Welcome back, TINA! As many of you know, I'm a big fan of Tina Radcliffe and she loves stopping by and chatting with y'all. Today is a special day. Of course it's Valentine's Day, but it's also a joint-force adventure in hosting Tina between Carrie of Reading is My SuperPower and myself, here at Just Commonly blog!
Now, for my new readers and in case you're not familiar with Tina Radcliffe, here's a bit about her:
A freelance writer for over twenty years, Tina Radcliffe is an RWA Honor Roll member, a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, and three-time ACFW Carol Award nominee. She is a 2018 ACFW Mentor of the Year recipient and a 2018 Carol Award finalist. Her 11th book for Harlequin Love Inspired, Her Last Chance Cowboy, releases in print on February 19th. In addition to novel-length fiction, Tina has sold over two dozen short stories to Woman’s World Magazine. A former library cataloger, Tina is a frequent presenter on writing topics and an online instructor. She currently resides in Arizona, where she writes fun, heartwarming romance.
TO CONNECT WITH TINA:
website, facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram, Book Bub
Stay up to date on all her releases by signing up for her newsletter HERE. (http://bit.ly/2angfWP)
Now, for my new readers and in case you're not familiar with Tina Radcliffe, here's a bit about her:
A freelance writer for over twenty years, Tina Radcliffe is an RWA Honor Roll member, a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, and three-time ACFW Carol Award nominee. She is a 2018 ACFW Mentor of the Year recipient and a 2018 Carol Award finalist. Her 11th book for Harlequin Love Inspired, Her Last Chance Cowboy, releases in print on February 19th. In addition to novel-length fiction, Tina has sold over two dozen short stories to Woman’s World Magazine. A former library cataloger, Tina is a frequent presenter on writing topics and an online instructor. She currently resides in Arizona, where she writes fun, heartwarming romance.TO CONNECT WITH TINA:
website, facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram, Book Bub
Stay up to date on all her releases by signing up for her newsletter HERE. (http://bit.ly/2angfWP)
Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you to Annie, for hosting
me today.
Like any creative art, writers choose to learn and grow
their skills by sitting at the feet of the experts in their field. I am a
strong proponent of Michael Hauge, and his Hero’s Two Journeys and the Six
Stage Story Structure method.
Hauge is a former Hollywood screenwriter. His methodology
speaks to me and apparently to others, as many other instructors utilize his
body of work to create their own plotting method.
Why should this interest you, the reader? Because I’d like
a bit of feedback from you on this methodology.
Hauge says that in order to create reader empathy or
identification (in order to make the reader CARE about your characters) you
must make a character sympathetic to the reader.
To do that apply two or more of the following:
1. Make
the character the victim of some undeserved misfortune.
2. Put
the character in jeopardy (in danger of loss).
3.
Make the character likeable-liked by others in the book.
4.
Make your character funny.
5.
Make your character powerful.
Let’s break that down a bit. When we are reading, we
actually become the characters and experience emotions through the characters. It’s
been said of romance novels, that we become the heroine and fall in love with
the hero.
The same is true in movies, so I’ll use classic books and/or
movie examples that you may relate to because not all of us have read the same
current novels.
Examples:
1.
Make the character the victim of some undeserved misfortune.
Kathleen in You’ve Got
Mail. Her family bookstore is about to go under because of the big bad box
store. We definitely sympathize with her as the bookstore is her heritage.
2.
Put
the character in jeopardy (in danger of loss).
Dorothy in The Wizard
of Oz. We connect to characters when we worry about them and we are
definitely worried about Dorothy and Toto with a tornado coming!
3.
Make the character likeable-liked by others in the book.
I am reminded of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables.
Nearly everyone likes Anne and if they don’t, then we don’t like them either.
She’s self-deprecating and grandiose at times, but everyone loves Anne.
4.
Make your character funny.
One word. Shrek.
Although some of the best lines in the Shrek movies come
from Donkey. We like funny characters.
5.
Make your character powerful.
The movie/book I am reminded of here is Pride & Prejudice. There is
something about Darcy’s power that keeps our interest and respect, despite his
initial arrogance.
You’ll notice that many of these main characters utilize
several of these categories. Overlapping is definitely a plus. The more of
these qualities a character possesses, the more we are endeared to them. When
we are endeared to a character, we keep reading and that’s a plus for authors.
Look at William Goldman’s classic, The Princess Bride. Wesley is the victim of undeserved misfortune,
in jeopardy, liked by others, funny and in his mask and black costume..he’s
powerful-ish! This is why this novel has
been read and loved by readers since it was first released in 1973.
From the author: "I've gotten more responses
on The Princess Bride than on everything else I've done put
together—all kinds of strange outpouring letters. Something in The
Princess Bride affects people."
