Three Ways to Create Believable Characters with Deeann Matthews

 Welcome mystery writer Deeann Mathews.

 How to Make Your Characters Believable

 
My tag line is no joke: I write non-fiction by means of fiction.
 
Readers tell me about their desperate searches to find fictional places that I have created on maps, and about their realizations that my latest novel could fit into the 19^th, 20^th, or 21^st centuries equally well. 
 
Yet the real key to connecting to in a reader's mind is by connecting the reader to real people – characters who are believable, even though they are fictional.  There are three solid steps to achieving this character-building goal:
 
1. First get clear on your story, and that your story and the stories of those in your comfort zone are not the only real and important stories.
 
It is so easy nowadays to be isolated in our thinking except for the echo chamber of like-minded voices, and to substitute caricatures for those outside the echo chamber.  This is a terrible trap for a writer in an increasingly diversifying world of readers and competing authors.  The way to avoid the trap is to get clear on the strengths, limitations, and validity of your story while recognizing it is just the starting place of your character building.  Everyone isn't like you, and that is good: you will have a more successful writing career if you don't have always to write characters that read like you are interacting with yourself.
 
2. Immerse yourself in the stories of others from all walks of life, and in accounts of how people come together and behave in different situations.
 
Step 2 comes after step 1 because in order to do step 2 effectively, you must listen to the stories of the lives of others in the mindset of seeking understanding, not confirmation of your existing viewpoints.  It is not necessary that you agree with everything you hear and every choice that people make, but that you listen without bias so you learn the realities of of the lives, behaviors, and choices of all types of people. 
 
The most authentic way of learning a lot of true stories from real people is to find ways to introduce yourself to random people, invite them to tell their stories, and just listen.  An alternative way to find all kinds of real people doing and experiencing all kinds of real things in all kinds of real places is to go on to YouTube, read biographies and historical accounts, and to take in current events from a variety of news sources and commentaries with the mindset of listening to learn the different kinds of real people there are, how they act, how they behave, what they believe, who and what they love and hate, and why. 
 
Do deeper studies on people you feel are remarkable – good and bad – to find out what they believe, what they value, what they have experienced, things they or others around them might have said about a particular situation.  Find out what makes main characters in real life tick, and tick exactly they way they do in certain situations.  Research the lives of people with similar experiences, beliefs, and values to see if these real-life main characters are remarkable because of or in spite of those they are most similar to.
 
3. Write short stories placing real personalities you have learned about in a fictional situation, and also short stories placing fictional characters in a real situation you have learned about, for practice.
 
You know your starting place and how you would handle any situation X, but after applying yourself to the previous two steps, you will also sense that there are a variety of other ways real character Y and then fictional character Z could behave.  The key, as you learn, is to be writing every day about the people whose stories you learn – just a short story of your own to bounce real knowledge of real people through your imagination of both real and fictional events.  Over time, you will learn to create authentic characters based on this real knowledge for any situation you choose to create, authentic characters guided by the real personalities and experiences you have based them on.
 
AUTHOR

 Deeann D. Mathews is an author, musician, and fractal artist, from San Francisco, CA. She is the author of Black, White, and RED All Over, the first in a series of clean Christian mysteries, and also the author of Seasons Siblings' Timeshare Tiff, a fictional take on the famous fall weather of her hometown. She is also the creative director of Praising Pilgrims Music, a small publishing company of music and music-related materials based in San Francisco, California. Ms. Mathews is also actively creating fractal art and other creative works across a variety of disciplines on Peakd.com. 

Black, White, and RED All Over

Buy on  AMAZON
Kindle $2.99
Paper $20

Guest Alexis Goring Devotional on God's Family

God’s Family: A Forever Place to Belong

A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

We all want to belong. 

Sororities and fraternities are a big deal for college students in the United States of America. There’s a whole, grueling, sometimes embarrassing process that young men and women go through just to belong to one.

People go to great lengths and do all sorts of things (good and bad) just to get in because they want to belong to a support system that’s like family consisting of their peers.

But what they fail to realize is that they are already invited to be part of God’s Family where they truly belong and are loved unconditionally.

Best of all, God’s Family is for life not only on this Earth but forever.

Beth Moore, a famous Bible teacher and writer, said something in her book Breaking Free that resonates with me. She wrote,

“God is not only the answer to a thousand needs, He is the answer to a thousand wants. He is the fulfillment of our chief desire in all of life. For whether or not we’ve ever recognized it, what we desire is unfailing love.”

