Writing against type
It occured to me this afternoon as I was working on the book we will not discuss, that one of the problems I have with my characters is that they instinctively behave in ways that I know all too well -- and they don't behave in ways I'm unfamiliar with. Which is fine if they are like me, and not if they're not.
In this case, they are emphatically NOT. But sometimes they still tend to react to things the way I would react because, let's face it, I'm the writer. And so when I get stuck it's not because I don't know what will happen, it's because I don't know how this particular person will react and I end up writing against type -- either my own or theirs.
Right now The Hero Who Will Not Be Mentioned has been jolted way out of his comfort zone -- his nice sane sensible world has been turned irrevocably upside down -- and he is trying to come to grips with this.
He's not doing well. And in true McAllister fashion he's doing it off camera. And that's not him at all, I've realized today. He is an on-camera sort of guy. So . . . one of us has to give.
And since I'm the non-entity here (and he's very glad I have finally realized that), it's going to be me who's going to have to get out of his way, figure out what he would really do in a case like this (not what I would do) and let him do it.
So I need to think. And I might have to call a friend of mine who gives me "guy advice." The Prof does not dole out "guy advice."
I know Kate Walker takes her husband The Babe Magnet out for coffee when she's stuck, and she asks him, "Okay, what would you do when . . . " and he tells her. And she says, "No, no, no. Vito (Amir, Joaquin, Ramon, Whoever) would never do that . . . " and she's off knowing somewhere in her brain what Vito/Amir/Joaquin/Ramon etc would do.
The prof doesn't do coffee. And he doesn't give advice -- except to call someone else. So I will. Once upon a time I had an editor who was a guy. When I was working on a book that came to be named Call Up The Wind -- my hero did something outrageous, and the heroine challenged him about it. And he reacted a bit sheepishly because he'd been caught out.
And my guy editor said, "No way. Wouldn't happen. Men are NEVER sheepish. If they get caught, they brazen it out." So I went back to the drawing board and, lo and behold, Mitch brazened it out -- and became much more believable in the process. So, thanks, Luigi, for that sterling bit of advice. It has stood me in good stead for a lot of years now. Since that time I don't believe a McAllister hero has ever admitted to sheepishness.
Sheepishness is not the issue here. But the principle is the same. This isn't my book -- it's theirs. I need to let them tell it. Right now I need a guy to bounce things off. Someone as outrageously opinionated as The Hero. Fortunately I know one. So I'll talk to him and then get out of The Hero's way.
Don't forget Portugal-Germany on Saturday, followed by the final, France-Italy, on Sunday -- and to drop me an email and enter the contest to win a copy in English, French or Italian of Lessons From A Latin Lover. Gunnar is counting the days until he can pick the winners!
In this case, they are emphatically NOT. But sometimes they still tend to react to things the way I would react because, let's face it, I'm the writer. And so when I get stuck it's not because I don't know what will happen, it's because I don't know how this particular person will react and I end up writing against type -- either my own or theirs.
Right now The Hero Who Will Not Be Mentioned has been jolted way out of his comfort zone -- his nice sane sensible world has been turned irrevocably upside down -- and he is trying to come to grips with this.
He's not doing well. And in true McAllister fashion he's doing it off camera. And that's not him at all, I've realized today. He is an on-camera sort of guy. So . . . one of us has to give.
And since I'm the non-entity here (and he's very glad I have finally realized that), it's going to be me who's going to have to get out of his way, figure out what he would really do in a case like this (not what I would do) and let him do it.
So I need to think. And I might have to call a friend of mine who gives me "guy advice." The Prof does not dole out "guy advice."
I know Kate Walker takes her husband The Babe Magnet out for coffee when she's stuck, and she asks him, "Okay, what would you do when . . . " and he tells her. And she says, "No, no, no. Vito (Amir, Joaquin, Ramon, Whoever) would never do that . . . " and she's off knowing somewhere in her brain what Vito/Amir/Joaquin/Ramon etc would do.
The prof doesn't do coffee. And he doesn't give advice -- except to call someone else. So I will. Once upon a time I had an editor who was a guy. When I was working on a book that came to be named Call Up The Wind -- my hero did something outrageous, and the heroine challenged him about it. And he reacted a bit sheepishly because he'd been caught out.
And my guy editor said, "No way. Wouldn't happen. Men are NEVER sheepish. If they get caught, they brazen it out." So I went back to the drawing board and, lo and behold, Mitch brazened it out -- and became much more believable in the process. So, thanks, Luigi, for that sterling bit of advice. It has stood me in good stead for a lot of years now. Since that time I don't believe a McAllister hero has ever admitted to sheepishness.
Sheepishness is not the issue here. But the principle is the same. This isn't my book -- it's theirs. I need to let them tell it. Right now I need a guy to bounce things off. Someone as outrageously opinionated as The Hero. Fortunately I know one. So I'll talk to him and then get out of The Hero's way.
Don't forget Portugal-Germany on Saturday, followed by the final, France-Italy, on Sunday -- and to drop me an email and enter the contest to win a copy in English, French or Italian of Lessons From A Latin Lover. Gunnar is counting the days until he can pick the winners!
posted by Anne McAllister at 6:58 PM
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