How To Write Unsettling Characters

Unsettling characters make your audience think and get a little scared. Let's look at how to write those characters. 

Tom Riddle  - Courtesy of Pinterest

Examples of unsettling characters are some Bond villains, Federov from the book Argylle, and Tom Riddle from Harry Potter. If your skin crawls a bit when they enter the room or scene you've got an unsettling character. How do you write that well? That's today's topic. 

Be aware that the ending of Where The Crawdads Sing is spoiled in the the section "unreliable narrator". You've been warned. 

General Creep Factor

You need to make your reader squirm. A character needs to set off alarm bells for your protagonist. First, we need to know what creep factor is. Simply put, creepy means a threat is perceived. They come in all shapes and sizes, from trying to cop a feel during a conversation to a smile that never reaches their eyes. But not all creep behavior can be helped because maybe they just look unsettling and are fine. You can come across as creepy and not have sinister intentions.

You know what's unsettling? Unpredictability. If I can't predict you it sets off warning bells in my head, especially if you have a dark vibe. If your audience can't predict them it is a great way to start. As long as you don't fall into the pothole of making them predictably unpredictable you're doing great. Even better if societal norms are thrown to the wayside.

Themarysue.com - Alastor from Hazbin Hotel

Show them they are creepy rather than telling them. Have someone step farther from the creepy character in the scene. Have people avoid them. Let the natural alarm bells ring. Make them wonder what they are really up to, like Alastor in Hazbin Hotel and Bill Cypher in Gravity Falls. 

Some creepy features do, in fact, reflect mental illness. Please know this when you write the character. If you don't want to reflect a disorder, you need to make sure you aren't imitating one in your character traits. Be aware of what disorders are out there, such as depression, anxiety, autism, OCD, BPD, etc...

Standing too close and not respecting boundaries makes people vastly uncomfortable. You might also add weird expressions and fidgeting. Obsession makes people squirm, too. 

Now, avoiding eye contact can mean many things but it does make people squirm. This is highly situational. Be careful with this one. I don't make good eye contact and introverts everywhere have issues with this. It's actually the opposite that makes me squirm - which would be too much eye contact or unwanted eye contact. I suggest having someone make too much eye contact, rather than not enough.

Emotion is a big thing. Having someone void of emotion, showing too much emotion, or expressing the wrong emotions in the current situation (for example, laughing at the body at a funeral or smiling too much at a funeral) is a major creep factor. When emotion doesn't reach their eyes it is unnerving. 

Most of us who are perceptive have a thing, where we play dumb to knowing more about someone than they think we know. When someone knows more about you than you told them it comes across wrong, thus it is on this list. It is creepy if someone knows a lot about you or only knows about your interests. This is a major reason many perceptive people play dumb when they logically deduce things about you in passing. 

Another thing writers do is observe people. Hobbies like people-watching and bird-watching hit the creep list because being watched is not something many people like. I don't think birds care, but some of the population of humans definitely do. It's another reason to do the above as a writer - play dumb. However, when your character doesn't it will up that creep factor.

Courtesy of Collider - From the TV series You

I need to say this to clear the air. People watching and stalking are not the same. Sitting on a park bench enjoying the city vibes while thinking is not following someone home or obsessing over them. Many of us sit in coffee shops enjoying the conversation and taking notes on what would make a neat character description. We are not, under any circumstances, following the patrons out to their cars and tailing them home. If you do that you are stalking. Stalking is one great way to make a character creepy. Another twist is if you note all their interests and obsess on those. The You series is a great example. 

If a perception of reality doesn't match reality, but the character doesn't care or insists it does you've got a good creep factor going. The scariness of the twisted perception depends on the situation, world, worldbuilding, and generally the character's interests. The sky is the limit with this one. The people with twisted views and perceptions of reality make everyone back up a few steps. 

Subtle Creep Factor

Need subtlety? No problem. Here are a few traits that might help you create a more under-the-radar creep. It might be more realistic to life. 

Are they simply too calm under pressure? Yeah, that's weird. Or they snap and go back to calm. I knew someone who did that. It was kind of scary. 

Inappropriate smiling is another one. Did someone smile at a phrase that they shouldn't have? Take note. This, with added traits, can be unnerving. For example, if someone seems to know more than they say and they smile when someone says a particular phrase you upped the creep factor. Again, the trait of knowing too much about something is going to help here. Especially if they shouldn't know what they know.

Courtesy of Crime Wire - H. H. Holmes

Being too friendly is something you'll want to add if you have an H. H. Holmes character around. The real H. H. Holmes was too friendly with women particularly. He's an excellent, real-life example of someone who is too friendly. Those that turn the charm to 12 out of 10 are usually just appearing friendly; your character can have this trait and be a serial killer like H. H. Holmes. 

Unnatural phrasing is a weird one, but many of us notice this when it happens. The character has to be a natural speaker of their language for this to work. The basic idea is that they don't talk like everyone else, but instead phrase things oddly. 

Lack of sympathy or empathy is a major red flag, as well as nonchalance toward death and suffering. That can create a scary character by itself. Insisting on getting what they want on top of this is going to create a villain faster than ever. 

Either taking everything too seriously or not taking anyone seriously is also a great way to add some creepiness. Peculiar hobbies, attitude, and attire also add to it. Maybe they also have some event or trauma in their past that created their odd outlook on life. 

Having one trait that is off-putting and a few that at least appear normal will hide this character if you need to hide them until their time. Suspense and mystery novelists should take note of this method. 

