Welcome to 2010 and the very first of our ongoing Saturday Craft Series for the new year. I’m excited to have a new-to-me author, Susan Crandall, joining us with a fabulous inaugural post! Please give Susan a warm, jungle welcome! (It’s got to be warm somewhere…why not here?)
————-
When I was at my critique group this week, we got into an interesting discussion about emotion in fiction writing. One of my critique partners, Alicia Rasley, does a lot of teaching. She is always studying different writing styles and various genres in order to better understand the nuances of each. She dissects things in a way that I find absolutely brilliant. And as we discuss, I always discover a new way to view the craft of fiction.
We talked about how different writers evoke emotion, how it is used in character development, how to effectively create it, where and why it is most effective. One thing that came out as we talked was a comparison between commercial fiction (which almost always strives to keep emotion on a roller coaster, using it connect readers to characters) and literary fiction which often the narrative delivery is more level. That’s not to say lack of description, for literary fiction carries much larger chunks of pure narrative; but it doesn’t strive to manipulate the reader’s active emotions in the same way commercial fiction does.
When writing commercial fiction we choose point-of-view, select scenes, and set up conflict in a way that draw the reader’s active emotions along the path of our characters’.
So how do we do it? This was a question that required more thought than I’d expected. I mean, I do it every day. But, I realized, I’ve developed an instinctive sense of how to create it and don’t spend a lot of time planning my attack step by step. I had to basically work it backwards to be able to tell you what I do to engage a reader’s active emotions.
First: Setting selection. This is a great tool to set up mood. A sunny, well-populated street sets your reader’s emotional expectation in a much different way than a foggy South Carolina Lowcountry marsh late at night. Of course, I’ve boiled it down to the most drastic of contrasts here, but all scene settings should be chosen wisely with an eye toward the emotion they evoke.
Second: I choose my point of view character for the scene (I usually write in third person). Whose feelings and interpretations do I want the reader to plug into? As people in any society, everything we do is interpreted by those around us, rightly or wrongly. This is a great tool.
Third: To ramp up the emotional response in your readers, take them through a scene actively via the point of view character’s senses and emotions. Have the character feel, don’t tell how they feel. For example, in SLEEP NO MORE my main character experiences a devastating house fire as a child which affects the rest of her life. Because the trauma of this event has an effect on all of her choices and decisions throughout the book, I chose to use a prologue in which the reader experiences the fire with Abby as a child (therefore showing her terror from an eleven-year-old perspective), instead of Abby simply recalling it from her now-safe adult point of view.
On the other hand, if you want a slow build, a simmering anticipation of what is to come, sometimes a fairly long passage of narrative works better.
Fourth: Try to make your character’s plight relatable to the majority of people. Back to the scene with the fire in SLEEP NO MORE; clearly very few people experienced this as a child – but almost everyone has had an event in their childhood where they felt fear and panic. So I worked to make those emotions relatable, I tapped into the visceral reactions to those emotions. If you’re interested in taking a look, this scene is on my website as an excerpt: http://www.susancrandall.net/sleep-no-more-novel-excerpt.shtml
I my work, it’s all about capturing your reader’s emotions, making them bleed with your characters, not just watch the show.
So here are my questions to you: As a reader, or a writer, what makes you dig in your heels and root for a character? As a writer, how do you get the job done? Do you see a difference in the way literary fiction handles emotion and commercial fiction handles emotion?
One person who comments today will win a book from Susan Crandall. Don’t forget to leave a message!
UPDATED TO ADD: Forgot to mention that Alison Kent is giving away recorded workshops from 2002 & 2003 RWA conventions at her Blah Blog today. Jump over and put your name in the hat!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold nearly thirty books to three publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, spoiled dachshund, enormous guinea pig and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
Subscribe to Posts 
Comment
I tend to root for the character if it is someone I can associate with. For example, a woman fighting to hold her family together, a girl getting picked on or made fun of by her peers, someone who is unlucky in love, these are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. No matter what the situation you find the character in, you want to see them overcome all odds and find their way to their happily ever after. I really enjoy characters I can care about.
