Character Emotions

Someone asked after reading Return of the Sacred Feminine what the Sacred Feminine actually is. 

I'm not an expert by any means. If fact, I'm not really sure I know the answer well enough to respond. What I do know, or at least, feel is that with all the war and upheaval going on there is an imbalance. 

I found on the internet that the Sacred Feminine is associated with the qualities of wisdom, justice, beauty, and compassion. The Sacred Feminine destroys old forms and brings new ones into being (which certainly seems to be occurring now). The Sacred Feminine connects us to our instincts, our feelings, and the imagination of the heart.

The last two qualities point to two critical elements writers employ when writing novels, memoirs, and screenplays:

1. destruction of the character's old personality to bring about character transformation 
   
2. showing character's emotions and the expression of emotion, not through internal monologue but through actions, reactions, non-verbal communication, and what comes through the body not the mind.

More plot posts on:

#1 Character Transformation

Plot versus Character

Meaning of Crisis and Climax

Character Transformation

#2 Character Emotion

Character Emotion

Character Emotion cont.

More on Emotion and Plot

Return of the Sacred Feminine??

Images on the news often portray an imbalance. That the old world order, the patriarchal world of rules and judgments and wars and control needs a bit of balance. Only trouble, the sacred feminine stays lost or hidden, is out of reach.

Yesterday's plot consultation gave me hope of the sacred feminine reveal, return, and balance restored.

Ah, the joys of being in on the birth of greatness.

Thanks for inviting me...

Be brave.

Dig deep.

Plot and Emotion cont.

In the hopes of inspiring yet another emotional layer to your characters, I add the following to the list of behaviors that do NOT work in effective communication.

Focusing on own feelings
Claiming amnesia
Changing the subject
Taking the high moral ground
Trying to win
Hating to lose
Agreeing, but not really
Lying
Exaggerating
Giving up
Giving orders
Taking over the discussion
Giving suggestions
Getting hurt
Becoming delicate and vulnerable
Losing perspective
Catastrophizing
Facial expressions like boredom, anger
(This list comes from my dear friend Teresa LeYung Ryan and adapted by Emilio Escudero)

For the earlier mentioned behaviors that do NOT enhance effective communication, More on Plot and Emotion

Next will be a list of What Works.

More on Emotion and Plot

Following the in-depth article Emotion Makes the Character with tips for creating emotion in your characters, I offer the following:

Use of the following behaviors, which impede effective communication, create conflict and tension and reveal character:

Walking away
Sarcasm
Blame
Short Temper
Withdrawal
Not listening
Talking over
Looking away
Shouting
Anger
Criticism
Intellectualizing
Debating the complaint
Threatening to leave
Counter-complaints

(List is thanks to my dear friend, Teresa LeYung Ryan, and Emillo Escudero. Thanks!)

Gotta run. More later....

Universal Writer's Traits: Sound Familiar?

At a couple of the recent plot workshops, I asked writers to fill in a Character Plot Profile for their protagonist's Dramatic Action goals and Character Emotional Development traits, the antagonist's, and for themselves as a writer, too.

Following is a random sample of the responses in relationship to themselves as writers:

Dramatic Action Plot

• Long-term goal: Write a book, finish, publish book
  
• Standing in the way: Family, job, poor discipline, distracted, lazy, nothing, integrating two characters and timeline
  
• Stands to lose: No sense of accomplishment, disappointment, not much, self-respect
  

Character Emotional Development Plot

• Flaw: Perfectionist, procrastination, resistance, lack of clarity, impatience, falls in love with my words, disorganized, not knowing where it's going
  
• Strength: Imagination, use of words, language, dialogue, action, short stories
  
• Hates: Solitary act of writing, starting, loneliness, emotionally painful, doing it, internal critic, judgment, first drafts, rewrites, self-doubt, getting stuck
  
• Loves: Translating ideas into words, losing myself in the process, first draft, rewrites, magic, fun
  
• Fear: Can't do it, that it's no good, words won't move people. be bad at it, not good enough, I'll never finish, negative feedback, that it's lousy, triviality, no one will care, that criticism of my writing is a criticism of me, rejection
  
• Dream: to be remembered by a child
  
• Secret: I'm as afraid of praise as I am of criticism, write in my head first and then on paper
  

Any of this sound familiar??

Jigsaw Puzzles, Not Everyone Likes Them

At a recent plot workshop, one of the writers stopped me on the way to lunch to ask for help. I asked her to tell me a bit about her project.

As soon as she starts in, I'm hooked. She has a truly novel idea with an even more novel format in which to tell her story.

As with most highly creative writers, she has trouble bringing the story into focus. She wanders to one plot point and then flits to another unrelated point. I hold each of these fragments and slowly begin to put them into position in my mind for the overall structure. (I've been weird like that since I was a kid, and a non-verbal one at that. I remember stories about how I could put together jigsaw puzzles of any piece count with the pieces upside-down and only the grey backs as reference. Hey, I warned you I was weird that way.)

With lunch plates chiming and my stomach grumbling, I wait as she retrieves yet another element of her story. The deeper she goes, the more self-defeating talk pops up.

"This doesn't make any sense."

"You're doing fine," I say. "Keep going."

"It's probably not any good."

"You're doing fine," I say... over and over again.

Finally she blurts out enough for me to help her locate the key scenes

After she rushes back to our workshop room to jot the scenes onto her newly created Plot Planner for her individual project, I shake my head in despair. If she has so many doubts in her head in just recounting ideas, how is she ever going to overcome the demons long enough to write the story?

Sure, she's outside the box and that can be challenging in this time of high conformity and deep suspicion of anything different. However, I firmly believe those of us lucky enough to call ourselves writers are being called to create. When we and our flaws sabotage ourselves from showing up to write and from reaching our goals of completion, yet one more idea the universe looks to us to manifest disappears and who knows how much longer the evolution of our planet will take because we doubt ourselves before we ever even try???