More Than Traits

Your character traits are not the only creep factor here. You can literally use their descriptions to create the atmosphere. For example, I can say "Valentino leered at Angel and forced him against the wall" instead of "Valentino shoved Angel against the wall". Both are the same event, except one paints Valentino in a darker light. The vague description doesn't paint Valentino as a creep. Valentino is an excellent example of an unsettling character. 

Words like "coerce" instead of "compel" are good for painting the character as a creep. Use words that make your audience uncomfortable. This is when you can make your readers squirm at mere descriptions of actions. Be creative. 

What the unsettling character knows is just as effective as everything else. If they know too much about our protagonist you get the feeling they stalked them. When they appear matters, too, because only appearing when our protagonist is alone or vulnerable creates atmosphere. 

Consider limiting what we know of this character. Alastor, for example, has an ulterior motive and we don't know who is forcing him to help the hotel. We have limited knowledge of his backstory at best, so it creates questions. People get uncomfortable with what they don't fully understand. 

Courtesy of kenhdaotao.edu.vn

Hidden personas help with this. Maybe someone has an outward appearance but is just acting. If they drop their mask a few times in front of a select few you add to the mystery. It might be worth having someone be a really good actor in public and making them drop that persona when off guard later, only to pick it up immediately again when someone gets a bit creeped out. 

Look at real life. Look at real serial killers, real stalkers, real criminals who did horrific things and why. Preferably, I'd do this mid-day with a palate cleanser afterward, like a comedy. It depends on whether this stuff falls out of your head or sticks like super glue. Serial killers and homicides are no joke. 

A Word of Warning

I'm repeating it again, just so you don't make the mistake of demonizing the mentally ill. Don't paint the mentally ill in a negative light because they have some features perceived as creepy. Different isn't always a bad thing. 

Many people who make less eye contact, watch birds, enjoy observing people, and own reptiles are not bad people, but these are all traits that have "creepy" connotations. Lots of individuals in the world do not perceive social cues as well as the average population, so maybe standing too close is not something they understand. Autism makes it hard to make eye contact, for example. Awkward people who don't necessarily know how to socialize or have social anxiety aren't magically going to understand the art of conversation. 

Don't demonize the neurodivergent on accident. Your story could reach millions. You never know. 

When Your Protagonist is Unsettled 

The emotion is key. We need to know your protagonist is uncomfortable around this person and senses a threat, whether it is or isn't a threat. Play with this if you want. Maybe someone isn't a threat and their "safe" person is the real threat. 

Your internal dialogue when you sense a threat is not always rational. You just want to get back to safety. You only want to get away from this person and are hyper-aware of the threat. Have your internal character dialogue play off of that. Have them think of strategies to get away. Make it clear your protagonist is scared of someone. 

Unreliable Narrators

This is a clear scenario where your narrator is the unsettled protagonist. This is when your main character's story can be skewed in one direction or the other. They can outright lie. You can lie to your audience and plant the truth along the way, where you can find it when you look for the real evidence. 

Unsettled protagonists who don't know what is real or fake anymore are unstable. In some stories, you can blur the lines between reality and fantasy to heighten suspense and fear. What your narrator sees is not necessarily what everyone else sees and hears. 

We are already biased when we tell our stories, but this type of narrator is a bit more intense than that. Do we even know who they are? That's the real question. You can establish they are liars. And maybe, like Atomic Blonde, you wink at the audience with the last phrase of the movie "I'm glad I was convincing" (looking the audience in the eye). Establish that they sometimes embellish the truth, or there are things they can't say. 

Omitting information is lying by omission, but it works here. Maybe you don't have it all. Perhaps, parts of the story don't add up based on what you have. The reader will pick up on all that. You may even have our narrator sidestep questions about themselves. What you don't say speaks volumes, too. 

Motivations being clear as mud make readers unsettled. In this case, your narrator can be clear as mud when written right. The reader wants to understand them, so they read on and continue trying to make sense of the motives. Eventually, they might come to the conclusion their narrator lied to their face. 

Is your narrator playing dumb? It's possible. Make them smarter than they seem. Reveal this intelligence slowly. Where The Crawdads Sing does this by making our character seem innocent when she isn't. The evidence is all there, but you are not looking for it because she's playing dumb. 

Courtesy of frontrowcentre.com

Secondary characters can catch your narrator in their lies. If the secondary character mentions that our narrator did something way back when and the narrator tries to brush them off it sends a message. You can see this in Atomic Blonde with David Percival.

Add some unpredictable actions into the mix. Put the character of our narrator in question. Make readers question why someone would do something after saying what they have and doing what they have. Make the reader think. 

Narrators don't all have to be evil. Maybe they have memory gaps, can't tell fantasy from reality, are going senile, going insane, traumatized, struggling, trying not to spill family dirt, or justifying their perspective in an event. They are telling what they perceive as the truth. This means not all unreliable narrators are villains. 

Lastly, make it believable and not too far out in left field. Based on the sanity level of the character, what are they likely to do when they act out? What do their struggles compel them to do? Keep it credible. An unhinged character will go farther than a straight-laced high schooler. 

The Uncanny In Writing

Uncanny things are familiar, but off somehow. It's wrong and you might not be able to put your finger on why. You can use this to create an unsettling atmosphere. 

Deja Vu is a repeated event. Take that and change the repeated event endings up. If the reader asks "did I see this before?" you succeeded. 

Liminal spaces are transitional spaces. Think in between places emotionally and physically. When trapped here it feels wrong because you need to move on. Put fewer people where there should be more people or the reverse to make something feel off. You can also make a place a simulation. 

