How to Articles from the desk of . . .

Margaret Daley

Contents:

     But what I think is the most important part concerning point of view is how deep the writer goes into a character’s viewpoint.  That’s what I would like to address in this short column.  When you are writing a character and are in his (or her) viewpoint, you need to be totally immersed inside his head.  I want to feel, see, hear, taste what he does. You need to write the scene as though you are in first person, observing and experiencing what is going on around you as the character you are writing. If you do that, it will make it easier to go deeply into your character’s head and to show the emotions behind the action and dialogue.

     Showing the character’s emotions through his thoughts and reactions to the other characters in the scene is what is important.  Feeling the five senses is essential, too, but what will hook your reader is connecting to your character so much it’s as though we are viewing the world through his eyes, glimpsing what he is thinking and feeling about what is going on around him.  This isn’t easy.  First, you must know your character well.  That often comes from doing an in-depth character sketch of him then sitting down and writing him.  As you write hopefully your character will come alive to you in your head and start to speak to you.  When that happens, you are really connected to that character and can portray him on the paper as though you are him.

     I don’t always get this the first time I write a scene.  This can often come from layering (adding ot a scene) when I do rewrites.  I will grasp the essence of what I want to convey, then when I edit, I elaborate and go deeper into my character’s mind, especially after I have finished the rough draft of my book and know him thoroughly which I had better by this time or I haven’t done a good job of writing. 

     The other aspect to consider when doing the point of view in a book is who to use as the viewpoint character in a scene.  I think it is the character with the most at stake in that scene who usually should be the one you see the story unfolding through his eyes.  There are a few exceptions.  Sometimes a secondary character will show the reactions in a scene of the hero and heroine and it adds a different dimension to the story.

     Viewpoint is an important part of the writing process--not only the depth you go into a character’s point of view but also in deciding whose eyes and thoughts to show the scene through.  Sometimes to achieve this a writer will have to write the scene from both hero and heroine’s viewpoints to see which conveys her story the best.

1. Talent is important but equally or more important is perseverance with some luck thrown in.

2. Rejection is part of writing and sending your work out.  We have to learn to move on and not let it stop us from writing.  I have seen some very talented writers give up because of rejection (refer back to number one). Have a support group to help you through the rejections.  We all need it from time to time.  You should see my file of rejections!

3. Set a schedule to write.  If not, it is easy to get sidetracked. Life happens.

4.  The second sale is often harder than the first.  It doesn’t get any easier after you sell the first book.  The good part of this is that it keeps you on your toes and hopefully makes you a better writer.  Don’t stop trying to improve your craft.

5.  Deadlines are important to make.  I can’t stress that enough.  We are professionals and want to be treated as professionals.

6.  Networking is important and can open doors for you whether it is through a conference, chapter meeting or online groups. 

7.  Critique groups can be good but remember the book is yours ultimately and you have to decide what advice to take or not take.

8.  No agent is better than a bad agent.

9.  Learn when to give up on a project and move on to a new one. I have heard of some writers working on the same book for years--polishing and polishing it.  Learn to let go.

10. This business is subjective.  One editor may not like your writing while another may. So don’t give up on a project because of one rejection (refer back to number one).

11. This business is cyclical.  What is popular today, may not be tomorrow.

12. Take time for yourself and be aware of the signs of burnout.  Stress will take its toll on you and your family.

13. Think twice before quitting your day job.  This business is so unpredictable.  I realize a day job can get in the way of writing sometimes (I have one) but there is value in having a job outside the home. I have gained a lot from working that I use in my writing. I interact with students and people which have enriched my writing and observations.

14. When something is bothering you about your book, listen to that inner voice.  I have found it is usually right whether it is a plot element, the structure of a sentence, or a piece of dialogue.

15. Have fun with your writing.  It will show in your work.

16. Thank God every day that you are able to do something you love to do--write.  He is the reason for everything and enriches your writing and life.

by Margaret Daley

When Jessica asked the chapter to let her know what kind of articles and columns we would like to see in the newsletter, I emailed her about possibly having a how to column to address the various writing subjects that writers are interested in.  She asked me to do one as a guest columnist for 2004, then hopefully another published writer will be the guest columnist for next year.  Now what I would like from the members are suggestions on what subjects you would like me to discuss.  Below I am going to wet your appetite concerning characterization but there are so many aspects of the subject that can be explored--not to mention other subjects that can be covered like goal setting, organization, point of view, conflict, synopsis writing, brainstorming, motivation, plotting and networking.  What do you want to read about?  Please email me at Mdaley50@aol.com with suggestions.

I think characterization is the most important ingredient in our stories.  Without good characters, readers won’t care what kind of plot we have.  We will lose their interest.  This wasn’t what I believed when I first starting writing twenty-five years ago. So how can we flesh out a character so our readers will care enough to keep reading our story?  We don’t want a perfect person because that would be boring but a character with strengths and weaknesses you can use to develop that intriguing plot that I still think is very important to a good book.  Your conflict which is a large part of your plot will come from your characters’ strengths and weaknesses, motivations and goals.

I want to emphasize the importance of really knowing your character before writing about him/her.  When you write a hero or heroine become him/her as much as possible.  When you go into his/her point of view, immerse yourself into his/her beliefs, emotions, background, etc.  If you can do this, there will be more emotional depth to your hero and heroine and they will come richly alive for your readers.  The way your can immerse yourself in your character’s life is to do a profile on him/her.  On my web site I have a character profile you are welcome to use (http://www.margaretdaley.com).

There are many areas you can delve into concerning your character.  Physical description, belief system,  drive (motivation), career, secrets (leads to conflict), fears (conflict), background, environment, hobbies, interests, hopes (goals), and matters of the heart.  All of these areas are covered in the character profile with questions to get you thinking about your character. You can send me a self addressed stamped envelope to P. O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101 and I will send you a copy of the profile.

by Margaret Daley


     Next to characterization I think the plot is the most important element in a story.  You can create wonderful characters, but if you have them doing dull, uninteresting things then you will lose your reader.  So how do you develop that compelling plot that will keep your readers glue to your book?

     There are many ways to go about plotting your story.  To me plotting is like putting together one huge jigsaw puzzle one piece at a time. Some people start out writing their book from a detailed outline and some by the seat of their pants, letting scene after scene come to them as they develop the story on the computer.  I do a little of both.  I have a story arc written down with the high points and how I am going to get there.  I kind of think of it as climbing several mountains to get to the end of my book.

     I have used what I call visual plotting in some of my books where I have a long sheet of paper divided into three sections (three acts).  At the end of each section I have a pivotal scene in my book that ups the stakes for the hero and heroine which moves them into the next section of the story.
     Using the long sheet of paper, I place cards with scenes in the order I want them to come.  Writing a scene on a card allows me to move it around until I have the scene where I think it will be most effective.  After I do that I go back and look to see why I have that scene in the book.  I color code the card for different aspects of a story like conflict (external and internal), motivation, goal, background information, subplot development.  By color coding the cards at a glance I can see if each scene I’ve developed so far has several reasons for being in the book.  If it doesn’t, I either remove the scene or beef it up or change it until the scene has multiple reasons for being in the book.  The color coding also allows me to see if I have enough scenes devoted to a certain aspect of a story.  I will use different color codes for the hero and heroine.  That way I make sure I have covered what is necessary for each main character.

