{"id":939,"date":"2018-03-14T15:59:45","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T19:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/?p=939"},"modified":"2018-03-14T15:59:45","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T19:59:45","slug":"worry-wart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/14\/worry-wart\/","title":{"rendered":"Worry Wart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got a nice surprise last week when five advance reading copies of Ogre Enchanted<\/em> showed up in my mailbox. So it\u2019s a book, not the<\/em> book, but a<\/em> book\u2013always a great moment.<\/p>\n

On December 10, 2017, Bird dog wrote, I\u2019ve recently finished the first draft of a story, and in editing, I realized that I want to more openly display my MC\u2019s anxiety. I can describe it accurately enough, and though it is believable, I\u2019m worried that it will be annoying to read. As the story is in first person, I\u2019m worried that this will exasperate the reader to the point of being unwilling to read on.<\/em><\/p>\n

The obvious solution would be to cut out the effects of anxiety on her life, but I feel like that would be unfair to the issue. The story isn\u2019t about anxiety, and it doesn\u2019t present itself in every situation, but it is a part of her struggle that I feel is important to include.<\/em>
\nIf anyone has any suggestions, I\u2019d be grateful!<\/em><\/p>\n

Sara wrote back, First of all, good job on finishing a first draft!!!<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be annoyed about a character with anxiety, because I guess to a certain point I can kinda relate. Um, of course I don\u2019t know the story and what you feel would bug the reader, but maybe you feel like it\u2019s stopping the action? Or that all of her anxiety attacks are the same? I feel like there\u2019s tons of options for things that can spiral off of an anxiety attack, like your MC has to make a decision and the weight of the consequences stresses her out so much she makes the wrong one. And she has to live with that. Plus, stopping the action can be purposeful and, I dunno, be part of another conflict or something. Anxiety, like every other personality trait, can be used in a bunch of ways.<\/em><\/p>\n

And Zoe\/TheSixthHobbit wrote, I\u2019d suggest you read Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, if you haven\u2019t already. The main character has OCD, and the author does a great job of showing what it\u2019s like to live with that condition, and it\u2019s not at all annoying.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve said this before, and I\u2019ve said it often: We should stifle our worries about what readers will think. It is just a stick to beat ourselves with.
\nA couple of days ago, I started reading a memoir I will not name and took it with me to New York City, but I hated it so much I couldn\u2019t keep reading and switched to my addiction, Free Cell Solitaire on my cell phone. In my opinion, the writing was cutesy and way too wordy. In the first few pages, the author constantly announced what he would and would not include in the memoir, and I wished he would shut up and just tell what he planned to tell and not blather on about it in advance. So, for this post, I looked at reader reviews of the book on Amazon: \u201c…great storytelling…\u201d; \u201cHe writes beautifully.\u201d; \u201cExcellent writing style.\u201d Obviously, readers’ opinions differ.<\/p>\n

Another example. In this case I will say the name because he can take it. I can\u2019t bear Stephen King for a similar reason. In my opinion, he overwrites. My husband loves his books, so I\u2019ve tried more than once to read one or two. But my mental red pencil comes out instantly, and I\u2019m deleting words, sentences, entire paragraphs! I prefer spare writing that disappears into the story, but millions\u2013many millions!–disagree with me.<\/p>\n

And a few other readers probably don\u2019t like his work for reasons that are different from mine.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve adored books that haven\u2019t caught on. And others that have.<\/p>\n

And my books, incomprehensibly, aren’t the cup of tea of many readers.<\/p>\n

Having said all this, however, we can set our fears to rest\u2013or discover that they\u2019re justified with a writers\u2019 group or beta readers. One reader isn\u2019t enough, and three are better than two. Don\u2019t tell them what you\u2019re worried about. Just let them read and then find out what they think. If it doesn\u2019t come up, you can ask about the anxiety\u2013or whatever else you happen to be concerned about.<\/p>\n

If only one person is bothered, listen, think about it, and decide if you agree. But if more than one are troubled, and especially if more than two are, take that very seriously.<\/p>\n

As for the anxious first-person MC, I\u2019m with Sara on all counts. Yes, congratulations on finishing a draft! Kudos to you!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a champion worrier, with a trophy to prove it, so, like Sara, I can relate, and would almost certainly enjoy a narrator who was like me in this regard.<\/p>\n

I also love Sara\u2019s idea of using the anxiety to advance the plot, like having it fuel a bad decision.<\/p>\n

And I agree with her that there are many ways to portray anxiety.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to show up only in description. It can appear in the elements fiction writers have at our disposal: dialogue, thoughts, action, physical symptoms. Even setting, which might be a trigger.<\/p>\n

In dialogue, for instance, our MC can stop mid-sentence or trail off, distracted by worries. Or she can chatter uncontrollably. Or stutter. Or yell at people and even things. In the TV legal comedy, Boston Legal<\/em> (high school and up), one of the MCs at one point gets so stressed that he starts speaking nonsense words and seems not to realize he\u2019s abandoned English. I\u2019m sure there are other possibilities.<\/p>\n

A few other examples. Thoughts: Her mind can refuse to settle down and can rattle on and on. Action: She can walk out on a situation. Symptoms: Hives. Setting: The school where her anxiety began. There are many more options in each category.<\/p>\n

Also, , in dialogue and thoughts and everything else, we can show our MC trying to conquer her anxiety. Her efforts are likely to make her even more relatable.<\/p>\n

In our first draft or, as in Bird Dog\u2019s case, an expansion, we shouldn\u2019t worry about going over the top. We should write the anxiety as fully as we can and throw in the kitchen sink. When we\u2019re finished and start revising, we\u2019ll have a better idea of what to keep and what to toss.<\/p>\n

Here are three prompts:<\/p>\n

\u2219 Your MC, a writer, is polishing the first five pages of her manuscript for submission to agents, and she is questioning every word. Anxiety is taking her over. She reads this blog, but she can\u2019t keep herself from worrying about her readers. Write the scene, varying the ways she expresses her anxiety. Give it a happy ending, though, and create her recovery.<\/p>\n

\u2219 Your MC never worries. He\u2019s part of a team combing a wilderness to find a lost camper. Everything goes wrong, but he\u2019s untroubled. Write the scene, and make him really annoying.<\/p>\n

\u2219 Two characters are preparing\u2013separately\u2013to debate each other. Their prep methods are entirely different. Write the preparation for each of them, and then write the debate.<\/p>\n

Have fun, and save what you write!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Got a nice surprise last week when five advance reading copies of Ogre Enchanted showed up in my mailbox. So it\u2019s a book, not the book, but a book\u2013always a great moment. On December 10, 2017, Bird dog wrote, I\u2019ve recently finished the first draft of a story, and in editing, I realized that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[296,291,307],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=939"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":940,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939\/revisions\/940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}