Coyboy Up! Finding the Strength in Our Characters

I had the great pleasure of attending the Cache County fair and rodeo this weekend. Its probably like any other county fair...The food that always smells better then it tastes. The carnival rides filled with delighted passengers, and the throngs of oddly shaped and decorated people-watching opportunities.

My favorite part of all is the rodeo... well, more specifically the cowboys.

Its easy to cheer for these guys because you see the determination in their face, their walk.

Even the little cowboys and girls have it. From the comfort of my aluminum bench seat, I watched a swarm of six-to-ten-year-olds chasing cows around the ring, trying to catch the bright colored bow attached to the cow's tail. As they tumble and scramble through the dirt, you know these aren't the kids that cry when they fall down and scrape their knee. They get right back up and do it again. Save the scrapes and bruises only to solidify their glory later.

These people are born and bred to be heros.

But back to the cowboys for a moment (I'm sure you don't mind), This is going to sound really bad, but after watching a few successful bronc rides, and tight wranglered butts victory-strut around for several minutes, I found myself hoping that someone somehow would find themselves flying off the saddle.
Why? Because I want them to get hurt? Have a sick obsession with gore? No, no, not at all.

Okay, well, maybe a little. But the bottom line is, I want it to be difficult for them. The entertainment isn't about looking good in the jeans, or the personality. It helps, but after a while it's boring. I want them to triumph but I want them to work at it and face real risk. That's what makes it exciting.

Much like the American cowboy, we need to give our characters opposition that isn't easy to overcome. Sometimes we like our characters so much, we don't want to see them get hurt. You need to push them out there to face their fears before they can develop into characters you really want to root for!

You don't have to turn every character into a cowboy or girl, but I would recommend giving them "cowboy up" moments that makes us admire and respect them.

Need A Save The Cat Moment?

We like our conflict. Evey story needs conflict. But what do we do when we find that our characters have gone a little overboard with their enthusiastic opposition?

I'll tell you what you can do... You make them save the cat!

You may have already heard about a character’s need for a "save the cat moment". Some heroic or selfless act to prove that your character isn’t as mean and nasty as they appear. Screenwriter Blake Snyder is the ultimate resource for learning about save the cat moments. Pick up his book and you won't be disappointed.

I’m a voracious romance reader, and I’m not shy about telling you that I love me some Alpha hero like an ice cream cone in July, but their occasional frosty attitude can have a tendency to bite back. In situations like this when you feel like your character is unbelievably harsh,  you have to give them a break at humanity to keep your reader from throwing the book across the room.

And this is only a suggestion, but why not use even their save the cat moment to pile on a different layer of conflict and drag more information from your characters. For instance, let me introduce you to my cat.

Let’s just call her scruffy, my baby-doll tortoiseshell Himalayan.

Her mother and father were pedigreed. They had white, fluffy fur that appeared chalk-lined in the softest grey stripes and eyes as blue as a clear morning. A real match made in kitty heaven, those two.  

What they spawned, however, was my pretty little beast from hell.

Having been born with severe hip dysplasia, as misfortunate purebreds tend to do, she was medicated most of her life. When a storm front rolled in, you could see it in her pitiful three-legged limp.  But if anyone dare lift her into their arms for a comforting hug they might earn themselves a limp of their own.

She was the snottiest cat to have ever lived. She hated everyone.
Ahem, well, everyone but me, anyway.
If a stranger got too close, her greasy spikes would jut out like a porcupine. And yes, by the way, I did say greasy.

In addition to the hip displaysia she also had a condition called seborrhea. An overactive production of oil glands. To touch her would result in pulling back a well lubed hand (if you pulled back a hand at all). Huh... Who needs lotion, right?

She always looked drenched because the grease would mat her fur together in clumps. Visitors would often ask. “Did your kitty just get a bath?” Because she had that wet/pissed look permanently etched into her appearance.

And if her glare wasn't enough to scare you off, there was always her growl. A sound that must have been dragged up from the bowels of hell.

I’d like to see a hero try to save my cat. No, really I would. In fact, I may just write that into my next story!

The Car Ride: Banter Vs. Bickering

Isn’t it funny how a simple family drive can turn to all out war in a matter of milliseconds? The kids screaming, the radio blaring, the vehicle rolling through rush hour traffic at a snail’s pace. No one can escape; you’re all strapped into a road trip from hell until you reach your final destination. That is unless you’re still close enough to turn back for home. Do people really do that by the way? I’ve always heard it threatened. Never seen it done though.

When it comes to conflict with our characters, we must be careful not to strap our readers in for an adventure and give them the car ride from hell instead. For a reader, getting there is half the fun. Making them work to hard through obstinate characters will cause them to throw your book out the window.

 A lot of fun can be had with playful banter, but you must take care not to let it turn into bickering.  The “yes I did” “No you didn’t” dialog can only last so long without a strong enough conflict and even then you may be stretching your readers patience if you let it drag on too long without change or resolution.

I’m not really an expert on literary debate, but I do have a few tips for keeping your character conflict fresh.

·         Make it funny- Throw in a few jokes here and there to liven things up.

·         Make it hot- if bantering could hold any angle for increasing the sexual tension between characters, go for it!

·         Keep it playful- little nicknames and witty comebacks are always welcome

·         And above all else, use the banter advancing the plot.