Creating Sympathy Vs. Pity in Writing by Julie Egert



Every writer knows that a story has to start with a problem for their character to solve. The main character in a story has to have some sort of conflict thrown at them, or where's the story? There's plenty of conflict in everyday life, but writers often have to "up the ante" in their books to give their readers an escape. Spilling your Caramel Latte in your lap or getting stuck in traffic for hours amounts to a very bad day, but not usually a bookworthy problem. (Unless, say, you're right in front of a very sinister person in said traffic...or better yet trapped with them in the car and you've just found out they're the "bad guy"...Maybe you're on your way to warn someone about something dire and now you can't get there...the clock's ticking...)

But I'm getting off point here. Frequently writers turn to death, disease, or failed relationships in their writing. (As an avid reader I'd call it the "top three" of plot points/problems I see).These things are all part of the human experience and they can make great stories. I actually turned to all three of them in my book! (Sounds like three Lifetime movies in one, doesn't it? Not that I don't LOVE Lifetime movies...) Of course, there's the cardinal rule: The reader has to care about the character before they care about what happens to them. It's not enough to throw a bunch of elaborate problems at a character if the reader doesn't care who they're happening to. So how much drama is too much? When does a reader stop and say, "Okay, I've crossed the line from being sympathetic here, to just irritated. This is just a big laundry list of problems, and I'm waiting for the locusts to come..."

I think a key here is humor, and how the characters are written. I started to think about the whole sympathy vs. pity thing when I was recently in the hospital and feeling sorry for myself. Then I started tallying up all of the ridiculous things that had happened when I was in the hospital, and mentally wrote a novella titled "Peekaboo, ICU."  I told my family the cover would be a shot of a person with their hospital gown gaping open in the back. That day I got up and took a walk around the hospital wing I was "vacationing" in, and started feeling better. Time to stop lying around thinking, "Poor me."

I think an author's approach to how they handle their characters' problems is also important--if not handled with humor, do the characters at least grow and learn something? In my book, I wanted readers to understand what the character goes through living her life with Type I Diabetes and what a struggle it can be day to day--that's a very personal and important issue for me. The desire for people to understand that was one of the things that spurred the writing of the book. But I didn't want them to necessarily pity her. When my character is in the hospital she at least has a sense of humor, and recalls thinking that the handsome lab tech who visits is part of some fabulous dream when he starts massaging her arm--until she feels the pinch of a needle and he starts drawing her blood. She has to learn and grow from the experience, and others she encounters, or else it's just a set of problems with no purpose. Kind of like life.

Julie Egert's first novel, The Left Side Of The Stairs, is available through Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and BooksAMillion.com, or through Aberdeen Bay publishers. She is currently working on her second novel, Summer at Ringing Rock. Visit her website: http://julieegertwrites.com/
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 Review of The Left Side of the Stairs

 Julie kindly sent me a copy of her book, The Left Side of the Stairs. She did a terrific job portraying how her characters deal with the problems of life, Shelby with the loss of her husband and moving to a new place and the changes in her life and Miranda who fights against drug addiction because she's pregnant; and all the people who come within their life circles. This is a novel that deal with choices that young people must make today, and why some make the wrong choices and what how these decision will affect their lives. The topics in the book were treated intelligently and realistically and though it was much different than my usual reading, I enjoyed it very much. Highly recommended.

Marilyn Meredith



Comments

M.M. Gornell said…
I just finished "The Left Side of the Stairs" and enjoyed it very much. Julie and I share a publisher, Aberdeen Bay, and I hope to do a "Conversation with: Julie Egert" on my blog soon. I agree with you, Marilyn, that Julie treats her characters and their dilemmas very intelligently. Great choice, Marilyn, for a guest blog.

Good comments, Julie!

Madeline
Anonymous said…
I also enjoyed this book. This isn't the type of book I'd typically read (I'm more of a mystery type), but I still found it to be a page turner. It really makes you think about the fragility of life and how quickly it can change. I became quite attached to the characters and I have to admit that I shed a few tears throughout the book. Excellent read!
Anonymous said…
I very much enjoyed Julie's book. I have loaned it out for others to read.It's nice to see authors helping out or spotlighting other authors.
Unknown said…
I am very excited to receive this book from Amazon.com. I can't wait to read it.
Diane
Hi, Madeline and Jsnare, glad to hear you've read it and enjoyed it too.

I love having authors visit my blog, Anonymous.

YOu'll enjoy it, Diane.
Unknown said…
Marilyn, thanks so much for having me as a guest blogger today! I really appreciate all you do for other authors--one of my favorite sayings is, "One candle loses nothing by lighting another"--you seem to agree!
Julie
teamoftwo said…
Ms. Egert expertly transports the reader into the lives of very diverse characters without pretense or excuses for their present plight[s]. They are what they are! She is skillfully gritty, compassionate, funny and serious. Wonderful first novel!
Unknown said…
I have also enjoyed the book and look forward to Julie's next one. While my normal fare is a bit more technical, Julie has created a plot pace that feels neither rushed nor lazy. Allowing the this reader to see the characters point of view through humor went a long way toward making me care about what happens to them on the next page.
Sam said…
Ms. Egert treats her book as though life has has just stepped in and taken over.
This read isn't for someone who is looking for a fairy tale ending.
Kudos to Julie for keeping it real!
I'm looking forward to the next book. I hope she wastes in time in giving us the next one!

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