Your Writer’s Journal is a Sacred Space. I have spent the past months in personal crisis. The habits of a lifetime keep me writing – journaling to be exact. Almost daily entries emerge from a fog of shock. I capture my experience in emotionally immediate form.

A Writer’s Response to Trauma. The heart is broken. A civilian might choose to hold that wound private. A writer recognizes storytelling fodder wherever she finds it. Heartbreak is first-class fodder. Intense. Powerful. Dramatic. A storyteller writes it down.

Everything is Right-Now and Raw. The blows strike hard. They numb the spirit. But they do not stop the movement of the writer’s hand across the page. The right-now pain of it. The emotions. A writer relentlessly records these painful feelings. As vividly as she can.

Everything is Reverenced. Respect must be paid and care taken. The writer may choose a seemingly incongruous tone. Affecting light heartedness or a sardonic pose. Still we tiptoe around her. She tiptoes around herself. Gives herself the safest possible space.

Everything is Material. The story must be reverenced. This is a deep-soul exercise. The storytelling must be reverenced too. This is a deep-imagination exercise. Occupy the shattered heart with collecting details. Preserve those details on the page for future use.

You Need a Writer’s Journal. If you do not have one – go to your favorite 99-cent store or online shop asap. Notebooks are everywhere. Find the version meant for you. You will recognize her when you see her. The journal notebook that inspires you to write. Fill her pages with whatever you must write. Your Writer’s Journal is a Sacred Space.

These Pages Belong to You. Fill them for your private use if that is what you want to do. They are the repository of your experience. They are the proper vessel for the fresh blood of your feelings. They are that safest possible place you must have when you need it.

These Pages Belong to Your Characters. If or when you decide to make a story of your experience. If or when you decide to transform trauma into a tale you are ready to tell. Into characters that breathe and bleed. Here they are waiting – in your writer’s journal.

These Pages are a Beginning. However deeply you have delved into the events and emotions of your experience – there is more to discover about the fictional people you create from real life. Your Writer’s Journal is the perfect place to explore this territory.

Ask Your Character about Herself. What do I not yet know about you? Before this trauma happened to you and after? You can tell me anything. What are your secrets and deepest feelings?  What hidden truths deserve to find the light? Record her answers – in her voice.

Ask the Same Questions of Yourself. What have I not yet told myself? What secrets have I kept – even from myself? What feelings have I not yet allowed myself to feel? Be gentle and loving with yourself. Free your heart to speak. Your Writer’s Journal is a Sacred Space.

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur.

AliceOrr. https://www.aliceorrbooks.com. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Blogging here for writers. “What A Character! How to Create Characters that Live and Breathe on the Page.”

Alice’s Memoir is titled Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. At the beating heart of this moving story a woman struggles. All her life, she has taken care of herself. Now she faces an adversary too formidable to battle alone. Available HERE.

Praise for Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. “I was lifted. I highly recommend this book as a can’t-put-down roadmap for anyone.” “Outstanding read. Very, very well written.” “Honest, funny, and consoling.” “Ms. Orr is a fine, sensitive author and woman. I have read other books by her and am glad didn’t miss this one.”

All of Alice’s Books are available HERE.

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.

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Write Characters Your Readers Fall in Love With. Happy Valentine’s Time. This is the month of love. The month to be in love yourself. The month to guide others toward love. Especially the month to make your readers fall in love with the hero character of your story.

My Name is Alice and I have a Mission. My mission is to help you write the story agents and editors and readers look for. The story that stars The Best Hero You Can Possibly Imagine. This blog is all about how to create that hero. Don’t forget our heroes are gender neutral.

Make Us Care to the Max about your Hero. Caring ties your reader emotionally to your hero’s fate. We hope for only good things to happen to her. When you have that hope-hook planted in our reader psyches – what’s next? Now you must frustrate us by frustrating our hope and hers. The course of this frustration – your hero’s frustration – is the plot of your story.

Circumstances Block your Hero. She is not allowed to get what she needs. She confronts circumstances that are physically and emotionally scary. As creator of this story’s world you must become a bit of a villain. Put your hero into Trouble and Danger. Force her onto a Roller Coaster Ride. Put your readers on this thrill ride with her.

Up the Emotional Stakes by Introducing Loss. Make your hero suffer a loss – or the real possibility of a loss very soon. Something she truly cares about is in jeopardy or gone. Life as she knew it is or could be tragically diminished. She must make up for the loss or prevent it.

Only your Hero can Prevent this Tragedy. The outcome of your entire story depends on the lightning bolt of boldness that makes her – and you – heroic. So wonderfully heroic that your readers are irresistibly drawn to her and to your story. This is how to Write Characters Your Readers Fall in Love With.

