character development - Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

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Hart & Cole Series

Pantser vs. Plotter – The Tipping Point

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“I am not typically a fan of first person viewpoint writing but for this book, it works very well. The author managed to create two individual people within the story and tell a first person view from each of them and they did not get lost in each other, nor did one overpower the other.” (Red – see full review here.)

This is perhaps one of the best compliments I’ve gotten so far on my debut published novel Climbing The Walls (Hart & Cole Book 1) – one I didn’t even think of, when writing.

Because, of COURSE my characters don’t get lost in each other – to me, they never will; they never can. They are each so individual, so unique, to me… so I’m thrilled my readers are also able to GET that.

Because here’s the thing:

Kris and Nicole – they’re both fully (and individually!) formed in my head. I’ve only just barely edited them.


 

Plotter vs. Pantser

In writers’ circles you have to be one or the other – either you have a plan and you outline everything, or you just write and see where it takes you. So, which am I?

I revealed my own secret through the character of Nicole, a part-time writer:

That’s rule number one about writing a novel. Never tell your agent, publisher, husband, or anyone even remotely involved with your book that you don’t know jack shit about what your book’s gonna be like.

Have faith that if you start somewhere, one night the words will grip you and you’ll be typing like a possessed creature and you’ll fall asleep slumped over the computer and wake up in the morning to discover what you’ve written.

It’s rare that ideas are going to come if you sit calmly day after day in front the machine with slotted times to work on the book. It’s whenever you’re haunted, whenever you want to get away from your own life, whenever you’re possessed. That’s when the inspiration hits. That’s when you grin on the inside and think, JACKPOT.

Writing’s a lot like sex –– when you’re not getting any it can be the worst thing in the world, but then when it comes and it’s good it’s great and worth all the nights you weren’t getting any.

Yep, that was my cheeky nod to the writing process.

If you’ve got a keen eye for detail, you’d have noticed that Nicole’s writer’s block happens on Chapter 6 of her novel (and it happens in Chapter 6 of mine!).

 

“Chapter 6”

In law, in business, “Chapter 11” connotes bankruptcy. For me, Chapter 6 is the tipping point – just past the halfway mark between throwing in the towel and deciding to make it work.

Kris and Nicole have been married for 6 years before all hell breaks loose – beginning with the aftermath of their nasty fight that opens Chapter 1.

6 is the magic number here.

Chapter 6 of Nicole’s novel is the point when she decides to scrap everything and start over. It was also my point when the story fully took hold – when Nicole grabbed ahold of me and didn’t let go.

Hopefully Chapter 6 of their marriage is Nicole’s and Kris’ turning point, as well. God, I hope so. I hope I ended on a positive note, despite the journey getting there, despite the journey Nicole took me on.

Yes… Nicole. Sure Kris, was there too, but he was along for the ride.

Nicole was the one that pushed me, scrabbling at my brain and speeding those possessed fingers over the keyboard in the wee hours of the morning.

You see, Nicole is NOT necessarily a protagonist. You’re not supposed to love her.

Yes, I had trouble connecting with her at first. (And readers have said the same.) Everyone loves Kris – he’s easy to love.

He’s railing against himself to fight off the forces struggling to bury him… and he succeeds for a moment, only to plunge right afterward – self-destructing, seeking salvation, and susceptible; for the first time: susceptible.

But even in his darkest, weakest moment when he ultimately completely sh*ts the bed, you still feel sorry for him; you feel disappointed, sure, but you still feel compassion.

Nicole… not so much.

 

Zero to a Hundred

…But from Chapter 6, she was under my skin. She scraps her novel, and starts writing a story based on a memory of her childhood – and that’s when she became fully real to me.

The memory is about sex, which has always been easy for her to give away. Sex is easy. Everything else is the problem.

But you don’t – you can’t – “become” Nicole overnight… so how did she get there?

Where does she come from; what does she come from; who does she come from?

How does a girl turn into this monster bitch that can’t stop herself from making the wrong decisions?

How does a girl turn into a woman that goes from zero to a hundred – lashing out, vicious sexual seduction, profound intimacy – in a split second?

She’s scraped a piece of herself into everything she’s written. She’s all over the place. She was broken from the jump. That’s how.

She’s NOT a protagonist. Hell, I hated her, half the time. But that didn’t mean I had permission to stop telling her story. She wouldn’t let me stop telling it.

I’m working on Book 4 now, and I’m not even remotely done with her yet.

She’s already had her moments with Darren – coming up in Book 2 & Book 3 [and OH MY GOD, I LOVE WRITING SCENES FOR THOSE TWO!…] and still, for the life of me… I can’t stop.

She’s flowing out of me, this mongrel-mulatto journalist/writer b*tch.

I’m a pantser, oh baby I’m such a pantser, but only because she’s already been hard at work, plotting.

She’s eating me alive… she’s devouring all the other imaginary friends in my head, pushing ahead of everyone else to stamp her way through everything.

