Characters interesting to write about

It might look as though I got rid of Twitter. With all the controversy and changes going around, it'd be easy to assume that. Well, I still have it with no interest in getting something new. I try to limit how much I have on Social Media. What I did do though is move the Blogger Twitter link  to way down the page. I used to have the ability to share my last Tweet here and I used that as an in-between way to share pictures.Whoever is running it now changed that where someone has to go to Twitter to see my Tweet. If this continues, I will dump the Twitter link here, as I have no interest in being an ad for them. I'm waiting to see if it's permanent...

 

My topic for today was supposed to be about choosing characters for books I write. In this case, since I write romances, it's male and female leads. I have no problem with those who write same sex romances. I just have no personal feel for it. I write what I know something about- well not all the gun fights, etc. But where it comes to relationships.

When I met Ranch Boss, we were in college. I won't go into details, but I felt I loved him that first day. I had a few caveats though-- like he needed to have a sense of humor. Turns out he did, and our sense of humor has gotten us through more than a few bad times. So, I do believe in love at first sight, but it takes something more to make it work through a lot relationship. I look for that in my book characters.

Then I tried to think-- which characters should I share here that anyone else might find of interest.....

Obviously, I have no idea but I will throw a few ideas out there for how I selected the personalities I did for my books. Since there are thirty of these, it's not that easy to narrow them down to a few.

This book is currently not out there, as it, along with the 8 Arizona historicals, is being rewritten and edited with a new title-- although close to the original one. In Echo from the Past, Holly showed up in the book ahead of this one, Rose's Gifts. She was a university friend of Grace's (who was first introduced in The Beckoning Flame). Holly got her degree in anthropology with her desire to be an archaeologist. She's beautiful, smart and dedicated to solving a mystery from her own dreams. She's a strong woman. Well, all of my female characters are strong women-- but none defined as feisty, a term I actually dislike. She has money and goals. None of which were to find a husband. 

The hero of that book is trying to run from his past as a part of an infamous outlaw family. He tried first to change his name (showed up in an earlier historical romance--first titled Arizona Sunset but will be Beyond the Broken Road, when it reappears sooner than later, we hope. He's found a new path to make a living in the wild desert world, still facing sometimes that outlaw family. Handsome, but of course, but also intelligent with a sense of ethics. I pretty much prefer heroes like that for my books. He's an alpha but not a bully.

Neither of those two are looking for a mate. Life is simpler without-- or is it!

I could go on with various characters but those two project a lot of my ideas. Strong people, who face whatever is required-- whether it's part of their goals or not. My heroines generally have career goals, especially the contemporary but even the historicals. I rarely write really young heroines or heroes as I like to delve into people with some life experience.

 

 

when it begins with a theme

 

As I said before, I can't tell you how to create books here. What I can do is relate how it has worked for me with some of my own. The following will be an example of when I used a theme, the book, Moon Dust.

First, I need to better define what I mean by theme. Frankly, I went to the dictionary for some synonyms that might explain how I am using the word. There were a lot of good ones including: subject, concept, essence, marrow, pith, gist. I don't know if that gets to the heart of what I am trying to describe, which is that, where the topics range from abuse to brainwashing, heartbreak, education, etc. the real theme is healing, and it fits with all that comes up in the book.

My interest in writing the story began with knowing that not only girls are sexually abused but also boys. It's not been taken as seriously when it's a male because they are supposed to be enjoying it. The thing is-- abuse is about power taken away. It's not enjoyable for any victim.

Before I began writing, I researched by reading several books on what the abuse can be when it's a boy as well as what the impact was when they grew up. Men have been too often denied counseling for it. That means its impact can be hidden under other emotional issues.

Moon Dust had another subject that isn't so popular for romances. It begins with a divorce. The male protagonist was a high school principal, who has much responsibility for the teachers and children under his wings. To flesh out the character, I remembered the high school principals I had known. Having a hero involved in concern for kids, led to what education should be and the downside of it-- what about youths who are being brainwashed by those who seek power over them. Principals run into all sorts of problems.

