As a reader, we all know what happens when you open a book and hate the main character -- you throw the book across the room and stop reading. But what do you do as a writer?After Henry Wade made his appearance in The Reluctant Grooms series, and I met his nieces, I thought they were all very lovely, and it would be a breeze to share their stories.
My mother's illness aside, (finding time to write was another thing altogether) I wrote the first three stories (Henry REGRETS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Faith DUNBURY PARK and Hope WHEN HOPE AND PASSION COLLIDE) and follwing the series arc, began formulating the idea for Prudence. I knew from the beginning she would be a hard character to write because -- I didn't like her.
Prudence is a spoiled rotten brat with no compassion or empathy for anyone other than herself. She is cruel and contemptible and even her cousins are afraid of her wicked tongue. Hence the title, JUDGING PRUDENCE. I thought it apt because everyone judged her, including me.I knew she had to have some redeeming qualities, however, I couldn't see them. She was a mean little witch and just wanted everything her way. Writing her story every day was like pulling teeth. I despised her and just didn't think she deserved a happy ending.
However, as part of Henry Wade's family, how could I do that? As a writer of romance, how could I not let her find her HEA? As a reader, if I left her out of the series, that would mean I would have to rewrite all the other books, and that was not going to happen.
Characters, like people, generally have a secret they try to hide from the world. It may be big or small, but most often, they don't want anyone to know about it. Well, I finally found Prudence's and it's a whopper. It explains why she is the way she is.
Once I realized what she was hiding, the story seemed to improve, the flow seemed much better, the intrigue and plot line worked, and I was a happy little writer once more.
Does Prudence get her Happily Ever After? I'm not sure. I'm not finished writing yet, but what I do know is that she will have to change her ways if she wants to get what she deserves. And this will be the fun part of writing her story -- her comeuppance.
I'm hoping to have the story finished by Thanksgiving, but I said that last year too. Let's hope things work out a little bit better this time around.
Anne Gallagher (c) 2018
I think the secret to being able to write about a character who's less than likable is a viable backstory to explain the character's behavior. A writer has to be able to empathize with her own characters, because if she has no empathy for them, her readers won't, either.
ReplyDeleteYeah. That's where I am. I finally found out why she's so mean. It's been easier to write forward, but still sticky. Thanks for the support.
ReplyDeleteWell,you have me curious. I wonder what has made Prudence such a pickle-puss! The hard part is writing her sympathetically...at least to some degree. Think of Scarlett O'Hara. Was there ever a more spoiled brat of a character...and yet, readers kept with her through something like 800 pages! Happy writing. I've been thinking of you.
ReplyDelete