Holidays Gift a Writer with Characters. One of my favorite holiday family movies is Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter and a host of other talented actors. Still – family dynamics star the show for me. Whether blood-related or circumstance-related they come together with a bang.
At the Center of Every Family Story is a Family Character. Even among a gaggle of outrageous outliers one individual outdistances the rest. In Home for the Holidays Aunt Glady – played brilliantly by Geraldine Chaplin – is that standout for me. Because her character serves the storytelling so well.
A Bit of Misdirection Cannot Hoit. Chris Radant’s short story. W.D. Richter’s screenplay. Jodie Foster’s direction. All conspire to disguise Aunt Glady as anything but the center of the dynamic. She is not even onstage until well into the action among a houseful of scene stealers whom we are already deeply involved with by the time she appears.
Eccentricity is Accentuated. One look at Glady and we recognize the stock goofy secondary we find in many family comedies. Or so we think. From tamoshanter askew atop her head to… are her stockings really rolled down? She is costumed strictly for side laughs. Or so we think.
The Suspense Sort-of-Silently Builds. Glady indulges in more than just holiday spirits. She dithers from goofy to giddy. But there is so much else going on. Family melodrama from every seat occupant at the table. We are misdirected yet again. Holidays Gift a Writer with Characters.
Then She Blows Everything Apart. At the nearly offscreen edge of the gathering Glady pulls the pin on one of the most potent plot exploders ever. The emotionally charged secret from the past. And this secret has to do with sex! Let the showstopping shrapnel fall where it may.
No More Details until You Supply Your Own. Dip into the memory bank and withdraw family holidays from your own history. Or get-togethers where you were a guest rather than family. Those offer a degree of objectivity. You can take it all in without being taken in yourself.
Pick a Participant – Any Participant. As long as they have story revelation potential. Like Glady. Not necessarily center stage at first. Unique in one or several ways but not necessarily shocking at first. Not necessarily explosive at first. But they can get there.
Build a Story Around this Person-turned-Character. From unobtrusive entrance to knock-your-rolled-socks-off climactic moment. Brainstorm the gradual climb toward catastrophe. What could happen? To THIS person? Do not edit yourself. Worry about believability later.
Pick a Genre – Any Genre. Your character may grace a comic scenario like Home for the Holidays where the only casualties are red faces and uncomfortable explanations. Or your plot product may be bodies in the back yard. Possibilities reach as far as your imagination.
A Concluding Cautionary. Deepen your character’s disguise. You began with reality but you must end with fiction. Unidentifiable fiction. Change details. Appearance. Job. Habits. Even gender. Consult your inner surreptitious Santa. Holidays Gift a Writer with Characters.
You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr https://www.aliceorrbooks.com.
Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know about how to discover the strongest story characters you have in you? Ask your questions in the Comments section at the end of this post. Alice will answer.
Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 14 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. She blogs for Writers at https://www.aliceorrbooks.com.
Celebrate the Season with Alice’s holiday novel A Vacancy at the Inn – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 3. Available HERE.
Praise for A Vacancy at the Inn. “Grabbed me right away and swept me up in the lives of Bethany and Luke.” “Undercurrents of suspense move the story along at an irresistible pace.” “The Miller family is rife with personality quirks, an authentic touch that demonstrates Alice Orr’s skill as a writer.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.”
All of Alice’s Books are available HERE.
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