Comment
Exactly, Linda. That said, you have to be careful in how you present that character in “distress.” They have to be strong, or at least develop the strength they need over the course of the book. I’ve found — from my critique partners comments and cringes — that there is a fine line between drawing empathy and making the reader want to kick the character in the rear and say “snap out of it”. When I read I try to give a character that is wallowing in self-pity at least 3/4 of the book before I write them off as a whiner
. I mean, we do have to give these characters room to grow. Sometimes that growth isn’t pretty. 
Comment
I try to identify the character who has the most at stake in a particular scene and write the scene from their point of view. That way my readers experience the turmoil and angst my characters feel when they fail to get what they need or desire.
Comment
Comment
Welcome, Susan!
This struck me: You said – So how do we do it? This was a question that required more thought than I’d expected. I mean, I do it every day. But, I realized, I’ve developed an instinctive sense of how to create it and don’t spend a lot of time planning my attack step by step. So how do we do it? This was a question that required more thought than I’d expected. I mean, I do it every day. But, I realized, I’ve developed an instinctive sense of how to create it and don’t spend a lot of time planning my attack step by step.>>
That’s me. I do it every day but ask me how? Not sure!
Thanks for all the advice. It’s great!
Comment
Hi Carly! Love the doggie photo. Does he/she have littermates needing homes? Sooo cute.
Comment
welcome, Susan…I am a reader not a writer. I don’t root for characters that have a high disaster quotient…I like them to be strong, self-reliant and able to conquer many things….my life has enough chaos, I guess I like a little less of it.
Comment
Good point Katie. Are you by any chance a fan of comedy? A lighthearted Regency romp? Both are great for a brief escape from real life chaos.
Comment
Good morning, Susan and welcome to the jungle! Since it’s 9 degrees RL, I’m thrilled it’s warm here!
You’ve posed some interesting questions. As the coffee is still brewing, I’m not sure how coherent my answer will sound. As a reader, I want insight to a character’s though process and emotions. In some ways, I want to “feel” what they are feeling. As a writer, I am the queen of backstory (just ask my long-suffering CP! She often wants to do this to me:
) I eventually learned how to take my character’s “issues” and show them, rather than telling–at least I hope I have. I want to engage the reader, touch upon sympathetic feelings, and get them to care about why my heroine is terrified of small, dark places. I want them to cheer when she overcomes her fear and escapes, mad as hell rather than a babbling idiot. (Though, she needs to be that babbling idiot just for a bit to get the point across.)
Wow…I need to find one of my heroines and make her claustrophobic now.
In the meantime, I just want to get warm! :snowguy:
Thanks again for stopping by, Susan! You’ve got some great advice here.
Comment
Yeah, Silver, I have had to battle that backstory too.
Thank goodness for critique partners!
Comment
Good Morning Susan and welcome!
To draw me into a story and keep me enthralled, the characters have to resonate with me on some level. Not only should they be believable, but they also must act in a way that seems appropriate to their character to that point – if they stray too far my attention seems to lag and my interest ends almost immediately – I find myself picking apart the story from that point forward and no longer enjoy the ride.
Comment
Krissy, I know what you mean. And I strive to make my characters act in order with their “character.” Before I start writing a book, I do weeks of character development — otherwise how will I know how they should react? Again, critique partners are great watchdogs for misbehaving characters.
Comment
As a reader…it depends on how well I connect with the character. The more intimate I know the character…thoughts and emotions…the more I root for them in the story. I want to actively know what the character is feeling…not just be told.
Great post and great insight into the writing process!!!
Comment
I’m with you, Kara. Let me live in their skin while I’m reading.
Comment
Comment
Hi Susan. What a great post. A great insight into the writing process! As a relative newbie to the writing game I found this blog very useful indeed! Some great tips that I have now committed to memory. Have a good weekend. Take care. Caroline x
Comment
Hey Caroline,
So here is a toast to all of those generous writers!
