Wednesday's Writer's Tip Fight or Flight + New Release

Amber Chronicles is a series of short stories and novellas where Emme is sent from the world called Amber to find love. From a young woman who wants someone to love her she must become one who will both love and be loved.

Now for the Writer's Tip. The hero and heroine have all their problems, goals in site but life looks hard ahead. How do they react to the events of their life. We've all heard of the Fight or Flight phenomena and this will show how the character acts. But remember a character who is a fighter may at some point feel retreat is the way to go. Or the character who has never faced the problem and has found ways to escape may one day decide to fight.

What can be a problem is when the decision to do either isn't true to the character. Reactions must be carefully built through the story so the change in the way a character faces a problem seems to be the logical next move.  So choose the moment carefully when your character faces the change. This may be their black moment or this could be a slow change as they turn from one way of facing the world and their problems.

My favorite is taking a character who has always walked away or found some way to escape facing their problems and becoming one who has to fight for what they want. Or the character who has fought for what they want but for the wrong things or in the wrong way. Watching a character change is what makes a story sing.