Character Matters

By Allison Brennan

In light of Alex's post regarding Hollywood's choice of actors to play Jack Reacher, I changed my planned topic (a boring look at the proliferation of social media) to talking about character.

In fiction, characters who resonate with readers have staying power. This may mean a series character -- Reacher, Jane Rizzoli, Eve Dallas, Myron Bolitar, Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller, Joe Pike, Lou Boldt, Tess Monaghan, D.D. Scott -- or a stand alone like ... well, because I'm writing this off the cuff, I can't think of a stand-alone fiction hero off the top of my head. (That also might be because it's 12:50 a.m. on Sunday morning and I still have 2,000 or so words to write to finish this short story that has turned into a novella.) 

There are heroes (Harry Potter) and villains (Lord Voldemort) and anti-heroes (Snape) who resonate because we see ourselves in all of them.

A great hero has flaws. A great villain has strengths. Just like real people.

The power of character has never been made more clear to me than in the outpouring of public criticism over the actor playing Jack Reacher. To me, this isn't about the strengths or weaknesses of Tom Cruise--it's about the creation of a hero who people have connected with so strongly that they are emphatic about who should -- and should not -- portray him on the big screen.

My daughter is a huge reader, preferring fantasy and dark paranormal. She devoured THE HUNGER GAMES and, other than her annoyance that a blonde--dying her hair dark--was picked to portray Katniss, "sees" Katniss in the shots she's seen of actress Jennifer Lawrence. Yet, she feels strongly that Peeta and Gale have been miscast and that her VISION of the two would have the actors (Josh Hutcherson-Peeta; Liam Hemsworth-Gale) reverse roles. When we were at RT in Los Angeles, the decisions had just been announced, and our roomie Lori Armstrong and my daughter Kelly ranted over the choices for Peeta and Gale.

Multiply THE HUNGER GAMES three books by five (coming on 15 Reacher books) and you have the depth of passion for the character of Jack Reacher.

To me, this passion is amazing. To pull in such a diverse audience across the world who are not only gripped by the stories, but powered by the hero, is rare and wonderful.

I've read all of Tess Gerritsen's books. I'm such a huge fan, that a good friend of mine found her six original Harlequin Intrigues at a garage sale and bought them for me. I don't generally read category romance, but when I love an author I'll read everything they write. I so enjoy the Rizzoli & Isles books, that I read each release the week it comes out. I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled with the casting choice for Maura Isles because 1) she doesn't look the part (Maura has short, chic dark hair) and 2) she doesn't act the part (Maura doesn't talk as much in the books, and is not as clueless about interpersonal relationships, except of course not recognizing that Anthony Sansone is ... ok, I digress.) But the actress is growing on me.

Jane Rizzoli, however, I felt was perfectly cast. She was exactly how I pictured Jane, except maybe with a little more confidence. 

But for me, it's about character. The Rizzoli & Isles television series has a different feel than the books. It took me a full season to separate the voices, and now I can enjoy them both for what they are. I don't picture Sasha Alexander as Maura Isles when I'm reading, but because Angie Harmon was far closer in looks and personality, I do picture her. And I love both the characters (except of course when Maura was seeing Daniel Brophy, but we can all hope that she's seen the light--fully.)

Okay, I'm sort of picking on Tess :)

Character matters. When we read characters who resonate with us, who make us want to be brave, who make as fearful, who bring out the best--or the worst--of our personalities, we have engaged with the story on an intimate level. We're part of the story, not distant observers. And talented storytellers like Tess and Lee Child have given us those characters we can believe ... believe in so strongly that we care not only how they are portrayed in film and television, but by whom.

But character is a two-way street. How we communicate our feelings shows our own character. The internet, and social media's quick snippets of 140 characters, or 260 characters, or thousand word blogs, all give us a forum for voicing our opinions. And as a staunch defender of the first amendment, I'm glad so many people not only have an opinion, but a forum to share that opinion.

How we share our views shows our true character--it shows how we truly are, when no one is looking.

The Internet has create a world of anonymity even when it's not truly anonymous. It's so easy to voice our opinions instantly ... but sometimes, even when we're right or just think we are ... maybe it's better if we choose to remain silent. Or edit our opinion so it's neither cruel nor personal nor a veiled threat.

Because character matters -- in fiction, and in real life.

Who's your favorite character and why? Who's shown great character in real life?