Based on the picture I saw in the jigsaw puzzle of her story, I saw greatness.

Hope you show up for your jigsaw puzzle today. I see greatness there, too...

Writers: It's not life or death. Have Fun

I forgot to say, Have fun!

In deepest gratitude to each of you responsible for the 3 sold-out plot workshops -- at the overall story level, scene level, and thematic significance level, I send a final message that includes writers everywhere -- loosen up and have some fun.

Writing is not life or death. We artists like to imagine what we do is so dramatic. And, yes, those elements -- life and death appear in the story. Just like in the natural world, over and over again. For you as the writer, both at the physical level and beyond, life and death stands more figurative than literal.

Yes, writing a book will transform you. And, yes, just like your protagonist to get there you have to pass through hell. It's your character's emotional reactions shown in scene on a thematic or universal language level that defines her. Your reactions in the Middle (1/2) define you.

You've created some cool characters. No? Rewrite history. Your characters have certain qualities you like and admire. Others you abhor and deny. Have fun. Create a cool exotic world to hang out in.

Don't take it too seriously. Don't take yourself too seriously.

What I offered in the workshops is analytical and lists to the cerebral side. Now? Get out of your head. Let the practice settle in your body. Take walks. Write. Walk. Write...

Be in the moment of the scene. Shut out the rest of the world. Breathe and dive deep...

Oh... and don't forget -- rumpus!

Thanks for coming...

Long-term vs Short-term Protagonist Goals

One of the more difficult aspects of creating a compelling Dramatic Action plot for highly creative, so-called right-brained writers is to come up with concrete goals for the protagonist.

I have written an article for March issue of The Writer magazine that will be out in bookstores mid-February and will not go into all the details about the importance of goals, examples of goals in literature, and how to create them -- you can read the article for more.

What I do want to cover here is the difference between the long-term protagonist goal(s) and the short-term scene goals.

The 1st element on the Character Emotional Development Plot Profile is to determine your protagonist's long-term goal. This often changes or shifts after the major turning points in your story.

This goal is different than the Goal column on the Scene Tracker template. The Scene Tracker Kit is designed to help writers create plot at the scene level. An essential element of scene is the protagonist's part in the scene which revolves around her goal. The scene goals are the steps she takes in hopes of reaching her long-term goal.

Both Goal elements demand a clear vision of what the protagonist desires on a concrete, attainable level. These goals much be within the protagonist's capabilities of achieving (of course you will develop all sorts of antagonists, both internal and external, to interfere with her success). However, the more well-defined the protagonist's goal at the overall story level and scene-by-scene the more grounded the reader in the story as they know what is at stake and when the protagonist is getting closer to her goal or is sent further away from her goals.

For more on Goal setting:

• Blah Protagonist
  
• Connecting to the Character
  
• Dreams versus Goals
  

Flashback versus Memory

A problem I often find in the plot consultations I provide to writers is the misuse of flashbacks.

During a plot consultation, a writer outlines her historical novel to me. Before long, the story takes a u-turn into flashback. My immediate reaction is to refocus myself. I quickly scan the Plot Planner I am creating for her for what I know of the story so far ~ the time frame, the place, and the characters ~ in order to keep in perspective the time and place change.

If you've read Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple, you know I am not a fan of flashback. Mostly, I dislike the whiplash effect, but also because I have seen too many writers, especially writers just starting out, overuse and abuse flashback. It is more difficult and takes more thought and creativity to integrate the pertinent backstory seamlessly into the front-story than it is to create a flashback. Flashback is a depiction of a past, literal experience. Full integration of back-story into front-story involves more nuance and skill.

Three plot tips when it comes to flashbacks:

1) If you feel you just have to have a flashback, wait to use it in the Middle of the story. By then, the reader has had time to ground themselves in the front-story and is better able to transition back and forth in time

2) A flashback is portrayed moment-by-moment in scene. Consider instead using a memory (summary)

3) If flashbacks are integral to the overall plot and structure, do like Audrey Niffenegger in The Time Traveler's Wife, make the story line non-linear and create the very structure of your story based on time jumps.

Writers on the Hero's Journey

Last Saturday I taught the 1st in a series of 3 Plot Intensives in Capitola, CA. I covered plot at the overall story level. This Saturday I teach the 2nd plot workshop to cover plot at the scene level. Next Saturday I teach the 3rd and final workshop; Plot for Meaning at the overall plot level.

Saturday for the first time I asked writers to fill out the Character Emotional Plot Profile for more than just their protagonist and antagonist. This time, they also filled out one for themselves as a writer and another for themselves personally. 

I felt a bit weird about asking for their own personal profile and after glancing at a few, I knew for certain I won't do that again. I don't need to know a person's secrets to help her with plot. However, the writers' profiles were fascinating in their universality.

Everyone wants to write a story and everyone suffers from the same doubt, insecurity, fears which begs the question: if a writer stands back and analyzes where she is on her writing journey, will it help her as much as standing back and looking at the overall plot of her writing story on a Plot Planner?

You tell me.

Where are you on your writing journey? 

• Still in the introductory mode (Beginning - 1/4) and mostly talking about writing, how you're not writing, what you want to write about, thinking about writing, wanting to write but don't very often? 

• Stepped over into the land of the exotic and solitary world of writing filled with antagonists of every kind (Middle - 1/2)?

• Clawing your way to the Climax (End - 1/4)
  

Does your answer surprise you? 

Does the understanding of where you are on the Universal Story form or your life's journey give you a deeper understanding of you are in relationship with your writing?

Does it give you a deeper understanding of the journey your protagonist is on, too?