I love fall.  I love the smell of decaying leave, the sound of them crunching under my feet or as they tickle across the lawn, thrown by the wind.  I love the colors – the blush reds, the pumpkin oranges, the golden yellows.  The touch of frost in my nose in the morning.  I can taste winter on the crisp breeze, and I know someday I’ll awake to the fresh grace of snow blanketing my yard.  Or, maybe it’s just the change I love, because, well, I love spring too. 

 There’s something exhilarating about change, about the transition from old to new.  It’s probably what empowers us Minnesotans to endure the long months of winter (especially as it turns dreary right around March).  And probably, it’s that promise of something new that we offer our readers as they march through our books.  (Hopefully without the use of the word “dreary!” )  They want to see how our hero goes from selfish to sacrificial, from a farmboy to a warrior.

Every once in a while, up here in the northland, we’ll have what was called during my childhood days as “Indian summer.”  It’s when the temperature flares into the 80’s for three or four days, after which, come a plunge into the blue, below freezing.  It’s a shock, and there I am, digging out the winter coats at 5am, hoping to find them before the bus arrives.

 What makes a character change, and how do we write that effectively into our novels without shocking the reader? 

 I have a little grid I use after I’ve laid down the story – think of it as a checklist, just to make sure I’ve gotten every element of change in the story:  

 We’ll be going through each Act during the rest of the week.  In the meanwhile, here’s a picture of our gorgeous northern woods!

Rachel adds:

I do not live in the northwoods. I live in the swamp land of central Florida. It took me a long time to adjust to moderate season changes, but now, I wouldn’t live any place else.

The down side to moderate season changes is it’s boring. Most days are the same shade of light and warmth. Sure, we have hurricane season, but it more of the same with emphasis on MORE. 

Fall for us is lower humidity. Eventually lower temperatures. 

If our characters don’t change, it’s boring, just like Florida days where the temperature varies so little.

Yet, we learn to discern nuances. How can you weave in subtle character changes that impacts the reader like a fall Florida day where the only change might be humidity percentage?

How do you create believable growth and change like the first fall crisp morning after an Indian summer day?

Characterization is one of the biggest challenges in writing fiction. Master it, and you’ll write a GREAT story that impacts the heart.

 See you tomorrow!