Switching teams

By P.D. Martin

When you talk to agents or publishers about switching genres it's usually met with jaws dropping, heads shaking and anything from mild disapproval to screams of "No!"

So why is it that switching genres can produce such a strong reaction? You'd think you were announcing to your family that you were switching teams. (If you're a Seinfeld fan you'll be following my analogy, but if you're a little lost, here's the missing piece of the puzzle: the characters in Seinfeld used to talk about people "batting for the other team", which meant they were gay rather than heterosexual. And, as you've probably guessed, switching teams means changing sexual orientation.) So….

Why does something as seemingly small and insignificant as switching genres produce a jaw-dropping reaction? I mean, it's just a genre, right? A story is a story. Right? Well, it's actually more complex than that.

At this point, I should come clean. I'm a chronic genre switcher. (Although you wouldn't know it by looking at my published novels - on the surface I appear to be a mystery novelist firmly entrenched in the police procedural/forensic thriller zone.) However, I DO believe a story is a story and I often get story ideas for a range of genres. For example, before getting published I wrote two children's fantasy novels (which remain unpublished). Then for my third book I was deciding between three different ideas, all in different genres! I had one crime fiction, one action/espionage thriller and one mainstream women's fiction. In the end, as you may have guessed, I chose the crime fiction story and wrote what became my first published novel, Body Count.

 

But the other novels and ideas have stayed with me, as well as new ideas. Another example…I'm a bit of a closet vampire fiction fan (I know, big confession) and after I'd written three Sophie books I wanted to write a vampire fiction book. But my agent convinced me to stay focused on crime, and Sophie. Why upset the apple cart?

What about my first two children's books? People often assume it would be easy to get them published now that I'm a published author. To a certain extent the first books an author writes tend to be learning experiences, a way for them to refine their craft. Having said that, I still believe in one of my children's books; I believe the writing is good enough. Problem is, it's a different genre. Publishers and agents think of an author's name as a brand. Promote the brand and keep the brand 'strong' by ensuring the author's name is synonymous with a certain type of book. 'P.D. Martin' is crime fiction/mysteries/thrillers. And obviously I wouldn't want to bring out a children's novel under the same name anyway because I definitely wouldn't want 8-12 year olds who enjoyed my fantasy novels to pick up one of my crime books!

So why not publish under a different name? It's all about time and focus. After all, if you go and write a romance novel or a children's fantasy series, that's going to take time away from the mysteries, right? Basically, your agent and publisher(s) try to convince you to focus on writing in your current genre and at least one book a year. It seems that's the magical formula in publishing. Of course, genre hopping can be more easily done if you can write two books a year - then you'd still be bringing out one book a year in each series.

I've scrapped the children's fantasy novels, at least for now. But I still want/wanted to do something different. After five Sophie novels and one ebook novella, I went back to my action thriller idea and I've just finished writing that book.  While it is very different to my Sophie Anderson series, crime fiction and action thrillers aren't SO different that my new one couldn't be a 'P.D. Martin book'. At least, I think it's okay.

Of course, there are authors who have successfully crossed the divide. One that comes to mind is Nora Roberts. She started off with straight romance novels and then moved on to romantic suspense, writing as J.D. Robb. Although, interestingly, the books bear both of her names, with the byline "Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb". I also noticed from Wikipedia that she'd always wanted to write romantic suspense but was persuaded by her agent to stay focused on romance until she built a following. In fact, it was over 10 years before she finally got her wish to write romantic suspense and it was partly in response to her prolific output.

Scottish author Val McDermid also has a series she writes under V.L. McDermid. However, the rationale is not genre-based because all her books are mysteries. Rather, her V.L. books feature a lesbian protagonist (batting for the other team), while her Val books are considered more 'mainstream'.

Murderati's own Tess Gerritsen is another example of an author who successfully switched genres. She started with romantic thrillers and then moved to medical thrillers, then crime thrillers. Interestingly, she HAS written all her novels using the same name and said when she changed from romantic thrillers to medical thrillers she considered releasing them under a different name but ultimately decided against it. Tess sees advantages and disadvantages. When she switched genres, she felt that she’d built up an audience and didn't want to lose them. However, she says the romance novels continue to annoy her purist thriller readers. "But in the long run, I think it's been good for sales," Tess said.

Another author who's shifted genres but all within the same 'brand'/same name is Philippa Gregory. Probably most well known for historical fiction she's also written thrillers and her Amazon bio describes her as the pioneer of "fictional biography". The Other Boleyn Girl is a well-known example.