I have to admit, I’ve learned the most valuable tools of the trade from things like this, where writer’s share their experience. I’m indebted to many, many authors who walked this road ahead of me.
Comment
I root for books and characters that pull me into the story with them… I really love a book when I am drawn in emotionally… I want the characters to have their obstacles and the strength to get through them…
Comment
You said it well, Coleen!
Comment
I am a reader. I like characters who are slightly flawed yet strive to do what is right. Of course, you have to have the yucky characters in there to mix things up and let the main characters prevail.
Comment
Darcy, sometimes I find those yucky characters are really fun to write. Does that mean I’m bad????
Comment
Thanks for the post. As I reader, I like characters who are intelligent yet vulnerable.
Comment
Jeanne, I’m with you. I do love it when they’re smart enough to figure out they’re messed up and have the moxie to climb that mountain.
Comment
like life, there’s is just that “something” that conects me w/ a character from the decription of them.
Comment
Dina, I know what you mean. It’s finding that undefinable “something” that links reader to character. Sometimes if flows naturally, other times I really have to search for it.
Comment
Welcome to the Jungle, Susan
Great blog this morning. I’ve heard editors say about a million times, “Characters should be larger than life.” They definitely need to capture the reader’s attention but the reader needs to be able to identify with them on some level or they put the book down. The key is tapping into basic human emotions that we all feel. An author can even make a reader identify with a serial killer by giving him/her a love of animals or children or even elderly people. And yet he/she is out committing murder on a regular basis.
I read the excerpt and it was AWESOME! I hope I win, I hope I win…
Have a great day all. It’s supposed to be in the 40’s here today. We have been in the deep freeze–sub zero and teens for quite a while.
Cher
Comment
Thanks, Cher, it’s so great to be here! And I’m glad you liked the excerpt. That scene was so vivid in my mind, it was a joy to write. Rivaled only by the scene where Abby wakes up in the marsh. I had to make myself wait until it hit that page before I allowed myself to write. It was a good writing day!
Comment
As a reader, what makes me root for a character is a strong emotional connection. I can’t really define for you how that connection happens. But when it does–well, that’s one of “my” characters. Thanks for visiting.
Comment
GSM, exactly. Sometimes it’s difficult to point to the reason we as readers connect to a character. I can think of several that have remained with me for years after I finished reading a book.
Comment
Hi Susan!
I am glad you are here today! Great blog, very interesting! I like a character that has “gumption.” 
Someone who is unusual, fun, strong and weak. Not at the same time. LOL! 
Someone I can relate to, that I feel emotionally connected with, holding me so tightly that I can’t put it down! 
Happy Weekend To You!! Stay warm where ever you are! :meepcold:
Comment
Lisa G, yes gumption, something that can’t be taught, but I can think of some people I’d live to give classes to!
Comment
I am sitting here trying to think of something to write. I’ve got nothing!
I am so overloaded with such profound writing advice that I guess I am still simulating it all. Great post!!
Now, I need to get back to my MS and put some of your advice to practice. Thank you for taking the time to stop by!
I love the cover of your book, Sleep No More. I hope I win!!!
Have a great weekend everyone, as for me I have a date with my MS.
~Talina
Comment
Talina — enjoy your day!! Here’s to a productive writing session!
Comment
Welcome Susan! As a reader, I like characters I can relate to.
Comment
I tend to root for characters I can relate to and that are consistent.
Comment
Ah, yes, Chey, consistency. That’s why I have critique partners! Keeps me honest, so to speak.
Comment
I tent to root for characters that I can relate with! I love them to be strong but to have flaws. We all have flaws so therefore my character in my books must have flaws! No one is perfect!
I love your books Susan and I can’t wait to get this one! :snowguy:
Comment
Thanks, Quilt Lady! I hope you enjoy it. And I agree totally. It’s the flaws that make me love a character.
Comment
Hi, Susan — Welcome to the jungle. It’s a pleasure to have you hear! I really enjoyed your post and your perspective on how to evoke emotion in your writing. Like Carly, I feel like I do it instinctively, though I do give thought to character point of view when I’m trying to bring out particular emotions.