     This particular technique can also be utilized after you’ve finished the rough draft to make sure each scene is necessary, builds toward a high point and keeps the plot moving.  Pacing is important in a plot.  If the story is good but slow moving, you will lose some readers.  This technique can help you see the sagging parts.  Then you can go back into the story and fortify the scenes that are lacking.  Sometimes we can be so close to our story that we don’t see what is missing without visually laying it out before us.

     This is only one technique of plotting.  A writer must find what works best for her.  Experiment with different techniques to discover what you like the best.  But above all, enjoy putting that huge jigsaw puzzle together.  It comes across in your writing.

            Now when looking at individual scenes in your different sections (parts or acts) you should ask yourself: Does it have three reasons to be in a book?  Does it further a character’s goal, motivation or conflict?  If it doesn’t do those things, take the scene out.  One of the hardest things a writer has to do is cut her own work, but a book should be tightly written.  If your writing wanders, the reader will likely wander.  You don’t want to give them a reason to put your book down.  That is our goal as a writer: telling a story to keep the reader reading to the end and when she puts the book down, she wants to read more by you.

9:30 am
I take a break and grab something to eat. I seize my chance since the cat is still asleep.  If I don’t eat now, I will have to fight him off while I’m trying to later.  I eat my breakfast/lunch at the computer and continue to work.

10:30 am
My brain is drained.  I take a break and do some housework--as little as possible since I hate housework but someone has to do it and I’m usually the one.

1:00 pm
I continue writing.  I’m feeling pretty good today.  I’ve written more pages than usual.  Sometimes it flows.  Other times it comes out one laborious word at a time.

3:00 pm
I’m ready to call it quits.  I take this time to go onto the internet and answer my e-mails.

4:00 pm
I am through for the day.  I have a good book I want to read.  I curl up on my sofa in my office to enjoy it.  My cat plops down in my lap, wanting to be petted.  My husband wanders into the room and checks out the front window.  I stop what I’m doing and talk with him and pet my cat.

4:15 pm
I finally open the book to page one and become lost in the story.

6:30 pm
Thankfully my husband cook dinner since I am still engrossed in the book.  I take time out to eat.

11:00 pm
I finally pull myself away from the book to go to sleep since the words on the page have become a blur.

     When Tory was twenty-three she was raped by a man who she had started dating and trusted.  Her rapist was brought to justice, but she had to endure the publicity and his trial which scarred her as much as the crime itself.

     After the trial, she moved to Cimarron City to begin her life anew. She has struggled to overcome her past and finally feels her life is back on track four years later.  Control is very important to her because of what happened to her.  She never wants to feel powerless again.

     She has turned all her love to God, the animals she raises and now the children she works with.  Tory is sure she will never have children of her own so these children become the family she never will have.  She can’t see herself ever in an intimate relationship with a man because she can’t trust her own judgment when it comes to men.  She is standoffish with men, her fear always in the background even though she has managed to push the memories away most of the time.

     On the outside she presents a confident facade, and she is confident when dealing with her horses.  But around a man she freezes, erecting a wall, until Slade enters her life with a little girl in need of lots of love and her special kind of therapy.

     Slade Donaldson is a single father whose child underwent brain surgery eight months before because of the severe seizures that developed after a car wreck she was in.  His wife was driving the car and died in the accident twenty-two months before.  She had picked him up from work and was arguing with him about wanting to go back to work herself now that Mindy was in the first grade.  His wife didn’t see the truck that ran the red light, and with her attention focused on Slade, she pulled out into the intersection into the path of the vehicle. 

     Feeling as though he should have been able to do something to prevent the wreck, Slade has never been able to forgive himself for what happened to both his wife and child (he only suffered minor injuries).  Guilt weighs him down and drives him to work fourteen hour days in order to provide the best care for Mindy.  But all his eight year old daughter wants is his love and time.  It takes Tory to show him the forgiveness of the Lord and the importance of his presence in his daughter’s life.

     Slade is dropping his daughter off for her riding lesson because his housekeeper who usually brings Mindy to her therapy sessions has been called away.  Her niece went into labor early.

Slade meets Tory Alexander, the stable owner and instructor, for the first time even though his daughter has been involved with the Bright Star Therapeutic Riding Program for over three months. Usually Slade is so involved in his company, pushing to expand it, that he only sees Mindy in the evening.  He has left his daughter in good hands with Mrs. Watson, but now that the woman is gone for at least the next week, he will be taking Mindy to her therapy sessions in between all the meetings he has scheduled.

     Tory volunteers to help by watching Mindy for him while Mrs. Watson is gone.  Mindy wants to be her assistant and this will be the perfect time for her to be at the stables.  Slade hates to impose, but Tory convinces him she would love to have Mindy stay with her.  Tory even tells him she will take Mindy to her speech therapy on Monday afternoon and he can pick his daughter up there instead of driving all the way out to the stables (a twenty minute drive from town).

     On Monday Slade is late to the speech therapists office because there was a car wreck that held up traffic.  He is telling Tory about it when Mindy comes back from the restroom.  His tardiness agitates her and both Tory and Slade have to calm her down.

 
     Slade announces they should go out for dinner and lets Mindy choose the place.  He invites Tory and is thankful when she accepts.  On the drive while listening to the radio, Mindy hears about the bad wreck and becomes upset.  Slade immediately stops the car and comforts his daughter.  Tory is reminded of the pain the child has experienced and wishes she could wipe it away.

     After a fun evening eating hamburgers, Slade drives Tory back to her car in the office parking lot where she left it to go to dinner with him and Mindy.  He walks her to her car, thanking her for coming with them.  They talk for a few minutes about Mindy’s intense reaction to the mention of a car wreck.  For the first six months after the accident she hated riding in a car and would get hysterical when she had to.

     The next day Slade brings Mindy to the stables after her morning physical therapy session.  Exhausted, the child doesn’t do much and instead takes a nap in the late afternoon.  Tory spends that time doing some work around the house.  When she hears a scream, she rushes into the living room where Mindy fell asleep.  The little girl is bolt upright on the couch with her eyes wide as saucers.  She is trembling.  She had a nightmare about the car wreck she was in.  Hugging her to her, Tory calms the child. Love swells in her heart for the little girl who has gone through so much.

     When Slade arrives an hour later, Mindy and Tory are in the kitchen preparing dinner.  Tory invites him and Mindy to stay and share the spaghetti with her.  Slade mentions he’ll have to bring Mindy out again early the next morning because of another meeting at eight.  Tory suggests that Mindy spend the night since it will be late by the time he gets home that evening.