I guess these genre-switchers are good news for me…especially given the book I've just started working on is best described as a "mainstream women's fiction". I know, something different again! (Please don't shake your head at me.)

Unfortunately my agent passed away late last year and I'm currently on the hunt for a new agent. This means I don't have anyone to berate me for switching genres or to warn me against it. A new found freedom? But will querying with an action thriller and a work in progress of a women's fiction make it harder for me to find a new agent? Only time will tell. And maybe I should be on the lookout for an agent who's also open to children's fantasy - just to really get their jaws dropping and heads shaking. Come on, people...I'm switching genres, not teams

So do you like your authors to keep their genres straight up? And the writers out there...are you closet genre-switchers like me?

Summer and Books, Two Great Things That Go Together!

I’ve been somewhat on a reading tear as late. It reminds me of what I used to do before I really got serious about writing. Back then I’d plow through two or three books a week. I was never without a book nearby. I remember twenty years ago or so, sitting in the kitchen of the home I was renting with a friend of mine, stirring my pot of Craft Macaroni and Cheese while reading THE STAND by Stephen King. I remember a couple of month long stretches where, each time, I would read from beginning to end the entire Travis McGee series. I remember finding new authors, rediscovering old ones, and reading books I’d been waiting anxiously until they came out.

The point is, once I started focusing all my free moments to writing, reading feel to the side. It didn’t go away completely, but I was lucky if I got through two books a month.

I thought that once I started writing fulltime last year, I’d get more reading done. But for some reason that didn’t happen. Not right away, anyway.

These past two weeks have been an awesome return to that old form. I’m almost finished with my fifth book in that time, and all have been great. And I’ve been writing, too! In fact, my creativity level seems to be hitting a new high. I’m working on the proposal for my next book, and each day it feels better and better. But beyond that, I’ve also been bombarded with ideas for new books on an almost daily basis. What a rush.

I guess part of it was that I was away from home in a foreign land where I was pretending to be a local resident, and just live day-to-day like this was my home. I didn’t do a lot of the touristy things. Instead I found my favorite places to read and to eat and just fell into a rhythm. I like traveling that way sometimes, it allows me to get more of a sense of a place.

(Also a note in advance…since I got home late last night after a very long flight, I may be a bit slow in responding to comments.)

(Note number two…more of an observation…it’s kind of odd writing this post a few days in advance from my hotel room acting like I’m already home.)

As far as the books I’ve been reading, I decided to try to catch up on some authors I’ve enjoyed in the past. Since my last Murderati post, I’ve read KILLER INSTINCT and POWER PLAY by Joseph Finder…both kept me up late into the night, and I’ve vowed to never wait as long to read his future novels. GRAVITY by our own Tess Gerritsen…Tess combined so many of my favorite things in this book, and did it so well I was in awe. I also read SOME BURIED CAESAR by Rex Stout, the book that was chosen as the book to read for Bouchercon this year…a lot of fun. And, finally, I’m just finishing THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND by Jeffery Deaver…boy, can that man tell a story!

So my question to you, ‘rati, what good books have you read this summer? Doesn’t have to be a recent release. Let’s build our 2009 What-We-Read-This-Summer list!

 

Confidence

By Toni McGee Causey

Confidence.

You see it in some athletes. They walk out onto a field and in spite of being in front of a huge crowd, they’ll look like they belong there. They’ve put in the practice, they have the skills. They give the impression that they are formidable, that they came to win.

You see it in some performers. They take the stage, grab the mic or step into the role and whoosh, you believe in them. Just like that. Snap.

You see it in some professionals. The doctor under pressure in a life-threatening situation. The attorney arguing a case. The SWAT team running into a building with a hostage situation. You know they are going to do the job they came to do.

You see it in some writers. They start the story with an evocative sentence, something that pulls you in, that says, “Yes, you want to be here, reading this, right now.”

As a kid, I didn’t have a lot of confidence... until one day, I did. And the only thing that shifted was a fundamental understanding of what confidence was. See, for a long time, I kept thinking, “One day, I’m going to feel confident, and when I feel it, I’ll know I’m good enough to be confident.” It was as if I were waiting for a cosmic permission slip to believe in myself. Like at some point, whatever it was I had accomplished was going to ding ding ding on some giant meter and I would get my Certification of Confidence from the Universe. (The Universe, by the way? Doesn’t give a rat’s ass.)

