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"My Views on Writing the Historical
Novel"
by Patricia Lynn
I like being swept back to a different time, catching a glimpse of how
people lived long ago. I like to immerse myself in the culture by
vicariously tasting the food, seeing wondrous sights, meeting
interesting people. To me, reading a good historical is like visiting
another country, a place filled with all types of foreign objects and
curiosities no longer available in our society or that have changed so
much they've become unrecognizable. I read historical novels to learn
something of the past and the ever-changing optimism of the human
spirit.
Watching a PBS special the other night, it occurred to me how very dark
the night would have been walking down the hall in a large, drafty old
manor, the corners thrown into shadow, nothing illuminated but a small
patch of candlelight to light the way. Anyone or thing could have leapt
before you and you'd barely have time to react. That one scene brought
home to me the difference in 21st Century life. At night, we have light
to see into the very crevices of the room. We can see into our lover's
eyes, catch a spider weaving a web and see the street outside. In the
past, those things were either glimpsed in barely useful, flickering
firelight or awaited daylight.
At this moment in time, we have the whirr of a refrigerator, the
underlying hum we barely acknowledge that goes on almost indecipherable
in the background. How silent everything becomes when there is no
electricity. I say this because even though I devour historical novels,
I have to admit I will never really know what it's like to sleep on a
lumpy, flea-bitten mattress at a rustic coaching inn. I don't live in a
time (or culture) where people don't bathe on a daily basis and the
stench of old sweat fills a small room. Thankfully, mice and lice are
not constant bedfellows. I can visualize. I can imagine and yet until a
time machine is invented, I will never really understand the reality of
living without the ease of technology.
As writers, we try to capture a time period and bring it to life for the
reader. Whether contemporary, science fiction, fantasy or historical,
writers try to create an escape from the world they live in. I crave
well-written fiction that transports me to another country and teaches
me something new. I seek the writer who has done their job and created a
world filled with wonders, a world I want to revisit again and again.
That means I like details. What do the roads look like? The buildings?
What does the city smell like? The country? What is happening in
politics and business during that time and does it affect the
characters? Is it wartime or is the countryside peaceful? What do people
eat? How and where do they sleep? What do they dream about? I am one of
those readers that if the picture is not painted fully, I throw the book
across the room and usually never pick up another by that writer. The
writer, unintentional or not, has lost a reader.
As a historical writer, I am determined to bring history to life. I
don't struggle with what to put in and what to leave out. I try to write
what the CHARACTERS EXPERIENCE. Did I have to mention the muddy road
filled with horse dung? Some would say only mention it if the hero or
heroine fell in the road, otherwise it's of no importance. I disagree.
To fully understand character motivations and moods, the reader has to
see what they see! For me that includes the small details of their life.
Who they are in relation to what they see, hear, feel, smell, taste and
how they REACT to all that is vital to their experience, even if it is
something they take for granted. I want to experience it with the
characters I write, thus, I know it is vital to recreating that
experience in the reader's mind.
I've heard it said romance readers today want a quick read. They don't
want to get bogged down by long, rambling descriptions. I agree with
that to a point, but I also believe you can give a tight, succinct
description and still get the point across. Look at this sentence, for
example: "He reached across the scarred table and refilled his wooden
trencher." Trencher is a 14th century word for platter. So with a few
words, I've given the reader the sense of the Medieval hero eating in a
very old, well-used place. Or at least, that is what I hope as a writer
I have done.
Ignoring sensory detail and using generalizations to craft a scene
cheats the reader of a wonderful experience. I think it also cheats the
writer. I believe writers should economize on dry factual stuff, not the
sensory details that recreate PLACE in the reader's mind. As writers, we
are always looking for ways to improve our own craft. Most writers want
to write well and not just to expand their readership or line their
pockets. The writers I know are constantly trying new methods of
writing. They want to bring their characters to life and craft a well
written story, a story that LIVES in the reader's mind. Just like me,
they purposefully look for sensory details that make their stories REAL.
Writing historical fiction, whether in romance or any other genre with
historical overtones brings its own special challenges to the writer.
How can we incorporate details into our writing without boring or
overwhelming the reader? How much can we leave out without ruining our
credibility as a writer? How much license can we take with actual
historical events and history? Some would say all depends on the type of
historical market the writer targets. Some would say if you are writing
genre romantic fiction, the rendering of accurate history takes a back
seat. I disagree and think the exact opposite is true.
