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Paula thinks about the ‘options’ we give to our characters.
‘Real life’ consists of a series of options, some very minor
(e.g. what shall I wear today?) but others requiring us to make major
decisions. Similarly, in my novels (and probably in yours, too), the characters
have different options presented to them and have to make choices. Should Jess
in ‘His Leading Lady’ leave her safe and predictable life to go down to London
and impersonate her twin sister? Should Abbey in ‘Fragrance of Violets’ go to
Paris to meet with Jack, knowing it will change their relationship but not sure
if she wants that to happen?
The characters can agonise about which option to choose.
Sometimes they make the wrong decision, albeit for what they may think are the
right reasons. In ‘real life’ this could have disastrous consequences, but at
least in fiction we can provide the means whereby they can sort out the
problems they then face.
Sometimes a character thinks they only have one option. This
was the situation facing my heroine in ‘Her Only Option’ and one of my
reviewers summed it up perfectly: “After taking positive steps to follow her
heart and a future with a man with whom she’s hopelessly in love, things take a
life-threatening direction. It’s time to forget what her heart is telling her
and listen to what her head is advising to save a life; it’s Her Only Option.”
Blurb:
Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile
cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle
down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his
father’s desire to see him married.
Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and
fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him
until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her.
When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work
in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a
heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.
Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before
it’s too late?
What ‘options’ have your characters had to face?
Great point...our stories are full of options for our characters.
ReplyDeleteIn THIS CAN'T BE LOVE, Jessica has the option of staying in town and seeing where her relationship with Zach goes, even though she thinks it's too soon to have fallen in love with him, or leave and wonder what would have happened between them.
A difficult decision for her - which could actually go either way!
DeleteTrue, it wouldn't be a good story if there were no options to choose. It's all part of the suspense of a good plot and this book has a terrific plot and great characters.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol!
DeleteGreat post, Paula. Choosing between options often means making-taking a leap of faith. Is this the man I should marry--will we love each other in ten years--will in-love turn into deep love? Should I take this job-study this discipline-turn left or right when facing the unknown? A
ReplyDeleteLots of options there, and I like your description of it as sometimes being a leap of faith. It''s also where a character's inner instincts may come into play, too.
DeleteI've just written about someone choosing a name for a chip shop - some of the options were pretty dodgy!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Patsy. I've seen some 'interesting' names for chip shops in my time!
DeleteGreat post, Paula. Options make a story, whenever the choice is made - now or in the past. In my 'Neither Here Nor There' Esty made her life-changing decision before the story begins, but more than once she wonders if she's made an awful mistake.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Miriam. You're right that some decisions could be disastrous!
DeleteFood for thought, Paula, without a doubt! During the Regency, choices were often made by well-meaning (sometimes) relatives for the heroine. This happens to Jocasta in A Sense of the Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Heather. Women haven't always been able to make their own decisions.
Delete