I’m honored to host my guest, Tara Johnson today. We’re members of American Christian Fiction Writers Arkansas, so we see each other several times a year at meetings and once circled Dallas repeatedly trying to get to the ACFW conference. Here’s Tara:
Quirky Characters and Wounded Souls
by Tara Johnson
Barney Fife. Scarlett O’Hara. Inigo Montoya. Noah and Allie (The Notebook). Atticus Finch. Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly (You’ve Got Mail). Baby Houseman. Han Solo. All are great characters with vibrant and memorable personalities. All are a complex mix of flaws, quirks, dreams and failures.
I’m a people watcher. I love observing mannerisms, appearance and attitudes and pondering why people do the things they do. One of my favorite games is “What if?”. What if the cashier at Walmart can’t look customers in the eye because she’s hiding a dark secret? What if the old lady you see shopping for coffee creamer is a criminal mastermind? What if the fellow playing checkers in front of Cracker Barrel is actually an informant for the CIA?
The fun really begins when you consider what makes two strangers fall head-over-heels for each other. Sometimes
it’s someone’s sense of humor that intrigues us, or their funny quirks. I know people who sort their dollar bills according to serial numbers, or who refuse to eat stacked pancakes, or who only drink coffee if there is a scoop of peanut butter in the cup. Sometimes we fall for someone’s ability to battle their demons with vibrant determination and grace.
Of course, whether real life or fiction, every romance faces conflict. Someone trying to tear them apart. A disaster that rocks their world to its foundation. The unexpected diagnosis. A shift in goals and needs. There are two simple observations I’ve pulled from my years of people-watching: all of us are hurt on some level, and all of us consider ourselves the hero in our own story.
I suppose that’s why people are so fascinating. No matter the era, we all battle the same wounds. Abandonment, abusive fathers, overprotective mothers, loss, grief, rejection, addiction, crippling anxiety, loneliness, or the yearning for unconditional love, to name a few. We all battle the same junk and have to decide whether to fight or leave. Run or stand. Cry or smile.
People have often asked me where I get my characters and how I breathe my stories to life. For me, it all begins with the wound.
Let me explain.
Not long ago, my four-year-old son fell on the driveway and scraped his hand. At the sound of his wailing, his
sisters and I ran to his side. When the girls tried to convince him to let them see, he covered the scrape with his chubby fingers and jerked away from them with a teary scowl. Why? Because he didn’t trust them. He’d been victim of their teasing enough to wonder if they were trustworthy. Would they laugh at him for being melodramatic? Unintentionally make the hurt worse by poking and probing? No, letting them see was too risky.
What do we do with a wound? Usually we try to hide it.
But when I walked up and knelt down in front of him with sympathy, he finally uncovered his injured hand to let me examine the damage. He trusted me not to hurt him anymore than he’d already been wounded.
And here’s the thing…there was no way for me to give him the help he needed until I could understand how severe his injury was. Once he was brave enough to lift his chubby fingers away from his wound, I could begin to treat it. Because he trusted me, I was able to wash it, clean it with hydrogen peroxide, bandage it and kiss it until his tears subsided and he was playing once more.
We live as messy people in a broken world. We all have wounds. Some are bigger than others. Some cut deeper than others. Some of us have lived with the crippling shame of sexual, verbal or physical abuse. Some of us have been told we’re unwanted or unloved. Some of us can’t seem to shake depression or are mourning the loss of a loved one. Some of us have a childhood that we barely survived or an adulthood that has left us disillusioned and depressed. Some of us are victims of our own horrible mistakes.
And just like Nate covering his scraped palm, we cover our hurt, wrapping our fingers around the searing pain, keeping it concealed, restrained and locked away from prying eyes. We don’t want anyone to see, anyone to know. The pain is too deep, the vulnerability too precarious.
But here’s the thing…God can’t heal what we are unwilling to expose to him.
Great characters are a reflection of our struggles, our own wounds. Our own need. And, when written well, they remind us Who we need to turn to for healing.
Tara Johnson is an author, speaker and singer from Alexander, AR. A passionate lover of stories, she loves to travel to churches, ladies retreats and prisons to share how God led her into freedom after spending years living shackled
as a people-pleasing preacher’s kid.
Her debut novel Engraved on the Heart was released by Tyndale House Publishers in June 2018. Tara has articles published in Plain Truth Magazine and Live It Loud Magazine and has been a featured guest on Voice of Truth radio and Enduring Word radio. Tara is a member of ACFW and is represented by Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency. She and her husband Todd have been married for twenty-one years and the Lord has blessed them with five children: Bethany, Callie, Nate, as well as Taylor Lynn and Morgan Lane who are with Jesus. Learn more and connect:
Tara’s Website Tara’s Twitter Tara’s Facebook Tara’s Instagram
Answer this question for a chance to win Tara’s book along with my title, Reuniting with the Cowboy: Who is your favorite contemporary character from a book or movie?
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Hi Shannon and Tara. I am a high school teacher and regularly walk with students with scars. It is heartbreaking hearing their stories- but the joy comes in sharing the hope and healing found in Christ with them. Many see no relevance in Christ to their lives, so the challenge is to make Him real to them.
