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Inspired Love Workshop
Tirtsah: *******Welcome to Inspired Love Workshop Tirtsah: *******Gail Martin is our Wonderful guest!!!!!! GailGMartin: Thanks. Tirtsah: Now, Gail, What topic are we discussing tonight? GA GailGMartin: I'm prepared for the one on Creating Real Emotions Tirtsah: Tell us a little about yourself. GailGMartin: I'm Gail Martin I'm multipublished in fiction and also published in nonfiction - and I'm a columnist with the Christian Communicator. I think we'd all agree that emotions -- real ones are vital to a good love story. What's romance without emotions? GailGMartin: But lets first talk a bit about
emotions. They are very complex. Often an emotion is really a
blend or mixture of various emotions. Rarely are they a pure
single feeling. And in writing, emotions are revealed in
different ways just as they are in real life. It depends upon the
individual's personality and character. Some people keep them
buried; others are door GailGMartin: Let's think about an emotional situation. Think of a woman going out on her first date with someone. What emotions would she feel? Now I'd like you to forget protocol when I ask a question and jump in. What emotions would she feel? Any ideas? Excitement perhaps? SageDenn: fear, anxiety, excitement Futterz: nervous GailGMartin: Great. Adventuresome? How about inadequate? Have you ever felt that way? I think maybe we all have. GailGMartin: Let's imagine that our hero finally garners courage to ask a beautiful young woman on a date and she refuses. What does he feel? Any ideas? Cdnovelist: frustrated Faithe12: humiliated GailGMartin: Right. Yes SageDenn: rejection GailGMartin: for sure Chanteneuf: sad Faithe12: insecure Flutterz: deflated Sandie129: Angry and disappointed GailGMartin: defeated, yes - a variety - and I think this is true to life. So when we think emotions -- lets look at the full spectrum of feelings -- taking into consideration our character. GailGMartin: Let me make a list of some things
you don't want to do with First - Avoid stating the emotions. She felt happy. I hope you all know that one. FELT and WAS are so passive. Next avoid inconsistent emotions. If the character acts one way in a situation, he/she will act the same way in another - unless enough time has elapsed to show growth or change. Also - avoid emotional POV inconsistencies. Remember. Keep the emotions within the POV character - only he or she can feel the emotions. And that person cannot see their emotions so we don't turn red or flush -- but we must feel the heat of a flush. I imagine you all know that one too. But it's easy to slip and make one of those errors when we get really caught up in emotions of our characters. GailGMartin: When commenting on another characters emotions - we must only speculate. He looked as if - - - He seemed to - - - etc. And finally - avoid cliches. Green with envy. Hot under the collar. Mad as a wet hen, Red as a beet, heart pounding, butterfly stomach. At one time, those were fresh - they aren't anymore. GailGMartin: So what do we want to do. We want our readers to FEEL what our characters are feeling. I received the most wonderful compliment the other day from Cheryl Wolverton who is a big author with Steeple Hill. She agreed to do a quote for my new novel coming out in October, UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, with Steeple Hill. She wrote to me and said she cried though the whole novel and couldn't put it down. I cried when I read what she said!!! Anyway - how do we let the readers know what the character is feeling - first visible signs - body movement, posture, facial expressions, actions. Next dialogue - that's a wonderful way to show emotions, and finally - internal monologue. GailGMartin: Okay - so here's the author's task.
First identify the mixture of emotions of the character. Make it
a blend that follows the characterization and
Sandie129: Her heart palpitated to the rhythm of his gaze. GailGMartin: Nice. Anyone else? Chanteneuf: Her heart turned lazy somersaults as she stared into his deep green eyes. GailGMartin: Great! Flutterz: She could feel her heart dance when she thought of him. Faithe12: Her heart swelled as she gazed upon him. GailGMartin: Good. Okay - that's showing and not telling. Let me give you some examples from my writing and then we'll do some more exercises. While you're reading this, think of the emotion - and I'll ask you for your thoughts. This is from my upcoming novel with Steeple Hill In the foyer, he gestured to the staircase, and she moved ahead of him, gliding lightly up the steps, her skirt clinging momentarily to her shape as she took each step. He'd blocked those loving memories of Sara from his mind. How she moved and how lovely she felt in his arms. GailGMartin: ** By the way, Sara is his dead wife. Okay - what emotions? Tirtsah: dreamy Faithe12: reminiscing GailGMartin: Yes. Flutterz: longing Tirtsah: longing GailGMartin: Yes.Awareness of himself. Try another. Faithe12: grieving Tirtsah: <G> Great Teacher. JansEMail: comparison? SageDenn: pain, melancholy GailGMartin: Yes - comparison for sure. Thanks