     When Slade leaves, Tory goes with him out onto the porch.  For a short time she felt the sense of family while sharing her dinner with Mindy and Slade.  Now alone with Slade on the steps to her house with the dark shadows of night blanketing the yard, she tenses, fear nibbling at the edges of her mind.

     By the end of the week Slade discovers that Mrs. Watson has decided to stay with her niece who wants to return to work and needs someone to watch her baby.  He shares the news with Tory when he and Mindy come to the ranch to have a picnic by the pond on Sunday afternoon.  Tory tells him she can watch Mindy until he finds a replacement.  Relieved, he thanks her while his daughter jumps up and down for joy.

     He starts his search for another housekeeper and finds no one is as good as Tory is with Mindy.  Reluctantly he hires a new housekeeper, Ms. Davies.  She lasts one week.  Slade fires her after Tory tells him how mean she is to Mindy.  (The little girl refuses to stay with Ms. Davies overnight when Slade has to go on a business trip.  Tory invites Mindy to stay at the ranch with her.  That’s when Mindy confides in Tory and also tells her she loves her.  Tory’s heart is filled with such joy when Mindy hugs her.)

     As Tory and Slade talk about his dilemma of getting good care for his daughter, he jokingly ask her if she would like the job permanently.  The idea grows and before the conversation ends Slade has asked Tory to marry him, to be Mindy’s mother.  Tory is speechless.  She knows it isn’t because Slade is madly in love with her, even though they have become friends.  He has many of his own scars from the accident still not healed.  Instead of telling him no, she says she will have to think about it.

     That night she tosses and turns in bed, trying to find an answer to his question.  She prays to God for help, and when she finally falls asleep, exhausted, she still doesn’t know what she should do.  But when morning comes, she awakens, determined to be Mindy’s mother.  She has always wanted a family and this is her one opportunity.  It was time she moved on in her life and quit letting her past dominate what she does.  She is tired of it controlling her life.

     She tells Slade yes to his marriage proposal.  Tory emphasizes that all they can have between them is friendship.  Slade concurs, not intending ever to lose his heart to another. His daughter is the most important thing in his life, and Tory is important to Mindy’s happiness.  Besides, in the back of his mind he doesn’t think he deserves ever to be happy again (he’s experiencing survivor’s guilt).

     Mindy is ecstatic, especially since she gets to be the maid of honor.  Slade agrees to have a small service at Tory’s church even though he hasn’t step foot into a church since the car wreck.  He felt his prayers had gone unanswered in his time of need.  He will continue to survive without the Lord’s help.

     Tory’s family come up from Dallas to attend the wedding.  Tory and her older sister discuss what happened to her in Dallas.  Judy asks Tory if she has told Slade about the rape.  When Tory tells her no, her sister encourages her to open up to the man she is going to spend the rest of her life with.  Tory can’t quite share something so personal and painful with Slade even though she likes him and thinks of him as a good friend.

     The day of the wedding is one of joy with everything being perfect until Mindy goes to bed, leaving Tory alone with Slade (her family is at a motel).  All her old fears surface despite her resolve to put everything in the past.  Trembling, she makes an excuse to escape to the barn to see about the horses.  (Slade has agreed to live at the ranch for the time being because of the animals that need care and because Mindy loves it.)

     In the dim confines of the barn, Tory brushes her favorite horse to keep herself busy while her mind is in a state of turmoil.  Whatever had possessed her to agree to a marriage?  Suddenly the implications weigh down on her, and she realizes that Slade is her partner for the rest of her life.  One day he may want a normal marriage, and she doesn’t think she can give it to him.  Hugging her arms to her, she sits down on a bale of hay and cries.

     Slade finds her and tries to comfort her.  She pulls away, wiping at the tears that course down her face.  A wall is erected between them and over the next several weeks they become polite strangers when they are around each other.  Mindy senses the distancing between Tory and her father.  She is determined to do something about it.

     Tory and Slade settle into a routine.  With Gus’s assistance, (an older man who Slade hires to help around the stables), Tory finds herself enjoying more time with Mindy.  When the little girl needs some summer clothes, Tory takes her shopping.  Mindy persuades Tory to see where Slade works.  They drop in and have lunch with him.

     When Mindy and Tory start going to church, Mindy pleas with her father to go with them.  Finally Slade does, much to Mindy’s joy, especially because Sunday becomes a day for family, her father not working at all.

     When the anniversary of the accident occurs, Slade shuts down on Tory.  She helps him through the ordeal, making him see that he wasn’t to blame for what happened.  Her support draws them closer together.

     When Judy, Tory’s sister, returns for a few days over the Fourth of July with her husband and two children, Tory plans a large party, inviting some people from church.  The minister talks with Slade about volunteering at the church.  At first Slade wants to refuse, still angry at the Lord for what happened to Mindy and his wife.  It is Tory who makes him see how much his anger is controlling his life.  She points out the things he should be thankful for--Mindy is alive and recovering, his daughter is happy, his business is doing well.

     After talking with Tory, Slade wanders off by himself.  He ends up praying for the first time in two years.  He ask the Lord’s forgiveness.  He also asks God to help him support Tory through whatever it is that is holding her back.  Slade knows something painful happened to Tory in her past.  He realizes until she completely faces it, their marriage will never be complete.  And he realizes he wants more from his marriage than friendship.

     Judy takes Mindy to the lake for a few days with her family and leaves Tory and Slade alone for the first time.  The atmosphere is strained.  Tory is attracted to Slade but is afraid.  Feeling the chemistry between them developing, he comes up behind her to surprise her with a kiss and hug.  She comes unglued.  When she calms down, Tory finally tells Slade about her past.

     Slade sets out to court Tory.  He wants their marriage to be real in every sense.  Tory’s defenses are breaking down and he thinks with time and patience they can have a full and loving marriage. Their sense of family and friendship is strengthened as they deal with Mindy starting school (middle of August in Oklahoma).  Slade finds himself spending less time at work and more time with Tory and Mindy at the ranch.  He has come to realize his love and presence is more important to Mindy and her recovery than anything his money can buy.

     When Tory’s mother has surgery (forecast at the wedding), Tory finally visits Dallas with Mindy and Slade.  Being back home brings to the foreground her past, something Tory has been running away from for years.  When Slade tries to draw her into his embrace to comfort her over her mother, whose operation is a long one, Tory pulls away from him.  He finally admits he doesn’t know what else to do.  He tells her he isn’t the man who raped her and he doesn’t see how their marriage will really work until she accepts that, to trust him and herself again.  All her old fears surface and she must face them in order to get on with her life.  She wants a family.  She’s falling in love with Slade and wants a real marriage, too.  As in the past she turns to the Lord for guidance.

     In the end it is Tory who approaches Slade and draws him into the bedroom.  They exchange words of love.  The scene fades with the implication they will make love.