And that is exactly what writers want. To
affect people!
Tripp Walker, the horse whisperer in Her Last Chance Cowboy has been one of
my favorite characters to write because he too fits the bill for satisfying all
five character traits listed above. Waiting until book four to write his story
was actually difficult, but it took three books for him to open up and tell me
about his past. I hope you’ll enjoy his story!
Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite/s of the above
attributes for characters?
Can you provide examples? One easy way to find examples is
to think about your favorite Disney animated films. They’re classics because
they strongly follow this technique.
ABOUT HER LAST CHANCE COWBOY
Title: Her Last Chance CowboySeries: Big Heart Ranch, Book 4
Author: Tina Radcliffe
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired
Release Date: Feb. 19, 2019 (Print) / Mar 1, 2019 (Ebook)
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Western
Link: Goodreads l Book Bub
She came seeking family…
Will she find love at Big Heart Ranch?
When pregnant single mother Hannah Vincent shows up professing to be the half sister of the Maxwells of Big Heart Ranch, horse trainer Tripp Walker is wary. Wounded before, he doesn’t trust easily. If only Hannah and her feisty five-year-old daughter weren’t so impossible to resist. Now, despite his doubts, joining this little family is quickly becoming the cautious cowboy’s greatest wish.
Will she find love at Big Heart Ranch?
When pregnant single mother Hannah Vincent shows up professing to be the half sister of the Maxwells of Big Heart Ranch, horse trainer Tripp Walker is wary. Wounded before, he doesn’t trust easily. If only Hannah and her feisty five-year-old daughter weren’t so impossible to resist. Now, despite his doubts, joining this little family is quickly becoming the cautious cowboy’s greatest wish.
TO PURCHASE A COPY*
OTHER BOOKS IN THE Big Heart Ranch Series*
GIVEAWAY
You can win and autographed print copy of Her Last Chance Cowboy, 3 Frostbeard Studios Book Lovers Soy Candles (Bookstore-Study Break Chai Latte-Reading at the Café) and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. All courtesy of Tina! (Reading at the Cafe is my personal favorite!)
Be sure to stop by Reading is My SuperPower for extra entries!!
I love people with a great sense of humor. So I love when a character is fumny.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteMe too, Terri! I think this is my favorite of the qualities. Happy Valentine's Day!
DeleteI enjoy when a character is in jeopardy. Great example is Lilo & Stitch movie when the house is destroyed no fault of hers or stitch but that he is being hunted in a sense.
ReplyDeleteLOL. So true. I think that keeps the suspense going! LOL. Thank you
DeleteThis is another great story and character plot because you know that you are going to totally engage your sympathies. WE LOVE UNDERDOG CHARACTERS!!
DeleteI'm watching Mary Poppins today with my kids for a Valentine's Day homeschool party. So those characters are in my head. Bert is funny, liked by Mary and the children, and the victim of the unsympathetic rain washing away his chalk drawings.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Lila! Happy Valentine's Day to you and thanks for taking time from your day to stop by!
DeleteHAHAHAH> I love Mary Poppins - though I do find Mary mean at times. =P But memorable!
DeleteA likeable character is always nice.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Rita. We must like them to spend our valuable bookish time with them.
DeleteI love funny characters! One of the things that attracted me to my husband was his sense of humor!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, MissMaria! It's essential. A sense of humor covers a multitude of sins! HA! Hoping you and your hubby have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
DeleteYou can never go wrong with adding a bit of humor in a character or story!
DeleteGood morning, Annie and Tina!
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on why readers like...identify with....characters is fascinating. I seem to love the wounded heroes. The ones hurt by misfortune. Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favorites. The hero doesn’t deserve his prison. He is self-sacrificing as he allows Belle to leave, then her love frees him. Perfect!
Thanks for the giveaway. Hero Tripp is one of my favorites. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wounded ones are definitely memorable. I also love the redemptive quality these heroes learn along the way!
DeleteHi Sherida! I like funny and wounded underdog which is generally the type of hero I write. LIKE TRIPP WALKER!! LOLOL! Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteI definitely love a character with a good sense of humor! :) Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteFunny and able to laugh at themselves! Numero uno.
DeleteMe too!
DeleteI like a character who is funny
ReplyDeleteME TOO!!!!
DeleteI enjoy realistic characters who are vividly portrayed. Characters whom I can relate to with and have life experiences. Anne
ReplyDeleteMe too, especially the silly quirks one does!
DeleteWell said, Anne! Thanks for stopping by!Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts! Such a thoughtful giveaway!
ReplyDeletefaithdcreech at gmail dot com
Hi Faith! That is totally a READER GIVEAWAY! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteThank for stopping by!!
DeleteI would say when a character has overcome adversity.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I also love to criticize or get mad at those creating difficulty for our characters! LOL. Villains can be memorable too!