- this is from my Work in Scott rose and stretched his arms above his head. "I think I'll skip dinner. The hospital staff's softball team plays tonight." "Softball. Sounds like fun," Kate said. Holding her breath, she waited like a child listening to the distant chimes of an ice cream truck. GailGMartin: Okay -- what's Kate feeling right now? SageDenn: anticipation, hope GailGMartin: Great. Sandie129: Hopeful JansEMail: anticipation that he'll ask her to go GailGMartin: Those were my two. Chanteneuf: wishful GailGMartin: Yes - good and notice I never say that. It's shown in the words and her behavior. Faithe12: desiring GailGMartin: Try this one. Set up: Scott's moved in temporarily with his sister and her house mate Kate. Here's the section. Since then, Kate sneaked into his thoughts at
all hours of the day and night. He'd lain in bed knowing she was
on the floor below him. Some mornings at breakfast, he'd seen her
wrapped in a long sleeve, belted robe with a delicate sheer, pink
hem peeking beneath. The thought stirred him as he tried to
sleep, GailGMartin: Okay - what do you think? Faithe12: enamored GailGMartin: Yes. Tirtsah: aroused. Flutterz: desire Faithe12: lust Sandie129: Yearning. GailGMartin: Yes - Sandie129: Fantasy. GailGMartin: Remember we all have the feelings - in Inspirational we don't act on them. That's the difference. Chanteneuf: intrigued GailGMartin: Yes - fantasy is good. Okay - here's another. Set up: Kate has invited Scott to stay longer since he can't find an apt. While the waiter set their plates on the table, Kate grasped the seconds to control her wavering thoughts. She had just done the opposite of what she had prayed. Why? Voices of other patrons filled her ears, and she gazed at the window boxes nearby filled with contained flowers reaching toward the light. Was she like those restricted blossoms bound in their small compartments, stretching and yearning for the sun? GailGMartin: Okay - what do you see here? ga Flutterz: contemplation GailGMartin: Yes SageDenn: fear, yearning, maybe hope GailGMartin: Yes. Chanteneuf: a bit of regret GailGMartin: wanting growth - yes and regret! great Faithe12: self doubt GailGMartin: Yes. Great everyone. Okay - I have lots more but how about if I let you ask questions. ga JansEMail: ? SageDenn: ? Tirtsah: Jan GA JansEMail: How do you define and show your characters' motivation in with the emotions JansEMail: ?ga GailGMartin: Actually - some of it is there in what I've written, but unless you're there from the beginning you don't know. I do come right out and show the struggle of the characters -internally. Their dialogue, fighting their feelings and emotions and you the reader knows what the major conflict is -- or else I've hinted at it and you have an idea - and are waiting for me to confess -- or my character to confess I should say. GailGMartin: <g> GailGMartin: I like to hint at problems. You learn right away that Kate has a shame - a problem from her teen years and so she pushes away from Scott. When she fights her feelings the reader understands that she is hiding something - something that troubles her. GailGMartin: I use internal monologue a lot. Does that answer your question? GailGMartin: ga Tirtsah: Sage GA SageDenn: Am editing a novel I hope to send to Steeple hill, Is there a chapter page limit--maximum SageDenn: pages GA GailGMartin: Yes - they have limits - they do not limit chapters. But they are from 70K - 75K and that is figured, not by computer count, but by page count figured at 10 words per line, 25 lines per page = 250 words. Do you know that method? GailGMartin: I sent what I thought was a 75K novel and had to cut 50 pages. SageDenn: Number of pages per chapter I have a chapter running 18 pages GailGMartin: That's okay. I have about 16 or so in mine. That's not a problem. I think in a shorter novel you want to go with fewer pages. Like when I write for Heartsong - a 45K - 50K. SageDenn: glad to hear that GailGMartin: I use about 10 -12 pages her chapter. ga MackenzieVC: ? Tirtsah: Mack GA MackenzieVC: Sorry, I pop in here late. What do you consider "creating emotion"? ga GailGMartin: I mean - writing so that the emotion is felt and shown, not told. I mean that when the reader readers your work they will laugh and cry and cringe with you. You can't do that in a few lines - but as the reader gets to know the character, they have feelings for that person - and so what touches the character touches them. It's using your own emotions to conjure up the deep feelings that you have and then recreating those on paper. MackenzieVC: I see. ok. thanks :-) ga Tirtsah: Ok, Gail. Time to sum up. <G> GailGMartin: Okay - I suppose I just did that. I think that emotions have to come from the writers heart. I cry while I write my novels or I laugh out loud. I feel the emotion. I have a difficult time reading aloud. When I do a live workshop, I struggle not to let myself get carried away with the feelings that my characters have because I've pulled those emotions from my heart - and tried to share those with the reader. We make ourselves very vulnerable when we write with deep emotion. But in my opinion, it is the only way to go. Be true to the emotion - thus be true to yourself. GailGMartin: I hope that makes sense. GandPPratt: It does, and thanks. Tirtsah: Thankyou so much Gail!!!!!!!!!!!! I
can't wait for you to return GailGMartin: Thanks and I'd love to. Tirtsah: Your a fountain of knowledge that we've only just tapped into! I always hate this part! We need to wind down and close. :( GailGMartin: I invite all of you to drop by my
new website at GailGMartin: I have beginnings of all my novels there and my old workshop logs. Humor, suspense, etc. Tirtsah: ><><><><><YEAH><><><><><><>< Tirtsah: I hope to see you all next week.
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