My tires eventually met the asphalt trail extending from my house to the Writers Cantina. Because of the late start, I dropped my wife off at a gas station so she could hitch a ride to her sister’s house. Actually, her sister came and picked her up, and I waited for her sister to arrive before I continued the journey. In contradistinction to last year’s experience, the hotel check-in and the room were unremarkable.

When I arrived at the temple of storytelling on Friday morning, the door was ajar—not the Mason type, but the open type. I walked the silent corridor, passing the reception tables and through the lobby area unchallenged, and eventually found Jana and some assistants preparing for the event. Having lent a hand during previous years, I opted to stay out of the way and admire the new equipment which had been procured for transporting comestibles and other items.

James arrived to keep me company, and soon more writer types arrived, including the gangsters from Rac Press. Mike tortured me with highlights of the unaffiliated shooting event I had missed from the day before, and Rick deigned to answer my questions about his Colt Ostergaard space western novel. Woody was super excited about Colt Ostergaard.

I staked a claim to an empty table next to the RP gang, got my badge and name card from Nate, and spent the first hour chatting with Mike and Nick before I attended a panel discussion that I enjoyed, but now I can’t remember which one it was. I was on the next panel with Jason and Emily. Romantasy: Saving fantasy or infecting it? I warned Emily, who writes what I’ll describe as romantasy lite—because it’s less filling—that she might hate me before the discussion concluded. After Jason and Emily presented their short statements on the initial question, I ran my mouth, lamenting the situation as I brought my guns to bear and delivered a broadside in condemnation of the girlish genre but had to recognize that women and girls read more and buy more books, so the publishers, with the goal of actually selling books and making a profit, will produce more of it despite what some of us may think. We had a fun discussion as the audience participated with their thoughts as well.

I discovered that Nancy and Gordon had taken over my table and had added a breastplate and helmet as a centerpiece. I stayed anyway, using the table mostly as a place to refer to the schedule and as a resting place for my Mountain Dew and water.

The RP gang went out for lunch and allowed me to tag along. I rode with Lee and Mike to the Spooky Burger Palace—which isn’t the real name, but that’s how I’ll remember it. Decent food and better discussion followed as I prodded Mike and Nick with questions about a short story they wrote for a Monster Hunter anthology.

I attended another presentation on mystery writing by Johnny Worthen. His fine presentation traced the history of mystery writing from Poe to Doyle to Christie to noir and modern detective and police procedurals. I was disappointed only by the fact that he left out Twain’s Puddin’ Head Wilson from his history.

I didn’t get any writing done that night and procured three tacos from the Mexican restaurant a stone’s throw away—and I have no idea who broke that window.

Saturday, I gave Colby a ride from the hotel to the conference and spent the first session visiting with writers. I caught part of a panel discussion about the evils of hard magic or something like that with Dave. A great panel entitled something like “Oh, bleat, there I was…” featured Ian and three veterans, including Nick and Mike. Afterward, I bugged Nick with questions about his experience jumping out of helicopters.

Lee took Rick and me to lunch at another fine burger establishment, and I enjoyed the conversation with these gentlemen as we shared backgrounds and writing projects. Lee was the first person I met at Writers’ Cantina at the very first iteration of the event. Last year he introduced me to someone who eventually took one of my stories and paid me for what I had thought was a free project. Lee is the gift that keeps on giving—not to be confused with the Lee character from the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series who is also a fine human being, albeit entirely fictional.

During the afternoon, I became the impromptu moderator on a panel about combining history and fantasy, where another Dave had been scheduled in that capacity but had been unable to attend. The Original Dave, Nancy, and I formed the panel. All I had to do was mumble a question and Nancy and Dave would speak cogently on the matter. Rinse and repeat.

I almost forgot to mention the conversation I had with Kelly and another lady about the 250^th anniversary and our memories of the 200^th anniversary. The discussion included a reference to a shirt and the exhibition of $2 bills. Kelly and John had attended Liberty Con and later provided me with tips about that convention. Kelly also had written a nonfiction book, and I learned about the experience that helped generate it.

A presentation on conspiracy theories rounded out my afternoon and I said goodbye to Dave, who had to get away to feed the orcs or hell hounds or something.

