INSIDE THAT GREAT COVER, PART 1

INSIDE THAT GREAT COVER
By Lynde Lakes
8/6/2009

AUTHOR & CHARACTER INTEGRITY

Writing wizards warn us to vault into our bestseller with a hook. Sensational advice, but we need more. Our story must have integrity and honesty. Spencer Johnson says, “Integrity is telling oneself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” How does that apply to our books? Do our characters always have to tell themselves the truth to be individuals of integrity? They may yearn to, but because they are hiding from it, avoiding it, they just can’t. However, by the end of the book, they should have finally faced their demons. Do our characters always have to tell others the truth. Some characters live a life of deception to stay alive or keep others alive as in my novel COWBOY LIES.

Example one:
With Yellow Rose of Texas playing in the background, we two-step into the world of the Ryan Ranch and meet Molly—and Matt, the lying cowboy:
Molli stared at the Stetson-wearing hunk of testosterone pacing next to the fireplace, and shook her head. “I don’t like this. Nothing seems right!”
The possibility that she’d ever loved this man, let alone married him, was as remote as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, yet it was exactly what he wanted her to believe.
“You’re gonna have to trust me on this one, Molli,” he drawled and headed out of the room. Rule: when someone says trust me, consider it carefully.
***

Example Two from MIDNIGHT DESTINY:

“Trust me,” Rick, the stranger she called Midnight said.
Mele couldn’t stop trembling. “Trust you? I don’t even know you!”
Either man could be the bad guy. Maybe even both. Midnight looked like the cliché bad boy: tall, dark and dangerous—the type revealed on the cover of a rugged pin-up calendar. His heavy black biker boots and black leather jacket, scuffed and dirty from the brawl, only added to his appeal. A wide black leather belt with an ornate silver buckle hugged his trim waist. His black jeans fit like latex. His shirt, ripped open during the fight gave a glimpse of sleek, taut and powerful muscles.
“See that Mickey Mouse watch Dom’s wearing?” Midnight asked. Without waiting for an answer, he rushed on. “The cops found the five-year-old boy he stole it from lying bloody and dead in a Kailua park barbecue pit.”
Mele’s heart froze. Horror burrowed deep into the marrow of her bones. Tears flooded her eyes. (Feel the empathy? I’ll talk about that below.)
Is Rick telling the truth? Our characters can toy with the truth, but for our story to have integrity and honesty, we must believe that our characters are real. And that they. will learn and change from the first page to the last.—even the villain—and we must transport our readers to the land of suspended disbelief.

EVOKE SYMPATHY FOR THE CHARACTERS

Our villain does NOT have to be admirable. In BILLBOARD COP, The faceless strangler had been an abused child. We can’t forgive him for his rein of terror, but we understand it. Although all people abused in childhood don’t grow up to be cold-hearted heartless killers, when he lets the little boy live, we garner up a pinch of sympathy for his tortured soul. His predicament of constant physical, mental and spiritual suffering earns a touch of reader's sympathy. The author can also show sympathy evoking emotion with desperation, loneliness, lovelessness, humiliation, mental sickness. Anything that makes the reader understand him better.

IDENTIFICATION

Identification comes when the reader has both sympathy and supports the characters goals and aspirations, and roots for the character achieve them. In LASSO THAT COWBOY, we wonder if Luke Ryan’s wild past and determination to follow his own set of rules will destroy him and those he loves. When we meet Amber Doe, we wonder if discovering the truth about herself will cost her life. Luke is trying so hard, hopefully, the reader feels drawn to support his goals to stay sober and save his daughter. But will Amber’s goals clash with his? Can he support her fearless steps to stop the terrorists who plan to blow up Boulder Dam and kill the many daily visitors? Luke and Amber both have admirable goals. And no matter what Luke has done in the past, the reader will take his side, no matter how much of a womanizing hard-drinking cowboy he was before. When he has the decision to save his daughter or Amber, who he has come to love, who will he choose? The reader must feelthe torment of this decision.

Once in a while, we can take a bad character with no redeemable traits, and link them with a character who has suffered from another person’s deeds and make the bad character hurt people in their behalf. This has not been the case so far in any of my published books. But it is a useful tool.

EMPATHY

In MIDNIGHT DESTINY, we not only feel sorry for Rick because a killer is on his tail, but we feel empathy for him because the man is the one behind kidnapping his only daughter. If he stops and faces him as he yearns to do, the villain will kill him and there will be no one to save his daughter. We are pulled apart by his lose, lose choices and feel his desperation. Empathy is the most powerful emotion. The reader feels sympathy of course, but he/she suffers actual anxiety and physical pain with the character who is plunged into a no win situation. As you learn more about Rick, you empathize more. He is a good father and his daughter is the only joy in his life. Can you feel the power of empathy?
Use sights, sounds, pains, smells etc to reveal what the character is feeling—the feelings that trigger emotions.
Mele Keliikuli hung upside-down, suspended in her seatbelt. Blood rushed to her head. She fought dizziness and the crush of the straps squeezing her chest. Other than uncontrollable trembling, she felt okay. That was more than could be said for the occupant of the other car.
When she felt the impact, Mele had hit the brakes but her car was already out of control. It rolled once before finally coming to rest upside-down, dangerously near the cliff edge, which she could clearly see in her vehicle's headlights. In the turmoil, she had a flash image of the car crashing through the barrier and going straight over the cliff.
An explosion rocked the ground and momentarily lit up the darkness. Mele closed her eyes to block out the blinding light. Lord, bless the poor soul in that car. Fog swirled around her, circling like phantom sharks. She jabbed repeatedly on the seatbelt release button. Jammed. She took a deep breath. Stay calm.
Can we feel her fear and her determination to get through this?

MAGIC CARPET & TRANSPORTING THE READER

If the author has made the story real enough, the reader is hypnotized and involved, allowing the real world to disappear. Throughout the page-turning story, the reader feels the inner conflict and the raging storms gripping the character—the misgivings, the guilt, remorse, indecision. Decisions of a moral nature have grave consequences for our character. His or her honor or self-worth is at stake. Throughout the story, there is an equal pull in two directions, a heart-wrenching battle between reason and passion.
One of my yet –to-be-published books shows this push and pull: Jill stared at the door. Her boss had told her to avoid Dane like the plague. To ignore Dane's knock would buy time. Maybe even save her job. But was she really such a coward? Such a puppet? She sighed. It wasn't really her boss she was afraid of, it was her heart. Maybe Dane had news about Tess. Darn, she was grasping at straws, any excuse to justify opening the door. As though her hand had a will of its own, it clutched the door knob and turned. Now, to keep reader transported—heighten the suspense.

SUSPENSE HEIGHTENED

What is it that is undecided or undetermined? Not the author or reader—it is the story question. Story questions are statements that require further explanation, problem resolution, or are forecasts of crisis or the dark moment.
Suspense creates story questions, putting the sympathetic character in a situation of menace, and lighting the fuse.

Examples:
An hour before sunset Lani walked the beachfront site. The few persons who glanced her way regarded her with a sort of apprehension. Why? What about her would make them wary?

In a book, chapter or short story the author must raise a story question in the first or second sentence.

In Jaws, the great fish moved silently through the water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. Q. Who will be his lunch?

Rumors spread around Oahu like wildfire. Q. What kind of rumors and will someone be hurt by them?

At midnight, he walked to the edge of the bridge, his steps slow, hesitant. Q Was he thinking of suicide? If so, would he jump?

(INSIDE THAT GREAT COVER to be continued another day.) Hugs, Lynde
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