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Jennifer is publicly shaming her characters...
I is for ignominy. I love that word. I love the way it
sounds and the way it rolls off the tongue. I don’t love the meaning, though.
It means “public shame or disgrace.” However, as an author, ignominy makes for
great conflict.
Think about it: your hero or heroine suffers from public
shame or disgrace, either in present day or in their past, and that shame or
disgrace sets the ball rolling for a wonderful story, as well as makes it quite
a challenge for the hero and heroine to get back together.
Although I’ve never named it as such, two of my characters
suffer ignominiously. The first is John in Skin Deep, which is re-releasing on
March 10. His parents have never accepted him and shamed him mercilessly as a
child. That childhood framed the man he is today in the story and influenced
how he behaves. Only when he learns to get past it, can he open himself up to
love from Valerie, the heroine.
In The Seduction of Esther, Nathan is the one suffering from
ignominy. During his marriage, his wife cheated on him publicly and as a
result, he does not like anyone knowing about his love life or love interests.
He does not want to be embarrassed again. Which would be fine, except that he
falls for Samara, who turns into a complete klutz every time she becomes
attracted to a man. There’s no hiding from that!
What kinds of conflicts to you like?
Ignominy is a great word!
ReplyDeleteI think conflicts that can sustain a story are rooted in the characters' goals and motivations. The old GMC. They want opposing things. Or what they want brings them unexpectedly together.
Working out who will win or how they can be together when one has to lose or sacrifice is the conflict.
The motivation behind the goal is essential, too. The deeper the motivation, the more the character is willing to fight for his or her goal. They will go round after round, have believable reasons to dredge up more resources.
As a student of astrology, I "dig" uncovering core motivations for characters (and clients and myself). And figuring how how to navigate the emotionally choppy waters of fictional (and real life).
Being ignominiously treated as a child would be a doozy motivation. The goal of self-protection justifiable. And hard for a lover to overcome. Fodder for a great story!
I'm still totally fascinated by the astrology charts you create for your characters, Ana.
DeleteMust admit I dislike the word ignominy and what it implies! At the same time, I think our characters need to rise above whatever ignominious treatment they may have received rather than being dragged down by it or letting it affect the rest of their lives. Just my two cents' worth!
ReplyDeleteDifferences in opinion make for great conversations and books!
DeleteI did have one character whose life was dominated by a father who deserted his family when she was a child, but that wasn't really ignominy, and she ended up fighting and winning the battle for herself.
DeleteYour post was better than word-of-the-day toilet paper (We joke about that in our house all the time) because I learned a new word! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think to some extent all of our characters have a touch of ignominy in their past as we create internal conflicts for them.
I'm thinking we may have a different interpretation of ignominy here than you do in America. Here ignominy tends to refer to a very public disgrace of a some public figure.
DeleteI was drawing a blank when it came to "I" and "Ignominy" was the first word that came to mind. It worked for me (and apparently, now I can get a job writing on toilet paper--cool!).
ReplyDeleteYou've made me giggle now, Jen! Perhaps 'Word for the Day' tear-off calendars might be better than toilet paper LOL!
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