What? That doesn't sound like a romance. Well, romances often aren't what readers expect. They can be; but for me, I need something more and this theme was about people needing to recognize what happened to them and when to get treatment.

Writing this book, even with a difficult subject, was one I enjoyed because I cared about the topics. I helped myself by the heroine being a home decorator, which enabled me to explore what it takes to help someone else find the right decor for their home. It was a lighter touch to add to the heavier theme of divorce and adult emotional disorders due to childhood trauma.

Of course, there was a love story, if not the usual one. Some violence, growth of the characters through what they are learning, and, naturally a happy ending- if not what's expected.  

Moon Dust has not caught on with romance readers maybe because it's more woman's fiction. How do you label books? Don't ask me! I write what works for me and hope it finds readers looking for a little something more in their reading. That key word-- finding-- is always the problem.

I have started other books with a theme in mind, but this is probably one of the strongest. I  like this book. I hoped to write about it here to encourage other writers to also look for what interests them. That will lead to the characters and the plot. Yes, plot and theme are not the same thing.

My photos from a visit to Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland Oregon

amazing place to spend much time.

Why a blog

 Since it's only me writing here, as it was for many years, I don't need to say by... I thought I might write a bit about why I have done blogs. It's been a lot of years. I think I began in 2004, but felt it wasn't going anywhere, as I had no feel for it, stopped it, then found someone had taken my 'name' when I decided to try again. And this one, since 2006 has continued and will continue. 

Why do a blog?

For me, it's about communication and sharing. It's about my ideas but also those who come across the words. I don't do much to bring readers here, as in reading a ton of other blogs. I count on putting out ideas that will attract those looking for such ideas. I avoid using keywords that might draw trolls. Nobody should want trolls as they aren't about ideas but about destruction. Why is that fun? I have no idea.

Blogs are not just about the writer but those who come to read the words. I feel a responsibility to them. I though have never done a memoir type blog where I tell readers all that is going on with my marriage or family. There are such blogs but I never wanted my blog to be about my personal life-- instead, my ideas, oh yea, definitely that.

This blog draws from nearly a thousand viewers to a hundred with very few who comment. I suspect that's because I don't comment other places-- with a few exceptions. What you put out, you get back--mayb.

It will change over the next months as my life will-- this time, it's about me. We are heading north with a new vacation trailer (new to us) as we have to live in it for a few months. I'll write more about that in the future as we leave our Arizona home and head back to the Oregon farm. More next Saturday on the trailer that will take us north...

putting it together

by Rain Trueax

Somehow, this blog is not coming out as i had intended...

Originally, I had intended to write more on MeToo. Particularly, I wanted to research if more info was out there on Congress's shush funds. Well, after some research, I got very little. These payoffs were only the part that the federal funds covered to stop someone from talking who had made a complaint, but they didn't all have to be about MeToo issues. There has only been $17 million paid out at the point I found figures. There was no info as to what it had covered or which Congressional employees. It also did not deal with private payoffs. Basically, I didn't feel I had enough to carry on with the subject. IF that changes in the future, I'll do more with it. 

I just want to add that it's good for there to be accountability whether it's movie executives, stars or political power brokers. There doubtless is still not enough being done.

So... what attracted my interest instead was another kind of cultural issue that was triggered by putting together one of my nighttime dreams, a popular reality show, and our political world. I was hoping I could write it in a way that made sense. 

Then,  I had second thoughts about that too based on not having the mindset to do it justice as well as all of what's going on with Covid-19, where it's causing such major disruption and has so much uncertainty attached to it. January 4th, I wrote about ['black swans']. The world has been hit by one of those with no idea where it's going. Not a good time for deep thinking where, at least for most of us, we don't have enough facts to put it all together...

So third plan. Photos of the desert and at the end a jigsaw puzzle, one of my current meditative distractions. Enjoy my piece of the desert where I find such peace and if i have to self-quarantine, I will enjoy my surroundings.