Finally, I was invited with some others to attend the RP party. Gordon generously acquiesced to my request to see him demonstrate and break apart the wheel lock pistol. Nancy’s spaghetti was delicious. Although we didn’t get to talk any Star Trek, I did get to pester Nick with more questions about the helicopter and rapid exits therefrom on assault missions. Woody, Mike, and other gentlemen there kept the conversation flowing and I learned more than I can ever remember. A high point was Ian’s story, as he related it in some detail, spanning his years in the armed forces through a lengthy law enforcement career to the fateful events that resulted in becoming a publisher.

A wonderful time at Writers Cantina 2026.

The short story has reached the raging conclusion - well, not quite, but we’re on the verge with only about 600 words left to complete the explosive ending — edit: it is finished and sent to my skirmish team for review

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Nearly all my books are available on kindle direct. Book 5 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series should be of particular interest now as it deals with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a fabulous story: Truth in Flames.

Let me warn you and apologize that I’m going to share some excepts from Truth in Flames. As you can tell from the dedication, the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Independence is something near and dear to me. I spent many hours researching and studying the history and the speeches. It was a delight to blend the sacred history with the fantasy of the adventure. Most of the excerpts aren’t too long. I’ve taken them at random as I scrolled through the book. I haven’t grabbed the exciting action, of which there is a heaping helping, but I have picked some bits that provide a taste of the whole series:

This is from the dedication:

To Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,

In gratitude to all those who helped bring forth the

Declaration of Independence,

And with respect and honor to those who offered, and yet

offer, the last full measure of Devotion to preserve the

ideals proclaimed in the document.

But it’s not all patriotic soldiering and fighting. There’s romance--Antonio Style. This is from chapter 6 when Antonio, Captain Rip’s First Mate is confronted by his former lover, Catalina:

“Don’t waste your sweet-talk on me, you…you pirate.

I’ve come for my pearls or for your life.” She

revealed the pistol which she had held behind her

skirt, bringing it to bear on Antonio.

“Oh, my sweet Catalina. You haven’t changed at all. You’re

even more beautiful when you’re angry. I had forgotten how

your eyes throw lightning, and the flush upon those alabaster

cheeks reminds me of sunset on white beach sands. You are a

storm over the twilight sea.”

She cut him off. “Where are my pearls?” She drew back the

doghead on the pistol.

“They are safe, my pretty sunset storm. Come, let me bask

in the pink rays of your wrath. Kiss my lips with the fury of the

red sun and scorch my soul with the hot wind of your spirit.”

“Show me the pearls.”

Danger and death pursue all the characters. When Hugh, a former criminal from the streets of London on his way to becoming a frontiersman, nearly recovers a dragon stone, he has a conversation with Lee, a real frontiersman with wisdom and experience, given to quoting the Bible and Pope’s Iliad. They’ve been in a terrible battle with stone cats, vicious and formidable creatures, and have been badly wounded:

“Charmed as one of the apostles,” Hugh said. “If we’re any

luckier, we’ll all get crucified upside down.” Hugh pounded the

side of his fist against a log. “I was that close. That close to

getting a stone. I could’ve had the power Alex and the

commander have. I could’ve healed you both. It practically fell

into my lap, and I missed it.”

“You see what be happening to Akram. That power be

consuming him. You be wanting that? I wouldn’t be wanting

that. I wouldn’t be wishing that on you nor no one else—not

even my enemy.”

“Because your enemy could kill you with it,” Hugh said.

“Because it be a canker on the soul. I reckon not many

punishments be worse than such power at one’s call.”

“Alex has done well with it.”

“That could be right. Alex be young and good of heart.

Both of those be in his favor. He believes in doing what be

right. Maybe he can. Too often, power be a cloud over the eyes

of righteousness and a shadow across the mind against truth.

Does a thing become right because no one else has the power

to stop it? A man with power be thinking he has earned things

no man rightly deserves. He don’t be only coveting—he be

taking.”

“That power would be worth having to heal the two of you

now.”

“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my

God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the

snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.”

When Lee took a breath, Shannon continued for him, “He

shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt

thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”

“Shannon knows her Psalms,” Lee said with a smile.

“And yet, you’re both wounded. I don’t think reciting bible

verses will heal you.”

“It makes the pain easier to bear,” Shannon said. She had

tears in her eyes. She kept her gaze averted from her own

wound, looking instead at the slashes in Lee’s leg.

