Yesterday, I talked about the first secret to creating characters that make the reader cry: Compassion. It’s always a challenge to decide what element is most important to lead with in introducing a character – Sympathy (helping the reader identify with the main character) or compassion. Ideally, it should be both. But in the opening scene of my upcoming book Taming Rafe, I struggled with finding that perfect mix.
In Taming Rafe, socialite and philanthropist Katherine Breckenridge just wants to make her mark on the world, her mother did. But she thinks she’s running out of time. I started with that premise in my rough draft.
RD: One hour before her engagement party to the most eligible bachelor in New York Katherine Wilcox Breckenridge had the insane urge to throw herself from the penthouse balcony of her grandfather’s five-star, Manhattan hotel. She stood at the edge, staring down at the street, watching the dwindling rush-hour traffic that seemed so much like matchbox cars, and wondered if craziness ran in the family.
After all, her mother had been the first to throw herself into oblivion, so to speak.
Yes, it raises questions, but I didn’t like it because it felt too desperate, as if we might truly be dealing with a crazy person. I wanted to tap more into her heart of compassion, her sense of running out of time, and wanting to help the world before she leaves it. So, instead, I took Katherine deeper, to her heart issue, and started there:
FD: Katherine Russell Breckenridge’s ability to choose the right pair of shoes to wear with her sea foam green ball gown certainly wouldn’t stop world hunger or cause peace in the Middle East, but tonight it might raise enough money to give a child like Ella a fighting chance for life.
At least—please, Lord—she hoped so.
We still see her world – one of champagne and roses, but also her compassion. And, it still evokes enough sympathy to tap into that place in all of us who want to make a difference in our world.
It’s okay to write and re-write, and re-re-write a scene. After each, take a step back, and see if perhaps you can go deeper, and find that place of compassion that will endear your reader to your heroine.
Stop back tomorrow for another great lesson on writing Chick Lit by in-house expert Rachel Hauck! And don’t forget to answer Monday’s poll (if you haven’t done so already) about how to make Book Therapy work for you!
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