     One year later at Mindy’s birthday party at the ranch, the little girl has a yard full of friends from school. She is talking a lot better and hardly limps.  Tory, who is six months pregnant, and Slade look on as Mindy opens all her presents with a huge grin.

by Margaret Daley

I read an article not long ago where Linda Howard discussed what she had learned the most from writing in the romance genre.  Her answer was characterization. Simply stated, if a reader doesn’t care about your characters no matter how great your plot may be you will lose that reader.  I used to think plotting was the most important ingredient in a story.  My thinking has changed over the years.  It is characterization.

With that in mind this week we will be talking about how to make your character three dimensional, a fleshed out person whom your readers will care about.  Not a perfect person because that would be boring but a hero with strengths and weaknesses you can use to develop that intriguing plot.  Your conflict which is a large part of your plot will come from your characters’ strengths and weaknesses, motivations and goals.

Before we get to the different aspects of a three dimensional character, I want to emphasize the importance of really knowing your character before writing about him.  When you write a character, become him as much as possible.  When you go into his point of view, immerse yourself into his character--his beliefs, emotions, background, etc.  If you can do this, there will be more emotional depth to your hero and he will come richly alive for your readers.  Now we are ready to put layers on our character we are developing.  Think of this layering as making the character three dimensional, someone the reader will want to reread again and again.

Margaret Daley
GOLD IN THE FIRE, Love Inspired, October 2004
A MOTHER FOR CINDY, Love Inspired, January 2005
http://www.margaretdaley.com--enter my monthly contest
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Physical description:

It is the first aspect of making your character three dimensional.  You have total control over how your character will look so use his features to emphasize the image you want to project. 

For example, In Gold in the Fire, my October 2004 Love Inspired, this is the way I describe how Darcy sees Joshua for the first time. “The sound of a deep, husky voice floated to her from the swirls of gray smoke and fog.  Her eyes stung as she searched the yard.  Emerging from the shroud of heavy mist appeared a man, dressed in a black jacket with yellow strips and black pants.  He removed his fire helmet and cradled it under his arm.  Dark brown hair, damp from sweat, lay at odd angles.  Black smudges highlighted the hard angles of his face and emphasized the blueness of his eyes.  For just a moment Darcy thought of a warrior striding purposefully toward her.”

The point I want to make is not to throw a bunch of physical features together.  Think about what you want to communicate to the reader and use the physical description of your character to convey that.
    
When coming up with your physical description of your character, remember everything that it should encompass: age, appearance (hair, eyes, skin, body type), the sound of his voice, mannerisms, how he walks, how he talks (slow, fast), does he use his hands when he talks. With mannerisms the character should have some that he does when he’s angry, happy, sad.  Perhaps he paces when he’s angry or when he’s nervous he rubs his fingers together.  These mannerisms can become character tags for your character.  The reader will know he’s angry or nervous without you having to say it.  And remember when you are describing your character, put emotions into the description, not simply what his hair color is or his eye color.

With features you can even use the opposite of what the character really is.  For example a warrior/fighter wearing glasses.  We tend to think of nerds or more serious, studious characters wearing glasses.  I write a lot of alpha males with dark hair but you can use a California type man with blonde hair to add contrast to your physical description.

Not only should you describe the character but things like what he likes to eat, how he eats (does he bolt his food or savor it).  Also where does he live?  How does it look?  Is he messy or neat?  Does he live in an apartment or a mansion?  What’s the state of his health like?  All these things help a reader to get a feel for who your character is.  Remember to go beyond just a simple physical description, and when describing him through another character’s eyes, put the emphasis on the features you want to play up--I’ll call these physical tags. It could be a scar, a limp, a dimple--any number of things.

Background/environment:

The past--your character’s background--is very important in molding who he is today.  Where was he born?  Lived most of his life?  Is he from a small town or a big city?  That will make a difference in your character’s outlook on life.  Did he grow up in a family, foster care?  What is his birth order--oldest, youngest in his family?  What kind of environment did he grow up in--a nurturing home or a home where he got little love?

From all the question in the above paragraph you can see how essential it is to have a clear picture of your character’s background (childhood, teenage years).  So much of what we are is formed during those times.  Our dreams and fears develop then.  I have to admit this is where I go first when coming up with a character and deciding what his goals, motivations and conflicts will be.

We’ve all seen the stories where we pit a city bred character against a country bred one because the differences are there to play off of.  We’ve also seen a character who is street smart played off of a character who has a doctorate in something.  Again all this comes from their background.

One of the biggest aspects of a person’s background that will shape him is his family so when coming up with your character really decide what kind of family he grew up in.  Small family?  Big?  Loving?  Cold?  There are so many things you can do with this that his family life can be a big area to draw your goals, motivations and conflicts from.

For example:  In SADIE’S HERO, my third Love Inspired book, my hero had a rough childhood.  When he was young, he lost his family in a fire which he witnessed and had to stand helplessly by and watch everything he loved go up in flames.  Then he was raised in foster families (many) where he caused problems. This made him driven to succeed at all costs which was one of the major issues in SADIE’S HERO.  He became a workaholic, determined to make it to the top in the company he worked for to the exclusion of everything else.  You can see how his background could be used for developing my plot in the book.

Think about one of your characters whom you are writing in your current book.  Take a look at his background and make sure it is fully developed.  The more it is the easier it will be to come up with your character’s goals, motivations and conflicts.


Belief system:

What holds a character together is his belief system.  There are many aspects to this system.  Spiritual, worldly, and self are the three I will cover today.  The first is spiritual and comes from his religious background often, but not necessarily. Does your character believe in God?  The Bible?  The power of prayer?  If not, what does he believe spiritually and why?  What has led to these beliefs?  In my Love Inspired books this aspect of a character is explored deeply.  Inspirational romances have several important elements and faith is one of those.  Your character’s religious beliefs will shape him throughout the book and govern his actions.  A book doesn’t have to be an inspirational one to have this a part of the story.

The way your character views the world is important to making him three dimensional.  Is the character cynical?  Does he believe in war?  In peace?  Animal rights?  The environment?  What does he think about getting a good education?  About money?  There are so many aspects to the world around us and when we are developing the character, we must know where he stands.  This will come up often in his conversations with others throughout the book.  It will also come up in the way he deals with different people.  A person who is cynical will deal with the world a lot differently than someone who sees the world through rose colored glasses.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the character’s belief system is how he views himself.  What are his virtues?  What does he value about himself above all else?  Is honesty most important?  Honor?  Those are positive traits, but a person can also know what his faults are.  Usually a character is not only aware of the good things about himself, but the traits that need to be changed.  If he doesn’t, hopefully the journey through your story will show him that and his growth as he learns to deal with his character flaw will be part of the plot line.  Is he too proud?  Is control important to him?  Does he have to have everything his way?  Self esteem/self worth is important when developing a main character such as a heroine or hero.  Our protagonist will often have a good self concept, but sometimes we can use the way he looks at himself to show the character growing, changing into someone who is stronger, more sure of himself.  In my April 2005 book, LIGHT IN THE STORM, the hero has to grapple with his self image after his wife’s death, his high school sweetheart who he loved very much.  He’s a minister who has lost his way with God and isn’t sure how to rediscover his faith.  The book is about his journey.