In a later chapter, Mirimoni, native maiden and former priestess to the dragon Karakanda, has become separated from Alex, and faces serious trouble:

A shadow passed over Mirimoni. She looked up, and her

knees buckled. Roberts’ green dragon soared overhead.

The air passing about the feathered wings made a

cry—a soft whistle—that reminded her of Karakanda gliding

down to Black Moon. She used the staff to regain her feet. The

sound of her own pounding heart filled her ears. Her legs

ached for an instant until her muscles put the rushing

adrenaline to good use. As the dragon banked wide, she ran

for the trees.

But wait! There’s more. Like the Continental Congress dealing with the disheartening news of repeated defeats while freedom’s advocates press for the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Independence:

The doors below opened. Washington and a young

lieutenant, small and slight of frame, entered the hall. The way

parted before Washington and his aide.

“They have received news,” Washington whispered to

Lucette. “Despair drips from them like blood from an open

wound. They have become bleating sheep. I will gather them.

You must make them men again.”

Washington strode into the chamber. The delegates in the

hall followed like many small boats pulled in the wake of a

mighty ship.

John Hancock returned to his position at the head of the

body. “The chair recognizes General Washington. I give him

the floor.”

Washington took his position at the head of the chamber as

the delegates returned to their green-clothed tables. He pressed

his fingers together and took a deep breath before putting one

arm at his side while holding the other bent before him. His

eyes moved from delegate to delegate, meeting each set of eyes

in turn for a half second. Lucette stood a pace behind

Washington.

He broke the silence which had settled over the delegates

like a blanket of snow. “Be not dismayed. You have assuredly

heard the disheartening news from the north. Although it is

worse than we had conceived, our expectations lacked

grandeur in that theater of operations for the present. Don’t

lose hope. I have just spoken with Colonel Benedict Arnold.

We have an army. We have defenses. Should they be defeated,

the war is not lost. They are but the arms of our endeavors. It

is this body and the people you represent that are the heart of

our cause. That heart must never stop beating. It must never

despair. Only if you few succumb to fear and despair is the

cause lost...”

...

Lucette continued sending the essence. She felt the

returning substance. She sensed changes in many of their

hearts, but not all were convinced.

“As you are the heart of this cause, what you do here will

forge a new heart for all the world in time to come. Your

words will resonate in hearts around the world. Let your hopes

and your courage be your guide. Let your bravery and

dedication to the task of liberty and independence stand as a

banner to the world. As your soldiers have stood against

bayonets and cannon, you can stand against hate and deceit. It

will not be easy, but you alone can accomplish the task. The

spirit of independence must not be swallowed by your fear.

“Gentlemen, have you not received the spirit of liberty in

your breast? Have you not felt the fire of freedom burn within

your heart? If you have felt these things, can you deny them

now?” She let the questions linger unanswered for several

seconds. “I know that you cannot. Call upon your courage and

marry it to your hope for freedom. Defy the dragon and

tyranny. Write your names among the heroes of history. The

day is yours. No devils or demons can stop you. The light is

within you. Let it shine for all the world to see. Gentlemen,

liberty and independence are yours if you will but persist. A

new nation and generations born in freedom will remember

what you do here.”

All right. I’ll stop grabbing excerpts.

On the music front, I rediscovered Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. It has long been a favorite, but I haven’t listened to it in a while.

I watched the movie Xanadu with Olivia Newton John - it’s entirely forgettable, but most of the music is good. I posted a little about it on the most recent blog. I may write more, or not.

Among the books I’m currently reading are: Smoke (one of my own that I like to revisit), and The Revolt of Angels by Anatole France.

Let me present you with a plethora of books you might like:

Check out these free fast-paced fantasy and sci-fi selections.

Yet more free sci-fi and fantasy to tempt you.

If dystopian adventure is more your style set your sites on these winners.

Have a save and happy Independence Day!

Hallowed Ground

If any part of the trip to France merits a move to the front for Memorial Day, it is a discussion of the American Memorial at Coleville-sur-Mer--Omaha Beach. Those crosses in that vast expanse of white and green mark the graves of the Americans who found themselves moved to the front, the front of the war, the front of the battle for Normandy.

