Writing Characters - The Men in My Life

 

By Shannon Taylor Vannatter

I’ve been happily married for thirty years and have a thirteen year old boy. They are the men in my life. But since I write inspirational romance, there are other men in my life. For my readers to fall in love with the hero, I have to fall for him first. A large part of a lovable hero comes from how they treat the heroine. That part is easy. My heroes treat my heroines the way my husband treats me.

As my writing has evolved, I’ve found an audience for cowboys. But my husband isn’t one, nor do I live where there are a lot of genuine cowboys. I had to learn their lingo and mannerisms as well. The best place to study cowboys that I’ve found is Texas. Especially since my rodeo books are set in Texas. Since we have family there, we visit every few years. And as a rule, I try to only use settings I can actually visit, so I know I’m getting the details right.

For my first cowboy book, I spent a day at the Fort Worth Stockyards, where my rodeo series is set. I researched the rodeo, history, and lifestyle, but I spent a lot of time just watching and listening to cowboys. I also Googled and found a list of cowboy lingo and rodeo slang to help me get into character.

Since we’re talking romance, they have to look good too. I’m a very visual writer. In the beginning, my friends and family saved their magazines and catalogs. I cut out pictures of attractive or interesting looking people and kept them in a large folder. When I started a new book, I’d get out my folder and find a picture to represent my hero and heroine. It depended on the story. If there was an important side character, I found their picture too. And if hero and/or heroine have kids or pets, I had pictures for them also.

For the last ten years or so, I’ve Googled to find my characters. In a way, I miss the old catalog and magazine days. It was more time consuming than Googling, but with the JC Penney catalog and Redbook magazine, I didn’t worry about seeing underdressed men. When I first ventured into internet images, I used Stock Photo. But as my booklist grew, Stock Photo didn’t have enough variety. One day, I Googled male models with green eyes. I found a lot of them, but some of them didn’t wear clothes. And if you Google cowboys, they almost never wear shirts.

I finally figured it out—I Google male model headshots. Sometimes, they don’t wear shirts, but you can only see shoulders. Not that I’m opposed to shirtless men, but it feels odd when I have to send my editor pictures for the cover art and I send her a shirtless cowboy. I’ve only done that once and apologized because it was the only picture I could find that fit the cowboy in my head.

I used to keep all of my character images in my Picture file on my computer. But then I discovered Pinterest, a writer’s best friend. I have boards for all of my books except my first two rodeo titles I wrote before I discovered Pinterest. I have a board where I keep images of future and potential characters and a board of engagement photos for scene inspiration.

Now, as I write books, I create a board with characters and scenes as I go. On my Rodeo Family board, I included a lot the heroine’s clothing since she dreams of being a fashion designer. My book boards have gotten larger and more detailed with each book. And when it comes time to send my editor images for cover art, I have everything together and ready to go on Pinterest. I keep private boards for books not yet released. Shortly before the book releases, I make the board public and share my Pinterest reveal on Facebook, so readers can get a glimpse of the book to come.

I often joke about getting paid to Google men and that it’s part of my job. A few years ago, I was stuck on a character, partly because I couldn’t find a picture to represent the guy in my head. My local writer’s group was planning their first retreat, so I went and once everybody learned about my character problem, several of them helped me Google men. We laughed because our Christian writer’s group was Googling men at our Christian retreat at a church camp.

My husband knows about the cowboys in my life. Often, I’ll be at the computer and he’ll ask what I’m doing. My response—Googling men. He doesn’t bat an eye. In one of my dedications, I thanked my husband for not minding if I dream about cowboys all day.

Answer this question for a chance to win a paper copy of my latest release, Rodeo Family: Do you have any tips for organization in writing or any other area of your life?

To purchase your own copy now, click here. 
 

TORI EATON IS READY TO START OVER 

She's beginning a new chapter in Aubrey, Texas, away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. As she picks up the pieces of her broken life, Tori's surprised at the helping hand the church's new song director, Brant McConnell, offers her, and at the warm emotions he inspires.

Brant is drawn to Tori. And as their friendship grows, so do his feelings for her. But Tori is still hounded by her past, and the walls she's built around her heart are high. Can he convince the wounded beauty that he's exactly the kind of man she needs—and deserves?

               

Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife. She lives in a town with a population of around 100, if you count a few cows and once climbed a mountain wearing gold wedge-heeled sandals which became known as her hiking boots. Vannatter won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award in the short contemporary category, The 18^th Annual Heartsong Awards 3rd Favorite New Author and #1 Contemporary Award.

She has ten published titles and is contracted for five more. Her books are available at: christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, harlequin.com, and barbourbooks.com. Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com  and check out her real life romance blog at http://shannonvannatter.com/blog/.

Connect with her on Facebook: http://facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter, Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29672798-shannon-vannatter, Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/, and Twitter: @stvauthor.

 

CWOW Rattler Contest

Winner of the 2014 Christian Writers of the West Phoenix Rattler's Writing Contest will receive a free Kindle Fire HD!  More information about the contest can be found at on the CWOW website.

The 2014 Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest

Does your story have bite?

Christian Writers of the West (the Phoenix chapter of ACFW) is holding their annual Rattler writing contest.  It's open to all unpublished fiction writers or those who have not published in the last five years. 

Enter the FIRST FIFTEEN PAGES of your novel. (completed manuscript is not required for entry).  We have lined up 90 preliminary judges and the following final judges, so you will be getting some really good feedback on your writing.