Blessings:)
Hi Shannon and Tara! Tara I also enjoy people watching and my youngest son of 3 is Nathan (his nickname is Nate). He would relate to your anecdote – didn’t trust his middle brother. As an immigrant, retired pastor’s wife, and retired high school teacher, I can relate with people having scars – some as stated are hidden (from verbal abuse especially). As an avid reader, my favorite contemporary character is Gloria in the Garden Girls by Hope Callaghan – a cozy mystery set in my home state of Michigan. Gloria, a senior sleuth and her Garden Girls each have their individual scars. For this retiree, it is easier to remember a senior sleuth, than characters in romances which we only meet in a book or two. Thanks again for the insight Tara. Best wishes and Happy Writing.
Good morning, Ladies, thank you so much for sharing! I love that analogy with Nate, so very true!! To answer your question, I would have to go with Noah from The Notebook, one of my all time favorites!
Molly Bloom – (Molly’s Game) – her willingness to suffer great consequences to stand for integrity. Simply WOW!!!
Thank you for this excellent message! My favorite character from a book is a girl named Ursula from “Uncle Max”. I love to read her struggles, but mostly just love her character that she displays as she endlessly tries to help people. This book is an old Victorian novel that I accidentally found, and I re-read it every year, sometimes 2 or 3 times.
what a wonderful post. we can all identify with hurts and trusting others. thank you for sharing. I have just gotten into contemporary books, and I really don’t watch too many contemporary movies. But I have started reading Sarah Sundin’s books. I recently finished “When Tides Turn” oh my goodness. I loved Tess Beaumont. She is so looking to change who she is and how others see her. She is so real. And when she falls in love, she tries to do it right. She is warm and loving and helpful and thoughtful of others.
That was beautiful and I love your approach to writing, because the best stories are about characters who touch our hearts in those deep, hidden places. Well done.
:)
Hey Wemble, I’m glad there are Christian teachers like you. Kids go through so much these days.
Hey Renate, pastor’s wives rock. I bet you’ve seen your share of scarred souls in that role as well. I haven’t heard of that series, but I haven’t really dipped my toes into reading cozy mysteries. I might like them since I like the older, cleaner detective shows.
I’ve seen the movie, Paula Marie. I know the book is probably better. They usually are.
I haven’t heard of that one either, Youschka. Thanks to Tara’s question, I’ll learn about some books today.
Hi Becky. Wow, I consider it a really good book if I want to read it over and over.
Hey Lori, I’ve met Sarah at a writer’s conference. She probably doesn’t remember meeting me. But it’s great fun meeting big name authors. I love going to the book store and reading the spines of books to see if I’ve met the author.
Dalyn, Tara is a great writer and an awesome person.
Wemble, you are having eternal impact on the kids placed before you. Keep up the amazing work!
Nate is a great name. :) I love a good mystery…the best villains are the ones with real wounds. Thanks for joining in the conversation!
Noah is such a great leading man!
Oh wow, I’ll have to check that one out!
That’s the sign of a great character, Becky. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lori! Sarah is a doll and I adore her characters! You are right…Tess had me cheering for her the whole way!
Thank you so much, Dalyn and Shannon. You are both beautiful treasures!
Just wanted to say this article is great! I already have Tara’s wonderful book! My one of my favorite contemporary characters is Whitney Monroe in The Sea Keeper’s Daughter.
My all time favorite has to be Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind
Yes, the book is amazing, and the sequel book is even better, wish they made a move of that book!
Hi Candace. Shout out to another of our ACFW AR members. I haven’t gotten to read Tara’s book yet. But I’ve read some of her writing and learned from her in classes she’s taught at our meetings. I’m not familiar with The Sea Keeper’s Daughter either. I’m getting new ideas for my toppling TBR pile.
Good one, Shelia. Now that was a character.
Oh, I’ll have to read that one!
I love the complexity of Rhett. He loved and lived deeply.
Ah yes, it is hard letting our hurts be open and heal. I know I don’t trust God with them as much as I should! I can’t think of a favorite contemporary character. I’m not good at pulling them out of my brain on the spot!
The cover of Engraved on the Heart is fabulous, Tara. My favorite character may be Sarah Hollenbeck from The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner. She’s the only one I can come up with at the moment. Oh wait! I just remembered Annie from Definitely by Heather Gray. I thought she was hilarious.
My favorite contemporary character is Nora Bradford from Becky Wade’s book TRUE TO YOU. I just read Sherri G’s comment about Annie from Heather Gray’s novella DEFINITELY and I agree. The first chapter when Annie met Paul at the coffee shop was so hilarious I was almost afraid I was going to hyperventilate from laughing so hard. Annie is certainly memorable.
Hey Susan, you made me realize I never named my fave. Lucas Wright from The Convenient Groom. Hallmark made a movie out of it and it was really good but the book was SO much better.
I’ll have to check out the coffee shop, Pam. I love Becky Wade’s books.
Tara’s cover is really pretty. I’ll have to check out the other two, Sherri.
It’s a terrifying thing but so worth it in the long run.
What fabulous characters!
I have a couple currently. Cole Russell from Ronie Kendig’s Tox Files book series. And Brock from Catherine West’s Where Hope Begins. They will likely remain my favorites for some time….
I’m glad Tara came up with such a good question. Y’all are giving me lots of new to me authors to try.
I really like Oliver from Hallmark’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie series. He can take things too seriously at times and isn’t always the best communicator but little by little he reveals more of himself to others.
I love him too, Jessica. Because he’s old fashioned.
I think my favorite contemporary character is Hunter Pearce from Christina Coryell’s Backroad series! He is such a man of character and a good looking small town boy!
Hey Katie, I’m not familiar with that one either. But sounds like my kind of hero.