Our trip had been utterly delightful to this point. We spent the night in Bayeux, about five miles from the coast. We enjoyed one of the best breakfasts that it has ever been my privilege to eat. It was no struggle at all for me to consume two freshly baked croissants (nearly the size of footballs) with two cups of rich hot chocolate, along with fruit and cheese, and nearly a liter of cold apple cider along with the bacon and eggs that the young Cuban cook, who spoke English better than French, insisted on preparing for us. Following the delicious repast, that petit-dejeuner which was anything but petit, we walked in the garden of our hotel Le Maison Bayeux, while we waited for the Bayeux Tapestry Museum to open. I had selected the hotel for its proximity to the museum, and its serene garden.

Oh, how I wished that we had had more time to spend in Normandy! My heart weeps just thinking about it. If I have any regrets about this trip, it is that it was altogether too short.

I had kept my expectations for the tapestry museum quite low. How much excitement can you expect to generate from one long remnant of old cloth? The answer to that is: Plenty! To say that the tour of the tapestry was awesome undersells the experience. I would gladly do that again. We got so excited that we even bought some things from the gift shop, including manly shirts for my son, son-in-law, and myself. We really would have liked to have obtained a replica or two of scenes from the tapestry. We did not, however, want to open up a home equity line of credit to obtain the them.

We chased the excitement of the Bayeux Tapestry with a thrilling drive to the American Memorial at Coleville-sur-Mer. I’ll have to expound on the adrenaline rush that comes with getting behind the wheel of a small car on French roads at another time. My wife eschews the term “adrenaline rush,” favoring instead phrases like, “dodging the Grim Reaper,” “flirting with disaster,” or “Let me out, now!” She’s quite the comedienne.

The first thing that I noticed about the memorial was the parking. I know that seems trivial, but after having driven around a town the previous day for at least a half hour looking for a parking place, I appreciated the big American-style parking lot at the memorial. There was a short line to enter into the building. When we got near the door, a French couple in front of us was attempting to get the door to stay open. They moved the small pylon which stood behind the open door to the front of the door...it didn’t hold. They tried a variety of things...all ineffective. I finally stepped up and pushed the bolt down at the bottom of the door, and wedged a 20 centime piece in a crack in the concrete, letting the bolt rest against the coin, holding the door open. The coupled seemed pretty pleased with my solution. I was congratulating myself on a fine display of American ingenuity. Then one of the attendants stepped out and said the door wasn’t supposed to stay open. It had to close. I pocketed my coin while the attendant put everything else back how he wanted it.

As with every other place that we went, bags had to be searched, and we had to pass through a metal detector. My wife passed through fine. I set the machine off. After I had removed all of the metal from myself that I could think of, I tried again...it still went off. Altogether I think I tried about 4 times. The attendant then asked me the question that nearly got me banned from the memorial. It wasn’t the question itself, but my potential response that could have led to the ban. I’m not that old. Although the old-fat-and-bald train has welcomed me aboard, it hasn’t left the station. So when the attendant said, “Have you had a hip replacement?” if I hadn’t suppressed my instinct to hook a thumb in his eye and deliver a series of gut punches in response, I think I might have been banned from the memorial. Fortunately, I’m not overly sensitive about such things.

Eventually, I got in. The memorial is a somber place. I cannot think about it now without a surge of emotion. Within the building are many bits of written information about the men, the campaign, the materials that they carried, etc; films relate the stories of individual soldiers; some were killed on the beach; others survived that cauldron of fire to succumb later during the campaign amid the hedgerows and towns of Normandy. There is a hallway, which I believe was called the Hallway of Sacrifice; it passes into a room that highlights some of the personal stories of those buried at the cemetery. As you pass through the hallway, the names of those buried are read aloud. To experience the memorial is to appreciate their sacrifice, to be touched by their struggles, to resolve that they shall never be forgotten.

The cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach. While the memorial evokes an emotional response, the cemetery invites contemplation. Looking from the endless rows of white markers upon the green sward to the beach below inspires a reverence for this ground hallowed by the blood of common men engaged in an uncommon effort.

On the western side of the garden is a half-moon colonnade with a sculpture in the center, American Youth Rising from the Waves. The rear of the colonnade contains a quote from Eisenhower honoring those who fell in the war: TO THESE WE OWE THE HIGH RESOLVE THAT THE CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY DIED SHALL LIVE.