Dopplegangers, exact doubles of other people, can create uncanny very easily. Simulacrum look or behave like an image. an example of this is in Dr. Who, where store dummies move. Put this in and you'll scare someone. 

Direct communication can be uncanny. Who knew? Have a character speak their mind with dark thoughts. It can create atmosphere. 

These are all techniques that don't always stray in the horror direction. Try it sometime. 

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

How to Write a Creepy Character Realistically – All Write Alright

Writing creepy characters in a subtle way that doesn’t spell out what this person is capable of. : r/writing (reddit.com)

How to Unsettle Readers (Writing Emotion: Unsettledness) — Shirsten Shirts

8 Tips to Writing Unreliable Narrators - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

How To Make Any Story Creepy Using The Uncanny - Writers Write

The Bridge Table Murder of 1929

 I'll give you a hint; it never happened on a bridge. Let's talk about the woman who murdered her husband over a bad game of bridge, and if there was more to it than a slap in the face in the middle of a bridge game. 

Courtesy of sonofabandit.net

We're in 1929. A woman and her husband are playing bridge with another couple. The woman makes a bad call and the husband slaps her across the face, despite an audience. The game ends. The other couple goes home. The woman shoots the husband and gets off with self-defense after a trial of national popularity (1931). She lives on into to the 90s and the whole event fades into obscurity. Bridge Table Murder? What's that? 

Today we're talking about it, not only because I need to know headline events from the 1930s for my time travel research, but also because I'm fascinated. Shout out to Jim, my coworker, for putting this on my radar. Thanks, Jim!

Some Background

September 29 in 1929 John and Myrtle Bennett played rubber bridge in Kansas City. They played with their neighbors, Charles and Myrna Hoffman. John Bennett was in the habit of slapping his wife in moments of frustration. When they started losing the game a bad bid was made, causing John to do just that after an argument broke out between John and Myrtle. The neighbors promptly left. It got to the point that John said he was spending the night in a hotel and leaving. 

Pendergastkc.org

Myrtle got the colt .32 from her mother's room after all this. John went to have a word with her to find her armed. He ran into the bathroom and bolted the door. She shot through it twice, missing both times. He took the second exit into the hallway, getting to the front door only to get shot twice - and she didn't miss this time. This is the Bennett Bridge Murder. 

The Trial Itself

This was a case where the woman got off for the murder. She even gave statements that didn't match previous statements. "Tomorrow I'm leaving town" was spun as "I'm leaving forever". Her story? That her husband had told her to get his pistol for his suitcase, only she stumbled into a chair and wounded her husband. He grabbed her arm to regain balance and it mortally wounded him. She also claimed he was emotionally abusive and cheated on her. One of those I believe, yet somehow, I don't think this was an accident. 

Despite two bullet holes in a bathroom door and a body by the front door without a suitcase, she was acquitted. Despite four shots, two direct hits, it was deemed an accident. She got 30,000 dollars in life insurance on her husband. 

At the time bridge was a big deal. What the hand actually was is debated because the cards went flying, but my sources did have what it might have been. If you care about that you can go through my sources for it. The newspapers then certainly cared more about it, to the point that some thought his poor play was justifiable for homicide. The point is that John did not play as well as he could have, though that shouldn't lead to two bullet holes. 

Courtesy of pendergastkc.org

Conclusions

I don't think a simple game of bridge was the reason for this murder. Emotional and physical abuse was probably the more likely reason. Everyone has a breaking point and hers must have been that night. Some abuse victims do kill their abusers. The most horrible Agatha Christie deaths, not to mention the cruelest, were victims killing their abusers. Even in fiction the fact that an abuser can be murdered by a victim is present. 

That doesn't make a murder right, but I do think some of her story added up - just not the story about the accidental shooting. This was no accident. She'd had enough. A smart woman got away with murder to ensure she'd never be abused again. 

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

The Bennett Bridge Murder Case | Snopes.com

The most disastrous bridge hand ever dealt (kwbridge.com)

Bridge Murder case explained

Down One | The New Yorker

"What's the first book?" - Fantasy and Sci-fi

 I'm sure you've done it. Have you considered reading a series like Star Wars or Star Trek only to not know what book is even first? Here's the post you need to see. We'll dive into Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, The Wheel of Time, and Ender's Game series to determine what order to read them in. 

Courtesy of Abe Books

To restate what series we are tackling, we have Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, The Wheel of Time, and Ender's Game. Two of these I wanted to read, but didn't know the order of. Finding the books isn't a problem, yet I'm afraid I'll pick up a book and be terribly confused because I picked up book five before I picked up book one. I'll go into each series individually, starting with a basic plot overview and ending with a concrete list, or link to a concrete list, of books in the right order. 

Star Wars

We know the basic plot of the movies, yet here I am saying there is even more to explore. The main storyline is about Luke Skywalker and Jedi forces defeating the empire. The expanded world, and I do mean extensively expanded, creates many other storylines from before and after Luke Skywalker. I don't think a short paragraph would be helpful for mapping that, so I'm not going to try it. 

The sheer amount of books is overwhelming. Someone before me took this topic and made a good article about it, thus you can click here for an ultimate guide. What I found was not a simple list of books one through whatever number. Instead, we have eras and a distinction between legend Canon and a newer timeline (2014 and onward). This is horribly confusing for me. I would like to have a list of what order and just roll with that. The closest I could find was this page, which has a list arranged by eras. Good luck, young padawan. 

Courtesy of Giphy

Star Trek

In this series, many space explorers go where no one has gone before to both create diplomacy and fail at it (where the phasers come in real handy). It's set in the future with many alien races communicating openly with everyone else. Leaders such as Captain Kirk and Captain Picard made this series famous. I'm not even naming every leader at this point. The plot does not change with a new leader. 

