February 8th, 2009 | by Melissa MacNeal |
Many thanks to Phil for seeing his shadow last week, and to Neale Donald Walsch for his Groundhog Day’s message, which included the thought: “…you should hope to see your shadow today…For when the shadow side of you is seen, embraced, and loved, your healing has begun for sure.”
It occurred to me that this could be another tool for motivating our characters—so if your tried-and-true chisels feel a little dull lately, explore these ideas with me! Comment with some of your own! Because if you know what casts the shadows over your characters—what “evil” or other beasties lurk in their hearts and pasts—you can figure out how to heal them throughout a gratifying story arc to emerge into light at its end! (Or maybe they don’t want to be healed! Now, there’s the story I’d probably rather tell!)
Play “What If–” with me here (I’m on a March 1 deadline, so games sound soooo tempting right now!), and the person who submits the comment I find most thought-provoking wins any book on either of my websites.
What If…
1) your heroine secretly had an abortion when she was younger, and can’t tell her husband…fears it might be the reason she can’t conceive? Or she fears marrying a wonderful man because he wants children, and she’s already “thrown one away.”
2) your hero bullied/dared his friend to do something that maimed him (or even led to his death)…can’t forgive himself after all these years.
3) your character believes things about him/herself because a parent labeled him/her that way from early childhood? Always lived down to that self-fulfilling prophesy, or used it as an excuse not to aspire higher.
4) your characters engaged in illicit/illegal activities in college that have come back to bite them as they apply for jobs, get married, etc.? What if somebody in their circle turns informant?
5) your parents concealed very important information about your birth/adoption and you find out about it from a total stranger years later?
6) Your hero/heroine has built a life/career based on a lie but sees no reason to come clean? (does not want to be “healed”) Who gets hurt along the way? Who has built a life around this person and then discovers his/her own life has been a lie, too?
7) your character’s career—or life—is about to end and another character knows secret information that could save him? Will he/she share the secret? What if there’s a compelling reason not to?
No doubt you can come up with better what-ifs! And I’d love to see them—and perhaps other writers who are in a stall pattern with a story will find just the right kick-start here to remotivate an entire book! We’ve all had stories and characters (and moods and psyches) that need to be fixed!
But now, who’s your “healer” and how does he/she go about rescuing the whole situation? And what if he/she decides it’s not worth the risk?
Delve into those characters’ shadows! And yes, the shadows I mentioned above have belonged to me or to folks I know—or characters who’ve held me spellbound—so indeed, real life is always stranger…darker and more shadowy than fiction! (And indeed, the darkest, most shadowy time is right before your unfinished manuscript is due on your editor’s desk!)
Thanks for playing along today!
Hey Lucinda, I’d love to win a copy, but I don’t have the brain space right now to entertain any of these questions (I don’t even know how I’m going to write my words for the novella I’m working on today.)
I’m just so anxious about this contest right now. Today is the last day for voting, so tomorrow, if your contest is still running I’ll hopefully be able to come back here and post something semi-coherent and intelligent.
Right now about the only thing going through my brain is: “eeeeeeeeeek.” Along with, “Think and say something smart so people will click on your blog link” and then of course I end up with “this.” So I’m insane right now.
All the thought-provoking stuff has left the building, I’m afraid.
by Zoe Winters · February 8th, 2009 at 4:31 pmHi, Melissa! Such a thought-provoking topic… Like Zoe, many of my working brain cells seem to be uncooperative!
What if… the hero and heroine have a single area of disagreement, pretty important to each. Does love mean that accepting that disagreement? If one doesn’t, does it mean love isn’t enough? Does being loved mean not having to change? Is changing for one you love giving up part of yourself? (I guess this might be at the heart of many romance conflicts… career, children, country/city, PC/Mac
)
by Fedora · February 9th, 2009 at 2:27 amYou’re both perking along here…the PC/Mac thing might be bigger than you think, Fedora!
And Zoe, I will extend the contest deadline until tonight (Tues) p.m.–
Meanwhile, back to that book that MUST be finished this week!–Melissa
by Melissa MacNeal · February 9th, 2009 at 12:26 pmHey Lucinda, definately add me in, id love to win one of your books
by Sam · February 10th, 2009 at 8:29 amHi Melissa! This is a very thought provoking blog~
What if- your hero or even heroine- had a job/career that required them to make very black and white moral decisions, I’m thinking like someone in the military, or working undercover in law enforcement. What if they’ve had to do things for the “greater good” that left them very cold and icy inside. Like commit murder, torture or assault for example. I think it would take a very special woman, or man- to be strong enough to help heal shadows like that.
by Cheryl McInnis · February 10th, 2009 at 1:15 pmhaha, okay I know this shoots my own shot straight to H*LL, but I really like Cheryl’s answer. And it may be that I’m just really drawn personally to those types of stories!
Upon reflecting on this, I can’t play the what-if game here because I’d have to know more about the specifc characters you’re dealing with. My process doesn’t start from a what-if question. I know it does for a lot of writers, maybe I’m weird. I have to “write my way into” whatever I’m doing in notes and outlines and without a definite starting point, I can’t just pull out a “what if.”
Plus, if I did I’d probably want to use it myself, lol.
by Zoe Winters · February 10th, 2009 at 4:15 pmsorry just ignore my comment lol i clicked on the wrong blog lol
by Sam · February 10th, 2009 at 4:38 pmI’m ready to declare THE WINNER….
(drum roll here!)
Many thanks to all of you who responded to a post that isn’t, well–too erotic!! But you read it and thought about it, and I appreciate that.
CHERYL MCINNIS!! YOU’RE A WINNER!!
Cheryl gets to choose a copy of any book from either of my sites–and again, thanks to all who checked in!
Seeya next month!!
Melissa
by Melissa MacNeal · February 10th, 2009 at 8:26 pmCongrats, Cheryl! That was a terrific “what if”! Thanks for getting us thinking, Melissa!
by Fedora · February 10th, 2009 at 9:43 pmGee, who’d've thunk it? I made people THINK, on an Aphro blog post!!
Good to see you here again, Fedora–and thanks again to all of you for chiming in. Just got cover art/banner etc. for the summer cowboy antho, TEMPTED BY A COWBOY, so watch my site for that addition in the next week or so!
Offa here–
by Melissa MacNeal · February 10th, 2009 at 9:50 pmMelissa
LOL, Melissa! Well, you do also make us drool a lot, and get hot and bothered
It’s good to get a complete workout, right? Looking forward to seeing your new cover art! Cowboys are yummy!
by Fedora · February 11th, 2009 at 2:08 am