…And for the life of me… for the life of Nicole, God help me… I can’t stop.

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Hart & Cole Series

Editing is Massacre: The Chopping Block

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“I’m so, so, so sorry, Lee…” I’m almost in tears, as I delete an entire scene with one of my favourite characters.

But I’m down 50 pages already (woohoo!), and all the nips and tucks in the world won’t get me to where I need to go. I need to edit. I need to CUT.

“Climbing The Walls” (Book 1), was already a bit longer than it needed to be (a criticism I’ve received, and taken in stride).

I felt it myself, during the million-and-one edits, but I justified it: for the first book, you need to take a little time to introduce characters and “drop in” snippets of back stories, little kernels of jewels that you can fully pop and allow to bloom in a later installment.

But enough of Book 1.

For now, my mind and heart and soul are buried deep in Book 2…

…Of which, the first draft was already 200 pages longer than Book 1!!!

So… it’s chopping time!

 

What (Who?) to Cut

Lee — Alejandro Galeota — who is mentioned briefly in passing in Book 1 of Hart & Cole, and becomes a somewhat central character in Book 2 of Hart & Cole… Lee is awesome.

At 21, Lee is a big kid and brings some comic relief and support to both Darren & Luisa

He’s Luisa’s little brother, and fiercest advocate. He’s Darren’s new protégé and business partner. He’s the children’s favourite uncle; and at only 21, he’s also a big kid himself. He’s dynamic, he’s supportive, he’s sweet, he’s lovable, he’s funny, and he has some of the best one-liners.

He’s also… well, not the point.

He’s there because he needs to be; he’s the reason certain plot points can move forward, and I’ve been thrilled to build his character out as fully as I can… but now, I can’t. I just can’t.

Editing a book is similar to a film or a TV show. I remember when I watched the Behind-the-Scenes/Making Of one of my favourite teen soaps, the iconic early-2000s One Tree Hill.

There was supposed to be an entire story arc of Peyton helping a troubled young girl, and… when it came time to cut… there just wasn’t. As they explained it, in the end…

You have a certain running time, and instead of tweaking every other scene to chip off bits and pieces to string together a story that still makes sense, you go with the easier option: just CHOP one section out entirely.

And, hard luck for the poor actor/actress who was about to make their debut!

After all, I’m sure we all remember the funny scene on Friends, “Joey’s Big Scene” where Joey faked a scene for his grandma, when his character got cut entirely, after he had invited all his friends and family to watch!

 

When to Cut: White Spaces

Every writer has a process.

I write in Microsoft Word, on a regular 8″ by 11″ letter-sized layout. I do this because I want to have a concept of pages and flow, and in terms of content I know what my chapters should look like, in that layout.

I write EVERYTHING, to start. The story happens in my head in its entirety — every single word of dialogue, every pause, every action, every look between the characters.

Better to have a half-page blank than a few orphan lines of text

Then, I bring it into the template sized for publication (I’ve chosen 6″ by 9″ for Hart & Cole — you can download a sample template here). Here, I see where all the words actually fall, all the orphaned one-words dangling unnecessarily on a line by itself, or the very short page at the end of a chapter.

That’s where my cutting starts — tightening the white spaces.

Yes, you need to leave some of them, to be easy on the eyes, but it’s better to have a half-page or quarter that is blank, than a single line or maybe two on a page by itself!

So, some of the lengthy first draft, thankfully, gets tightened up naturally, once your goal is just to reduce white space.

 

How to Cut: Dialogue

I also write a lot, I repeat a LOT of dialogue. And there’s only so many times you need to write “he says/she asks”.

Yes, you need enough, so that the reader can follow who is speaking, but I focus on using their actions in between their words rather than identifying the speaker with “he/she says”.

For example, early in Pandora’s Poison (Book 2):

“I am just saying… we used to be friends, Luisianna.”

“No, Gianni.” I uncross my legs and pull my feet up, hugging my knees. “We’re just two people who used to f**k, a lot, a long time ago.”

And, a little later down, when Darren and Nicole see each other for the first time in weeks:

Nicole sighs. Her eyes drop to the box at her feet. “So I’m really fired?”

“You wanted to be fired, baby girl. Be careful what you ask for.” I smile ruefully, chucking my index finger in her direction.

Not once did I use the actual words of “speech”, but you know who’s talking. That way, you can get away with getting rid of about 50% of “he said/she said”.

So… dialogue, white spaces… woohoo! You get a few pages knocked off the top that way.

The real problem comes when you realise you’ve invested 20% into a secondary character, who really only needs 10% or less — no matter how much you love every single word you’ve written for him in every scene.

…So, I’m sorry Lee. I’ll try to do justice to you sometime later on!

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Hart & Cole Series

Character Development: The “Book Bible”

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First of all, you have to remember that Darren loves Luisa.

…To hell and back.

