I
recommend the novels of Jane Austen for examples of memorable
characters and romance stories with long lasting impact. Jane Austen
wrote her stories more than 200 years ago, yet they are still read
and loved today. Why are her books so readable? One reason is that
Jane described ordinary people in ordinary settings. You will not
find details of historical dress or mannerisms. In many ways, she was
a very modern writer, her works lack the florid, emotional, and
lengthy descriptions employed by the Victorian authors.
Her
stories were romances, filled with her unique light hearted and
caustic wit. Her characters resonate today. Mr. Darcy in “Pride and
Prejudice” fits the romantic ideal, even among modern young women.
He is tall, handsome and wealthy. Many of Jane’s male romantic
characters, however, were not wealthy landowners, tall or handsome.
Several were clergymen of modest means. In “Sense and Sensibility,”
Edward Ferrars rejected his wealthy inheritance when he refused to
marry the woman his mother chose. He followed his principles, even
though he could not wed Elinor, the woman he loved, because he was
engaged to an inferior woman due to a youthful infatuation. A love
triangle! The male leads in Jane’s stories demonstrate heroism by
doing what is right, despite the personal disadvantages.
How
did Jane Austen create her memorable characters? Her stories rely on
dialogue with little action. She gives minimal physical description.
Instead, she describes distinct personalities that we recognize from
our everyday lives. Her descriptions are pithy; she can define a
character in a single, eloquent sentence.
Here
is her first description of Mr. Darcy at a ball: “Mr. Darcy soon
drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome
features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation
within five minutes after his entrance of his having ten thousand a
year.” A billionaire romance! But, Jane has set him up for a rapid
fall: “…he was looked at with great admiration for about half the
evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his
popularity…” Even his ten thousand does not save him.
In
contrast, look at Edward Ferrars in “Sense and Sensibility”: “He
was not handsome, and his manner required intimacy to make them
pleasing.” In fact, he is shy and awkward, and possibly the least
likeable love interest in Jane Austen’s stories.
If we follow the example of
Jane Austen, we should emphasize the personality of our characters
and minimize the physical details. Cattell’s 16 factors may inspire
ideas
-(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16PF_Questionnaire#Raymond_Cattell.27s_16_Personality_Factors).
Of course, in science fiction, we often need detailed descriptions
for aliens or other worlds. The great advantage of emulating Jane
Austen is that much of the narrative falls into place once the
personality of the character crystallizes in your mind. You can
imagine how they will react to other characters and the conflicts in
the story. I love that moment of insight when I can begin to compose
the scenes of the book.
Blurb
A thousand years in the
future, wars and portal failures disturb the fringes of the galaxy.
On Terra, twenty-two year old Violet Hunter seems an ordinary student
of the Space Academy, who dreams of exploring unknown planets. She
applies to serve as the pawn of one of the twelve Grand Masters,
although her hidden talent of empathy makes her ineligible. Violet
has defied the prohibition against psychics for half her life. Why
should she stop now?
Isolation is the penalty for a
Grand Master’s great power because their touch is deadly to a
normal person. The Grand Master with the griffin avatar selected the
girl with the star-shaped birthmark in spite of her father’s dire
prophesy. He is suspicious about his disobedient pawn, yet he cannot
deny the success of her missions to strange planets where she finds
more than he expected.
Violet seeks the truth about
the mysterious Grand Masters. Who or what are they? Do they threaten
or benefit civilization? While searching for answers, Violet does the
unthinkable. She makes a bargain with her obnoxious Grand Master and
challenges him to meet her face to face, risking her secret to
discover his purpose. She plunges into an impossible love and a world
of intrigues. She needs all her new powers and allies to survive the
vicious conflicts and save her newfound love.
Buy
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM
Bio:
Aurora
Springer spent her career in science describing new discoveries in
research articles. In 2014, morphing from scientific research into
fiction, she achieved her life-long ambition to publish her stories.
Her works are character-driven romances set in weird worlds of
science fiction and fantasy with a sprinkle of humor. She was born in
the UK and lives in Atlanta with her husband, a dog and two cats to
sit on the laptop. Her hobbies, besides reading and writing, include
outdoor activities like watching wildlife, hiking and canoeing.
Media
links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Springer/e/B00K2C4NL8
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/AuroraSpringer
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