I've always wanted to rock climb, and when I studied the skill, I realized rock
climbing and scaling heights with my hero had a lot in common. Both require a
struggle against odds, guts, stamina, techniques, and training. So I compared
the two arts, and this is what I discovered.
Training: Your hero is constantly in training. How else can he
change and grow into a better person? But don't have him climb any higher than
he needs to. He also doesn't climb to the top the first time out. Every skill is
done in steps. Through each scene, he becomes wiser and moves ahead so that by
the time he reaches the climax (peak), he's ready for the task.
Remember your hero is human (unless you're writing fantasy or sci-fi). In rock
climbing, the person is either bouldering, which means he's experienced and
doesn't use a harness, or he's belaying, which means he uses a harness. Whatever
the skill level of your character, give him the training to complete the task.
Learn from an experienced climber: Your hero learns from
experience, wisdom, and other people. Show his motivation from who and what has
influenced his life's decisions. Delve into his backstory and make him focused
and determined to reach his goal or solve his problem. Don't have him be too
proud to ask for help, unless that is his weakness. Rock climbers want to pick
the minds of those who've gone before them.
Invest in the right equipment: Your hero needs tools to equip
him up the climb. If he doesn't find a way to attain them, his struggle up the
mountain won't happen. He'll fail. A climber makes sure he has climbing shoes
(motivation), a rope (to bind courage with skills), a helmet to protect his head
(good stuff in and bad stuff out), and chalk to mark his progress (to chart
where he is on the climb to achieve his goal).
Prepare for the fall: A hero plans ahead. He has to look the
part. That means he wears the clothes, thinks like a hero, and acts like a hero.
He anticipates what could go wrong in the worst scenario and prepares and
practices the possibilities. Challenges speed up his adrenaline, and he has a
backpack with exactly what he needs to cushion or prevent the fall. A climber
aims his fall away from rocks that can injure him.
Take time to rest: Your hero uses his wits and his body. Taking
a break to rest, stretch, and evaluate his progress are good habits for heroes
and rock climbers to strive for excellence and reach the top.
Rock climbers and heroes. Both have accepted the task of completing what others
claim is impossible. What about your hero or heroine? Can you rock your
character's world?
Tweetables:
Writers and Rock climbers. @diannmills What do they have in common? #writertip
#writing
Expect an Adventure
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an
adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to
create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.
Her titles have appeared on
the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists
for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award
contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre
Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for
Firewall.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American
Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers
Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love
chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap
with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of
helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches
writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob
and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and
believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her
husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
FBI Task Force
#1
Airport Ranger volunteer Stacy Broussard expected a peaceful Saturday morning
ride around the perimeter of Houston’s airport. What she encounters instead is a
brutal homicide and a baffling mystery. Next to the body is an injured dog, the
dead man’s motorcycle, and a drone armed with a laser capable of taking down a
747.
Though FBI Special Agent Alex LeBlanc sees a clear-cut case of terrorism, his
past has taught him to be suspicious of everyone, even witnesses. Even
bleeding-heart veterinarians like Stacy. But when her gruesome discovery is only
the first in a string of incidences that throw her life into a tailspin, Alex
begins to wonder if Stacy was targeted. As a health emergency endangers Stacy’s
community, and the task force pulls in leads from all directions, Alex and Stacy
must work together to prevent another deadly encounter.
Romance Suspense | Inspirational Mystery
[Tyndale House, On Sale: August 1, 2016, Paperback
/ e-Book, ISBN: 9781496410979 / eISBN: 9781496414427]
A
thrilling new series from a master storyteller!
DiAnn never fails to deliver and to make salient points on character development! Love her books!
(Kathleen Bylsma 2:11pm November 16, 2016)
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