My wife and I got through all this without crying out loud. But when we talked with an older gentleman who asked my wife what she thought of it, her voice broke as she answered. Her father had participated in the attack at Omaha Beach. He had survived the war, and had told her about many of his experiences.

A bunch of French school kids carrying flowers through the cemetery provided an interesting sight. The legacy, the memory, lives on. As we were leaving, my wife spoke with them. She acquired a habit of speaking with strangers whenever I would go to the restroom. We met some nice people that way, including Jeff and Elizee from the United States. Jeff said that he had been to the memorial three times over the years. I can see why he returns.

Even now, 9 years later, the memory evokes those feeling again. May they never be forgotten nor their sacrifice forsaken.

A great speaker may use a tool that may not seem readily available to the writer. If I’m about to make an important point, while speaking and I………..pause… what have I done? I’ve recaptured your attention. The Power Pause is an excellent speaking tool – What does the writer have instead?

This is how I do it:

I seldom make one chapter about only one character or thread. I enjoy mixing the various threads in the chapters so that the story is not predictable, and the reader understands that at any point the story can jump threads at any time. It goes without saying (but, of course, I’m saying it), cliff hangers create tension; they may come in the middle of the chapter for one thread to be taken up later Ending a chapter (or a thread) on a cliff hanger or a moment of suspense pushes the reader to continue. It’s the equivalent of the power pause, creating adhesive tension – and it can go on for a long time as you take up another thread instead of answering/resolving the point of pause/tension. (I don’t know if anyone is old enough to know the cliff hangers referenced in the picture above).

You will always know more about your world than you tell the reader. You might do hours of research and come away with one sentence that gets put into the story. Just because you spent time researching it or devoted days to reasoning out the basis for your world’s economic system, doesn’t mean it’s going to interest the reader.

Here’s the problem with some world building: Rather than drawing in and making the reader care, it’s a boring burden as the reader struggles to remember a bunch of new names of places and characters who may or may not actually play an important role in the story. Don’t give the reader information until it’s meaningful to the reader: Time it for maximum impact. In mysteries you must dribble out clues so the reader can participate in the resolution. Do the same with revealing the world you’ve created: peel back the layers of the onion gradually; don’t force feed the onion all at once and expect the reader to appreciate the manifold layers of your creation.

On the other hand, strategic revelation is different than being a jerk. Don’t be a jerk. Concealing information that the character knows, and that the reader would know if you weren’t intentionally hiding is mostly bad.

This does pose the problem: How do you convey to the reader the “normal” things of your fantasy or sci-fi world that the characters know but the reader does not? I think showing them doing, observing, or discussing are typical ways of slowly pulling back the cover on your brave new world in a gradual way.

As always, characters are a crucial factor in keeping the audience reading. Characters should be shaped by their environment and experience, either consistent with or in opposition to one or both.

Take Iago and Antonio, two characters from my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series:

Iago is a small person who can’t speak but has a gift for languages. He is Portuguese but has lived in South Pacific. He became servant of a British gentleman engaged in some mysterious occupation. Iago’s character and the way he responds to situations reflect this. That was a rather flat and uninspiring explanation. I think my point is that I didn’t know all this when I started writing Iago. His backstory didn’t come out until it became important to the story—I didn’t care until the reader would care.

Antonio is a larger than life smuggler. He has a girl in every port, is not quite an accurate historian, and is a bit superstitious (his superstitions may or may not be accurate). These are all facets of his character that are dribbled out and demonstrated over time rather. His foibles and flaws make him interesting and his speech and actions reflect his big personality. I never have to explain him to the reader because this type of character does all the showing himself.

Growing the characters over time through the story with strategic revelations keeps the reader turning the page.

The characters should reflect their environment, and the environment should pique the readers interest.

The setting is half the fun. Let the reader see the sites and sights and do cool things there. Think James Bond, John Ford movies, or Tolkien (Mordor, Shire, Moria, Lothlorien,) those places live in your mind. If I mention The Call of The Wild, what setting immediately comes to mind? Since I’ve already used the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series as an example, let me refer to it again. There are some great locations associated with the Revolutionary War in this series, and I had a blast researching and recreating the sites and environment. The historical places already have a connection for the reader: Bunker Hill, Colonial Boston, and Independence Hall, for example. Additionally, strange and unfamiliar places let me get creative and invite the reader to learn more (if I’m doing it right). Places like Black Moon, the stone cat caverns, and the Wanadaga’s underground town and the exciting events in those settings should all beckon to the reader to continue the journey, keeping that movie playing in their head.