Hobbies and Interests:

We can’t neglect what hobbies or interests are characters have.  They shape a person’s life.  I love to read books and often spend time reading.  The books I read tell a lot about me.  The same with a character we have in a book. Someone once said look at a person’s books to see what type of person he is which I think is true to a certain extent.  Of course, if you look at mine, you will see such titles as DEADLY DOSES, MURDER ONE and other books about how to kill a person and believe me I only kill off my characters in my books.  But the books really do tell about me--after all, I am a writer.

I’ve seen books that play on a character’s interests and often these are reflected in a conversation.  Also, any special kind of talent is important.  I’ve had characters who could sing and were in a chorus.  Others might be painters.  In my October 2005 book, THE CINDERELLA PLAN, the fact that my heroine is a closet painter who doesn’t display her work or show anyone is an important aspect of her character development.  By the time the story is over she has not only shown the hero her paintings but given him one which he treasures for the huge step it is for the heroine in trusting him.

So when you think of your characters today, think about their belief systems and what hobbies, interests or talents they have that make them special and you can use in your story.  What are some of the hobbies, interests and talents you have used in your stories for your characters?



Career:

Most of our characters have a career.  This can be built up in a book or played down, depending on what is needed for your story.  A soldier will know certain things an accountant usually won’t know.  A policeman may react differently in a situation than a doctor.  When developing what career your hero will have make sure it will support the plot.  If he is called on to do certain things in the story, he should have the expertise or the story will become unbelievable.  Also, how the character talks will often depend on his career choice.  A policeman’s jargon is different from a college professor of biology.

Often a career is what brings the hero and heroine together.  Example: In GOLD IN THE FIRE, my October Love Inspired, Joshua was the arson expert for his fire department and the heroine’s barn was torched.  That’s the way they met.  In THE POWER OF LOVE, my first Love Inspired, the hero was the police chief who brought the heroine’s son home when her son skipped school.

A person’s career choice can project a certain image you may want to carry throughout the book.  Example: In LIGHT IN THE STORM, my April 2005 Love Inspired, the hero is a minister.  That profession will govern how he acts, especially in a small town.

In each of these professions certain types of people are attracted to the professions in the first place.  A police officer usually approaches life differently from a minister.  A soldier will react differently than an accountant.

Here, I might add, you can use his career to project a facade at certain times, and yet underneath that, is the real character.  One of the best examples of that is Indiana Jones.  He’s a professor of archaeology at a college, giving boring lectures to a bunch of students, and yet many times his life is one adventure after another--not what you think of a college professor and someone who digs in the dirt for clues to the past.  Of course, I think the character of Indiana Jones has changed how we look at archaeologists.

Matters of the Heart:

Since we write love stories, it is important to know about your characters’ past loves.  But not just who they dated, married, but what happened to each of those relationships.  Using the past relationships with the opposite sex to develop goals, motivations and conflicts is another good area for the writer to look at.  Let’s face it.  We are affected by what has happened in our past with our love life.  If we are burned too many times and the amount of times will be different with each person, there will come a time when we will stop looking for love.  As writers we can use this to our advantage and develop some juicy conflicts.

I will note here the past relationship doesn’t always have to be a bad one to be used by a writer.  In my current romantic suspense that I’m writing for Love Inspired’s new line, my hero loved his wife, and when she died, a part of him died, too.  He doesn’t want to open himself up for that kind of hurt ever again.  Whereas in another book, A MOTHER FOR CINDY, my January 2005 Love Inspired, my hero’s marriage had been so bad that he swore he would never marry again.

How involved is your character’s past love life?  Do you need to go back in and shore it up to make the conflicts in your story more believable?


Hopes (goals):

What does your character want the most and why?  That is what his hopes and goals will revolve around.  And of course, as a plot device you as the writer want to throw roadblocks in your character’s way so he doesn’t easily obtain those goals.  In my March 2004 book, A FAMILY FOR TORY, my heroine hoped to keep her therapeutic riding stable for special needs people from going bankrupt whereas my hero in that story needed to find good, reliable help to watch his special needs daughter when he was at work.

Later in this book their hopes and goals (another word can be dreams) changed as they so often do in books.  Tory hoped to heal from her past while Slade wished he could forgive himself.  As you can see knowing your character’s hopes is essential to developing the plot.  So take a moment and think of the book you are working on.  What are the hopes for each of your main characters?  If you can’t come up with them, then you need to stop and decide what they are. Without them your story will fall flat because everyone has dreams.

Drive (motivation): 

In Dwight Swain’s CREATING CHARACTERS he states that the most important factor a character must have is he has to care about something.  Something must drive him to do what he does.  This is closely tied to the character’s hopes and dreams.  This drive will enable the reader to empathize with your character and care what happens to him.  As Dwight Swain puts it,  “caring is the core of a character.”  So what does your character care about above all else?

There are a lot of things that motivate a character to do what he does.  The most important thing when choosing a motivation for your main characters is to make sure it makes sense to the readers and that it ties in with their goals.  Motivations and goals are intertwined throughout a story.  What drives a character stems from his fears and even from what he is keeping a secret.  His motivation and goals are developed by his past.  His motivation is what is pushing him toward the goal he set for himself.  You can do a lot of things with your character if your motivation is strong enough.  If you establish a good, strong motivation, readers will buy many things that they normally wouldn’t in a story--example, Robin Hood.  He is a thief, not particularly a heroic occupation, and yet we cheer him on because of his motivation to feed and protect the common, oppressed people of his country.  The same can be said of Zorro.  What a dashing hero, but again he is a thief.  We are taught early on that stealing is wrong.  So when building a motivation that drives your character hopefully toward his goal, make sure you put a lot of thought into what you want and then justify it to the reader.

Again go back into that story you are working on and make sure that your main characters each have goals and motivations.  These can change as the book progresses and often do to show the growth in your characters.  Make the goals and motivations sympathetic, something that the reader can connect to.


Secrets (lead to conflict):

Secrets can be so delicious and really add to a story.  Everyone has secrets--whether it is desires, things they don’t want others to know about them.  The secret should tie into the plot of the story.  It often will be what the plot revolves around.  Don’t develop a secret without using it.  Again when coming up with a secret a writer goes back to the character’s background--what made him what he is today.

Example:  IN A FAMILY FOR TORY, my March 2004 Love Inspired, the hero was driving the car when it wrecked killing his wife and injuring his daughter permanently.  This wasn’t something he let people know.  He didn’t tell the heroine who he had married until they had been married a while.  That one secret drove his characterization and how he dealt with life.

So have fun and come up with something one of the characters is desperate to keep from the others. Secret baby story lines are popular because readers like the idea of a big secret being withheld from other people.

