How to Write a Brilliant Romance: The Easy, Step-By-Step Method of Crafting a Powerful Romance (Go! Write Something Brilliant) (11 page)

I’ve read countless books where the character seems to have been born on page one. They’re flat, uninteresting, even unbelievable. Even worse, however, is when the character’s entire life history is fleshed out in the first three chapters. I’m not going to remember (as a reader) what college the hero or heroine went to. But tell me that he witnessed a murder as a ten-year-old, and yes, that I’ll remember.

If you’ve taken any of my classes, read the My Book Therapy (MBT) blog, or read
From the Inside . . . Out
, you know I like to use the Five Elements of Self-Esteem as a foundation for plotting and character development. I also like to use them for building the elements of layering.

For a more in-depth explanation of the Five Elements of Self-Esteem and how to build them into a plot, check out
From the Inside . . . Out
. (This is available through the My Book Therapy store at www.mybooktherapy.com)

The Five Elements of Self-Esteem help us determine who our character is, why they do the things they do, what their greatest fears and dreams are, how to make them suffer, how to craft the Black Moment, their perfect Epiphany, and finally, the happily ever after ending.

The five elements will also help us layer our character, step by
step. What
are
the
components
of
our
character’s
layers?

1. Identity:
   Everyone
   has
   an
   identity
   they
   use
   to
   introduce
   themselves
   to
   others.
   The
   first
   layer reflects
   how
   they
   see
   themselves
   or
   how
   the
   world
   sees
   them.
   

When
you
meet
someone
for
the
first
time,
you
are
basing
your
impressions
on
who
they
are
by how
they
dress,
what
they
are
doing
at
the
time,
perhaps
the
speech
they
use,
and
the
way
they introduce
themselves.
This
gives
us
the
first
glimpse
as
to
who
they
are.
So,
who
is
your
character? What
identity
does
he
give
himself?
What
external
trappings
go
along with that identity?

What impression do they give to the world because of that
identity?

For
example,
from
my
book
Happily
Ever
After,
my
hero,
Joe,
considers
himself
a
drifter. When
he
meets
the
heroine,
Mona,
for
the
first
time,
he
looks
like
a
drifter—
he
has
a
wreck
of
a truck,
a
duffle
bag,
a
mangy
dog,
faded
jeans,
work
boots,
a
flannel
shirt,
a
scruffy
beard,
a
hint
of unkempt
hair.
He
even
wears
his
muddy
boots
into
her
house,
indicating
that
he
really
doesn’t
think about
things
like
decorum.
He’s
showing
that
he’s
much
more
concerned
about
hard
work
and hiding
himself
than
he
is
about
presenting
a
clean
image.

Ask: Who is your character? What sort of attire, behaviors, mannerisms, and trappings go along with their
identity?

Don’t
panic
and
think
that’s
so
stereotypical!
I
don’t
want
you
to
write
cardboard
characters.
We’re just
setting
up
the
components
of
the
layers
and,
as
you
go,
you’ll
discover
even
more
facets
to
your character’s
identity.

1. Noble cause/Purpose: Behind every hero, there’s a reason why he does the things he does. In
   Braveheart
   , the death of his bride compels William Wallace to fight for a free Scotland. In
   The Bourne Identity
   , it’s Jason Bourne’s quest to discover who he is.
   

In
determining
your
character,
you
need
to
know
what
happened
in
his
past
that
made
him
the person he is today. What was his darkest moment? Usually, it is this moment that contributes to his
Noble
Cause.
Usually
a
person
will
do
anything
to
make
sure
this
dark
moment
is
not
repeated. Often
the
Noble
Cause
is
directly
related
to
either
atoning
for
that
dark
moment,
or
protecting himself
or
others
from
it.

As we touched on earlier, the Dark Moment is best if it is one specific moment, something that you might even journal in order to pull every nuance from it. The darkest moment also creates a superb foundation for letting the hero/heroine see through his/her cracks to the vulnerable heart of the man/woman inside.

From the Dark Moment, you will also pull the Greatest Fear (which assists you in creating the Black Moment), the Wound (as we touched on earlier. The Wound is also used to create the Breakup), and even the Lie that they believe, that set of beliefs about life and/or God that determine their choices and their emotional/spiritual journey.) Take your time in developing this Dark Moment of the past. It’s key to every significant element of your story, so you want it well-thought out.

You’ll also use this information in developing a Layer of Revelation. Ask: What happened in your past that molded your goals and purposes
today?

1. Competence:
   We
   like
   heroes
   who
   can
   take
   care
   of
   themselves,
   who
   know
   what
   they’re doing.
   It
   builds
   our
   confidence
   in
   them
   and
   causes
   them
   to
   be
   heroic.
   What
   is
   that
   one
   thing that your hero does well?
   