Remember to consider the problems the setting would create for the inhabitants and visitors. These factors may be critical to the story and to character development. How do they survive, get light, communicate with friends and enemies in the underground town? What strange customs might they have evolved to deal with the different environment? What aspects of famous locations could be exploited to create tension? Cool places and things compel the reader to stay with story.

A sense of presence in the setting also hooks the reading. Modern slang doesn’t fit either 1776 or 1945, and will take the reader right out of the story—unless of course your modern character is thrown back to that period. Consider the Setting and convey the appropriate tone. One of my readers noted the interesting language issues that came with the setting, conveying the atmosphere and tone of some of my novels and stories:

•Smoke - modern everyday tone with slang and “isms” that convey 1940s noir

•Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series - both formal and colloquial language

•”Blacksmith’s Work” - a formal, almost Biblical tone

•”Love under a Purple Sky” - “a cattle drive on a distant planet! Great descriptions. I could picture it all.”

Keep those hooks in the reader with an immersive experience. I’m not saying hold ‘em down until they drown, but I’m not not saying that either.

Compel the reader to turn the page, live the journey, and keep the reel playing in their head with strategically placed cliff hangers, character development, and exploiting the environment to the best advantage.

Next time: Hammerschlag Rising, the conclusion.

It begins by sparking reader investment in the characters. There are three fundamental rules:

First, make the characters memorable. I’m not talking about the average henchmen who isn’t going to survive into the next paragraph. The main characters and supporting cast need some feature, experience, or trait that lodges in the reader’s mind.

The reader comment above refers to Iago’s adventure with the Wanadaga in The Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. That adventure was a fun exploration of his backstory which reinforced the feel factor for the reader with regard to the character. Iago was an important player from the start of the series; in fact, he’s the first character mentioned by name. The reader had lots of opportunity to get to know Iago, but his backstory had been revealed. Nevertheless, he’s a memorable and relatable character. He doesn’t speak, and he’s only about three feet tall. His underground adventure in book four of the series is a great example of bringing out the character’s past and present emotional trauma. Readers love him even more when his history is revealed. Earlier, his backstory wouldn’t have had as significant of an impact—timing is everything. I don’t try to fully outline every character’s backstory at the beginning of the book or as soon as they appear and I don’t info dump it- those precious things should be dribbled out over time.

THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT of the character maybe the most important. A character’s thoughts or the manner in which they think can make them memorable—the fears, trials, triumphs, heartbreaks, sorrows, and passions—and that is the level a reader needs to get to in order to embrace and invest in those trials and emotions.

Of course, physical descriptions and other characteristics help create the character in the reader’s mind.

The reader comment above references Iago again and his companion Atu. Marjorie is a character in an unrelated short story—I have to admit that I enjoyed writing a rude and insensitive lady who was not really a terrible person. Beyond the physical characteristics are the traits and trappings with which the individual is adorned. The way they communicate, how they treat others, and how they react in certain circumstances help flesh out the mental image you forge for the reader.

Most of us enjoy writing dialog, witty or otherwise. My point is that the way a character communicates helps establish them in the reader’s mind – like Lee, Iago, Atu, and Marjorie mentioned in the previous slide. What a character says and how they say it helps carve their image into the reader’s mind. Word choice, tone, accents, unique mannerisms.

Think of Darth Vader (we hear James Earl Jones), Khan (as in The Wrath of), Almost any Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart character, or Daniel Craig in Knives Out: To think of the character is to hear their voice. Of course, we actually have the benefit of having heard the actual voices from film rather than the flat and silent page - but I think you know what I mean. Jim, Huck, and other characters from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are better examples of accents and speech patterns that stand out to the reader.

That quote in blue is from a reader – and it’s absolutely the best advice I can think of about creating characters. You should be creating a picture and a feeling.

A character’s striking contrasts can make them memorable – or conformity to archetype/trope can cement the image into the reader’s mind. Is the detective a Colombo or a Poirot—do their clothes reflect that? Is the femme fatale a Milady de Winter, a Phylis Dietrichson, or a Mrs. Smith? What features, physical or otherwise indicate this?

