Books that have helped me along the way
As promised, below are some books on the craft that helped me in understanding Character development, amongst many other things. Also, not to discount my fellow writers who helped me by means encouragement, and their words of critique along the way. All of these aspects combined to get me where I am now. Of course, I know I'm not finished in my writing journey, yet only just beginning. That's another thing I've learned about writing, there's always going to be areas to grow.
The Fire in Fiction, Donald Maass
Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict, Action & Suspense, William Noble
Writing Mysteries 2nd Edition, Sue Grafton
Don't Murder Your Mystery, Chris Roerden
So the 9-day discussion of Developing Characters You Can Pinch has come to an end. I hope that you enjoyed reading what I had to share. I wish you the best in your writing and that your endeavors realize fulfillment.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 8
Modeling a Character Outline
Who hasn't tried writing a novel from an outline? I think most of us have given it a try. Now whether that process works for us, depends on the writer. But have you ever created outlines for your characters?
The first time I did this before setting out was with my last novel. We know the adage show don't tell. It's three words that enforce any serious writer with the power to become more than they thought possible. I found that by making up a character outline, it enabled me to know their full background and motivations (agendas). By knowing their background as the writer, there's less of an urge to fill a page or pages of boring back story. It allows us to sprinkle the details in.
Below is the process I used broken down into steps:
- Start with noting their name, age, role in the novel
- Add to this by a list of any close family members, friends, supporters and of course the antagonist(s) to the character
- From here brainstorm these relationships and how each affects your character
- Also be sure to have a clear motivation for their action / part in the novel. For example, if you're outlining a character who is a killer, allow for a defined motivator - why is he/she going to kill this person?
- Analyze what your character has at stake
- Are there any outstanding physical attributes worthy of mention
- Let your character "talk" to you in this process - conduct Q&A sessions with them (I wouldn't suggest doing this audibly lol but hey, whatever works)
- Expand on their background - how did they get to where they are? This is a crucial stage to examine. We're all who we are today because of life experience and background.
So you've finished all these steps - now what? You go about filling them into your novel like a paint by number? No. Honestly, a lot of this process doesn't even see one sentence in your novel, but the process grounds you in the texture of your character. You know better how they will respond, and what they're capable of because you've explored who they are.
Hopefully, you find that your characters become enriched with life due to this process. I really feel that mine have.
Come back tomorrow and join me for the final post in the series Developing Characters You Can Pinch and I'll reveal some of my sources.
Who hasn't tried writing a novel from an outline? I think most of us have given it a try. Now whether that process works for us, depends on the writer. But have you ever created outlines for your characters?
The first time I did this before setting out was with my last novel. We know the adage show don't tell. It's three words that enforce any serious writer with the power to become more than they thought possible. I found that by making up a character outline, it enabled me to know their full background and motivations (agendas). By knowing their background as the writer, there's less of an urge to fill a page or pages of boring back story. It allows us to sprinkle the details in.
Below is the process I used broken down into steps:
- Start with noting their name, age, role in the novel
- Add to this by a list of any close family members, friends, supporters and of course the antagonist(s) to the character
- From here brainstorm these relationships and how each affects your character
- Also be sure to have a clear motivation for their action / part in the novel. For example, if you're outlining a character who is a killer, allow for a defined motivator - why is he/she going to kill this person?
- Analyze what your character has at stake
- Are there any outstanding physical attributes worthy of mention
- Let your character "talk" to you in this process - conduct Q&A sessions with them (I wouldn't suggest doing this audibly lol but hey, whatever works)
- Expand on their background - how did they get to where they are? This is a crucial stage to examine. We're all who we are today because of life experience and background.
So you've finished all these steps - now what? You go about filling them into your novel like a paint by number? No. Honestly, a lot of this process doesn't even see one sentence in your novel, but the process grounds you in the texture of your character. You know better how they will respond, and what they're capable of because you've explored who they are.
Hopefully, you find that your characters become enriched with life due to this process. I really feel that mine have.
Come back tomorrow and join me for the final post in the series Developing Characters You Can Pinch and I'll reveal some of my sources.