There is a lot. I'm not going to lie and say "here, have this list" was what I found. No, in fact, the canon is not quite canon if I understood the source correctly. This whole linked website is a reading guide to different series of Star Trek books. Have fun!

Courtesy of tvovermind.com

Dune

The movies are a big hit right now. I have no doubt that you'll find the books out there in library displays and bookstores everywhere. The series follows Paul Atreides while he travels the desert planet Arrakis for valuable spices that control the empire. It gets more interesting from there. It's an older story than you think. There is an older movie, too. 

The series has more than one author. Frank Herbert has books, as well as Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The link I found gives you Frank's books and then the other two authors. The list is included in this link. It isn't nearly as complicated to find the order of this series. 

Courtesy of scriptshadow.net

The Wheel of Time

The plot is a complicated mix of time and powers. I'm not sure this book is something to be summed up in one sentence. I'm not worrying about it. You can google the basic plot and get a bit more information. I'm here to give you the order to read the books in. Maybe it is better, in this case, to just jump in and see if you like it. 

You have fifteen books in the entire series. It isn't nearly as expansive as Star Trek or Star Wars. It had to be continued after the author died. Fortunately, the notes left behind clarified for the next author Brandon Sanderson. Below I have the titles listed. My source for this list is here.

1. The Eye of the World

2. The Great Hunt

3. The Dragon Reborn

4. The Shadow Rising

5. The Fires of Heaven

6. Lord of Chaos

7. A Crown of Swords

8. The Path of Daggers

9. Winter's Heart

10. Crossroads of Twilight 

11. New Spring (prequel)

12. Knife of Dreams

13. The Gathering Storm

14. Towers of Midnight

15. A Memory of Light

Courtesy of insidehook.com

Ender's Game

This book follows Ender Wiggin, a gifted boy recruited into a military school to create leaders who can save them from aliens (Formics). This is a highly praised book in Goodreads ratings. I thought I'd have a concrete list when it pulled up a list right away. It also pulled up an article with three ways to read it. 

After inspecting the article I've decided to give you the article link. To sum up what you'll find, you can read it in publication order, series order, or chronological order. All have a list below the categories. You have a choice. 

Courtesy of The Movie Database

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Movie Review - 1925 The Gold Rush

 

 Today you'll see some of my 1920's research. Partly because I need content and partly because I need to watch more of these movies for speech patterns and reference. I'm hitting two birds with one stone, in other words. Sit back and enjoy my review of the silent film The Gold Rush starring Charlie Chaplin, released in 1925. 

Courtesy of Letterboxd

The Gold Rush is a silent film, starring Charlie Chaplin, about the Great Gold Rush of Alaska. Below is my review of it, mostly because I need to watch it for research and partly because I want to watch it and need an excuse. The movie begins with a card talking about the gold rush. It is mostly visual comedy, cards with words, and piano music. You can't watch it with your ears while working. Visuals are the film. You miss everything by not looking up at the screen. Keep this in mind with all silent films. 

Storytelling

As usual, they use music, cards with text, and silent acting to get all of it across. It proves you don't necessarily need words to get meaning to your audience. I honestly think we need to come back to this and revisit the talent of silent actors. 

It tells the clear story of a hard winter for three prospectors out in the wilderness, then a return to get the gold. It has action and comedy. Oh, and a cute dog. It's mostly antics. The antics were mostly physical. The acting clearly tells the story. 

Courtesy of IMDB.com

Later on, we see a woman come into play named Georgia, who lives in the town. Chaplin's character comes into the dance hall to see her. She has an unwanted admirer who gets really aggressive. She has no interest. She uses Chaplin to get away from the unwanted admirer. This is where the comedy gets a bit more ramped up, as his pants nearly fall down while they dance. A dog gets attached to him by a leash, then chases a kitten. The charming awkward protagonist gets the girl over the aggressive man at the end, when he is now wealthy. 

Never once was I confused. Never did I question what was going on. I knew what happened purely on visuals. The comedy gags were all good. 

Quality

Here we have the quality of the acting and the music. I'll also speak to the overall quality of the film and if I enjoyed it. The short answer is yes, I enjoyed myself. There was no moment that the acting wasn't on point. It was on point at every moment of the film. The action sequences were fantastic and the music always matched. 

I need to take a moment and praise the action sequences. The fight scenes were excellent in the cabin. I loved those. They kept it interesting. It held my attention fully. 

The music matched every single scene. It was impressive. Given this was often live music in theatres I'd like to see this live and not from a YouTube upload. I'd pay money to watch it. 

I never got tired of the movie, not once. I was all in. Chaplin was so adorably sweet. His comedic antics hit the bullseye every time. I'd watch another any day of the week. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

Courtesy of virtual-history.com

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Time Travel Writing Tips and Basics

I'm writing a time travel draft. Because of this, I'll be buried in research for a while (and I love it). Also because of this, today's blog is all about writing time travel. Let's get into the time machine, shall we? 

Courtesy of Daily Express

With a new genre for me to write comes new rules. Time travel is not to be written by the seat of your pants. You have to do the leg work for your setting, with some suspension of disbelief because time travel (as far as we know) doesn't exist. It is highly suggested you dive into the research further than you think you need to. Why? Because historians may pick apart your storyline. With alternate futures you have more liberties to take. It depends what you do and how you write the time travel methods. 

