We talked last week about how our job is to convince readers as writers. Get readers to buy into the idea we are presenting. Place readers inside our story so completely, they believe us every step of the way as our story unfolds.
Our powers of persuasion can be so total that we may have created a new concept of society. A dystopian or utopian brand-new world. Maybe you are examining a Protopia or a Eutopia. Imagining across new and different frontiers of world-building. The way our characters inhabit, respond and relate to the world we have built is how we have shown, (rather than explained) their personalities. And our story.
The main issue is understanding our character’s Deeper Why. You are constantly trying to dig more deeply into the Deeper Why. For example, why are our people accepting the dystopian society? Or what is the Deeper Why about their fight to change their utopia? Are they trying to control their utopia.
What I’m trying to get at is that no matter what your genre – fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction or non-fiction – we are always building a world. Brick by brick. Reaction by reaction, word by word. Even if it’s our own backyard with a memoir, we still have to ask the Deeper Why and build a world for our readers.
For example, I live in Italy, in Florence. All my books are set in Italy. With every scene I must show the Italian world of my protagonist. I can’t take it for granted that my readers know anything about Italy. Especially from my character’s perspective, from her point of view. I am building an Italian world for my readers. To show, not tell, many aspects of my character. Her Deeper Why springs from the Italian world I have created. Her inner conflicts, her questions, the answers she finds or doesn’t find.
I keep her near me, my character and her world. I am constantly observing the humanity around me and thinking about what I can pick or nick from it. For some reason, I call this manuscript ‘she.’ I keep my creatures close.
Next week, Keeping Our Creatures Close Part 3
***
If you’d like to share any comments or thoughts, I’d be happy to hear from you. Email me directly at lisacliffordwriter@gmail.com.