The
Bourne
Identity
is
a
wonderful
movie
that
showcases
Bourne’s
skills.
We
know
that
his girlfriend is safe with him, even though many assassins are on their tail.

Even computer geeks can be heroic when we see them using their skills.

Ask: What
is
your
character
good
at?
How
is
that
shown
on
the
page?
In
a
romance,
you
can
go further
and
ask:
What
skills
does
your
hero
possess
that
he
uses
to
save
the
heroine?

1. Security:
   When I’m
   plotting, I
   use the element
   of
   Security to locate that
   point
   of
   no return, when
   a
   character
   chooses
   between
   returning
   to
   his
   security
   blanket,
   or
   changes
   and
   pushes ahead.
   But
   when
   I’m
   working
   on
   layers,
   I
   use
   a
   character’s
   IN-security
   to
   discover
   what
   his worst
   nightmare
   is.
   What
   are
   his
   deepest
   fears?
   What
   is
   he
   going
   to
   avoid
   at
   all
   cost?
   

As
I
touched
in
developing
the
Noble
Cause,
you
can
discover
these
fears
by
going
back
to
that Dark
Moment
in
the
past.
At
some
point
in
your
story,
your
hero
will
be
pushed
to
his
limits.
In
that moment,
he
or
she
will
either
turn
back
to
safety,
or
face
their
fears
and
move
forward.
Discovering what
he
is
most
afraid
of,
what
makes
him
feel
most
insecure,
will
add
another
layer
to
your character
that
will
be
revealed
shortly
before
or
after
the
dark
moment.

In
Donald
Maass’
workshops,
he
talks
about
finding
that
one
behavior
that
your
hero
would never
do.
For
example,
building
on
The
Bourne
Identity
,
I
doubt
that
Jason
Bourne
lets
himself
fall
in love
.
.
.
and
yet,
there
he
is,
falling
in
love
with
the
heroine
half-way
through
the
movie.

What
prompts
a
hero
to
do
something
he
would
never
do?

Answer:
His
greatest
fears
pushing
against
him,
his
biggest
dreams
dangling
before
his
eyes
.
.
. and
the
realization
that
he
wants
something
different,
something
more.
Bringing
your
character
to this
place,
and
revealing
this
for
your
reader,
or
heroine,
is
a
pivotal
emotional
point
on
the
journey.

Ask: What is the one thing your character would never do? What would make him do it?

1. Belonging:
   In
   every
   book,
   there
   is
   something
   that
   keeps
   your
   character
   from
   wholeness.
   In an
   inspirational
   book,
   we
   often
   refer
   to
   this
   as
   the
   Lie
   they
   believe.
   Because
   of
   your character’s
   darkest
   moment,
   they
   will
   have
   learned
   from
   it
   something
   that
   holds
   them
   back from
   happiness.
   We
   all
   operate
   with
   lies
   in
   our
   lives
   and
   your
   character
   is
   on
   this
   journey
   to be
   set
   free.
   So,
   he
   must
   learn
   a
   Truth,
   sometimes
   referred
   to
   as
   the
   Epiphany,
   in
   order
   to
   be set
   free
   to
   complete
   his
   mission,
   or
   to
   be
   able
   to
   love.
   Understanding
   this
   Lie
   will
   help
   you create the last layer, the one closest to his
   heart.
   

Ask: What Lie has the hero believed that has broken
him?

Now,
you
should
have
interviewed
your
character
enough
to
understand
his
Backstory,
how he
sees
himself
and
why,
what
his
motivations
and
goals
are,
what
he
has
to
live
or
fight
for,
what he’s
good
at,
what
brought
him
to
this
place,
what
Lie
he
believes,
and
what
Truth
will
set
him
free. These
are
the
components
you
need
to
dress
your
character.

Asking
the
following
questions
of
your
character
will
assist
you
in
understanding
him/her
and gathering
the
pieces
you
need
to
build
your
romance
and
your
layers.

Basic Bio

Name

Age

Profession

Who
are
you?
(Identity)
How
do
you
express
this
identity
through
your
appearance?

What
monumental
event
in
your
past
shaped
you
and
determined
your
goals
and
motivations
for today? (Noble Cause/Purpose/Greatest
Fear/Wound)

What
are
you
good
at?
(Competence)

What
is
the
one
thing
you
would
never
do?
What
would
make
you
do
it?
(
In
-Security)

What
is
the
Lie
that
you
believe?
What
Truth
will
set
you
free?
(Belonging)

Basic
Bio

Name

Age

Profession

Who
are
you?
(Identity)
How
do
you
express
this
identity
through
your
appearance?