Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

The Writer’s Devotional by Amy Peters

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I like devotional books –any kind–and I have quite a few. I especially like devotional books that pertain to writing.  

A few days ago, I came across such a book in Barnes & Noble called The Writer’s Devotional, 365 inspirational exercises, ideas, tips, & motivations on writing by Amy Peters.

Each day of the week highlights an aspect of the writer’s life:

Monday – Writers on Writing.
Tuesday – Motivation
Wednesday – Writing Class
Thursday – Editing
Friday – Biography
Saturday – Books Writers Should Read
Sunday – Writing Prompts

This book is phenomenal. One could teach a class–each page is a lesson plan–using the tips, prompts and motivations.  If you’re looking for a gift for a writer friend, this is the perfect gift, but you’d better purchase two copies because once you get home and browse through A Writer’s Devotional, you won’t be able to wrap it up and give it away.

Set up in the traditional devotional book format, it’s impossible to read one devo per day. I’ve gobbled page after page after page each time I sit down with it. The great thing is that this book can be read over and over again. Hats off to Amy Peters for a beautiful, useful writing tool that inspires, instructs and motivates. This book is a writer’s treasure.

The Case of the Gaping WHY

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A night or two ago I had a nightmare. I dreamed I went through my manuscript line by line and asked WHY after each sentence. Some of my whys had no answers. Most did, but sometimes the answer was implied, or not immediately evident. I remember being very confused.

I know why I had such a dream.

When I got to the end of my novella, I found a big hole. There was a huge unanswered WHY WOULD HE DO THAT? I know that has more to do with motivation but it sure leaves a hole in my plot. WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?

Yep, I yelled it.

This very important character is not my MC yet the story couldn’t be written without him. He’s the stimulus, so to speak. The stimulus with the gaping WHY. This is one of those why didn’t he just pick up the phone and call instead of manipulating. Manipulation makes him look like a bad guy so there has to be a really, really good reason for it.

I tried to put a band-aid over that gaping hole. Didn’t work.  I tried to cover it by attributing the actions of another character to the one with the WHY.  Didn’t work.
 

To fill this plot hole sufficiently, I might have to add another character and another chapter or two. Or, maybe I do need to make my character wearing the WHY on his forehead a bad guy. 

No, no, I don’t want him to be bad. And this is a novella; I can’t have a thousand characters.

I haven’t worked on my story for more than a week because of this gaping WHY. I’m stymied! Help!

Any suggestions how I might approach this problem?

Why? Why? Why?

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The question WHY is important to us when we start plotting, planning and writing. It’s probably the most difficult question for me to answer. And I’m the one who always spouts to my family–“There’s a reason for everything.”

I guess that’s why I love movies. Easy to actually SEE and understand the WHY of things, the motivations of each character. Take one of my favorite old movies: Teacher’s Pet, 1958. It stars Doris Day, Clark Gable and my personal heart throb, Gig Young.

Clark Gable is James Gannon who’s the city editor of a newspaper. He’s from the old school–the School of Hard Knocks. He has no respect for journalism classes or college grads entering the newspaper business, so he’s not at all pleased when he’s told by his boss to speak to Erica Stone’s (Doris Day) journalism class. Of course, what happens? He’s attracted to her so he pretends to be a student. And that’s where the deception begins. Of course, he can’t hide his writing talent (his pride won’t let him) so he quickly becomes her prize student, one she’s determined to see find his rightful place in the newspaper industry. Remember, because of his deception, she doesn’t know he’s already found his rightful place.

Her friend, Dr Hugo Pine (Gig Young) is a wonderful ‘world-renowned egg-head’ and does an excellent job of explaining the WHY when Erica/Doris asks WHY Jim/Gable deceives her:
 Dr. Pine/Gig Young says:

Here’s a man in a responsible position who feels inferior because he has no formal education …
He meets a teacher, a symbol of academic achievement . . .
By deceiving, dominating and outwitting the teacher, he receives an exhilarating feeling of superiority. . .
His battered and cringing ego emerges, victorious!

Without watching the movie, we know how quickly that victorious feeling will end when he looks into those tearful blue eyes, don’t we?
It’s so important to know where our characters come from to understand the reasons behind their actions. How well do you know your characters? Do you know their parents, how they were raised, where they went to school, their first loves, best friends,  their fears, their religion? Why? Why? Why? We even ask WHY our story needs to be told?
Come on! Teach me something about WHY.