Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: "Understanding Characters While Writing A Novel -Vs- Understanding Your Horse"

Monday, January 13, 2014

"Understanding Characters While Writing A Novel -Vs- Understanding Your Horse"

Howdy Folks,

I've blogged in the past about how many times writing and horses have parallels. This weekend I was reviewing a scene in my novel, "Tom Named By Horse," which I'm hoping my publisher will pick up, and my mind drifted to my mare Kessy. I was reviewing a scene in which we slipped into just a bit of back-story. I like to weave in tidbits here and there to help the reader understand why a character feels and act the way they do.

Saturday and Kessy helping me understand my characters ...

For the reader to care about your character, they must know them. Writers create that bond with little baby steps of information. Huge information dumps are boring, and actually turn off readers. Sometimes permanently.

For your horse to care about you, and understand you, we must use those same baby steps of information sharing. Horses each have different levels of how much information they can absorb at any one time. Too much, pushing them beyond their comfort level, will make them uncomfortable and take their mind off you and your attempt at communication. Sometimes building doubt and mistrust.

Setting the stage for your reader with a combination of you character's action in the moment, and tiny slices of where they came from, combined with hints of where you're going to take them, all come together to create a strong, compelling character. Your reader will feel the connection and become invested in wanting to learn more.

It is exactly the same truth for your horse. Mixing in actions of the moment, or things she already knows, with tiny steps of new information, will open the door to where you want to go in a clear way that will keep her interested, involved.

Just as the reader will want to turn to the next page to follow your character on their quest, your horse will want to turn the page and follow you on your journey together.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 15, 2014 at 9:26 PM
This really helped me and my book I am writing... I will have to go back and re read some parts to make sure I didnt give too much info at one time, I will use your advice to space out my detail to keep the reader interested and wanting to turn the page (: your an amazing writer bravo (: -Nikita Ann
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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.