Considerations and What to remember

You can let the story take you different places if you want (you just have to do work on the backend of it to fix other issues). Or you can outline it. It is up to you. It may work better to do some of both with a vague outline or two and a bit of wiggle room. At least make a timeline of what you intend to happen before you let the story take you somewhere. 

You have the advantage of a modern take on historical times - because your protagonist is from the present (if they are, of course). A contemporary lense can be given to an older time through your protagonist. You have some liberties you can take here. Your main guy/gal is not from 1920 and won't think like they do. That, however, doesn't apply to the people he befriends in the setting. They grew up in 1920. 

Find appropriate sources for your historical recreation of whatever time you write. Even if you twisted the time period because someone stepped on a butterfly, you could still use the research. Maybe the advertisements and magazines of the time, or even the movies, gave you more information than the news articles. Or maybe you needed to find the headlines to get the full picture. Either way, find what works. 

Stargatetothecosmos.org

Set up the character before the time travel happens. We need to care what Joe Schmoe is all about and who he is before he jumps into 1893 to visit the world's fair. Don't skip setting up the conflict. Tell us what the conflict is before we step into the time machine or tap the pocket watch. Then we can enjoy the story without the time travel taking over our main character. We need characters to drive the plot, not the historical events or the time travel.

Similar to the above concept, keep the character arc front and center. This isn't a fully historical novel. Maybe we don't need to know what brand the whiskey is, or what every pedestrian is wearing. As you edit keep an eye out for what isn't a necessary detail. We care about the character most, not the time period. Besides, you probably didn't get it completely right; historians make mistakes. We don't have all the information on every time period. We are missing history in the timeline because it is buried under years of soil and we never lived it. You can take creative wiggle room. 

Show don't tell. This is a given in any book ever written. Show something in action. Your audience will understand more than you think. If you have to tell a bit that's okay, but don't just explain in words and never show your audience a demonstration. 

A ticking clock creates tension when you need it. My character is on the run, which is tense enough, but a time limit will be a great addition to your plot if you need more tension. Still not enough? Make them unable to use the device or portal. Setbacks in general are good for the conflict. 

Major things to figure out first

What are the rules of your time travel? Start here before you write any scenes. You make the rules. You can create the device or machine to take you back or forward in time. What most people fall into includes the following: traveling backward, traveling forward, the gift of foresight, and time loops. 

Time loops develop a character through repeated history in a continuous loop. Foresight and traveling forward tend toward morality issues. Whatever you want to do. Stick to the rules you create. It prevents plot holes and you don't necessarily have to explain it to your audience in exhaustive detail. See this link here to get some more stereotypes to start with.

What does your character know about the above rules? My character, for instance, won't understand that warning his friend of bad poisonous liquor won't halt his early death. Your death day is your death day in my storyline. It won't change anything to warn one of their demise date. The grave will remain the same. If someone knows a rule have them be consistent. If someone doesn't know a rule, same thing. Decide what they don't and do understand. Make sure what they understand is plausible. 

Courtesy  of Daily Express

Where are you going to drop your character and how many time periods? Who is he befriending? What is the timeline of the people around him/her? Keep track of who dies and lives at different years. Take into context what happens around that time in every era. Do the research. 

Choose your device, whether it be a pocket watch, a car, or a telephone booth. How do we travel to 1925 or 1893? You have to create the device, create the rules, and be consistent. Portals are another way to travel that might work for your story, which can appear in anything from a suitcase to a doorframe. Catalysts are a way your character can get to different times, whether they have control of their destination or they simply wake up in 1924 after a night out in 2023. A disorder that flings you through time (The Time Traveler's Wife) is one such catalyst. 

As long as you explain something right (even if you show something a character doesn't understand) anything goes. Show us how it happened. If we know the rules we can understand it. Yes, leave some information out as you need to, but don't leave your audience so lost they stop reading. 

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

 5 Tips on Writing Time Travel That Works - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

Tips and Tricks to Writing Time Travel Into Your Story (writersworkout.net)

9 Rules for Writing Time Travel – Kimberly Van Ginkel

eye contact

If you know me personally you know I'm not one to make a lot of eye contact. It's an intimate thing, even between friends. Let's talk about eye contact and what it really means to get eye contact. 

Courtesy of Glam

Some people have issues with eye contact not being made. For those people, I'd say that you've not had much experience with introverts. (Don't say shy to an introvert, by the way.) Please don't label people who make less eye contact with flirting either (cough cough, elementary school). Maybe they just don't want the intimacy of making long periods of eye contact. It isn't an easy answer. While some people won't make eye contact while lying, others can look you straight in the eye and lie to you. It depends entirely on who you are talking to and their personality. 

Personality aside, eye contact means a lot. It can mean sexual attraction, hatred, lying, shame, and lots of other emotions that the body language attached will clarify. Additionally, if someone only smiles with their mouth and their eyes don't follow, it can be unsettling to make eye contact. Beware of smiling that doesn't reach one's eyes because they might just hate you or want to hurt you. I wouldn't linger at that point. Or you just talked to customer service people who are dead inside. Let's dive into the basics of eye contact. 

Oh, and if you stare into someone's eyes for 10 minutes you might go into hallucinations and a dissociative state (reality disconnect). You see face images and all sorts of stuff. I think it might feel like tripping on acid. 

Basics

Body language should be noted when looking at eye contact. Eye contact itself is body language. Note that I am going with United States culture. Eye contact is arousing, holds attention, makes people believe you, makes people think you're smart, and makes you appear sincere.

