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| The Journey: what's around the next bend? Photograph by Shayna Matthews. |
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| When the plot crumbles...aftermath of your character war. |
A writer is a unique specimen of being. We create characters, journeys and universes of our own accord. Occasionally, we get lucky. A person will unfold before our eyes, plucked seemingly out of the blue. The character breathes life into the story. He or she forms his/her own thoughts and opinions, and expresses them freely, running roughshod over your meticulous plotting. "This is not how it's gonna be," he might tell you.
No matter what you try, the scene collapses much like an implosion of brick and mortar. A writer might fight the nagging little voice, after all, it is the author's tale to tell, is it not? Characters must do as they are bidden. (And if you believe that, I have a nice piece of ocean front property in Arizona for sale...interested?)
Advice on fictional writing is easy to find in this modern world. A quick search will unearth an avalanche of rules. How to write a novel. How not to write a novel. Planning. Plotting. Flying by the seat of your 'pantsters'. Show, don't tell. Well, tell a little, that one's all about balance, right? Character heroes vs. villains. But I believe it all boils down to two things: knowledge and trust. We must know our characters as we know ourselves. Perhaps more so. Trust in them, in their voices, should they decide to speak to you. They know the story better than the writer, for they are living it.
I've heard it said about historical fiction, that an in-tune author inadvertently summons past truths. The characters we flesh out on paper lean over our shoulders and whisper the story within the life they lived once upon a time. It is the author's job to listen. Once in a great while, a spirited character will do a little more than whisper. They "nudge" with the force of a twelve-pound hammer.
I know an author--let's call her Lynn--who has a regular habit of picking up on those not so subtle signs from her "fictional" characters, so to speak. She was in the realm of a chapter fight with a secondary character, an unruly cowboy, who refused to stay in the background. Character and writer could not see eye to eye, and the plot began to unravel at the seams.
AGAIN.
Lynn went to one of her favorite stomping grounds, a western boutique filled with the leather-scented dreams most cowgirls lust over. In the shop, she gravitated toward a handmade pendant. It was a large brass portrait medallion. The image was clearly one printed from who-knows-where, a cheap repro of the original portrait of a smug cowpoke. The original was, no doubt, just that--the real thing. The unnamed puncher donned in threadbare britches, a whitish shirt and a broad-brimmed hat might not have had many worldly goods in his life at the time the photograph was taken, but he had pride--scads of it.
Lynn walked through the store for nearly two hours, but kept returning to that pendant. She could not shake the image, for the man was everything she imagined her own stubborn character to be...crude, boyish, charming and completely unforgettable. She bought it and brought it home. The very next day, she scanned Pinterest boards, looking for nothing in particular. The moment she brought up those pictorial boards, an image seared through her heart: it was a photograph of the old west cowboy, the very same image she had bought the day before, marked simply: C. 1890 Cowboy.
Upon letting the pounding of her heart settle back in its place, a frantic yet thorough search for the cowboy revealed...nothing. His image is there, he crops up from time to time to haunt her, and yet, his story remains a mystery. At least, for now. For you see, now that Lynn has learned to listen, that prideful cowboy is whispering the true tales of his stories in her ear. She writes them down as fast as she can. When she strays too far from the truth of her characters, she flounders. Then she must pause, reflecting on the past, and search for what went wrong. Often she has to bite down, swallowing her pride for the good of the story, and trust a little deeper in the whispers of the characters she is writing with. You see, for Lynn, they are more than characters. They are the people who lived the tale, the co-authors of their own tales, and the teachers who guide her down the adventurous journey of history, of authorship, and of self-discovery.
Written by Shayna Lynn Matthews
The cowboy looks kinda like Chris Pratt, a good start for any character--cowboy or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my main characters are being rather dull. I need to shake them up a bit I think... or they need to shake things up for me.
Hi Connie! The 1890 cowboy from my pendant does strike a rather handsome figure, doesn't he? Usually characters do a good job of shaking things up, but once in a while it's good to toss a few unexpected twists their way to keep them moving. Sometimes I find success with that merely by taking a daytrip someplace new, whether it be a quaint little town or a hike, picnic or museum.