Fears (conflict):

This is a good aspect to use to make your character three dimensional.  Everyone has fears even our brave heroes and heroines.  As writers we want them to have fears because fears lead to internal and even external conflicts.  Conflict is what drives your story forward.  Without it the story will stall and die--not a pretty sight, especially if we have invested many hours in writing the story to that point.  The plot comes from the characters and their conflicts and fears.  These characters have to grow and change which comes from dealing with their conflicts and fears.  This should be a gradual change.  A sudden one won’t be believable.

Again anything is possible so long as it makes sense with everything else you have developed in the book.  Fears stem from a character’s background (as does his goals and motivations).  Without fears a character won’t seem human.  Fears and conflicts are what can give your character flaws and vulnerability--make your reader root for him.  A perfect character, as I said earlier, would be boring.  There are a lot of fears to draw on:  fear of intimacy, lack of control, exposure (ties in with secrets), being alone, making a fool of himself, commitment.  I think you can get the picture.  This will be the meat of your story--where the drama will come in.

In GOLD IN THE FIRE, my October 2004 Love Inspired, Joshua fears being hurt again because he was left at the altar.  You see how I used something in his past to develop his fear.  As I develop a character’s background, I keep that in mind.  Fears don’t come out of the blue with no basis for them.  The same with flaws.  There should be a reason a flaw is there and there should be a flaw.

EVERYTHING COMES FROM A CHARACTER’S BACKGROUND--GOALS, MOTIVATIONS AND CONFLICTS.  That is why it is so important to know your characters well and possibly even do a sketch on them.  If you don’t write your characterizations down, at least know them intimately in your mind.  On my web site (www.margaretdaley.com) I have a character sketch you can use to help to flesh out your characters.  Please use it if you want.  And if you don’t know everything about one of your characters when you start to write your book, that’s okay, too.  Believe me, they will speak up, sometimes totally surprising you.  Good luck with your characterizations and your story.  Your plot comes from your characters so take some extra time to develop them well.

by Margaret Daley

     One of the intricate aspects of an inspirational romance that other romances don’t possess is the faith element.  Without it we don’t have an inspirational.  For an inspirational it is the third element of importance to me.  So how do you integrate it into your story?  Make it seem effortless?  Not preachy?

     The best way to interweave the faith element into the plot of your story is for it to be a natural part of a character’s life.  To show a hero or heroine demonstrating his or her faith as they proceed through their day to day activities will strengthen your story.  Show your character praying, talking with God, turning to Him in time of need. A hero or heroine living as Jesus wanted us to live is the best testament to His glory and says so much without beating your reader over the head and becoming what some people say is preachy.

     There are some stories where the faith element is a part of the conflict, usually when one protagonist is a non believer or someone who has turned away from the Lord and needs guidance back to Him.  When dealing with this conflict in a story, you have to be careful not to be too preachy which can turn some readers off.  I have a friend whose husband recently suffered a near death experience several times over the course of his illness.  She has returned to the Lord, seeing firsthand the power of prayer and faith.  My talking about the power of the Lord wasn’t nearly as convincing. Again showing as much as possible rather than telling is so much more powerful in a story.  Our actions are the most revealing rather than what we say.  The same is true of our characters.

     When looking at a scene and trying to determine if it works concerning the faith element look at your life. Is the conversation natural and something someone you know would say when discussing her faith?  Are you coming on so strong that you are turning people away rather than toward your way of thinking? We want to minister to our readers, persuade them to the Lord, reaffirm their belief.

     For the faith element to work in an inspirational it must be such an intricate part of the story that you can’t take it out and have it work.  In other romances we deal with characterization and plot.  In an inspirational romance we must also deal with the faith element.  As in a secular romance the plot and characterizations are intertwined to form the story.  In the inspirational romance we have three elements (plot, characterization and faith) woven into a pattern that hopefully compels the reader to keep reading and to strengthen their own faith in the Lord.

 

     If I decide I am going to write three books in a year, I loosely plan how that will be done.  You do have to take into consideration that surprises happen along the way all the time.  As a teacher I have learned to go with the flow.  It is just as important as a writer.  Sometimes you have to spend more time on a book than you originally thought.  Or, sometimes you have to do extensive edits on a book you sold.  Or, more research.  You get the picture.  Things don’t always go as you plan, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a plan.

     In all walks of life goal setting is done.  It is just as important to a writer.  Picture what you want and work toward it. Make your goals attainable--something that you can control.  I would love to have a goal to sell the next bestseller, but I don’t have control over that.  I do over what I write.  I can set a goal that I will stretch myself with my next book, demand more of myself.  I can’t control what an editor does or an agent, but I can control what I do.  Keep that in mind when you are setting your goals. 

     And remember if you don’t write, you won’t sell, no matter what goals you set for yourself.  So make one of the goals that you will write every day or at least every other day, even if it is just a few sentences. 

with one being an adjective and the other a noun:

_____________________________________________________

Physical Description:   
Hair_________________________   Eye color ____________________
Physique___________________________________________________
Unusual physical trait________________________________________
Description of facial features__________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Mannerisms________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Walk______________________________________________________
Speech_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Eating habits________________________________________________
Eating preferences___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Any physical deformities?______________________________________
Character tag_________________________________________________
How does he dress?____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
What kind of clothes does he prefer?______________________________
____________________________________________________________

Background/environment:
Where was he born?_____________________Lived most of his life?____
____________________________________________________________

Small town or city background?__________________________________
What kind of house did he grow up in?___________________________
What kind of family did he grow up in?____________________________
____________________________________________________________
What is his birth order placement?________________________________
What kind of family environment did he grow up in?________________
_____________________________________________________________
What kind of schooling did he have?_______________________________
_____________________________________________________________
What kind of pets did he have growing up?_________________________
What kind of friends did he have?_________________________________
Was he popular, a geek or a football player in school?____________
_____________________________________________________________
What interested him most as he was growing up?____________________

Hobbies/Interests:
What movies does he like?_______________________________________
What TV shows does he like?_______________________________________
What books does he like?__________________________________________
What are his hobbies?_____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
As an adult what interest him?____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Does he have any special kind of talent--music, art?______________
__________________________________________________________________

Hopes (goals):
What does he want the most?_______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why?______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Fears (conflict):
What does your character fear the most?___________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why?______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Other fears?______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
State his internal conflict_______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
State his external conflict_______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Drive (motivation):
What does your character care about above all else?_______________
__________________________________________________________________
Why?______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Other things that drive him?______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Secrets (leads to conflicts):
What is the secret(s) that your character is trying to hide?______
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Who is he trying to hide it from and why?_________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Matters of the heart:
Who was his first love?___________________________________________
What happened?____________________________________________________
What kind of dating experiences does he have?_____________________
__________________________________________________________________
Who has broken his heart in the past?_____________________________
What happened?____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
At the moment of the story what is his philosophy concerning women?___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Career:
What is your character’s career?__________________________________
Why did your character choose that career?________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What expertise does your character have?__________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What image does your character project (possibly because of his career)?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What jargon does your character use that is tied to his career?___
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Belief system:
What religion is your character?__________________________________
Does he believe in God?___________________________________________
Does he believe in the power of prayer?___________________________
If not, what does he believe spiritually and  why?________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does your character view the world?___________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is your character passionate about concerning the world issues?