Is the great strength or small stature of the character important to the story or the character’s personality?

What do others observe about them?

It may not be part of the physical description, but there may be something associated with them that you want the reader to remember that will help create a feeling.

Less is often more. Let the reader fill in the edges. It’s the reader’s dream, let them dream.

The Character’s need can create various emotions, fear, desire, apprehension, pride, disgust – all depending on the circumstances.

Example: Iago, in the underground events from book 4, needs to escape, forge a team, win the tournament, rescue his friend.

A principle for which the character stands, defends, or represents, can create admiration or its opposite – Iago stands for loyalty, fidelity, friendship and he has demonstrated these to the reader, but his adventure with the Wanadaga solidifies them.

A Disadvantage helps create sympathy and bonding (every reader has felt themselves at a disadvantage at some time so they can relate) – Iago can’t speak, he’s in a new and strange environment with people with whom he can’t communicate, and he is a prisoner.

A Foe can create fear, dread, excitement, etc. Iago’s foes include his team, his captors, the other teams, and the great white worm. Luke Skywalker has Darth Vader. D’Artagnan has Richelieu, Rochefort, and Milady. Kirk has Khan and Christopher Lloyd. Great foes help make memorable characters.

A Relationship – past, present, or hoped for – gives depth, insight, and intensity to the feelings and the character. –Iago had a wife and child which were tragically lost; he’s swept into a new relationship, and he has his faithful friend that he must rescue.

Leave some mystery.

Dribble out the details rather than infodumping. Remember how the Tom Hanks character in Saving Private Ryan kept his backstory and civilian job a matter of speculation until the important moment? Save the reveals until the reader cares.

Let the reader dream – they’ll fill in the details you leave out (not always in the way that you would have, but it’s their dream).

Finally, Place the character in danger based on their own choices.
A peril that a character chooses is more powerful than a random encounter.

•Make their choices matter

•Unforeseen consequences of seemingly reasonable decisions can also create sympathy and emotional attachment

•A character with great power may be rendered powerless in one way or another because he’s forced to choose

•Action scenes with zing - I’ll try to elaborate on this later.

Next time: Compelling the Reader to Turn the Page.

A great story leaves a mark. Some stories deliver an indelible kiss; others open a wound in the psyche. What makes some stories unforgettable? The three elements of literary alchemy: The Trauma, The Drama, and The Dream. Master these elements, and you will find yourself forging tales that stick to the reader’s soul.

Think about the stories you have read that left a mark on your heart. Why did they stick with you? They touched you at some emotional level – something spoke to you beyond the mere words on the page and the outline of the plot– you can enjoy an interesting situation or an intellectual puzzle (those can make great stories) but the stories that leave a mark come with an emotional barb on the shaft.

In this series of posts I’ll address the following:

• Creating Reader Investment in the Characters

• Compelling the reader to turn the page

• Exploiting the setting, and

• Nailing the ending

Feel free to disagree with anything or everything I say. I don’t pretend that this is the only way to write great stories, but it’s certainly one way. Much of this series was inspired by comments that my readers provided when I inquired what there was about my stories that stood out to them. I’ve incorporated some of their responses into this presentation. I’ve also been influenced by John D. Browns’ book: Create Story Ideas that Beg to Be Written. Also note that this was created for presentation at a writer’s conference, and therefore has a more conversational tone than the typical writer bloviation on such topics.

Perhaps the most forceful recommendation for paying attention to what I have to say today was unsolicited praise from a gentleman who told me:

“I would rather read one of your books than anything by Faulkner.”

So I’ve got that going for me.

•When you write the opening chapters, you’re trying to make a sale. You have to keep selling with every page. Most readers will give you a chapter or three to set the hook. If you haven’t got the reader invested by the third chapter, you’re probably not going to make the sale. Your book will end up on the DNF pile or if finished it will quickly be forgotten. Therefore, I recommend that you Start with Trauma.

•Characters should experience trauma -- or the threat of it (which is also a kind of trauma).

•Get to the trauma right away, at least hint at it so that the reader can begin to care or at least be interested. Trauma piques the reader’s interest, and lets the reader begin to feel empathy for the character – which brings up something I’ve assumed: that your story does in fact have a character of some kind - more about characters later.

•How do we make the reader care about the trauma – and in turn the character who is thereby threatened?

