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Book Club
Diving into dilemmas by Alison Morton
When the pressure on one of the characters in a book, whether physical or psychological, intensifies, the tension ramps up and as a reader, I can’t turn the pages fast enough. How do we inject this into our own writing?
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Give your character opposing desires
Characters need to have beliefs, desires and values that matter. Without attitudes or convictions, a character can be hard to cheer for and easy to forget. So, to create an intriguing character, we need to give her two equally strong opposing convictions or desires. This inner conflict fuels tension before the story even starts and these opposing driving forces may well impel her into doing something she really doesn’t want to do. And that tension drives a story forward. The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement.
Use the dilemmas that belong to your genre
Crime and thriller stories naturally lend themselves to questions of justice and injustice. At what point do revenge and justice converge? Is breaking the law justified in the case of your hero/heroine?
Equally, a moral conflict from the past that the hero thinks he has buried or dealt with can resurface and affect him in the present and even hinder him in the future.
Put your character’s convictions to the test
Another technique is to make the character act against his beliefs – bribery, threat and extortion often work, whether directly as in a thriller or as emotional blackmail in a family saga. And don’t be nice! As writers, we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. As a result, we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations. However, that’s the opposite of what needs to happen for our fiction to be compelling. What’s the worst thing to fall onto your character within this story? Now think of something else just as dreadful and force your character to decide between the two. Use questions such as ‘How far will she go to save/achieve/ prevent X or Y?’ and ‘What would it take for A to choose/ find/commit B?’ Ask yourself what your character believes in, what her priorities are and what prejudices she must overcome. Then put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities bubble to the surface. Love, romance and relationship stories often deal with faithfulness and betrayal. When is it better to hide the truth than to share it?
Fantasy, myth and science fiction are perfect for exploring issues of consciousness, humanity and morality. How selfaware does something need to be (an animal, an unborn baby) before it should be granted the same rights as fully developed humans? Is there ever a point where destroying an artificial intelligence becomes murder? Do we really have free will or are our choices determined by genetic makeup?
Look for the third way
You seem to have cut off every possibility for your character. Readers may well be wondering how on earth the story is going to play out. The solution needs to be consistent with the character’s attitudes, beliefs and priorities, while also being logical and surprising. No sudden waking up and declaring ‘it was all a dream’ which would infuriate your readers. A strong story entails an element of loss, but also balances it with a sense of a satisfactory resolution.
Force your character into a corner
The next step is to heap on the ultimate pressure by denying your character an easy way out. Something crucial must be at stake where there’s no obvious exit. Your character must act or everything is lost. And of course, your character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions. If there seems to be an easy solution, there’s no true dilemma. And offering the choice of the ‘lesser’ of two evils won’t work as it makes the decision less difficult. For example, what if a character knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him? And suppose she has to make that decision within the next twenty-four hours?
Alison has compiled a selection of articles from this column into ‘The 500 Word Writing Buddy’, available in print and ebook. Her new Roma Nova novel, set in the 4th century, JULIA PRIMA, is now out.
This Month’s Book Reviews
The Secret Keeper by Siobhan Curham
Review by Jacqui Brown
Having enjoyed three previous historical novels from Siobhan Curham, I was delighted to get my hands on her latest book. Chapter one, page one and nine words at the end of the first paragraph – that was all it took to hook me into another great read set during the Nazi occupation of France. Elena was a strong character who I warmed to immediately. Desperate to full fill her dreams of becoming an actress, she was working in a diner as she waited for her break. When an opportunity came her way, it was not at all what she was expecting, as she found herself undergoing training for espionage before being sent to Europe. She might have grown up in America, but her Mexican heritage was just one thing that helped her in her new role, the other was her determination to free France for her beloved Grand-mère Rose. It was the addition of Rose’s letters to Elena from occupied France that I particularly loved, and that played such an important part in this book for me. As the reality of espionage in a foreign country hit our heroine, this book raised my pulse on many occasions, and with the suspense, twists and danger, I was often on the edge of my seat in this fast-paced novel. The locations came to life, the historical side added interest and the emotion and passion were spot on.
As with Siobhan’s previous books, it was obvious that this was a well-researched novel that felt believable from the beginning, even though it was very different to her other books I’ve read.
An Escape to Provence by Sophie Claire
Review by Jacqui Brown
Sophie Claire is another author whose writing style I love and always look forward to her new releases. Daisy is a hardened London divorce lawyer, in charge, independent and inflexible. She lives life in the fast lane and is used to getting her own way. French builder Gabriel prefers a slower, more considered pace of life. He is hurt, angry and grieving and has no time for Daisy and the plans she is proposing. Sometimes in life your path unexpectedly crosses with someone so different to yourself, you appear to have nothing in common and yet you are inexplicably drawn to each other. This is true for Daisy and Gabriel. Despite their pre-conceived ideas and lack of flexibility, there is no doubt there is chemistry between them and I couldn’t wait for the inevitable emotional fireworks. This is a book of many parts. It is deliciously hot and passionate, but as the truth behind their damaged pasts slowly comes to light it is also emotional, heart-breaking and painful. The more time Daisy and Gabriel spend together, the more they learn about each other, and themselves. It took a while for me to warm to Daisy, but I loved watching the subtle changes that affected them both and I desperately wanted them to give in to the chemistry and in doing so, give themselves a chance of happiness. With neither willing to let go of what is holding them back, it seemed an unlikely outcome.
Aside from the heat, the passion and the emotions, this book is also packed with lots of lovely French descriptions and detail that took me to Provence. The people, the village community, the French customs and traditions, everything blended perfectly with a storyline that was easy to fall into, but not so easy to put down.