DeleteThat's another good one. Especially if it makes us relate to the character on a deeper level. Thank you for taking time to stop by and comment. Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite books is Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson and her main character Marianne has all five attributes in some way. Now I realize why it's such an engaging story!
ReplyDeleteCOOL! I've heard great things about Edenbrooke!
DeleteI've heard a lot about this too, Heidi. Must read!
DeleteThese 5 things are all important to me when choosing books to read. I want high stakes as well as mistakes my characters face. When I write, I try to think of why my character wants to accomplish something and throw obstacles in his or her way. Humor is always appreciated too and a great way to break tension before diving back in to conflict.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Danielle! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
DeleteDanielle! We meet again. You do an excellent job of breaking it down. Thank you!
DeleteGreat post, Tina! I can see how these things would make us care about the characters. I love it when characters are humorous. I think when the main character is a victim of undeserved misfortune it creates almost instant empathy for the person.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Winnie! Those two qualities are sooo important!
DeleteSo true! Hi Winnie!
DeleteI enjoy a funny character.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
Me too, Marilyn. It's like "Calgon, Take Me Away!"
DeleteMe three. 😆
DeleteI enjoy characters who have some humor and are likable. They usually do need to face some kind of adversity to make the story more interesting.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Pam! CONFLICT IS A GOOD THING!!
DeleteTotally agree. That's how we can root for them! Lol.
DeleteWhat matters most to me is a likable character. If I don't care about them, I don't care what happens to them! There are a few exceptions, usually if the story is very suspenseful I'll continue to read even if I don't love the characters.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. For me the characters are actually more important than the plot.
DeleteYea. It's important if the characters make us want to continue on...
DeleteI love a character who is funny. :)
ReplyDeleteO yes! They are always my favorites too!
DeleteI am way behind here. So sorry. I flew to Michigan to speak. Thank you, Amelia, for stopping by. BTW, another great heroine name!
DeleteTo me, the first one I think of as enjoyable would be making the character the victim of some undeserved misfortune as in a lot of the Disney movies - Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. However, I also like a bit of comical character like the Dwarfs in Snow White. The stories I enjoy the most are those that connecting to the characters because they are believable and ones we can relate to on some bases. They pull at you emotionally either through love, laughter or even pain pulling for the happily ever after we all strive for. Also the characters that you hate to see the story end, even if it is happily, and are hoping there is a book 2 or more because they have become family in a sense.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
Lol, makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteAgree with you, Kay. And I hate when a series ends. SNIFF!!
DeleteThanks for the Valentine's giveaway! Vivian Furbay jtandviv (at) q (dot) com
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Vivian!
DeleteI like characters that are likeable. The example I can think of Cinderella. She is also victim of undeserved misfortune because of the way she's treated by her stepmother & stepsisters. She is put in jeopardy because she has to make it back in time from the ball so she doesn't get caught but she loses her glass slipper. But she's powerful because overcomes being treated that way and she ends up "getting the guy" in the end.
ReplyDeleteHA!!! WELL DONE, Julie Waldron. You nailed that synopsis of the story.
DeleteI like to be able to the characters through their trials. So I would go with 1 and 2 but I don't like it when there is false accusations that get drug out through the whole book. Nor do I care for silly misunderstandings.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part of the story for me is coming up for ways to torture the characters, Emilee.
DeleteI love a sense of humor and I’m blessed my hubby and I laugh every day.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby is a hoot too, Lucy! Blessed!!!
DeleteI really like funny and strong characters in books. It makes for a good storyline.
ReplyDeleteMy head is spinning Tina...trying to catch you here and there lol
ReplyDeleteI like loyal, vulnerable, and funny characters <3
And nice eyes doesn't hurt either, right, Natalya??
DeleteThis book sounds like a really sweet read and I can't wait to get a copy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie P and thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI love the way you describe the main character as if he's real. My husband says that's the mark of a good writer.
ReplyDeleteHA! High five to your hubby!
DeleteHi Tina, I guess it is because I am now re-watching many of the Disney movies with my granddaughter but I do tend to gravitate toward the characters that have suffered a misfortune. Cinderella was treated horribly by the stepmother and step-sisters; Sleeping Beauty is targeted with the poison apple; and need I mention the Beast. And I have always been a sucker for the underdog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post!
I think of all the Disney stories, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite. Might be due to the books in the library at the Beast's house.
DeleteI enjoy characters who are both likable and funny. Flynn Rider from Tangled is a good example. Another character who embodies most of these attributes is George Bailey from It's A Wonderful Life - I adore him.
ReplyDeleteConfession. I have never seen Tangled. Must correct this. Hanging my head in shame.
DeleteSounds like an incredible book.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great book. I too live in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteI like a character to be funny.
ReplyDelete