Dear Friend,
No, this isn’t going to be one, long, short-person joke. Although I have joked that I’m vertically challenged, even bread improves when it rises!
I was thinking about our heightened sensibilities when we’re confronted with conflict, terror, and something—or someone—scary.
Watching the Tonys, the Tony Awards, reminded me of how we react to even a fictional source of fear. There’s always a villain, even when it’s something inside yourself.
Why do people love horror films? Take the film The Sixth Sense, an intense film with Bruce Willis. It was probably one of the rare suspense films that audiences adhered to the code of the film: don’t share the surprise. And people didn’t share the secret! (And I won’t either, in case you never saw the film. Truly terrifying.)
Chorus Line, my favorite musical, makes the casting director, who’s choosing cast members for his play, a frightening, intrusive beast of a character. He brings out each actor’s biggest fears. Challenged by the director to share their secrets and challenges, everyone rises to the occasion, singing and dancing their hearts out.
Experiencing the feelings of a well-acted role, a reader or viewer feels the catharsis of the character. Learning who the character is through great acting and well-written scripts, you learn what and who the character has become.
Funny thing, I’ve never loved horror films. But I’ve written what I consider horrible elements of plots to enhance my romance novels. Without the fears, the challenges, the “bad guy,” the stories would not provide hurdles to overcome for the main characters.
The challenge for me in writing The Greatest Thing, which I’ll be formatting this week—hurrah!—is that I had to decide what to do with my antagonist. He became progressively more hateful by this fourth book. I needed to make changes. But since I’m so invested in my characters, even the antagonists, I needed to force myself to do what was required. And I did!
Hang in there! I’ll be announcing the launch date soon!
Meanwhile, if you haven’t read the books in my Louisa’s Vineyard series, I recommend starting with the first book, Louisa’s Passion, to enjoy the thrill of getting to know the characters from the beginning. (I reread the beginning recently and was excited!)
What is your most memorable film or play? What made it memorable to you?
Thank you for participating! Happy reading, viewing, and enjoying life!
Thank you!
Shelley