Unfailing love can only come from the heart of God. Not sororities. Not fraternities. Not gangs. Not high school cliques. Not memberships to prestigious organizations. Only God.

I love the song “Your Love Never Fails” by Jesus Culture. It’s about how God’s love never fails or gives up on us. He is our Creator, Lord, Savior, Redeemer and truest Best Friend. He loves us with all of His divine heart and He wants us to love Him too. But He will never make us love Him because He wants us to love Him out of the free will that He gave us, not because we’re scared of going to hell or have ulterior motives about making it into Heaven.

God is love. He embodies the word and His love for His creation is present in nature all around this world! He is our Heavenly Father and when we accept His Son Jesus Christ into our lives, we become a permanent part of His forever family!

The best part is that we don’t have to do anything drastic to belong to God’s Family. We just have to trust Him, believe in Him and accept the free gift of salvation that He offers humankind through His Son Jesus Christ. According to John 1:12 (ESV), this is how we become part of God’s family after we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

It’s simple. No strings attached. Only hope eternal knowing that when our life here on Earth ends that we have the promise of spending eternity with Him when Jesus Christ returns to Earth again to take His faithful followers to Heaven.

God’s Family is global. When you join His forever family, you gain brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world. Just think how grand our big, diverse family reunion with our brothers and sisters in Christ, will be when we make it to Heaven!

Belonging to God’s Family is something we should all seek before seeking acceptance from any social or prestigious organization here on Earth. Remember, your worth does not come from what your fellow man thinks of you. Your worth comes from God! Focus on what He says about you. Believe what He knows is true about you. Let Him be your mirror. Listen to His Truth. Don’t allow what mankind says to define you, good or bad. Let your sense of self ... your core identity ... come from God! He thinks you’re amazing because He made you. As one of His children, you are loved!

Yes, I know that as mortals, even when we have the Creator of the Universe lavishing His divine love upon us, we still may want to seek acceptance from sororities, fraternities or other prestigious organizations that are safe (gangs and cliques are NOT safe). I’m not saying to not seek after those things. I’m just saying to keep God as your primary focus and seek Him first. Find out what He wants you to do and ask Him for wisdom to make good decisions that will help you, not hurt you. Also, as you journey through life, remember who you are (your identity as a follower of Jesus Christ) and whose you are (you belong to God) and refuse to let the opinions of people deter you from remaining a part of God’s Family.

In closing, I’d like to share a prayer from Beth Moore about unfailing love that is from her book, Breaking Free. She wrote, 

“Oh, God, awake our souls to see—You are what we want, not just what we need. Yes, our life’s protection, but also our heart’s affection. Yes, our soul’s salvation, but also our heart’s exhilaration. Unfailing love. A love that will not let me go!”

God’s Love for you will never let you go. Stay close to Him and allow Him to direct your destiny. Remember, you are loved and part of His family!

Author Bio: Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.

Visit her blog at:

http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com/

This post originally appeared at Whispers in Purple in May, 2019.

Used with permission.

Photo: swans, courtesy of Morguefile, a free sharing site.

Guest post Alexis A Goring Thankful for God's Protection

Thankful

I thought of Psalm 91:11 (a verse in The Holy Bible) earlier this afternoon, when I saw what is becoming a familiar sight at one of my favorite town centers. 

When I drove into the town center earlier today, I saw for the second time this year, a squad of men and women dressed like secret service agents (people with “serious” no-nonsense looks on their faces who are dressed in Black slacks, Black blazers, white shirts, shiny black shoes and wearing ear pieces to communicate with each other). Just like the first time I saw them, they descended on the town center and set themselves up on the four corners surrounding the area in which a cupcake shop is central. They had the entire area covered. Each guarded a checkpoint. Each person looked serious as they surveyed their surroundings and if they had a weapon, it was concealed. 

I do not know who these secret service agents were guarding but I think the person may be a high-profile politician or government employee given the area that the town center is located. It’s only a few miles away from important places where people in power gather for business and work-related matters.

It’s the second time this year that I’ve seen this happen. But today was the first time that my mind drew a parallel and life lesson from this scenario.

Ready to hear it?