2014 RATTLER CONTEST JUDGES

CATEGORY	JUDGE	ORGANIZATION
Contemporary	Michelle Grawkowski	Agent, 3 Seas Literary Agency
Mystery/Thriller	Elizabeth Mazur	Editor, Harlequin Love Inspired
Fantasy/SciFi/Speculative	Steve Laube	President, The Steve Laube Literary Agency & Editor, Enclave Publishing
Young Adult	Rachel Kent	Agent, Books & Such Literary Management
Historical	Susan Brower	Natasha Kern Literary Agency

Categories are:
___ Contemporary Fiction (includes Contemporary Women’s, Romance and Romantic Suspense)
___ Historical Fiction (before 1960, includes Historical Romance and Romantic Suspense)
___ Mystery/Thriller (non-romance)
___ Young Adult (for under 18)
___ Other Fiction (includes Fantasy, Science-Fiction and Speculative Fiction)

Contest is open for entries from

August 1, 2014 to August 29, 2014

(5:00pm Arizona Time)

For more information, pop over to the CWOW website @ http://www.christianwritersofthewest.com , where you can download Submission Guidelines, Contest Rules, Entry Forms and a Sample Score Sheet.

Blog Hop - How I Write

by Dana McNeely, President
Christian Writers of the West

I’ve been asked to participate in a “blog hop”. The assignment is to answer four specific questions about my writing and tag three other writers who will answer the same questions on their blogs. (Because I got so excited, I got four writers!) Be sure to see the links at the end to their blogs – each of them has had some exciting things happening in their lives lately. Thanks to my friend, Laura McClellan, for challenging me to dip my toe into the blogosphere! Laura writes wonderful women’s fiction and is a practicing lawyer. You can find her answers to these questions at her blog, Where Life and Grace Collide .

What are you working on?

I’m working on a couple things. First, I’m editing a historical fiction based on the Old Testament prophet Elijah and the boy he raised from the dead. The biblical account is intriguing but brief, forcing a curious person like me to ask questions. What would it have been like to die, go to the other world, and come back? What happened in his life before Elijah came to stay with him and his mother? What was his mother like? What was the “great sin” she spoke of when she railed against the prophet “Why have you come? To remind me of my great sin and slay my son?” Lots of ideas came to me and I wrote a book to answer my own questions.

Second, I’m planning my next book, which will feature a character with whom I fell in love while writing the ‘Elijah’ story:  While staying with her uncle, Miriam, a strong and independent young girl, spends her time roaming the countryside around Jezreel trapping birds to sell.  One day, when checking her traps, she witnesses the stoning death of her uncle, Naboth.  So, I have a character, a setting, and an inciting incident. I also have a love interest – Dov, a big bear of a soldier, also from the previous book.  And I’m asking myself those questions again!

How does your work differ from others in its genre?

The tone of my writing may be different from some biblical fiction. I loved ‘The Red Tent’ by Anita Diamante and ‘The Dovekeepers’ by Alice Hoffman. I also read a lot of fantasy, dystopian, and magical realism. That has to bleed into my work.

How does your writing process work?

I struggle to overcome confusion and chaos! I’m not naturally organized, so I superimpose process on myself, similar to the way I do my day job. But in writing, I start with a character and a question. I write lists of questions and possible answers, make timelines and charts, draw maps. I read and collect tons of research books (ask my husband!) I love Scrivener, and use it to write from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. and, after my day job, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. two or three evenings a week.

I’ve developed rules to keep myself on track. For example, my morning time is strictly for writing – not planning, plotting, or Facebook. I do those in the evenings. I’m trying to teach myself to be a better planner – I wrote the first draft of the book I’m editing by the seat-of-my-pants, and the rework has been a painful learning experience I’d rather not repeat. So I’m doing up-front planning for my next book.

All these rules to keep me focused are especially important lately.  This month I was pleased and humbled to learn I’m a semifinalist in ACFW’s Genesis contest in the Historical Fiction category. You’ll see below that Christian Writers of the West is well represented in the Genesis and other writing contests.

Tag, You’re It! 

Tanara McCauley is a semifinalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Contest in the Contemporary category. She’s active in CWOW and volunteered for the second time to help coordinate our Arizona Rattler Contest.  She’s currently finishing up her second novel. In a few days, you’ll find her answers posted at  Tanara's Blog, where you’ll want to explore some of other her heartfelt writing.

LeAnne Bristow is a kindergarten teacher who also writes contemporary romance. She loves stories about the “bad boy” who finds his way to God...usually through a Godly woman. LeAnne is finalist in the Fab Five Writing contest (Wisconsin RWA) and is also a semifinalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Contest in the Romance category.  In a few days you’ll find her answers at LeAnne's Blog, where you may also want to look around for “bad boys”.

Rebecca Bruner is a passionate Bible teacher, author, and speaker. Her favorite author is C.S. Lewis. She writes in several genres including nonfiction, Biblical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. She recently won a scholarship to the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference through Kathy Ide's Promising Beginnings Contest. Her husband and two nearly grown kids keep her very busy, but she loves every minute of it. In a few days, check out her responses at Rebecca's Website .

Tina Pinson was a winner on Seekerville’s Perfect Pitch Contest.  She has also completed the following novels. Winds Across the Rockies, To Carry her Cross, When Shadows Fall, Shadowed Dreams, To Catch a Shadow, A Shadowed Trail, This Shadowed Land, and The Shadow of Her Smile are serial about the civil war and the Oregon trail. Then Came Grace, a contemporary story about a future Sept 11 type tragedy. Trail of the Sandpiper-Betrayed, Trail of the Sandpiper-Rescued and Trail of the Sandpiper-Avenged,  a WWII series about a missionary and spy. Learn more about the prolific Tina at Tina's Website and read her answers in a few days at Tina's blog.