___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does he believe about the environment?_______________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does he believe about animal rights?_________________________
__________________________________________________________________
About a good education?___________________________________________
About money?______________________________________________________
About war?________________________________________________________
What are your character’s virtues?________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does he value about himself above all else?__________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does he think is his major flaw?_____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does your character see himself?______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How does he think others see him?_________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Odds and Ends:
What pet(s) does your character have?____________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Does he take vacations?___________Why or why not?________________
_________________________________________________________________
Where has he traveled?___________________________________________

But first we need to understand the five love languages in order to use them effectively. As Gary Chapman has stated the “in love” feelings don't last in a relationship. Then we are left with learning how to live together and love each other without the “in love” obsession. The goal is to be number one to a special someone--chosen to be love by that person. When we begin to feel in a relationship that we aren't special to the other, then we look elsewhere for it. Human beings need to feel loved and cherished. Perhaps this is the reason we have a 50% divorce rate in this country. Some people don't look beyond the “in love” obsession we experience when we first are in a relationship.

The first love language is words of affirmation. Verbally telling someone how you feel is a powerful communication device for a lot of people.

In The Cinderella Plan, my October Love Inspired, Anne, my heroine, has never had words of affirmation from her parents and yearns for that in a relationship. Caleb gives her that throughout the book which is one of the reasons she falls in love with him when she doesn't think it would ever work between them.

"Have you ever wanted to be someone different?"  she asked, realizing she was asking a question that could open a door she wished would remain closed.

"No.  How about you?"

"Yes."  Many times, she silently added, not brave enough to say it out loud.

"Who do you want to be that you aren't?"

Beautiful, accomplished, outgoing, charming, she thought but again she couldn't voice those traits.  "I wish I wasn't so shy,"  she answered, settling on a small part of the whole.

Caleb angled around so he was facing her on the couch.  "How do you see yourself?"

"Shy, quiet, hardworking."

"Do you know how I see you?  Beautiful, warm, caring with a quiet wit."

"You do?  Beautiful has never been used to describe me,"  she said, latching onto the first word in his description.

"There's more to the word beautiful than what a person sees with his eye.  I do think you are beautiful physically but also inside.  I've seen a woman who cares enough about a little boy that she has reached out to him.  I've seen a woman who volunteers two evenings a week to hold babies because they need her love.  I've seen a woman take some teenage girls under her wing and make them work as a team."

Anne brought a hand up to touch her hot cheek.  She'd never felt more womanly than in that moment.  Caleb's words caused her heart to soar, and it felt as if she were floating on air.  "All my life I have felt less than perfect."

"Who's perfect?  Jesus was the only one who roamed this Earth who was perfect.  Everyone else is less than perfect.  I don't even want to tell you all the mistakes I've made."

As you can see in this excerpt Caleb's words fulfill something Anne has never had before. But a word of caution here. The words need to match the tone or the actions of the person saying them. If they don't, the tone or action will be what's believed. Again this can be used in your writing. What is said must sound sincere, if not it won't be believed. A distant look in your hero's eye when he tells the heroine he loves her or a neutral expression on his face will negate the words. It doesn't even have to be a frown to get the point across to the heroine that maybe he doesn't really mean what he is saying. The man who tells his partner he loves her then goes out and cheats on her is another example of saying one thing while doing another. Believe me the words will lose their effect quickly.

A mature love doesn't keep score--who is right, who is wrong. Forgiveness is the cornerstone of deep love. Love doesn't make demands of the other. It makes requests and expresses wants. Demands drive a love one away. All we want is to be appreciated. As I've said, it's a basic human need.

You can use demands from one character on another to drive a wedge between them. In Courage to Dream my hero demanded the heroine settle in his town, to give up her dream to open her own restaurant in New York. In the defense of the hero he couldn't see himself living anywhere but Magnolia Blossom where his roots were firmly planted and the heroine didn't know how to settle in one place for any length of time.  But this demand drove a wedge between them.

Another way you can use the language of affirmation for conflict is the strong, silent hero meeting the heroine who's primary language is words of affirmation. The story can be the hero learning the gradual love language of affirmation until in the end he tells her how he feels about her. That doesn't mean he didn't tell her in other ways. He may be a person who does acts of service and is constantly doing things for the heroine but she doesn't see that as love while he does. He doesn't understand why she doesn't see that he loves her. See the conflict that can arise from this.

I just recently talked with a friend who has been dating a man for ten months and loves him very much. But they are having problems. He won't say he loves her even though she feels he does in his actions. It bothers her a lot, however, that he can't say the words when it is easy for her to. We talked about his love language being acts of service while hers is words of affirmation. Because they are speaking two different love languages there have been problems in their relationship as they are getting more serious. Again as a writer we can utilize this in our books to heighten the conflict and emotional stakes. 

Love language number two is quality time. In other words, you want undivided attention where you are the focal point. This doesn't mean two people sitting in front of the TV watching a show together. Part of quality time is quality conversation. It focuses on what we are hearing, tapping into the other's feelings, reading body language and not interrupting the other but letting him say his peace. It involves active listening--to understand the other's wants and thoughts. Good listening means eye contact when talking, full attention on the other--not doing something else while listening. But not only should you actively listen but you should also talk, expose yourself emotionally to the other.
Another aspect of quality time besides quality conversation is quality activities. It is not important what you do as much as why. But I will say, at least one of you should want to do the activity if not both. It's the togetherness that is the object, though. In When Dreams Come True, my Love Inspired for April 2006, Zoey doesn't care what she does with Dane just so long as they spend time together, but he's driven to rid the world of drug dealers and spend so much of his time devoted to that rather than their relationship. It has nearly destroyed their marriage. She feels she comes in second in his life.

In Sadie's Hero I had a workaholic falling in love with a woman who needed a man's time to feel special in his life. This, of course, created problems for the hero and heroine, leading to the black moment.

Andrew surged to his feet. "Yes. We do need to talk." He strode to the large picture window that afforded him a wonderful view of Cimarron City. "I told you from the beginning I had no time for a relationship, that my life would be tied up with my work. That hasn't changed, Sadie."

His back was to her and she needed to see what was in his eyes. She walked to him and leaned back against the windowsill, fingertips digging into the ledge. "So what was December all about?"

"It was a lull in my busy schedule because of the holidays. Even IFI slows down at that time of year." He ran his hand through his hair, then rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to disappoint you again like I did Saturday night."

"I see."

"Do you? Do you really see?"

"Yes, I do. You're afraid to make a commitment. I believe you use your work as an excuse to justify to yourself that you have no time for anyone in your life. That's easier than risking getting hurt in a relationship."

"You have it all figure out."

"No, far from it, but I do know one thing. I'm not perfect. I have faults and that's okay. I used to think it wasn't, that no one could see my flaws and still like me. These past few months I've come to realize differently. I have to be with a man who will commit to me one hundred percent. You can't do that and I think you're right that we should end whatever we had between us."

