By Margaret Daley
Why should you be passionate about what you write? People tell
you when you start writing you need to write about what you know--or if not
you'd better do a lot of research to familiarize yourself with the subject. I
agree, but I would take it a step further. You need to be passionate about what
you write. If you want your readers to care, you need to care--enough to convey
that to your readers.
That sounds simple, but it isn't always that way. But when you
are passionate about your characters and plot, it comes across in your
story. It helps you to keep
focused on what you want to write. It's a goal and motivation all wrapped up in
one. What do I mean? When I was writing my series called A Town Called Hope (His
Holiday Family, Love Inspired, December
2011), I wanted to pay tribute to the men and women who help others recover
from a disaster--in this case a hurricane. I grew up as a teenager in Biloxi,
Mississippi, which has been hit with several major hurricanes since the time I
lived there. I've seen my hometown go through a lot over the years. I've seen
neighbors helping neighbors, people work long hours to rebuild their town,
making sacrifices for others. After Katrina I began toying with an idea, which
I finally wrote in my new series. I wanted to honor towns like Biloxi for
fighting to rebuild--not to let the hurricane win. This is what drove my
stories. It gave me focus when coming up with my characters and plot. It also gave me the theme for my
series: how out of tragedy comes hope.
In another story I've written, Saving Hope, the story is about trying to stop child
trafficking. This subject is dear to my heart. When I did my research, I became
even more focused on wanting to convey the danger to young teens (some
children) of being trapped in a situation they can't get out of. This helped me
keep my story centered around what I was passionate about, protecting our young
people.
So when you are thinking about your next book, consider some of
these things:
1. What do you care about--you get passionate about?
2. How can you take that and weave it into a story that you are
excited about?
3. Can I condense my passion down into a single sentence that
will drive my story, keep me focused?
4. How can I craft characters who are as passionate as I am?
5. How can I take that passion about the subject and develop a
plot to match it?
Bio: Margaret Daley, a USA Today’s Bestselling author of over ninety
books (five million sold worldwide), has been married for over forty years and
is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing
love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that
think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her
website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.
what great advice!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melinda.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I can feel that you were even passionate about this article. I agree with you. The author needs to absorb the culture and emotion of the place where she's setting her story and share the goal of her hero or heroine to come true.
ReplyDeleteWonderful tips, Margaret! And I love the cover of Saving Hope!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Margaret!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! And liking the new look blog, too.
ReplyDelete