The Avoids: Part III--Useless Characters

Just as Elmore Leonard tells us to avoid useless words, useless adverbs, and useless descriptions, he probably would tell us to avoid Useless Characters in our stories, too. You know--those walk-ons, walk-offs we never see or hear from again. In other words, if the character has no vital part, no duty to perform, or no interest to the reader, then take some time to triage your manuscripts. Who are these useless people?

CHARACTERS THAT DON’T BELONG IN YOUR STORY.
1. They don’t make anything happen.
2. They get along with everyone, neither creating nor enhancing conflict.
3. We aren’t interested in knowing any more about them.
4. They are not connected with either the main character or the main character’s story.
5. They don’t generate plot.
6. They walk on, then walk off, and we never hear from them again.

There are many reasons an editor rejects a manuscript. I can’t begin to list the vast number. Many times it may be you’ve chosen the wrong publisher for your novel, or the editor is having a bad day, or your writing is excessively sloppy, or that your plot is indecipherable.

But have you ever had a manuscript rejected because your characters were in serious need of help?
EXAMPLE: I wrote a story about a brilliant professor of Renaissance literature, stuck in her own little world and in a rut. She meets the new football coach in town. He courts her, encouraging her to try new things. My rejection letter said my heroine was “too staid, boring, and proper—too nice.” (See Number Two above.) The editor nailed the description of my heroine. Maybe I should make her a little quirky and funky, instead of proper and well mannered.

The protagonist must have a worthy problem. If he or she doesn’t, we won’t be interested in them. (See Number Three above.) Every good novel or short story I’ve read had a main character with a real problem. Now, he doesn’t know his REAL problem at the beginning, even though he thinks he does. That’s how a plot should move forward, with the protagonist learning more about his problem and what to do about it.
EXAMPLE: In the beginning of GONE WITH THE WIND, Scarlet had a problem. She thought it was to find a husband who could properly care for her, but in the end, her real problem became learning how to save herself.

Don’t introduce a character unless he/she has a specific role somewhere in the plot.
EXAMPLE: In TEXAS BLUE, I introduced an old man living alone in a shack far away from a town. My hero and heroine happened upon him, ate breakfast with him, and learned how many more miles they had to go to the next town. I had no further plans for this old man, except later he became a source of vital information for the heroine, and he became her partner in a rescue attempt. This is a case of the author—me—not realizing I had written a useless character, and inadvertently made him vital to the story.

TRIAGE: the sorting of and allocating of treatment of patients, esp. battle or disaster victims according to a system or priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors.
Note: substitute “characters” for patients and victims.

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Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
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Welcome to Western Romance!

Why I Write the West

The first Western Romance novel I read was “This Calder Range” by Janet Dailey. Before that, my adult reading material came in groups. One genre kept me busy for months or years, until I moved on to another. I first read Science Fiction, dozens over a period of a year or so. But I cannot remember one author or one title. The plots and otherworldly creatures fascinated me at the time, but I soon selected something else. So many books—so little time! I began Willa Cather’s books, and when I’d finished all those, I selected a new kind of novel I’d not seen—women’s fiction. Maeve Binchy, Rosamund Pilcher, Belva Plain. Each author received my undivided attention until I’d read all I could find. Next, westerns. Plain old shoot-’em-ups, stories depicting cattle drives, rustlers, outlaws, and lawmen. Oh, I loved these novels, and Louis L’Amour became my favorite because he often had a little love story in there.

Romance? Didn’t read it. None, zip, nada. Too trite, I’d heard—the novels always ended the same way—happily-ever-after. Same plot, boy meets girl, they fall in love, have a falling-out, make-up, get married. “What’s wrong with that?” I asked a cynical friend.

Then, one day in 1990, I visited a used-book store and bought a paperback by Janet Dailey titled

This Calder Range.

 I couldn’t put it down. Remember, I love Westerns, and this even had a HEA. I fell in love. I searched the used-book stores and eventually the library until I’d found and read all ten in the Calder series. Her latest, I believe, was released a couple of years ago.

 From there, I discovered LaVyrle Spencer, a master of romance writing.

 and

Maggie Osborne

—plus many more. I still search for new authors who write exciting, satisfying Western Romance.

In 2004, I sat down and began to write a story. And yes, it was a Western romance—a historical. Probably I’ll never be in the same category with my favorite authors, but each one has been an inspiration and a benchmark for me.

Why do I write the West? I find it difficult to put into words.

 The Last Frontier, perhaps? That’s the name for space exploration and Star Wars.

Romance in Sweeping Vistas with a love story set in a different time, perhaps? That’s how we describe novels set in early Scotland.

The Era of the Strong, Silent type who always gets the girl while he brings justice in full measure, perhaps? That’s how we describe Indiana Jones adventures.

See? I cannot exactly describe my feeling when I begin a new Western Historical novel, either reading one or writing one. Oh! Now I know Why I Write the West! It’s like falling in love.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas

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Note to Myself, via My Horoscope

“You might be experiencing the sensation of wandering around in a daze, with your feet planted on solid ground, but your head in the clouds.”

So, that’s my problem!

I’ve been in a daze for weeks, now, or so I’ve thought. But what does “daze” mean?

Daze: to become weary, lazy, tired; to stupefy, stun, or bewilder.

Not exactly complimentary, but truthfully, much of this describes how I feel and how I’ve been acting. For the life of me, I cannot figure out my problem. Maybe I have a physical condition of some sort, but no…I don’t think so. I have no pain, I sleep very well, I certainly haven’t lost weight, because I have not experienced a sudden loss of appetite.

The feeling must be connected to something, though, and until I figure out why I’m out of sorts, i.e., in a daze, who knows how long it might continue? If it does continue, I’ll never finish any of the three WIPs that are staring me in the face; I’ll not get through two months of promotion before I leave town for two weeks; and I’ll never write all those blogs that are on my calendar.

In the midst of whining in this blog, I stopped to make a dozen banana nut muffins and ten sausage biscuits for the freezer for my husband’s breakfasts. During that time, the house was quiet, the only sound being the sizzling of sausage patties in a cast-iron skillet, the breaking of one egg into a bowl, the clink and clank of a spoon against an aluminum mixing bowl, and the ‘shhhhh’ of vegetable spray into muffin cups.

These comforting sounds allowed my mind to wander wherever it wanted, and I think I’ve discovered something.

At first, I thought I needed something new, but that’s not exactly it. Here it is: I’m suffering from The Empty Nest Syndrome.

Since late spring, I have worked very hard to find homes for my manuscripts. The effort paid off, because every one of them—except one yet to be determined—now is under contract or already released.

I’m lonely. That’s my problem. All my babies are gone, and while I reared them to maturity so they could live independently from me, I miss them.

So, I need to get busy and finish one of my WIPs or begin a new story. Then I can have that feeling of anticipation of finding a good home for it.

Excuse me, please. I have work to do.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas

http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/

http://www.celiayeary.com/

New Releases

Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing

Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress