My daughter’s best friend is Natalie. Natalie’s parents moved here from South America nine years ago.
I always enjoy going to their house. I think it’s because I’m so aware how different we are. We have lots of similarities, too, but I feel like such a gringo when I visit there.
The Spanish I know came from Sesame Street in the early 1970s. They speak excellent English.
I’m always in a tearing hurry when I arrive there—I’m either there for two minutes because I’m on my way to something else, or I quickly realize something that I need to do. They move at a very slow-pace. I must appear like I have ADHD to them.
I can go there at any point during the day and something wonderful is cooking. And the most exotic aromas are wafting out of the kitchen. If you come to my house, unless it’s a crockpot day, I probably haven’t figured out my plan for supper yet.
When I went to a party at their house recently, their jaws dropped when I started to help clean up their kitchen after supper. They were very uncomfortable with that, although they were smiling politely. I realized that none of their Hispanic guests were cleaning…in fact, they were looking at me with a rather puzzled expression.
Although I’m the same exact person at Natalie’s house, I feel different. I’m very aware how different I am from them, in a nice way. When I’m with other busy moms, I’m very similar to them all. I may be the only writing mom in the group, but I’m not the only frantic mom who is doing too many different things at once. At Natalie’s house, I’m the exotic person. Which makes it interesting.
When we move out of our comfort zone, our days can go in completely different directions. I usually end up sitting down and visiting and having a bite of something delicious that I can’t pronounce and have never eaten before.
It’s only natural for most people to congregate with people who share a similar mindset and background. We do tend to set up tribes with like-minded people. But I think it’s good for us as writers to grow a little bit.
I look at my characters and they tend to colonize with similar types, too. They hang out with family, and their circle of friends. And, of course, a killer. :) I do write mysteries.
I’ve realized that when someone radically different or an outsider is introduced in my books, they usually end up dead.
This is a challenge for series writing. On the one hand, series readers usually enjoy checking back in with their favorite characters. But we also need to keep it fresh and different—mix things up a little so our protagonist isn’t hanging out with the same people all the time.
If I feel like I’m growing a little every time I make a new friend (especially a friend who’s so different from me), then it’s got to be good for character growth, too. Especially for a series.
Elizabeth – As always, you’ve given me something interesting to think about. There really is, I think, a solid balance to be struck between the familiarity of “regular” characters and the need for the freshness of new ones. That’s something that I think every series writer struggles with. But you’re absolutely right; having new characters can add some freshness to a series, can add some different dimensions to regular characters, and can be invigorating for the writer.
I was struck by how you said *you* feel different at Natalie’s house. We’re not the same people when in unfamiliar surroundings. I went to a wedding the day after Thanksgiving and enjoyed that exotic feeling, wearing clothes I didn’t usually wear and talking to people I didn’t normally associate with. It was great. Plus, I met some interesting new character types.
I imagine the risk in series writing is having your main become humdrum, so altering their surroundings and circle of friends can spice them up and reveal other facets of their character. Great advice.
I love that your different characters usualy end up dead – I do this to annoying characters, either that or marry them off and make them disappear.
Some good advice here.
Very true! I love how you put your differences into such a positive light. I think any time we meet someone “different” even if it’s spending time with the elderly at a nursing home, we always feel uncomfortable at first.
I love that your characters hang out with a murderer.
I especially like your last line…something to think about- what we do with a character (growth included), it must be something that will make sense for the character and be “good” for the character and advancing the plot (my interpretation).
I don’t want to be the stranger coming into your next book! :)
Good post – mixing it up with new people is a great way to find new facets of our personalities!
Very interesting post. We do tend to form our own little “tribes” with people like ourselves. I think when we get out of our comfort zone and met new people, we take a little of that back with us to “our zone.” I think it just add another thin layer to who and what we are, even if we don’t realize it.
Good thoughts. I recall our Puerto Rican next door neighbors when the kids were little. My kids loved visiting because there were always goodies. The food exchanges were informative, enlightening, and delicious. Chicken with yellow rice from them, blintzes and latkes from me.
Adding “different” characters to books makes things interesting. I’m wary about trying too insert characters of different cultures if I’m not confident I can portray them accurately, without resorting to stereotype.
When I was a kid, I made friends with a boy from South America. I went over to his house to play and didn’t have a clue what he was saying–he didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Spanish. We managed somehow.
I was 7 when we moved to the US from Ecuador. For a long time, I was the outsider–very much out of my comfort zone. It was a VERY hard beginning for me, but that push out of my element really helped to shape me, I
think. I love your view on this. I think the best stories place characters outside of their comfort zones…so it begs the question: are we also more interesting when we’re put into uncomfortable situations? Hmmm….great post!
Elizabeth, I just love how your brain works. This is such an interesting post, because I “feel” different almost everywhere I go. DIdn’t think how I could use that in my writing, however.
Karen
Very good post. I like challenging my comfort zone. Some of my characters do. But I’ve had one who fought it every step of the way.
I love your analogy! Hanging out with people from another culture is so fun! And it’s a great idea to vary the types of people around a character. It’s easy to keep them in a little bubble of similiarity, but sometimes varity will make all the difference. Thanks for this post!
This is one of the things I love about your posts, Elizabeth. Every situation, whether it be your normal day-to-day, or the various different situations we all find ourselves in, you see everything and relate it to writing. You soak up all you can from every situation and apply it to plots and characters, and you have a wonderful way of relating that to us!
Very good advice, Elizabeth, we should all try to incorporate something new every once and a while. I do have one character (non-recurring) in my present manuscript who doesn’t fit in with the rest. He feels very much like a fish out of water. I enjoy writing him, but I do feel sorry for him as he makes his faux pas!
Elspeth
As a writer of a series, yes, the characters tend to gather with like-minded friends. But in each story, the main characters have their own circle of unique friends, and I’ve enjoyed introducing new ones into the mix.
After living in both the South and New Mexico, I know what you mean by cultural differences. Even helping with our singles ministry at church has expanded my world, as I am not single, and many of those people have children. (We have none, although my time as a foster parent taught me what ‘busy-mom’ means!)
Living in several countries overseas, I was often out of my comfort zone. You’re so right – the experiences of being the ‘different’ one did help me to grow. I guess it’s only natural that our characters grow from the new and uncomfortable situations we put them through, too.
Elizabeth, how fun would it be to introduce a permanent character in your series who is totally different, yet not killed off! I think you’re on to something. You’d have to keep him/her under control, though, or they could take over, I think.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Lots of good advice here, especially in the bold print lines.
Marvin D Wilson
Our lives feed our writing. We have to make sure we are living well and richly, in order to write well and enrich the lives of our readers.
Excellent point! Different people teach us things about ourselves, the change of atmosphere can even evolve a new hidden trait!
I’m sure they are learning a lot from you too. What a wonderful, colorful, exciting world we live in. Full of people and places that long to be discovered.
I agree with Lorel- interesting how YOU feel different, when it I am so sure they are aware of THEIR differences as well, especially when they first moved to the US.
My cousins are Ecuadorian and I spent my young life wishing I was exotic like them. Now I read books written by foreign authors (Henrik Mankell, Stieg Larssen, Val McDermid) and I realize how such little things are different in our cultures – things like cleaning up after dinner.
I love the way you look at the world like a writer. Don’t you wish you had a tape recorder in your head?
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
The longest I can remember a “different” character lasting in a series, before they were killed off, is two books! You have a great point and I would love to meet a family like Natalie’s!
Margot–If I can just resist the urge to kill these new characters when they appear in my manuscript. :)
Lorel–It sounds like you had a good time at the wedding…being a little different for the day!
I think that’s the danger, definitely–we want to keep things fresh, but not confuse new readers or old ones, either!
Cassandra–I think it’s hilarious that you marry off annoying characters!
Jody–It’s definitely a self-conscious feeling at first, isn’t it?
Crystal–Thanks so much! :)
Teresa–Yes, they never seem to realize that they need to be more careful about the friends they make–that they keep allowing murderers into their inner circle!
Advancing the plot is always so important, yes.
Jemi–Don’t be an out-of-towner in my series! Bad things happen to those folks. :)
Diane–Sounds like you’re good to introduce new characters to keep things fresh. And you’ve visited and worked with so many different groups that you’re able to write about a variety of different things.
Jane–You’re our world traveler, which I think is so cool! I figure, if we can make our characters a little uncomfortable, then they’re growing and changing, too.
Mason–I think it does, too.
Terry–Accuracy would be important…and could be tricky. But it would be fun to offer a new character with a new perspective on things, even if they’re not from another culture.
Helen–I think I could keep them under control–I’d just quietly remind them that different characters usually get killed in my books! :)
Alan–It’s amazing how adaptable kids are. Plus the fact that kids learn so much quicker than adults do, anyway. My daughter is already picking up quite a bit of Spanish over there.
Carolina–That would be *really* tough–total immersion! It sounds like the experience really ended up being good for you!
I think we have 2 choices in uncomfortable situations…shutting down, or rising to the challenge. Maybe our characters would face a similar dilemma.
Karen–Our perception of you is that you’re one of the gang! But our own feelings are so, so hard to overcome. In my situation, I kind of enjoy being different because I’m ordinarily fairly ordinary…I’m only really interesting when I’m at Natalie’s! :) With your feelings, I’d think there would be many different directions you could take in your writing.
Marvin–Thanks!
Carol–Sometimes those stick in the mud characters can be fun, too, though. But only if we’re poking a little fun at them, I think.
Kristen–This would be a topic you’d know a lot about! I guess variety is the spice of life!
Elspeth–That would be interesting to have a faux pas-ing oddball! I can see where you’d feel sorry that you’re putting him in such awkward situations!
Cassandra–You are so right! We have to work so much harder if we don’t actually feed our minds.
I spent lots of time in Europe…well, four years, not exactly a lot but enough to note some differences. Things there seemed to proceed at a slower, more measured pace. This is not true for traffic, nor European road behavior, but in terms of everyday life, they seemed to rush it less and enjoy it more. Maybe it was that I was as much tourist as resident and always on the way to see or do something. Maybe it’s just the way they are. You spent time in England, didn’t you? Did you notice this effect?
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Four years IS a lot, Galen. I think you’re absolutely right. I would arrive for work at the magazine in London and no one would be there at 9. 9:25 and maybe a few would drift in. Lunchtime was strictly observed…and they frequently drank at a pub during it! All very eye-opening for the Type A American.
Tamika–It really is. I love exploring it!
Michele–That’s what’s so neat. How often do WE get to be the unusual ones? I bet your cousins did seem really cool.
My sister in law, who lives in Kenya, said that they have much the same customs there…as far as guests helping to clear the table, anyway. :)
Janel–It’s true, isn’t it? I just realized that the other day. I’m wondering if that means that maybe I need to buck the trend a little.
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