Here it is: After today, I realized that just like those secret service agents guarded every corner of the area where their Very Important Person (VIP) was visiting, staying vigilant and ready to defend the VIP if needed, God sends His Angels from Heaven to guard us every single day, in every way!

The Bible says in, Psalm 91:11, “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.”

According to Belief Net (website), “This translates literally to mean that God will instruct His angels to watch over individuals. God will give each of His angels a purpose: to guard His children. Those who are faithful will be under the constant care of His angels.”

It’s comforting to know that God’s Angels are always watching over you and me, guarding us and delivering us from evil. They are stronger and smarter than the world’s best-trained secret service agents and unlike mere mortals like you and me, they will NEVER fail an assignment to cover us. They cannot be killed and they are very skilled at doing God’s will.

The Bible also says in Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”

According to Belief Net (website), “The angel of the Lord can mean any one of God’s angels. In this passage, it is noted that God would send His angels down to His true loyal children and rescue them from danger. His angels will lift us up and keep us from harm if we choose to trust in Him.”

Situations in life can be scary but you don’t need to be a VIP to be covered by God’s protection. God has promised to be with you wherever you go. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He’s holding you close in His Hand (Isaiah 41:13) and taking care of you from the moment He wakes you up in the morning (believe it or not, it’s not our alarm clock that wakes us up) to the moment you go to sleep for the night then His angels are on guard as you sleep! 

God’s protection over all of His children here on Earth is a 24/7/365 operation. He has unlimited resources to help us and deliver us from evil. All we need to do is trust Him to take care of us and obey Him. Remember, there are consequences to our sinful actions but God is merciful. He’s ready to forgive you of your sins if you ask Him. But then He expects you to turn away from your sins and seek Him. Life can be messy but God is with you in your mess. He will never give up on you! I’ve heard stories of how He’s protected people in the middle of their mess and rescued them from dangerous situations.

Point is: If you believe in God, you’ve already got a protection squad in the form of His Heavenly Angels. You may not be able to see them but they are always with you. God’s Angels are here to help us make it through our journey here on Earth. Hebrews 1:4 (KJV) says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” 

So next time you’re in a situation that scares you, ask God to send His protection. Pray for His protection even when you cannot sense danger or think that everything is okay. Remember, God sees what we cannot see and He protects us more than we may think! So don’t only ask God for protection, thank Him for it!

Trust and believe that your Creator (GOD) loves you. He is there for you, sending His Angels to protect you and guard you in all your ways. Best of all, you don’t need an ear piece to communicate with God, He’s only a prayer away and He knows what you need even before you pray! 

Perhaps God’s Protection can be summed up in the words of Isaiah 65:24 (KJV) in which He says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Isn’t God Awesome?

In closing, I’d like to share this song, “Angels Watching Over Me” by Virtue. You can listen it to here. God bless you, dear hearts! 

Always remember that you are loved and protected by your Maker (God)!

Love,

Alexis A. Goring

Founder of "God is Love" blog

This post originally appeared on God is Love.

Used with permission.

Photo: courtesy of Lisa Lickel, Hawaii rainbow, March 2019

Guest Alexis A Goring shares Silver Platter Faith

Here we are with another Faithful Friday offering from returning guest Alexis A. Goring. 

Silver Platter Faith

A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. 

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

~ Romans 5:1-5 [NIV]

Ever since I was a youth, I’d prayed to God to give me an unshakable faith in Him that withstands the test of time. When trials and tragedies entered my life, they shook me. But as I aged, I realized that when I asked God for an unshakable faith in Him, He wasn’t going to hand it to me on a silver platter. He had to immerse me into situations that would not only test my faith in Him but refine my faith and make it solid as gold.

As the Master Teacher, God knew that He would have to put me in situations that tested my faith in order to produce perseverance and result in that deeply anchored, unshakable faith that I crave.

As Romans 5:3 [NIV] states, “suffering produces perseverance.” Sometimes, God needs us to suffer so that we learn how to persevere and hold on to Him. He doesn’t send the storms into our lives to destroy us; He sends tough times to strengthen us! He wants us to have a faith deeply rooted in Him and the only way to get that is to go through things. If our life was always easy or as they say “peaches and cream,” we wouldn’t have faith in God. We may even be led astray thinking that we don’t need Him, which is not true because, without Him, we would be lost and never make it to Heaven.