I refuse to gloss over or change actual events just to give free rein to
my imagination, or because my version and vision would be a better
story. I firmly believe writers, especially genre writers, do have a
responsibility to portray historical events accurately. We need to rely
on our consciences and develop the ability to imagine and write AROUND,
but never alter recorded events. There are many who have done it,
claiming literary license for the sake of a good story. I would argue
that the practice is basically wrong. It puts the writer's credibility
in jeopardy, especially in the minds of the well-read, well-versed
historical reader. It doesn't matter if the writer has a PHD in the
subject matter and claims a vast knowledge of the time period. There are
even writers who claim most readers won't know the difference. Do you
want to be the writer who causes a reader to mentally stumble because
she actually knows history better? Do you want that reader to call your
bluff? Do you want the whole story to be discounted because you could
not make the extra effort to work AROUND and incorporate recorded fact?
I, for one, prefer to research for accuracy so my readers will believe
me!
I've heard historical purists claim events must drive historical fiction
using protagonists who are just a part of the tableau of those events.
I've heard literary elitists say historical fiction may incorporate
romantic elements, while historical romance sadly tries to focus on the
melodramatic relationship, merely painting it with historical overtones.
I have read great historical authors such as Sara Dunant, Emma Donahue
and Phillipa Gregory. I've also read great historical romance works by
Laura Kinsale, Liz Carlyle and Diana Gabaldon. These are just a handful
of authors who seamlessly wove documented fact into their stories. And
all of them have done it flawlessly. As a reader I get lost in their
stories every time I pick up one of their books. I am genuinely sad when
I leave the world they've created. As a writer, I can only hope to do
the same with my own writing, relying totally on my resolve to deliver
accurate sensory detail my characters are experiencing!
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"Birthing Characters the Easy Way"
by Sally J. Walker & Cathy Richmond
Here is a classic Character
Profile that I complete on each of my main characters, protagonists
and antagonists. I sometimes fill one out for each of my supporting
cast members and do partials on the contributing characters. Why? 1)
So I can predict how they will respond when I put them into action,
2) for consistency sake, and 3) so I will know what buttons to push
in this character’s mind when I need to tighten the screws in the
story. Or when I need to give the character (and reader) down time
to create an ebb-and-flow to the story.
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Character Profile
General
1. Name
2. Age
3. Height
4. Weight
5. Hair
6. Eyes
7. Scars/Handicaps
8. Birthdate & Zodiac
9. Birthplace
10. Parents &
Childhood
11. Education
12. Work experience
13. Home & its
physical atmosphere
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Story
30. Present problem
31. How it can get
worse
32. Most important
thing to know about character
33. Possible plot
highlights & character's reactions
34. What character
trait will be dominant thus vital to plot’s progression?
35. How is character
different/similar to other cast members?
36. Why is character
worth writing about?
37. Do I like/dislike?
Why?
38. Will readers feel
the same? Why?
39. Why will this
character be remembered?
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Personal
14. Best friend
15. Men/Women friends
16. Enemies & why
17. Strongest/Weakest
characteristics
18. Greatest fear
19. Sees self as......
20. Is seen by others
as.....
21. Sense of humor
22. Basic nature
23. Ambitions
24. Philosophy of Life
25. Hobbies
26. Music, art,
reading preferences
27. Dress & Grooming
habits
28. Favorite colors
29. Typical day |
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Additional Commentary: Peter Gorski’s article on temperament in
Exceptional Parent magazine (November 1996) raised questions about
fiction characters that could add even more psychological
dimension:
Activity levels: Does the character live in chaos or calm?
Predominant mood: Is she an optimist or pessimist?
Intensity of reactions: Does she display a full range of emotions,
dramatically overreact, or meet each day poker-faced?
Rhythmicity: How important are habit and routine?
Approach/Withdrawal: Does she welcome or hide from change?
Adaptability: How fast does she adjust to change?
Sensory threshold: Is she aware of smells, textures, sounds?
Attention span and persistence: How’s her frustration tolerance?
Distractibility: What diverts her from the work at hand?
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"A Kiss is Just a Kiss"
by Sally J. Walker
Little has been written on kissing for romance writers to reference, but
we frequently use this sensual tool. Why? Because it is titillating
without being biologically threatening. Sexual intercourse IS
threatening because its fundamental purpose is CHANGE, to turn courtship
into parenthood. Kissing merely tests the senses and readiness of the
partners.
How do we use the act of kissing in romance? Of course, we describe the
choreographed components with physical sensations of sight, sound,
smell, taste, touch. The cerebral processing then becomes the
internalization of the characters' immediate responses. Thirdly, the
character begins to analyze the emotional impact within, the ultimate
display of reaction without. And finally, the writer must use this
"event" to move the story forward as complication or to create a
relationship question the reader wants answered.