_______________________________________
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 7
Creating Likable Characters
Likable and realistic characters (see Characters You Can Pinch - Part 5: Creating Realistic Characters) are related aspects to me. As with all points of discussion in this blog over the last six days, they all have their place.
Now when I say create likable characters I'm not saying that the reader has to love everyone. But it does mean there has to be some qualities that draw them in. If you're trying to make a reader feel for the bad guy, expand on his agenda and motivations.
A simple illustration, a man steals food for his starving family. If you knew the man had tried everything to get a job, you followed him on this journey and when he fell to the lowest point, without any other options, you wouldn't judge him for his actions. Although, you might not agree with the robbery, you would be able to justify it, reason with the character's thought process - connect.
And that's the key, right there. In creating likable characters, the reader must connect with them.
And, as mentioned above, an offshoot to likable characters is realistic ones. We've all seen the movies where the hero comes out of an exploding building unharmed, in fact, his clothes aren't even singed by the fire. Unrealistic, unbelievable, and honestly, it's hard to really connect with that. Although, driven by the power of Hollywood's special effects, and maybe a drink while we're watching, we dismiss it. It's not as easy in the written word.
Recently, I read a book by a popular author - I won't mention them by name in this thread. But there was an explosion, and it seemed everyone walked away - despite the cause of the explosion leveled miles. Explain that one to me. The illogical aspect of this novel put me off this writer.
In order to connect, characters must be multi-faceted. If they have a mean streak, why? And it can go the other way too. Which human do you know that is perfect - their looks, their words, their actions, their thought process? I won't even bother answering the rhetorical question. But, now apply this to your writing. You can't have a person who has everything all put together either. This type of character would fall flat on the page.
So create likable, realistic characters who could be the person next door, the guy at the corner store, the grandfather in a nursing home, and you're well on your way to having characters you can pinch. Of course, there's nothing wrong with throwing in some explosions and gun play - in fact I look for those types of danger elements in a novel lol - but don't have them walk away without so much as a limp.
_______________________________________
Likable and realistic characters (see Characters You Can Pinch - Part 5: Creating Realistic Characters) are related aspects to me. As with all points of discussion in this blog over the last six days, they all have their place.
Now when I say create likable characters I'm not saying that the reader has to love everyone. But it does mean there has to be some qualities that draw them in. If you're trying to make a reader feel for the bad guy, expand on his agenda and motivations.
A simple illustration, a man steals food for his starving family. If you knew the man had tried everything to get a job, you followed him on this journey and when he fell to the lowest point, without any other options, you wouldn't judge him for his actions. Although, you might not agree with the robbery, you would be able to justify it, reason with the character's thought process - connect.
And that's the key, right there. In creating likable characters, the reader must connect with them.
And, as mentioned above, an offshoot to likable characters is realistic ones. We've all seen the movies where the hero comes out of an exploding building unharmed, in fact, his clothes aren't even singed by the fire. Unrealistic, unbelievable, and honestly, it's hard to really connect with that. Although, driven by the power of Hollywood's special effects, and maybe a drink while we're watching, we dismiss it. It's not as easy in the written word.
Recently, I read a book by a popular author - I won't mention them by name in this thread. But there was an explosion, and it seemed everyone walked away - despite the cause of the explosion leveled miles. Explain that one to me. The illogical aspect of this novel put me off this writer.
In order to connect, characters must be multi-faceted. If they have a mean streak, why? And it can go the other way too. Which human do you know that is perfect - their looks, their words, their actions, their thought process? I won't even bother answering the rhetorical question. But, now apply this to your writing. You can't have a person who has everything all put together either. This type of character would fall flat on the page.
So create likable, realistic characters who could be the person next door, the guy at the corner store, the grandfather in a nursing home, and you're well on your way to having characters you can pinch. Of course, there's nothing wrong with throwing in some explosions and gun play - in fact I look for those types of danger elements in a novel lol - but don't have them walk away without so much as a limp.