Direct eye contact (mutual gaze) conveys a vast array of emotions. It can mean someone is listening or paying attention. Many look away when answering a difficult question because it affects cognition (thinking) to look someone directly in the eye while doing something. More eye contact equals more extroversion in some cases (not shocking). A study found that many perceive the speaker as more intelligent while making direct eye contact. People often see direct eye contact and connect it to honesty, whether it is honesty or not. 

Zestvine.com

Averted gaze does not get as strong of a response when compared to mutual gaze (direct eye contact). Looking off to the side is an averted gaze. Depending on the situation, some countries see this as respect. Others see this as cagey. Sometimes this is an effort not to be creepy or too intimate. It's easier to answer difficult questions this way. Autism and Social Anxiety make it hard to mutual gaze, making this common for ASD / SAD populations. Averted gaze can also mean you don't want attention. 

According to Mark Manson, there are 11 levels ( -1 to 9) of eye contact for attraction. Let me break it down quickly in a list. 

-1. Won't look at you (means "get away from me")   0. they didn't notice you (in their own world)

1. they see you and their eyes keep roaming (they aren't paying attention)  

2. eye contact and immediately look away (self-conscious or attracted/uninterested)

3. eye contact for slightly longer and break (interested slightly)

4. a second glance (probably interested)

5. 2-3 seconds of gaze (clearly interested and approachable) - can be taken as creepy stare when unwanted

6. gaze and smile (interested and double approachable)

7. held eye contact with smile and no break - can be creepy if unwanted (very, very excited and will approach you)

8. dreamy smile (clearly in love with you)

9. the insane (should probably run because someone is unhealthily obsessed) - ends badly

Glances mean a million things. It can mean "oh, a human entered the room" to "I want to talk to you". It depends on body language. One glance can mean they saw your movement, like most people do without thinking. We catch movement out of the corner of our eyes and look almost unconsciously. No one has to think about doing that. 

Repeated eye contact is to be noted. One glance can be an accident. Two or three? No accident. It can mean attraction, someone is watching you, or any number of things. If in danger call a nearby human or call 911. Get out of the vicinity if you can. Any danger vibes are not to be ignored. I don't care how much you like sitting in the coffee shop; someone following you is not good. Go home and lock the door. 

Staring can be staring into space, which means they are so far in their inner world they don't see you. Or it can be creepy staring or "come here" staring or "we need to leave, let's go" staring. Be aware of the context of the body language and all of the context around you. Again, I don't care how nice your coffee shop chair is - leave in hostile situations. If you can't leave get help and sit with a friend. Lustful stares are not good when you are not into it

Courtesy of getrealpundit.com

Strong eye contact can get attention, which is good for selling and compelling an audience. It can also be used for expressing your attraction, as demonstrated by the 11 degrees of eye contact above. Before sex eye contact can intensify your foreplay. Or it can just be general affection.

Prolonged and smiling is good. You have their full attention. This is friendly eye contact, used in most engaged conversations. They are open and comfortable. This conveys respect and care about the conversation. 

Any dreamy and expressive looks are to be absolutely noted (whether wanted or not). Intense emotion shouldn't be ignored, really. It ends badly. If it looks like a non-verbal "I love you" you've got some intense emotions in play. If someone is misplacing their emotion, tell them now. If you return their emotion say so. 

Science says that dilated (bigger pupils) eyes reveal that you like what you are looking at, whether it be your Pinterest or a person. If interested in conversation the eyes dilate and the reverse happens when uninterested. Constant eye contact is intimidation and should not be done to dogs in particular. Overly persistent eye contact might be "SEE I'M NOT LYING" only they are lying. Be careful of that. Evasive eye contact is discomfort or the need to think before speaking (always good). 

Don't blink! Just kidding, if you like someone you blink more. Any number more than 6 times per minute reflects attraction. Winking is an even better neon sign (unless, of course, a culture doesn't like it). People interested in conversation look at your face 80 percent of the time - a few seconds on the eyes, down to lips or nose, then back to the eyes. Occasionally they glance at a table and back up. 

If you are trying to get better at this

I once had a theatre exercise at Malone University where I had to sit knee-to-knee with someone and make direct eye contact for an extended time. It was kind of awful and uncomfortable. I don't want more of that awkwardness. However, if you want to improve your eye contact skills I found some tips. Let me know how it goes in the comments if you try anything. 

Throw the fear of rejection out the window. Project confidence (fake it 'til your anxiety leaves). Try focusing on making eye contact first, since most people are waiting for permission to do so. This might boost your confidence further. The 2 Second rule is a great rule of thumb. Look 2 seconds then break. 

Courtesy of Everhour

Staring and eye contact are not the same. Glance away every few seconds. A few seconds of eye contact with a stranger and a bit longer with friends/lovers is a good benchmark for whether you are staring or mutual gazing. Break this social rule and people get real uncomfortable. Smile with your eyes. 

Focus on one eye at a time. It's a weird tip, but let me know if it works. Focus on one eye for two seconds, then to the other for a few seconds (perhaps their eyelashes). Try their hands or mouth if they are demonstrating something. Switch focus spots every few seconds to avoid staring. 

Give space to the person. Don't be a close talker. I'd say give strangers a few more inches of space. Be a few inches closer for friends (if you aren't sure how close to be watch social cues). If someone doesn't like your eye contact definitely stop. Also, cultural differences are to be noted in different countries and different people groups. 

While public speaking make eye contact. Pick different people each time. Rotate and shift your gaze every couple of seconds. This makes you look confident. 

Reasons we avoid eye contact

Introverts and people with ASD, SAD, or forms of anxiety don't make a boatload of eye contact. When you don't want attention or conversation the eye contact numbers will naturally be low. Or you just don't want people contact, thus your eye contact will be low because you are exhausted. Eye contact encourages humans to interact. 