DeleteShayna, you never disappoint. Thanks for re-assuring me I'm not crazy (?) when my characters tell me what they do.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you Diana, that's so nice to hear! I confess I was a little worried about revealing the arguments with "voices" in my head, lol. Glad to know I'm not the only one who listens to their characters when they talk. ;-)
DeleteYou've reminded me that I need to listen more to the whispers.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best, Kristy. I've tried to ignore them often, believing I knew better. They usually win. :-)
DeleteSometimes you get it right, and others you don't and they will tell you. Listening usually will make the better story, even in non-fiction. When you go in with preconcieved ideas you miss the true story of the people you are researching. To me that's the sorrow of 'cookie cutter' stories, you miss the true 'meat' of the lives your portraying. (It works that way in acting also, your best performance is when you lose yourself and let the character do the talking)Nicely done Shayna. Doris/Angela
ReplyDeleteThank you, Doris! I agree. Your mention of "cookie cutter" stories is such a downfall. It's easy for readers to pick them apart from the rest, as characters fall short of the mark. The details within a character and how they react in various situations is so important. Very well worded, my friend.
DeleteI love that cowboy picture. When FB ladies ask for "hunky men" pictures, that is one that comes to mind for me. Enjoyed your post. Ah, yes, the joys of writing when your characters decide to have their way no matter what you planned.
ReplyDeleteHi Zina, and thank you! If nothing else, those ornery characters make for interesting writing--and reading. ;-)
DeleteOooooh, wow....I am enthralled. The photo does invoke a mysterious guy, probably a simple man just looking out for himself. But he does have that mysterious aura. Thanks so much for this. You had me hooked from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you so much, dear Celia. I'm so glad you enjoyed the read! I adore original photographs, there is always the mystery of wondering who they are, what their stories are. This handsome gentleman is certainly no exception, except in that he's made his presence known to me on a more personal level, through the continuous discovery of his photograph. The fun with an instance like this is that you never know what you might discover, just around the bend in the road. :-)
DeleteShayna, I bet you could go to ancestry . com and put that picture on there and someone might recognize him or be able to tell you his name, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think Fate does "point us in the right direction" sometimes... as a little girl, I remember one summer when I was about 10, we went on vacation to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Cherry Point, NC. We passed a lot of places that were like little roadside antique/junk stores, and finally Mom persuaded Dad to stop at one (out of SOOO many we'd passed). When we went in, there was an old, old woman who owned it and was offering to help. She asked, "Where are y'all from?" My dad said, "Seminole, Oklahoma." She got tears in her eyes and literally gasped. Well, of course, he was taken by surprise, but oh, she was so thrilled! This was in 1967 or so--and it turned out, she had lived in Seminole for many years during the time it had been a big oil boom town. She and my dad talked all about the oil business (he was a chemical engineer for Baroid, a big oil drilling company at the time) and how Seminole was "then" and "now"--oh, it made her day, AND my dad's! Which taught him a lesson about finding jewels in the most unlikely places. I've never forgotten her name: Forestina Camel. I bet she was in her mid-late 80's at the time, and she was sure able to open my dad's eyes (he loved history, and it wasn't often you could find someone with firsthand knowledge of the industry and people he knew and worked with) and brought such joy to that old lady's heart. She wanted to give us what we were going to buy for free, but Dad made her take the money. She begged him to come back by on the way home, but my mom's dad passed when we were out there and we practically had to turn around and come back. So there was no time. I've often thought of her, and the oddity that made our paths cross, and made him stop at THAT particular little store out of all the ones out there.
Cheryl, that is a grand idea. I never even thought of trying something like that. It would be interesting to know this particular individual's name and history, since he's made such an impression on me and my writing. Who knows what might be uncovered! Your story about your father and Forestina (what a grand name!!) is an incredible story. In fact, I think it would make for a fascinating written story. Sometimes we wind up in a place because we are meant to find someone, or something. Just as your father was pulled into that old antique shop, I have been pulled into out-of-the-way places where instant friends were met. The people we meet along the way is the best part of any journey, for we make connections and bonds, even if we never see them again, which is sadly often the case. I've often thought of the people I've met, and spoken to for a few minutes, never to see them again, but will never forget, just like Forestina. --Love that name! Perhaps you are meant to write about her, Cheryl.
DeleteI like that the cowboy in the picture remains a mystery. Some things are better when they are left to the imagination.
ReplyDeleteI've had problems with a character who wants to be in every story and tries to take over. There's something about Banjo Wilding that demands attention even when I don't want to give it to him.
A wonderful blog, Shayna. I'm sorry for showing up late.