The problem, of course, was that there really never was going to be any giant certification from the Universe. Rationally, I knew that all along, but I kept thinking that with the next accomplishment, I would feel it. With the next “A” on an exam, or the next strike-out on my softball team or the next award, I was gonna know. And because I was waiting, there was a hesitancy. I didn’t quite realize there was a hesitancy. If you’d asked me at the time, I couldn’t have explained it, but everything—particularly my writing—felt tentative.

I was thinking about the nature of confidence one day as I happened to be on a long drive, and I punched around the radio stations, craving background music. Unfortunately, I was between decent stations and I ended up on a talk-radio show I hadn’t heard of, some psychologist talking about something entirely different than what I was thinking about. I barely heard the first half of the story she told, annoyed that it wasn’t music, and then suddenly, I was in that story. It likely won’t mean the same to you, because it was a specific moment in time, me cocooned in that car on a long, hot drive in the deep south one Sunday afternoon. It was classic... and it wasn't something new to me, but it had a profound life-changing effect.

The story was about a woman who bites her nails. She’d gone to a doctor for a consultation and as they sat there, him in a chair near hers, she explained how she was desperate for help. Her hands were nearly ruined, and she held them up for him to see, and sure enough, bloody, horribly bitten nails. She told him she’d do any sort of program he’d want her to do, and she had been all over creation trying to get help, but nothing had worked thus far. As she told him the story, she started chewing on a nail and the doctor reached over, pushed her hand down and said, “Stop biting your nails.”

“But that’s what I’m here for,” she cried. “I need to stop and I don’t know how. I have tried…” and she listed off a number of programs, and as she went into detail, she started chewing on another nail.

The doctor reached over, pushed her hand down and said, “Stop biting your nails.”

“That’s what I need help with!” she said, clearly exasperated. “I don’t understand what’s causing this need. I’ve been tested for…” and she listed off a string of tests various institutions had run and as she talked, again the hand went to her mouth.

The doctor pushed her hand down again and said, “Stop biting your nails.”

“Are you crazy?” she asked. “That’s what I’m HERE FOR. I don’t understand why—“

“You don’t need to understand why to change the behavior,” he said. “Quit putting your hand to your mouth. Choose. We can always explore the why later. But make the choice. And keep making it.”

That’s when I heard the ding ding ding. (The Universe is SLOW. I’m just sayin’.)

Because I happened to be thinking about the nature of confidence, I realized that a lot of people don’t have confidence because they’re successful… they’re successful because they choose to have confidence. Now maybe that got reinforced somehow when they were kids, or maybe they were just more predispositioned toward confidence. And maybe this is a concept every single other person on the planet got by the time they were two. (I doubt that. We all have insecurities.) The thing is, confidence isn’t borne out of a surety of success. Confidence is choosing to believe that the outcome will eventually warrant the faith and then acting on it by practicing for that eventual success.

Confidence is choosing. Practicing for the outcome we’d like to have.

I looked at my writing, then. Saw the hesitancy. Sure, there was skill there, but it lacked faith. When I recognized that, my approach to writing changed. Voice rang a bell and showed up to the game.

The thing is, in sports, you can’t play someone else’s game. You might practice as many hours, with all the same coaches, but no two people are going to play exactly the same. As long as you know the rules (and how to break them), if you try to play just like someone else, that’s all you’ll be: a copy of someone else. You might even win some, but you won’t be the best you.  

But true confidence… true voice… is playing your game. It’s taking all of that practice, all of those hours and weeks and years of dedication and tackling the problem with faith that you have the skills and you can have the eventual outcome that you desire.

True success is rarely without practice. It is almost never without failure. Maybe even many failures. Failure is just an opportunity to learn and improve. It is nothing else. It is not personal. It is not a value judgment on you as a person. It is a circumstance, and most successes are successful because they’ve learned and grown and had faith that the practice they put in was going to be worth it.

Also? They competed. Performers put themselves out there for jobs, doctors compete for grades, athletes compete for position, SWAT teams practice relentlessly. Sometimes life isn’t fair and they failed, but they keep going.

So practice.

Play your game.

Choose confidence.

And keep choosing it.

I put that lesson squarely in the “better late than never” category. How about you? What did you finally learn to do (can be anything) that changed your life?

[Side note to our readers... be sure to check Tess' post on Tuesday, which deals with what it takes to make it in the business, which she posted first in the queue and I discovered as I post this. They coincidentally make great companion pieces!]