The trauma is delivered via drama (it’s how you keep making the sale) with the type of events and dialog expected in the genre. Think about the scenes of Doc Brown trying to connect the cords to capture the power of the lightning strike. It’s the perfect example of drama used to create tension. Imagine Marty’s story as: He goes back to 1955, meets his parents, and returns to 1985. That’s the story without trauma or drama. It’s not exciting, and it won’t meet a word count.

• Drama is the story. This is where the writer shines as the conveyor of the tale, the storyteller in the tavern around whom the guests are gathered, yearning for a yarn and expecting abundant embellishment.

• The trauma, (and there may be many) should be extended so that it is not quickly or easily resolved/suffered. This happens through the exciting series of events dressed in the garb of the genre: Fantasy, Western, Dystopian, Romance, Mystery, etc.

• Consider a story where someone arrives and slays or injures many people, and leaves. A hero tracks him down and brings the perp to justice. Not much of a story. What would make it more interesting? Whose point or points of view would interest the reader most? Of the thousands of details, which ones would be meaningful for putting the reader on the scene or inside the head of the characters? What details about the characters would you want the reader to know? What details would you want to come as a surprise? How do you deliver those details for maximum impact? Answering those questions, and others, is the beginning of creating drama. Sometimes we may miss the drama because we forget to ask the questions –sort of missing the drama for the trees.

Tension is created by the lack of resolution—and it’s the best sales pitch to keep the reader interested.

If you haven’t got a little “out of the frying pan and into the fire” going on then you don’t know your hobbits from your giblets, or, to put it another way, your adhesive tension is slipping. What is adhesive tension? It’s the continuing unresolved conflict, or series of conflicts, that make the reader stick with the story to discover what happens next.

•The drama serves to stretch out the trauma, to make it taut like the piano wire; loose wires don’t make music.

• John D. Brown calls this “Trigger and Delay” - trigger a desire in the reader and delay the fulfillment

How do you create a desire in the reader? Create a worry. Get the reader to care, to invest in the character and that character’s goals. Build the adhesive tension. How? That’s the $64K question.

The alchemy transforms these two base elements into Gold – the Dream (I know I’ve fallen into the classic alchemy error, just go with it).

Unresolved problems create tension – The cycle of No/failure creates tension and drives the story forward – Like filling a balloon with air – when will it pop?

The attempted solution either makes the problem worse or creates another problem.

WARNING: You can’t keep creating tension without ever resolving it. That practice alienates the reader, which is the opposite of adhesive tension: reader annoyance and separation from the source thereof. Failure to resolve the tension, or saying it was a “dream” destroys the Dream you’re trying to create. (See e.g. Lost). The trauma and drama bind the reader to the characters and the story, they buy in and care, and relate to the characters, putting themselves in the character’s place. The trauma threatens, and drama increases their tension by extending rather than resolving the threat – the readers buy into the promise, and they want the rest of the dream delivered. Deliver bits of it at a time, resolving some tension while escalating the main tension in the process.

Your story should do all of the above.

1. Spark the reader’s imagination with story, characters, predicaments and descriptions, allowing the reader creates the movie in their head (caveat re descriptions – you’re telling a story, never let the descriptions overcome the story).

2. Abstraction or release happens when the reader becomes immersed in the story – the “emotional ride” John D. Brown describes.

3. Desire to have the trauma resolved, for the character to come though victorious, save the world, overcome all the trauma. One of my readers expressed her feelings about a compelling episode in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, saying, “Please let Lee be OK. Please let Lee be OK.” – When you can get that kind of response, you know that readers care about and relate to your characters. That’s why they read, and why we write—it’s the dream.

4. The wish is satisfied by the ending and the micro endings along the way – fulfilling the promise you made when you created the tension. Fulfill the small promises (for better or worse) before fulfilling the grand promise.

Nail the ending. Fail at the ending, and you fail the reader.

This presentation so far has been rather generic. One could argue that I’ve done nothing more than advocate for telling a good story. I won’t disagree. However, I’ve found that these simple elements are absolutely essential and if they’re overlooked or submerged in favor of punctilious attention to detail by the writer enthralled with a character’s backstory, world building minutiae, or meticulous descriptions the dream dies along with the reader’s interest.

Next time: Forging the Elements into a Story - beginning with creating reader investment in the characters.