Anyone masking emotions won't be mutual gazing much. Poker players wear shades to avoid tells. We look away when we don't want someone to see us vulnerable and upset. It makes sense. Our emotions are evident in our eyes. Liars often glance away, unless they are so good at it they can lie while looking you in the eye (some can). Insincere comments have the same effect, meaning they might not look you in the eye when they say it. 

Eye contact makes us feel exposed. I don't know why it is intimidating to make eye contact, but if you've met me I think you've noticed I have to warm up to do it. My husband gets eye contact more than anyone else in my life. I have to be friends with you to give you more eye contact than the average human. Even then, I read the books on your shelf while I converse with you. 

Frequently interrupted eye contact either means they have no interest in what you are saying or they are too distracted to focus fully on the conversation, like when I'm serving food and someone wants to converse about their life issues. This might be either "talk to me later" or you don't want to talk to them. It can be disrespectful, but I'd phrase it more as "no interest in conversing". 

Sudden avoidance of eye contact means something happened. Avoiding eye contact distractedly, like above, can be "I'm dealing with stuff in my own head", which is commonly when I'm processing life cleaning up a kitchen. Sometimes life is just weird and you have moments. Maybe your thoughts went down a really weird rabbit hole and you don't want to look someone in the eye until the thought passes. 

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

What Is the Importance of Eye Contact | Ro

The Levels of Eye Contact in Attraction | Mark Manson

6 Types of Eye Contact and What They Really Mean – Psych2Go

Eye Reading (Body Language) - Psychologist World

5 Types of Eye Contact Attraction and What They Mean (marriage.com)

The Bizarre Thing That Happens When You Stare Into Someone's Eyes For 10 Minutes | YourTango

8 Types Of Eye Contact In Attraction | YourTango

A note to those writing inspirational fiction

 This blog is about how to write your faith into your stuff without sounding like you write for Hallmark. Of the five inspirational suspense books I read in my book cleaning, two were good enough to read to the end. Why? Because the other three preached instead of writing dialogue or they just weren't my jam. Today we'll discuss how to write Jesus into your fiction well, without turning off readers who want natural dialogue. 

Courtesy of Pxhere.com

First, you have to know I'm Christian. If you are not I'm not going to shove it down your throat, but you have to know this is about Christian faith and not any other faith. You've been warned. Let's start the journey. 

I am never opposed to Christian themes and talking about Jesus in fiction. What I am opposed to is badly written dialogue and badly written faith-based fiction. I love Jesus, but I am turned off by books that make faith sound like "everything is cupcakes and rainbows because Jesus saved me and all my problems are miraculously gone" - especially when the problems are deep psychological ones. Jesus helps us through stuff and isn't a free pass to get away from personal issues. He's not a vending machine for prosperity. He can give you peace in times of trouble, yes, but that doesn't mean He takes the trouble away. We grow through dealing with life. Jesus wants us to grow up strong in our faith. All this comes to one main point; I want a realistic faith experience reflected in dialogue. You should pick a lane if you are preaching while writing fiction dialogue. General themes without coming out and saying it are also good to have. LOTR(Lord of the Rings) and Narnia can vouch for that concept. 

Courtesy of Fanpop

What Not To Do

I've read what you don't do. Don't mistake a sermon for dialogue. Don't preach the prosperity gospel by making all your character's problems go away. Don't sanitize culture. I have to be extra careful saying this because the gospel is truly a great message, but here it goes; don't sacrifice the plot for shoving Jesus into the storyline (when you could just go with themes and get the gospel values in). When you sacrifice the plot the reader puts your book back on the shelf or donates it to a thrift shop. Shallow faith in a book is even worse. 

I'm going to note something here for romantic suspense writers. This can happen in any genre outside Christian media, too. If I can't see the mystery through the drama you need to cut the drama in half. I'm putting that book down so fast it'll hit the thrift store the next day. No joke, I put a Nancy Drew (my favorite detective) mystery down for this writing sin. I pick up mystery and suspense for the plot, not the drama. Again, this isn't only for Christian writers. I'm noting it because it happened in two inspirational suspense recently.

Me not seeing the mystery through the character drama
(Courtesy of Giphy)

All those above are what I've read in bad Christian fiction. What you want is a good plot, compelling characters, and the correct themes/Jesus' inclusion (without it being shoved in sideways). To get there you have to know what doesn't work. I suggest beta-reading any Christian fiction with people who don't typically go into the inspirational section. That's me, a Christian who owns primarily romantic suspense, thrillers, spy novels, and mysteries. Find them and test out your book there. If they stopped at chapter one and said they hated it you need to ask exactly why and fix it (You may want to find a Christian primarily for this genre). 

I understand that this is hard. The Christian fiction genre may limit you and your audience (in creativity). You can write sinful activities but not glorify them, for reference, but your main character can't always be as real as you want them to be (depending on who is publishing you or whether you publish yourself). Publishing yourself leaves lots of freedom and isn't the same as traditional. I know the traditional publishers may stop you from letting an Amish man have a beer (just one example). This means you might be obligated to include your character talking about Jesus in your dialogue (nothing wrong with that) - just be sure it doesn't sound forced or unnatural. Forced and unnatural is what downgrades a book one star or half a star lower. 

What Does Work

I've found that surface-level books on faith (even as a kid) were an automatic turnoff, but Max Lucado is one example of kids' books I can read as an adult and love. Seriously, this guy is an amazing author. Be like him and tell a story with complex themes, but one simple plotline. Max Lucado is one to emulate in this scenario (especially for kids like me who were not into "let's pray" picture books). 