This Irresistible Character makes Your Story Irresistible. This hero and what happens to her – and what happens because of her bold actions – make your story Intense and Dramatic and Powerful. And that is what makes your plot a Page Turner with agent-editor-reader Appeal. A page turner must be Intense – Dramatic – Powerful.

Let’s Look at Your Specific Character in Your Specific Story. What intense dramatic powerful things happen to her? How can you make these occurrences more so? What is at stake for her in your story? What does she have to lose? How can you raise those stakes higher? How can you make the threat of loss even greater – even more excruciating for both your hero and your readers? What could thrust your hero into deeper and deeper trouble?

What Does Your Hero Do? You create conflicted and difficult and dangerous – maybe even life threatening – circumstances in your story situation. Despite the looming catastrophe all of that can inflict upon your hero – she struggles to do the right thing. Is she a Superhero? Not unless that is the genre you are writing.

Why Does Your Hero Struggle so Hard to Do the Right Thing? Because she is Decent – Decent – Decent. That decency is her Internal Motivation. The dire circumstances of your story – the elements that make your story Intense/Dramatic/Powerful – are her External Motivation.

Congratulations – A Toast To You. You Have Done It! You made your belovable and beloved hero’s life impossible. Then you made it worse. You placed her in the path of devastating loss. You forced her through extreme adversity to become her very best self. This is somewhat sadistic of course. But it is also how to Write Characters Your Readers Fall in Love With.

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr  https://www.aliceorrbooks.com

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. Alice blogs for writers at https://www.aliceorrbooks.com. Featuring “What A Character!” Find out how to create characters that live and breathe on your pages.

Alice’s novel A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2 – has a hero you will fall in love with and is available HERE.

Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows: “Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows has moved up to one of my favorite books.”

All of Alice’s Books are available HERE.

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.

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Writer’s Life Resolutions – What A Character! Let’s start with simple and easy. Resolve to write something. This series of posts is about creating characters. Let’s start with specifics. Resolve to Create A Character.

Resolve to Create a Character with Lots of Story Potential. When your reader experiences this creation of yours she is bound to think – What A Character!  Because this character lights a fire under your story. This character makes things happen in your story situation.

Resolve to Create a Character who Makes Things Happen. How does your character happen to make things happen? An event occurs at the opening of your story. An event with possible disastrous consequences. Your character sees this or learns about it somehow.

Resolve to Create a Character with Inner Conflict from the Start. She recognizes the disastrous possibilities. Trouble is brewing. She can avoid that trouble by remaining uninvolved. The wise choice might be to walk away. But somebody must Do Something!

Resolve to Create a Character who Must Make a Choice. She is faced with a dilemma. There is a clear path for her to escape. All she has to do is nothing. All she has to do is decide that this situation is not her problem. Or – that it is her concern. She must choose.

Resolve to Create a Character who Takes a Bold Leap. This trouble could run very deep. She decides to hold her nose and jump in anyway. Why does she do this? Her motivations may be many and various. She is your creation. The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination. And your Writer’s Life Resolutions – What A Character!

Resolve to Create a Character who Takes a Bold Leap for Noble Reasons. This is one storytelling possibility. Your character understands that her life will be complicated by this choice. She jumps in anyway simply because it is the right thing to do. P.S. Most readers will love her for doing so.

Resolve to Create a Character who Continues to Make Things Happen. She decides to act. She chooses a risky path. You as storyteller – and the genre you are writing – determine the extent and the specifics of that risk. Your character’s decision to act causes the story action to begin.

Resolve to Create a Character with Inner Conflict throughout Your Story. Your character has indeed catapulted into trouble. Obstacles arise one after another and must be overcome. Barriers must be surmounted. She is repeatedly tempted to turn tail and run for safety.

Resolve to Create a Character who Remains Bold when she No Longer Feels Bold. She struggles. Then she is forced to struggle some more. The odds are great. It looks like she will be defeated. In fact she is all but certain she will be defeated. She keeps on struggling anyway. Maybe she has a helpmate – maybe not.

Resolve to Create a Character whose Fate Determines how Your Story Ends. As storyteller you decide how all of this turns out. Some heroes are defeated. Some heroes triumph. P.S. Most readers love the latter. We love Writer’s Life Resolutions – What A Character!

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur.  Alice Orr.  https://www.aliceorrbooks.com

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. Alice blogs for writers at https://www.aliceorrbooks.com. Now featuring “What A Character!” Find out how to create characters that live and breathe on your pages.

A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2 – has a hero who keeps her writer’s resolutions and is available HERE.

Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows: “Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows has moved up to one of my favorite books.”

All of Alice’s Books are HERE.

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.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/