Andrew straightened, quickly scrambling to conceal the anger that had flashed into his eyes.  "Good. Then we agree."

Sadie started for the door, determined to remain in control. "Oh, by the way, Jollie wants Chris to apply for a position in the receiving department when it opens up."

"I'll look into it," came his cold reply.

At the door she paused and said, "I'm gonna ask you again. Have you thought about what you'll have in say ten or twenty years? Will it be enough to satisfy you?  What happens when you retire and there is no more work?"

Sadie grew up with a father who was a workaholic. She'd never really felt loved by him. In this excerpt you can see that she needs quality time as a demonstration of love and it doesn't look like Andrew is capable of giving her that which creates conflict and tension for them.

Receiving gifts is love language number three. This is the easiest to learn and doesn't have to cost a lot. It doesn't have to be a gift you buy. It can be a gift of your presence. It's a powerful gift. This one is very important especially in a crisis if your primary love language is receiving gifts.

In Light in the Storm, my April Love Inspired, Samuel loves Beth, but he lets her go because she has always desired to travel and see the world, and she is finally free to do that after her last sibling she raised has gone. He gives her that gift of freedom even though it tears him up inside to see her leave.

In order to be successful with a love language you may have to ignore male/female stereotypes. A man may need to help with the housework. In one of my Love Inspired Suspense books the heroine comes to the hero's rescue and saves his life. She is out of her element in the jungle, which is his territory, but she is the one who alerts him to the danger of a caiman in the river and they get to safety before it strikes.

The last love language is physical touch. We communicate with physical touch, both the emotions of love and hate. Listen to your spouse in determining which physical touch pleases him the most. What brings you pleasure may not be the same so it's important to discover your love one's. I have to admit I have a lot of touching in my books--a hand on an arm, holding hands, an arm around a shoulder, a hand to a face, a kiss--because I come from a Southern family where this was important. We gave hugs in greeting.

In time of crisis this love language can be particularly important. It communicates love and acceptance when a person's needs it the most.

In The Power of Love the heroine's ex-husband has let down his son and not come to see him on his birthday. She turns to the hero for comfort.

Rebecca shook her head. “I don't understand how he can do this to Peter. He's just a little boy.” Tears glistened in her eyes, blurring her vision.

Gabriel came to her and drew her into his embrace. “I'm sorry, Rebecca.”

She had done so well until he touched her and held her close. The comfort of his arms, his soft, soothing words, opened the dam holding her tears. They spilled out unchecked. She cried, soaking his shirt, the faint thump of his heartbeat close to her ear, a rhythmic sound enticing her to find peace. She felt the calming stroke of his hand on her back and couldn't shake the sensation that she had come home, that this man would protect and support her.

Again I can't stress how important a gentle touch in time of need can be a powerful tool to use as a writer to show two people falling in love. How could Rebecca turn away from someone like Gabriel?

So many problems in a relationship are from the lack of emotional needs being met. Your characters must learn the other's primary love language. Emotions drive a woman's desire so it's important to meet those needs, to show her she is loved and appreciated. For the man desire has a physical basis.

You can use the primary love language negatively, and it will be worse because it is your primary love language.

In A Family for Tory the heroine doesn't allow men to get too close because she had been raped and yet she married Slade to give his daughter a home. He speaks one love language that she isn't capable of hearing. He finally reaches the end of his patience.

"Tory, I'm so sorry some people are narrow-minded."  A nerve twitching in his jaw line, he gathered her into his arms and pressed her against his T-shirt clad chest.

For a few seconds Tory allowed herself to seek comfort in his embrace, his hand stroking the length of her back.  Then their intimate situation engulfed her in sensations she wasn't ready to experience, not when she could replay all the hurtful things said about her.  Panic surged to the foreground.  She wedged her arms up between them and shoved away.

"No!"  She scrambled from the bed and snatched up her robe.  "Please, I'll sleep on the couch in the den.  This won't work."

Tory fled the bedroom.  Her heartbeat hammered against her rib cage while her breathing became shallow gasps.  She escaped into the den, the silence of the house a balm that sought to soothe her tattered nerves.  Thank goodness Slade hadn't followed her.  She couldn't have handled a confrontation with all that had happened lately.

Using a throw pillow to cushion her head, she curled up on the couch and tried to sleep.  But in her mind's eye all she could see was Mrs. Clayton the other day watching her with a narrowed gaze and an expression of contempt.  Tory had done nothing wrong, so why did she feel so dirty and humiliated?  But memories of Brandon's trial only confirmed those feelings.  There had been times she felt she had been on trial instead of him. 

Tory twisted on the couch, trying to get comfortable.  In the dark she saw the digital clock tick off minutes--way too slowly.  Around four she finally surrendered to sleep, her exhaustion overcoming her racing mind.

* * *

Tory bolted straight up on the couch when she heard a knock at the den door.  "Come in."  Swinging her legs to the floor, she ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her pajamas and robe.

Slade stood framed in the doorway, no expression on his face. "I wanted to tell you that Mindy and I are leaving for Cimarron City in a few minutes.  I can't keep acting like everything is all right between us when it isn't."

In this excerpt the reader sees how important that physical connection is to Slade. Every time Tory rejected his touch, turned away from it, he felt she was saying she didn't love him. There comes a point when he has no more hope they can make their marriage work.

Another technique as a writer that you can use is to have a character use a love language that doesn't come naturally to him. This can become an important moment in your book. In When Dreams Come True when Dane finally reveals how he really feels to Zoey, their marriage has a good chance of working. He isn't shutting her out of his life but sharing a part of himself. Zoey realizes how important that moment is in their relationship.

In A Family for Tory Tory has to make the first move toward Slade in order to show him she has worked through her aversion to being touched at the end of the book. It was her ultimate expression of her love for him.

In the hallway by her bedroom Slade drew her into his arms, his mouth claiming hers.  When he pulled back, he whispered,  "I love you, Tory,"  then gave her a quick kiss on the lips before releasing her and heading toward his bedroom.

Dazed, Tory watched him walk away.  "But what about--"

He swung around, his hand on his doorknob.  "As I told you before, you're in control.  You're calling the shots.  The next step is up to you."

The quiet click of his door as he closed it resounded in the hall.  The silence of the house cloaked her in a feeling of safety.  She glanced at her door then at his.  Chewing on her bottom lip, she thought about her ride to the ranch, about her conversations earlier with Susan and Slade and knew what she wanted to do more than anything.  She walked to his door and pushed it open.

He turned toward her, a smile of welcome on his face.  She shut the door and flew into his embrace.

Some psychological necessities humans need are security, self worth and significance. Love is important to these. Without love we may never feel this. It helps heighten these feelings in us. Love enhances a relationship by creating an environment of security where conflicts are resolved without judgment. That's what our stories are about, developing the lasting love between a man and a woman so when the reader closes our books she believes the couple will remain together.