Thanks for being here!
Comment
Thanks, Janelle. I’m so happy to be here!
Comment
I like characters I can relate to, at least on some level. And there is something wrong with the main characters if I find myself relating for instance to the “evil stepmom” instead of the main characters (this has happened at least once).
Comment
Oh, Minna! That would be a horrible situation! Rooting for the evil stepmother, yikes!
Comment
Hello Susan, welcome to the jungle and thank you for swinging with us today. I am a bit late, but I find your blog very informative. Setting and life circumstances are great ways for me to form a connection with characters, but it is the emotional connection that makes the most indelible link.
As a reader, emotion definitely plays a major role in me digging in my heels and rooting for characters. I have to feel some sort of emotional connection with them that allows me to become more invested in them as real people. If I can feel the devastation, the love, the anxiety, the anger, then it becomes easier to lose myself in the character and in a sense become one myself. I get to “live” in the world created by the author. If there is no emotional connection for me, or anything that enables me to relate to the character in some way, I won’t like the story, and I just won’t care what happens. I would finish reading the book though. Once again, thank you for joining us. Have fun!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Comment
Paula, I always tend to finish a book, too. I just can’t admit that the story can be bad all the way through until I see it for myself. And about that world the author has created, you know it’s a good one when you just can’t wait for your real life to let you return to that world. I can think of several books that did that for me! Bliss.
Comment
I like characters that have an inner strength but still have a vulernability in them. I also like books with alot of things going on. Being a stay at home mom my life is kind of boring. I like to live through the action of books and movies.
Comment
Rebekah, I enjoy a multi-faceted book too (both when reading and when writing). Having been an at-home mom for years, I understand the lovely break a vicarious experience can lend.
Comment
Why do we relate to some characters more than others? I’m not sure, but as a reader some books have me on the first page & others it takes a bit to get into the story. My favorite comment & the best one is: “it made me laugh, made me cry, made me sigh”! If an author has all those elements in a book I am probably going to love it. I am sorry to say I haven’t read any of your books, that I recall. A visit to your webiste will be soon so I can see what you have written
Thanks for visiting here in the Jungle today.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Comment
Donna,
I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why it is that some books do as you say, grab you from the first page, while others take a bit to get into. Can’t say I’ve discovered the secret yet … but I’ll keep studying!
Comment
Oh, Julie! I just noticed you have an enormous guinea pig. We’re a guinea pig family too. Currently the only one in the ranks lives at my daughter’s house. She was enormous when she lived here with me (the pig, not my daughter
) The pig has slimmed down considerably since she moved out. I have a tendency to overfeed everything under my roof, including the people.
Comment
Hmmmm….Its really hard to pinpoint EXACTLY what makes me root for a character, but if I can relate to them and understand the reasons why they do things, that definitely helps :-)
Comment
I am a reader. What I love in a hero or heroine is the more real or true to life they are the more I find myself rooting for them.
Comment
Hi Susan. Thanks for posting.
I have to be able to relate to the character in some way in order to really root for a character. Even if it is only something I wish I could do or be like or dream about.
Comment
I love the constructive advise and you have given and what some of the other comments had to say. I will try to rememeber this as I go back over my book and see what I need to do to improve my book that I am still working on. I have not read any of your books that I can recall but I have added you to my tbl. Thanks for your comments and words of wisdom..
Comment
When I’m reading a book, I tend to root for a character that I can relate to or that I just plain like. If I don’t really care for a character, then I don’t really see why I would want to root for them. Thanks for posting on here and your new book sounds like a book I would really enjoy reading :).
Comment
As a reader I root for the main characters when they are well written and relate to what they are going through.
Thanks for posting and I really enjoyed it and your books are ones I would love to read!
Comment
It seems we’re all in accord here. We want characters we can relate to (flawed, yet strong). I think characters that care about other people work well — need to have them focus not only on themselves. I really appreciate all of your insights and responses. And I hope when you read my books, you’ll find just what you’re looking for in the characters.