Kissing implies acceptance, the primitive concept of physical
vulnerability exposed to assault. The mouth with feral teeth gains
access to another's body, be it lips, throat, or downward. Our job in
romance is not to ravage, but to titillate and arouse by recreating the
giving and the taking. We can do a better job when the picture is
painted in stages. "Show, don't tell." And use all four steps of
description, internalization, emotional impact, and story complication
at each of the four stages!
"Anticipation" is the first stage when the partners become aware of the
physical attraction of the other. Pheromones scent the air and nerve
endings tingle. They mentally catalog what they want from the other.
They feel an emotional resistance or surrender. Story tension rises.
"Teasing" begins stage two wherein they actually invade one another's
personal territory collecting data with the senses, mentally testing
their own readiness and the willingness of the partner, outwardly
demonstrating desire, and moving the romance forward.
The third stage is the "Act Itself" and herein the romance writer's
imagination takes flight and is guided solely by the characters
motivation, history, and potential. Physical choreography pacing
dominates this stage, with the mind cataloging snippets, the emotions
rapid fire, and the story demanding ultimate commitment. Always? Ah,
innuendo can do as much for story tension as blatant statement of need.
And must it be fast and hot? Of course not. A brush of lips can create
as much sensuality and be just as soul-shattering as uninhibited
abandonment, depending on the storyteller's characters.
Finally, in the "After-Glow"stage, the characters relive the
choreography, grabbing at thoughts, shivering with emotion, and
anticipating how this will affect the future and thus the story.
Hm, does such analysis diminish the fun of kissing in your stories?
Quite the opposite. Your careful delivery and purposeful placement
should enhance both the characters' and readers' experience!
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“Creating Unique Titillation”
By Sally J. Walker
The conscientious romance writer is perpetually looking for words,
sentences, and scenes that depict the pull-push emotional state of the
male and the female in the story. The essential questions are two: What
words will titillate the reader? How can these characters realistically
yet uniquely demonstrate their emotional state?
Using titillate’s meaning of “to excite agreeably,” the romance writer
must carefully assess words that trigger the five senses. Don’t all
writers have to do that to relate credible illusion to the reader?
Certainly, but the romance writer must go one step further and create
images with double entendre of blatant, obvious denotation AND sexually
suggestion connotation. The denoted image, facial expression, body
language of one character must create a sexual pull-push connotation in
the second character. In turn, the surprised romance reader is
titillated and intrigued by the story . . . and the storyteller.
Universal is made unique.
The array of titillating words and images is amazing because of
individual uniqueness. Each writer comes to a story from unique
experience AND each character in the story is responding from a unique
history, even though that history has been created by the writer. How
does a writer describe universal sensations or situations in a way that
is “new and fresh”? How can a romance writer avoid the perennial
“literary elitist” accusations of clichéd, over-written, purple prose?
Examine your life history AND the history your have given your
characters for those unique moments that titillated in the past.
Example: A teenager watched her father lick melting ice cream from her
mother’s arm, his tongue moving from elbow to wrist. For a long moment
her parents stared hotly into one another’s eyes and the child flushed
with her first awareness of sexual attraction. As an adult, here she
sits staring as the smear of hot fudge on her date’s lips. Her feminine
core contracts. She blinks at the knowing smile transforming those lips.
MAKE THE SENSATIONS RELATIVE to that character, that situation and it
becomes unique!
Content refers to the exact meaning of words and context refers to the
relative state of their use. As writers we have to stretch ourselves to
twist and surprise our readers so content becomes a surprising metaphor
to context. That’s how you escape cliché and create “new and fresh”
references for the reader.
Here’s some suggestions for UNIVERSAL CONTENT-UNIQUE CONTEXT:
1.
Challenge yourself and your characters with memories that stimulate
sensuality and sexuality in startling ways.
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Create unexpected tension and withhold relief and satisfaction until
both characters and readers are ready to explode. |
| 3.
Naïve words or actions in one character are constantly interpreted as
double entendre by the other character who is attuned to the partner’s
pheromones. |
| 4.
Make two lists: Words YOU perceive as sexually suggestive and inane
words whose CONTEXT could make them sexually suggestive. |
The true challenge comes when you confront predictability, turn one
emotional response into another, and reveal a depth of character or
relationship the reader had not expected. Of course, you must do this
carefully and logically to avoid melodrama, but what a “literary”
achievement when you pull it off! The winner is the titillated reader
and, of course, the writer now in demand!
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