Although my plan is to write on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for now, I wrote about 1200 yesterday during lunch because I’m having a problem with my foot, hence, no exercise. The story is coming along nicely, but I’m having a bit of a dilemma. Without giving my whole story away, I’ll try to explain. This book, which was originally going to be a paranormal romance about a ghost, has turned into a horror novel. The ghost has become a secondary character instead of one of the main ones. The sheriff has become the main male character/hero of the story. And that’s the problem. There is murder and mayhem (of the supernatural type) going on in this town. I haven’t quite decided if the WHOLE town is in on it, including the people the heroine likes, or if there are a select few. Due to the nature of the horror, it makes more sense for the whole town to be in on it. But, then, what about the sheriff? What about this man who is basically good? If he knows about what’s going on, doesn’t that make him an accomplice to the atrocities being perpetrated in this town? Of how much would a reader be willing to forgive the hero? There’s something that has to do with the sheriff’s brother, so that might make him have to know SOMETHING. I just don’t know how far to go with his culpability concerning the events. What do you think? Can you forgive the hero of a lot or just a little? What if he felt he had no choice? Should the heroine forgive a sheriff that KNEW about the murders and who was committing them? So many questions!
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lauralynnelliott.com 
I can only forgive the hero to a point, and if he’s been lying to the heroine from the start and it goes on to almost the end, I probably won’t like him.
See, that’s kind of what I’ve been thinking. I have to figure out how to make him innocent. But how have the townsfolk been able to let him continue as sheriff if he has no knowledge of the situation? It’s going to be tricky.
Maybe he has to keep quiet for a good reason, something that will absolve him from blame when the truth comes out.
Maybe you should worry less about whether readers will forgive the actions of a main character. In horror novels, people (and/or monsters) do awful things. I don’t have to come out of a horror novel happy with everyone, but I do need to be convinced of their motivations. Can’t wait to read it!!
Horror is definitely different than paranormal romance. There doesn’t have to be a happily ever after. However, there IS a romance in this book, so I guess what’s really important is whether or not the heroine will forgive him. I just don’t want people throwing the book or their Kindle against the wall because they are disappointed in their hero. You and I can talk about it when I get farther along in the book.
I suppose it depends on how much he’s been hiding and whether he’s likable in general. If there’s enough depth to him and we can get inside his head enough to understand WHY he’s made his choices, I think he could be forgiven.
I know the reasons why he might POSSIBLY have made the choices. It has to do with his brother and what happened to him. He’s becoming more likable as he spends time with the heroine. At first he was all “scowly” but he’s loosening up some. I’m a more forgiving person than most, so it’s hard for me to know how other people will react.
Yay for beta readers. š
Heroes often have character flaws that turn out to be an asset in the end. Maybe the sheriff’s “sit and wait” stance will help him to catch the killer.
Well, depending on what I decide to do with it, he might KNOW who the killer is, but he doesn’t know how to stop it. There’s a supernatural element to it, but is he wrong for not letting someone outside of the town know what’s going on? The town has two big secrets, one having to do with greed and the other one having to do with what the greed has caused. Hard to explain without telling too much. So does the sheriff know what’s going on or does he just suspect? Because of what happened to his brother, I have to kind of lean toward him knowing but feeling helpless to stop it. I think he’s kind of at war with himself as to what to do.
Those sound like great questions! If I empathise with the hero from the start of a story, I tend to forgive a lot…
Hmm, a three day writing schedule – does that work well? My current schedule has fallen apart, and I’m seeking something – anything! – to get me back on track…
I’m still trying to figure out how much he needs to know about the murders. It’s kind of tricky right now. š
I started the three day writing schedule because I just wasn’t getting it done any other days. So I made it a goal to write those three days until I got myself back to normal. However, I did write Monday and Tuesday this week, so maybe this will be a 4-5 day writing week. š
I think the best way to get back on track is to read what you’ve written so far on your story again and reconnect with the story and the characters.
Thanks Lauralynn!
As long as he has a good reason for being in on it he could be forgiven. Say…he’s trying to solve his brother’s murder…or maybe the brother isn’t dead and needs to be saved…You know, there are things that might make it work but it will have to be a darned good reason, one that makes sense of everything so allows the heroine (and reader) to forgive him.
He has a reason, but is it reason enough? His brother is the reason for everything. It’s weird and supernatural and scary. He is definitely full of angst about the whole thing.
Not knowing the reason what I can say is this. If the reason is such that it, for example, saves the soul of another (since there are fates worse than death in the supernatural/paranormal/horror worlds), if it frees another, if it does SOMETHING important like that for another, then that can usually invoke sympathy and forgiveness.
I lean toward making him have no choice but to keep it from her. I don’t know how you want to take it, but I’d make his motives good (like maybe he has to keep quiet in order to solve the mystery or save more lives). There are situations where we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place and have to choose the lesser of two evils. I think anyone struggling with that can by sympathetic and easily forgiven.
Just my two cents. Can’t wait to read it!
What he’s keeping from her is pretty bad, though. I think I can spin it so that he has no choice. Maybe. Well, he THINKS he has no choice, anyway. As much of a pantser that I am, I do need to jot down some notes about how the story is going to go. People sometimes think writing is writing, but I think horror and mystery is much harder to write than romance. At least in my case. It might be the other way around for some writers. š
If he thinks it, that’s enough to make him sympathetic. š
When I wrote the supernatural thriller, it was a lot harder than romance so I think you’re right that horror and mystery are harder. You know how things play out in a romance, but the other genres are not the standard formula of the happy ever after with the hero and heroine working things out. There’s more flexibility with horror and mystery and with more options, comes more work with getting to where you need to be.