Character Driven & Considering the People
To Be Honest Fiction and Real Life Aren't That Different
Hey! We’re still getting to know each other, so I thought I’d share a bit about my author life. As I reflected, I realized that fiction and reality share a common theme.
For the last decade, I have written small-town romances that feature surrender issues and chocolate mentions. My heart beats to encourage people to find freedom through surrender. My work is clean and wholesome, and I love that my romance features themes that mirror my principles. Before I publish, I send my work to a diverse group and make sure I speak truth without being preachy. That’s important to me.
If fiction is your thing, you might hear about character-driven vs. plot-driven. My mantra is I’m a reader who also writes, and I love character-driven fiction. The setting and plot are important, but I’m about the people.
What makes the characters tick? Why does the hero make the choices they do? How does this affect the heroine? My mind constantly works this way. By the time you see my book on Amazon, I know the characters inside and out.
When I receive reviews that mention relatable characters, that means more to me than rankings or royalties. My goal is to create flawed characters you would consider friends. I want you to feel you are right there observing their journey and you are rooting for them. Best case scenario? You forget they are fictional.
Real life isn’t much different. Sure, where I go and what’s going on is important, but to me, it’s not everything. I’m about the people, even if I’m being my introvert self watching from a distance.
Why did they say that? What made them do that thing? Put me in a restaurant or airport and that’s what I’m doing. I’m considering the people.
I’ve been to places where the decor was top notch, but the focus was so much on that, the fact that someone was crying in the back wasn’t addressed. I remember a middle school art class on open house day where the teacher hid my current project and insisted I highlight the one where my work looked good. Forget my plummeting self-esteem, let’s be sure my parents saw the best of my work was the message I received.
That doesn’t work for me.
My stance is that if a wedding has all the glamour but the people aren’t considered, what are you even doing? For me, I don’t need fancy. I need authenticity. Show me that love throughout the ceremony and reception that tells me it’s more than a day. It’s about starting a life together. If you have to serve sandwiches to accomplish that, I’ll take that over steak. Every time.
Style and appearance mean less to me as the clock ticks on. My priorities are the people. How can I encourage? Pour into? How can I help them know they are seen and loved? If I’m doing that but forgot tablecloths, or it happened in a store instead of my first-class vacation, okay.
Like my fiction, I believe we should be about the people.
I should be about the people.
Also like fiction, there are characters out there. Broken people struggling with addiction, rejection, transition, grief, identity, and so much more. Like the Samaritan in the Bible, too often hurting people’s needs are overlooked because we’re on a schedule. There’s another thing and there’s no time to stop. Or at least, that’s what we justify to ourselves as we keep moving forward.
Shame on us. Shame on me.
Do I get it right every time? Ha. No. As an author, I can get wrapped up in details that don’t move the story forward. I recently had to rewrite a novel's opening hook because my priority was on everything but the heroine.
I miss the mark in real life, too.
Thing is, this character-driven, consider-the-people-over-the-plot-and-setting rings louder in my ears. I believe we are at a crucial point in God’s story where He’s done with the fluff. He’s about substance. He’s about the people.
How do I know?
He sent His Son to this messy place, and Jesus was always about the people.
It’s that simple, and I miss it. I hate that.
This year I will release the next book in my Surrendering Hearts series, Building Hearts. The story would tank if I focused on the actual building instead of the people. The characters in this one have a lot going on. They needed my attention.
And so do you.
How can I be a help to you? We may never meet, but I see you. And you need to know you have deep value and purpose. I’m so glad we crossed paths today.
I’m pretty new here, so let me confess I’m not sure how everything Substack works. One feature is Chat. I think I enabled it, and I try to connect each day. It’s a safe place to share our honest thoughts. If you aren’t sure where to start, I have a daily prompt. Most days, LOL. Check it out. I truly love to connect, even if it means it puts me behind my writing goals. It’s about the people, after all.
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While we’re on the topic of fiction, another project I’m involved in is the Dogwood Creek Matchmaker series. These small-town romance novellas release every other month through 2026. Earlier this year I featured Lori Soard’s Chasing Snowflakes. However, there are more releases you need to check out. Take a look at An Early Spring by Joann Durgin and Love in Bloom by Lisa Prysock. My first release in the series will be November 1 with Clean Sweep.