Themes work. You can even break your book out of the inspirational section while you're at it. C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are great examples of putting themes in novels. Faith may even flow naturally into your storyline on accident. When that happens you know Jesus is working in your fiction. Faith can be subtle. Your audience can study it and find it for themselves versus you pointing it out like you are writing young kids' content (unless you are writing kids' content). Kid content is not adult content. Adult content here is defined as books written with adult intelligence in mind. Kids (younger ones) need it pointed out while adults do not. Most adults can find faith parallels in fiction. It's almost better that way because then it is discovered and celebrated (by specific communities) by people who go online with their findings. 

Courtesy of Scholastic

Direct allegories that advertise they are direct allegories are good, too. Pilgrim's Progress is a good work of fiction that makes excellent points. It is directed at all ages. It is also deep and not shallow. Deep allegories and fiction are good. That leads me to my next point. Deep concepts create curiosity that leads people to want more information. Gospel spread means people need to want that information. Shoving it at someone at surface level will kill that curiosity quick. It'll make the gospel a watered-down concept. The gospel is shoved into peoples' faces untactfully by many people, and then Christianity looks vastly unappealing to others. Let's not do the same thing in our fiction. 

Dialogue that reflects a strong faith and an honest perspective on faith is amazing. I'm impressed when a conversation or a reaction to faith seems genuine. Ask any beta-readers who go through your work to note when a conversation isn't realistic. It'll save you from readers putting the book down or downgrading your star rating. This is the mark of an excellent writer, to put natural dialogue about Jesus in a book where the plot is not entirely focused on Jesus. 

This goes for all writing. Flesh out the world you wrote (fantasy especially) and use more than just Christianity issues. You can depict whatever you need to in your story to make the plot work. Only writing Christian issues doesn't take into account your built world or the real world around us. Write a good setting. Don't skimp on your background and characters. 

Write well. A badly written novel glorifies God as much as an unwanted piece of furniture that ends up in charity shops perpetually. Write well and it might reach secular audiences. Keep in mind, your Christian novel doesn't always have to be in the inspirational section. If it isn't good, it goes unwanted and gathers dust no matter the section. Good books are good books.

At the end of the day, your genuine beliefs show through your work no matter what you write. Yes, you do see beliefs bleed into fantasy stories and mysteries all the time. Narnia is a prime example and so is LOTR (Lord of the Rings). What you believe will show up somewhere in your creative work. Write freely and tell me what you see. I'd say that is where God is working in your fiction - through you.

What Christians Want

Many of us don't want perfect characters. We can't relate to perfect Jane or perfect John. We can relate to struggling Jane and John, though. Flaws in characters are great, especially when they work through those flaws and hardships with Jesus or find Jesus in those struggles. Many people in the world are mad at God. When a main character is mad at God someone is bound to relate. Everyone is affected by the fall. The world should not be portrayed as perfect, either. Jesus came to save us because of the fall, so perfect Jane/John doesn't work. In this way, our character can make a mistake and sin, as long as sin is not glorified. 

Take note of the struggles around you. What is everyone else struggling with or against? Let's hear about it in a fictional character. That makes your book relevant. That makes your character someone interesting. That makes someone else feel seen. We all want to feel seen in this world. Make that happen.

Converting someone to Christianity seems to be the point of some of the books I read, but is that the whole Christian life? No. We have our own journey and impact people along the way. We love and talk to people every day, but only a small amount of those conversations (depending on your profession) are conversions. Most non-pastors don't convert people on the daily. Be realistic. The story can be about someone struggling through their own faith; it doesn't have to be conversion. 

Look at real life. Take notes. We can write real people. Have you read the Bible recently? You'll notice most people are never paragons of virtue (minus Jesus). Have you read Judges or Kings? Paul's letters? Job? Ruth? I could go on. Your characters can sin as long as you don't glorify sin. You can portray the broken world for what it is. Sometimes things don't have an answer. The point is to be real about the world we live in. The Bible is real about the state of the world. God is glorified when He gives us strength to do His will, not because we did something. Jesus came to save us because we can't do it ourselves. Why are we writing perfect characters when we are all broken?

Don't let this be you - check your context
(Courtesy of Pinterest)

Assuming you wrote well and secular audiences are reading it, talk about the big issues. Use a villain if you have to. Have someone explore their own doubts about their non-Christian beliefs or talk through questions with others. Make people think. If your goal is to spread The Gospel message in your books make someone think about their own life. Avoid cliche too, as non-believers might skim past "God is love" on a page. Show it - don't say it and be original in your writing. That goes for all writers. 

 

Scripture is great, but I'd leave maybe one quote in front and stop there in fiction. The Bible quotes being all over the book is not what most look for in fiction. Scripture is vastly important. It definitely isn't something fictional characters quote every other page, though, because again, let's talk about natural dialogue. If you wanted to study the Bible you'd pick up the Bible. People will skim your scripture at best, in most cases. If you use it the story has to fit the scripture used. It has to fit the personality and knowledge of the character you wrote. No one came to your fiction to go to Sunday School, I'm sorry. You may even be speaking to a non-believer and turn them off to your Gospel message by over-quoting. 

***********************************************************

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

What’s Wrong with Christian Fiction? – Bigger On The Inside – Teddi Deppner

How to Write Stories That Christian Readers Actually Need - Story Embers

How to Write Christian Stories without Annoying Your Readers | Kingdom Pen

Three Ways to Write Christian Fiction for a Secular Audience | Kingdom Pen