Let your characters write their story

I’m tickled clear down to my toes that my fourth Love Inspired Historical, Wanted: A Family is now on book and discount store shelves and is available on Amazon and at eHarlequin. Here’s a peek at my latest story:
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Shelter of Hope
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The ramshackle Victorian house is all that widowed mother-to-be Callie Mitchell has left. But she’s going to make that house into a true home—a home where she and her baby will be safe and happy…and where women in need can find refuge. And if that means trusting stranger Jacob Smith to help with repairs, then so be it.
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Jacob came to town with a handful of old postcards and one goal in mind—to find the mother who’d abandoned him years before. He never planned to stay…and he certainly never planned to care for Callie. Yet as they rebuild the house together, Jacob and Callie also build the family they’ve always wanted.
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Callie and Jacob, the heroine and hero of Wanted: A Family experienced difficult, even devastating childhoods. The impact of those experiences gave them strengths and weaknesses. The difficulties they face in adulthood intensify those attributes, further shaping who they are. I admire these two--true survivors. I hope readers will too!
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In order to tell stories, writers must know our characters inside and out. In character-driven stories, the characters drive the plot. Their weaknesses and strengths determine everything they do. A character’s weakness and strength can be one in the same. For example, loyalty is considered a good attribute, but when carried to the extreme, loyalty can keep the character from seeing the truth and taking the action s/he should.
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Note: the characters are taking action, rather than being acted upon. In my first manuscript, my heroine was a victim, not the hero of her story. Needless to say that novel’s collecting dust.

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Past experiences shape what our characters want—their goals. Why they want it—their motivations. What’s stopping them from getting it—their conflicts. Characters’ weaknesses and strengths impact not only the external and internal goals but also the romance and faith journeys.
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Rarely characters come to me fullblown, but usually I have to dig for them. How writers arrive at discovering characters' back story varies. I try to use character charts, filling in name, age, description, etc. but before I get to the important stuff, I lose patience. Often I must put words on the page to see who these people are. Not the quickest way perhaps but mine. Once I have the first three chapters written, I have a sense of their traits but I still need to do more work to fully flesh them out. .
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Like real people, characters should have more than one weakness and strength. Shirley Jump suggests using her Rule of Six to dig deep into our characters. She studied marketing and the philosophy about top of mind awareness that involves five of anything. Those first five are relatively easy to come up with, Shirley says. When writers go for that sixth idea, they are forced to dig deeper into the character.

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Once I’ve arrived at my characters’ strengths and weaknesses, I list them. Then think about how these weaknesses could cause problems and what actions those weaknesses will make the character take. Characters’ weaknesses cause them to make bad choices, getting them into trouble again and again. None of us like to fail in real life, but getting our characters into trouble and letting them fail is the writer’s job. When I get stuck in the story, I can look at that list of weaknesses and strengths to help me figure out what needs to happen next.
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On the opposite side of the spectrum, at the climax of the story, the characters’ strengths save the day. Again decide what actions those strengths will make the character take and how these strengths will enable them to get their happily ever after. The strengths and weaknesses are intangible things. Things you can't see. In the end, the hero and heroine must use their strengths to resolve the conflict.
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In between the opening and resolution of the story, we want our characters to gradually grow and change. Like real people, characters resist change and won’t until they’re forced by difficulties to become better people. That means writers must keep raising the stakes. Make them earn their happy ending by overcoming the external and internal conflicts blocking their goal.
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In a sense, using characters’ weaknesses and strengths lets our characters plot their own book. Well, I'll admit it’s not as easy as the title of my post implies.
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As an example of using weaknesses and strengths to plot, I’ll use my heroine, Callie in Wanted: A Family.
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Callie’s book-length external goal is to provide shelter for unwed mothers. Her motivation is personal. The result of what happened to a childhood friend. Much of her past experiences have propelled her to this defining moment, to this goal. The conflict for Callie: the people she loves and expected to support her, disapprove and even fight her goal. One of Callie’s weaknesses is impulsiveness. Impulsiveness causes her to make bad choices, moving ahead toward her goal before she laid the groundwork, before she thought things through. Thus she fails time and again. In the end, out of all of Callie’s strengths that kept her moving toward her goal—her courage, faith, compassion, work ethic, servant’s heart and determination—her compassion saves the day and she reaches her external goal. With the romance thread, her lack of insight, inability to forgive, fear of abandonment and gullibility cause her to resist falling in love with Jacob. But again her compassion--one of her strengths--enables her to overcome her fears and give her heart to Jacob.

If you care to share, give an example of your character’s weaknesses and strengths and how those characteristics guide you in plotting and writing their story. For a chance to win an autographed copy of Wanted: A Family, please leave a comment.
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I’m on deadline so I’ve asked the chef at a golf community we visit in Florida to cater the breakfast buffet of coffee, tea, juices, made to order omelets, bacon, sausage, Belgium waffles, fruit and cheese blintzes.

Grab a plate! Let’s talk character.
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Janet
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http://www.janetdean.net/
http://www.janetdean.blogspot.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/