Hands down, the best workshop I attened at the RWA National conference was Michael Hague's "From Identity to Essence: Love Stories and Transformation." Brilliant. It made so much sense, my brain was on fire trying to listen to the lecture and plot a new book at the same time. I'll go over a bit of what he discussed, but trust me, you'll want to buy his books or CDs, I really cannot do justice to his lecture. And if you can go and take one of his classes, do it!
He broke down the basic esstentials of story:
1. character - vehicle for reader emotion
2. desire - drives the story forward
3. conflict - creates emotion
Listed the four basic desires (in Hollywood movies):
1. to escape - something or someone
2. to retrieve - treasure hunting plots
3. to stop - something bad from happening like murder, war, etc.
4. to win - sports stories, and love stories
Provided key components to making your protagonist great:
1. how will the reader empathize with the character?
a. through sympathy
b. by putting the character in jeopardy
c. making the character likable
d. making the character funny
e. or making the character powerful and really good at what he/she does
2. Ask your protagonist what he/she longs for?
3. What is the protagonist's wound, the source of his/her continuing pain?
4. What is the protagonist's belief as a result of this wound?
5. What is the protagonist's fear?
6. What is the protagonist's identity? That false front they show the world?
7. What is the protagonist's need?
8. And finally, what is the hero/heroine's essence? The real person they become at the end of the story?
Hague defined the four categories of character:
1. hero
2. nemesis - stand in way of goal
3. reflection - side kick, best friend
4. romance character - love interest
And this point, right here, is worth gold:
The biggest weakness with most love stories, particularly the ones that fail, is that there is no logical reason for the two characters to fall in love. The romance character must see beneath the identity (false front) of the hero and accept him/her for their essence (the person they will become) when no one else does.
AH HA!!!
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3 comments:
Hi!
This was my first conference, and just absolutely wonderful, although frustrating because there is NO way to fit in everything you want to do.
I had strangers stop and tell me about the Hague workshop; I hope they get him to come back next year. :)
Thanks for sharing this, Shannon.
Can I have a copy, please? Please? Please? Is that enough whiny?
All great stuff to think about that will make us better writers.
Great recap! I think seeing beneath the false front is a big part of the love, Especially when the hero can't see past their own false front. That is why I like Black Ice by Anne Stuart so much.
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