And she’s taken him there, so she knows.

Second of all, you have to remember that Luisa owes Darren.

Even when he behaves badly (and oh boy; does he!)… she owes him…

* * *

My friend and beta reader was determined to dislike Darren, after the end of Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series.

I don’t want to give away spoilers — particularly when I’m not entirely sure when Book 2 will be polished and ready for mass consumption, but basically:

A very, very good man [despite his flaws] did a very, very bad thing. 

It’s easy to look at a character like Luisa and label her “weak”, and wonder why on earth she even makes an effort to forgive him, as she does at the start of Book 2. But you have to remember that everyone’s story is not the same.

This a man who loves his mama, and his two girls; and is raising his precocious son to be a good man.

This is a man who did the unthinkable, years ago, to try to save his marriage.

This is a woman who has always loved strong, imposing men.

This is a woman who broke THIS strong, imposing man, time and time again… and she knows this.

So, I repeat: everyone’s story is not the same.

My character is my longest relationship…

So, yes, up to the end of Book 1, I’m on board with my beta reader friend. I myself, as many women have, have been at the receiving end of a man that crossed the line.

Despite the outcome (and fortunately mine was a “good” outcome), there is that moment of fear, when you’re in an intimate setting… and you’re not 100% sure if your words are going to be enough.

So, like I was saying… there’s no excuse for Darren’s behaviour. And I wholeheartedly agree.

But, you see, here’s the thing: I LOVE Darren.

I’ve loved Darren for 15 years. He’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.

He’s my favourite character I’ve ever created.

He’s kept me up at night. I’ve rewritten every one of his crucial scenes dozens of times over the years.

He is my Book 2 and Book 3 man, and he’s been the most fully formed character since long before Book 1 even had a title.

Though we meet him throughout Book 1, he doesn’t get to spread his wings until Book 2 and Book 3.

I can’t wait to share him, in his full glory, to the world.

He may be in my imagination, but he’s my muse.

…So I’m determined to make her love him, too. I’m determined to make everyone love him.

…Which means, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

The Journey & The Lessons Learnt

That aside, our ongoing squabble about my character led me to think of how we, as writers, develop our characters.

Is it okay to just let them unfold onto a blank page?

Do we have a list of actions they need to get in, before the story’s climax?

I wish I had such an intricate plan — it would help if I had a bullet point list I could plan around.

For me, my characters control me. I have to wait till they tell me.

They tell me their strengths, their weaknesses, what they can do, what they will do in a situation.

I like to make sure that all my characters learn something and go through something to get them somewhere important in their relationship by the end of each novel.

For Book 1‘s Kris and Nicole, their tumultuous 3-4 months was their relationship’s breaking point… when they were each at their worst.

So how do you keep that in mind, while setting up all the scenes that led them there?

Start with a Premise: 4 to 5 lines

I use a premise-based approach.

My Hart & Cole series overall has a simple premise: RELATIONSHIPS. MARRIAGE. PARENTHOOD. INFIDELITY. INSECURITY. There’s a lot you can do with all of that, without writing an elaborate tale. These are things we all go through at some point in time. These are things we all understand.

Assuming you’re a writer worth even a sprinkle of your salt, once you have the smallest kernel of a story, you can build from that into so much more.

Once you’ve got the premise, you just need to mesh the premise with the characters.

I try to break my premise down to 5 lines or less, and make sure that my characters’ motivation (even though it’s never SAID directly) will trace back to the 5-line character premise.

So, here’s my Book Bible for Book 1:

First of all, you need to know that Kris always wanted kids.

…And Nicole always wanted Kris.

But here’s the thing: you can’t half-ass motherhood and still expect to keep your “perfect” husband.

Second of all, you need to remember:

Mommy forgets everything.

I Command You To Love My Anti-hero

Once you keep that clear 5-line thought in your mind as you write, it’s a lot easier to build scenes around your characters.

If you finish Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series, and then go back to the beginning two chapters (available here), you’ll realise the entire plot is covered in the first two chapters.

Everything that happens, was alluded to there.

All the themes were mentioned; the upcoming “breaking point” event (for *both* of the main relationships)… was right there.

I began with the premise, and I used the premise to help with the foreshadowing of events to come.

By the time Book 2 rolls around, you soon realise Darren’s bad behaviour (from Book 1) was inevitable. Events led him to that point; he didn’t get there on his own.

Then Luisa… I had fun with her, because there’s so much about her character to dislike; she may be the least sympathetic to some readers!

But Luisa’s a good girl. That’s important to remember.

What’s more important to remember is that good girls do bad things.

And the bad girls; the bad boys… sometimes, they are the best of all.

“You’re one of the good ones, Darren Hart,” Nicole says to Darren, in Book 3.

And he is… oh gosh. I promise you, he is.

So like I was saying, I need to make everyone love Darren.

I’ve got my work cut out for me. Let me get back to it…

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