance; discovering
a new unexplored, heart-pounding world of a sci-fi; the pleasure of solving a
who-done-it; or, pure laughter and fun in a read-it-at one setting
comedy—readers want to connect with your characters. With this connection to characters, who
provide entertainment and whose trials and experiences may, in turn, add
meaning to their own life journeys.
We are emotional beings. Feelings propel us. Drive us. Define us. Moreover, while it may seem that
most of those exchanges happen during conversation, studies show that 93% of
all communication is nonverbal. Even in
instances where we try not to show our feelings, we are still telegraphing
messages through body language. Because
of the, each of us is adept at reading others without a word being uttered.
Readers
have high expectations. Long done are
the long intros: “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wander, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery
an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company,
dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber, and a
rain so penetrating”. . . I am certain
you recognize the first sentences of my favorite classic novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. A delightful read, rich in detail and thick
with emotion—but not a read easily consumed during a pause in a workday, or
after getting toddlers off to bed. Readers
no longer wish to be told how a character feels; they want to experience the
emotion for themselves.
This
leaves the writer with the challenge of ensuring that our characters express
their emotions in ways that are both recognizable and compelling to read. Personally, I find that less is more. I am always aware of the pacing of my
story. Too many clues to describe a
character’s feelings can dilute the reader’s emotion experience. Backstory is only pepper in to allude to a
‘trigger’ emotion. Example: Marty, in the BACK TO THE FUTURE series of
movies. A cliché, but calling Marty
‘chicken’ worked every time—the viewer knew and expected ‘something’ to happen.
Not that I have ever, I hope, have resorted to a cliché, but my characters have
a ‘fatal flaw’. I cannot divulge any
that I have used because it would ruin the storylines. But we all have our ‘trigger’ emotion. If you have siblings, undoubtly, you were
tormented with it on numerous occasionally.
Our ‘characters’ may or may not recognize a personal tigger emotion. This is writer’s preference in relationship
to plot and character development.
One
emotion that I find fun to watch (in young children) and it easy to work into a
YA story is amazement. To a toddler
everything is new and amazing. The child’s
eyes widen. The child becomes suddenly
still. May suck in a quick breath/hand
covering one’s mouth. Stiffening posture.
Rapid blinking followed by open staring.
Reaching out and touching or taking a step back. I am certain you could
add to the list my recalling your personal experices or observations.
Now how
would that young child feel, internally?
A heart would seem to freeze, the pound. Tingling skin. Adrenaline
spikes. The mental reaction in the amazed person could be disorientation,
momentarily forgetting all else, or wishing to share the experience with
others. Now say your character is a shy
or too cool to give anything away. How
could this emotion be suppressed? Self-hugging, jerky, self-contained strides,
Eyes widening a bit before control is asserted, mouth snapping shut. The clues are always apparent.
I like
to get to know my characters, savor my scenes, and always dig deeper for the
right word. The right motivation.
I enjoy
the journey to discover my characters, their hopes and wishes. I feel blessed to tell each one of their
stories. And I hope that my novels, in
turn, bring hours of enjoyment into each of my readers’ lives.
In
closing I’d like to share a bit of my past.
When my
first YA historical novel was published, I was honored at a Red Nations
Powwow. The tribal elder, Jacques
Condor, told me I was being honored as a StoryTeller. We both knew this was a great-honor among the
tribes. He reminded me, always, to be humble, because it is the Story who
chooses the StoryTeller to bring it Life.
My
mandella hangs my living room wall, and my hand-tooled silver ring is worn to
remind me of both my gift and my duty.
Thank
you for taking the time to read my entry to my publisher’s daily blog.
Fondly,
Connie