There’s a song, “The Anchor Holds” and the lyrics speak to the message that I’m trying to convey. Here’s my paraphrase of the song, “The Anchor Holds” as performed by Christian recording artist Ray Boltz: Life’s journey can take you through dark nights, making you feel like you’re fighting for your life alone while trying not to drown in the open sea. But through it all, God’s eyes are watching you and yet the anchor holds! Though your body is battered, though the sails that help you move through life are torn, though you’re in the midst of a raging sea, despite the storm your faith in God is anchored deeper than the ocean and you will survive the storms of life because your faith is rooted in Him and He has the power to speak “Peace Be Still” and calm the waves around you. But if He chooses to take you through the storm and not lessen the magnitude of it all, know that you will stay safe as long as you stay in faith with Him.

The song also talks about one’s perspective when they’re young in their faith and compares their youthful viewpoint to their viewpoint when they’re older and more seasoned by life. As a person matures in their faith walk with God, they see that God uses the storms of life to prove His love for you! It is in tough times that we rely on God the most and in those moments, we see how good He is and we learn that no matter what happens, He is in control. We also find it to be true that there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us less and there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us more because He is our Heavenly Father and He loves us just because we are His creation.

The love of God is a kind, gentle and passionate force that will change you from the moment you experience it and radiate through you for as long as you cultivate your relationship with God. As God’s love radiates through you, it will draw people who need Him to you and before you know it, God is using you to change the world for the better with His love.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

I hope that you are encouraged to stay strong in Jesus Christ and that you too will ask God to give you a faith that’s deeply rooted and withstands the test of time. Trust me, as time moves on and this sin-ridden world gets worse, a faith that’s deeply anchored in God is exactly what you need to survive!

God bless you.

 Love, 

Alexis...

Alexis A. Goring is a college graduate with a degree in print journalism from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. Writing is her passion. She hopes that her stories will touch hearts, bring smiles to faces, and inspire minds to seek God whose love for humanity is unfailing.

 

This post was originally published on Whispers in Purple blog, April, 2019.
Used with permission.

The South, Football and Life

Congratulations to Janet W. Ferguson and the novel Tackling the Fields for taking home this month's Clash crown! We're pleased to feature this guest post, which gives us a little insight into Janet's book and football...yes, football!

In the South, most of us love football. It’s something we talk about, cheer for, and spend time watching with friends, whether in person or as a group viewing it on TV. The adrenaline seems to flow as the leaves begin to turn from deep greens to those fall yellows and oranges, a chill touches the air, and those pads and helmets are put on.

My husband played high school football. He was a center. I’ve always watched the sport at whatever school I attended, and of course, in Mississippi, a lot of us follow the SEC games. I never thought a whole lot about why we enjoy watching so much or about the injuries the players battle with—until my son played the sport.

His junior year, he tore his ACL and his shoulder labrum participating in this sport he loved. And he was not able to make a comeback. I saw the game through different eyes as he struggled with the loss. He missed the comradery, the goal, the discipline, the friendship. Everything about being a part of a team.

While he was going through three of four surgeries that he ended up having, I began writing Tackling the Fields. It combines this love for a game with the loss of a dream for one character and the loss of innocence for another. It was a challenging, almost painful, book to write. But in the end, God heals our wounds and helps each of us recover from our broken places.

He’s there to free each of us from the heartaches that try to take us captive.

About the book:

Cole Sanders is a changed man. The university quarterback questions his direction in life after serving on a mission trip in Honduras. Things that used to fill Cole’s ego seem empty after witnessing the developing country’s extreme poverty and the death of a precious child. The one glimmer of hope through his confusion is the fresh perspective he now has about his tutor, Audrey. She possesses something beautiful inside and out—something that might help him become the person he wants to be.

University senior Audrey Vaughn tutored Cole Sanders for an entire year and never imagined the popular quarterback would see her as anything more than a friend. After partnering with him on the mission trip, they are drawn together. And he appears to have changed for the better. To let Cole into her life, Audrey will have to overcome not only her brother’s distrust, but also the paralyzing fear still lingering from a past she’s tried to leave behind.

Cole can’t walk away from Audrey now that they’re back in Oxford. He’ll have to figure out how to keep her giant of a brother, a lineman on his football team, from killing him when the coach has his back turned. But can Audrey trust her heart to a player so similar to the one who stole so much from her in the past?

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