_______________________________________
Friday, January 28, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 6
Effective Use of Dialogue
In real life, we don't all sound the same. In fact, you could tell twenty people in a room to pass on a simple message, and the end result would be twenty different ways of communicating the same thing. And why is that? Simple answer is background. We all come from different places in life, wealthy, poor, happy, sad, another nationality. The list could go on.
We need to incorporate this same concept to our characters. Now, this stage is still something I need to be very conscious of. It's too easy to make your characters sound alike. In fact, with one novel I had beta read, the comment came back from two of them that in a certain chapter the characters were all starting to sound alike. At first, I didn't see it. But I tried to go back over the chapter and look at it objectively. I figured two people saying the same thing - there's got to be merit. And, there was. I ended up re-writing this scene actually. None of the people in it had a distinct personality, or driving agenda. (For this discussion, see Characters You can Pinch - Part 1: Give Everyone an Agenda) Once I figured out, as the writer, who the people were, it was easier to make their speech stand out as unique.
If you've done a good job with developing your characters through dialogue, you'll find your reader won't require a tag to know who's speaking. Their presence will come through in what they say - and how they say it.
It doesn't just have to be about words, it can be about accent. People of different nationalities not only phrase things differently than we might, they speak with emphasis on different letters. Maybe you have a character who is Asian and English is their second language. Make this obvious in your dialogue. I work with one woman who is from Japan. Most of our communication is via email as she works at the head office out of town. Her sentences are clipped and worded in an odd manner. By example, one day she emailed, You are funnier. Obviously, she meant you are funny. Or another example, I had faxed something to her that should have been faxed to a customer. She emailed me to make me aware of my mistake and taking from the end of her email: I advice you resend. Here she meant to say advise. Small things like this can be used to disclose a character's background.
Some ideas to making a character's speech unique:
Make sure they have an agenda
- See Characters You can Pinch - Part 1: Give Everyone an Agenda
Observe people in real life
- My boss has a habit of saying okey dokey at the end of a telephone conversation. No one else I've ever known has used this expression. One day, I'm sure a character in my novel will have this habit.
Listen to people of different backgrounds and how they express themselves
- do they swear a lot? Do they show respect for other people by the way they say things? How do they phrase things?
Practice
- Write a dialogue passage as you would say it. Now, re-write it several times from different characters' POVs.
Can you incorporate any of this in your WIP? A character who talks in clipped sentences? Someone who always messes up popular sayings? Someone who comes out with the strangest things? Maybe they state the obvious?
Now the above has mainly dealt with revealing background of a character. Dialogue also has the ability to reveal attitude and motivations. Used effectively, you won't need to add after a character speaks, so-and-so smiled. Your reader will picture it. If your character says something off-cuff and sarcastic, if you've phrased it properly, you won't need to add, so-and-so said sardonically. It will be revealed through the words of your character.
In real life, we don't all sound the same. In fact, you could tell twenty people in a room to pass on a simple message, and the end result would be twenty different ways of communicating the same thing. And why is that? Simple answer is background. We all come from different places in life, wealthy, poor, happy, sad, another nationality. The list could go on.
We need to incorporate this same concept to our characters. Now, this stage is still something I need to be very conscious of. It's too easy to make your characters sound alike. In fact, with one novel I had beta read, the comment came back from two of them that in a certain chapter the characters were all starting to sound alike. At first, I didn't see it. But I tried to go back over the chapter and look at it objectively. I figured two people saying the same thing - there's got to be merit. And, there was. I ended up re-writing this scene actually. None of the people in it had a distinct personality, or driving agenda. (For this discussion, see Characters You can Pinch - Part 1: Give Everyone an Agenda) Once I figured out, as the writer, who the people were, it was easier to make their speech stand out as unique.
If you've done a good job with developing your characters through dialogue, you'll find your reader won't require a tag to know who's speaking. Their presence will come through in what they say - and how they say it.
It doesn't just have to be about words, it can be about accent. People of different nationalities not only phrase things differently than we might, they speak with emphasis on different letters. Maybe you have a character who is Asian and English is their second language. Make this obvious in your dialogue. I work with one woman who is from Japan. Most of our communication is via email as she works at the head office out of town. Her sentences are clipped and worded in an odd manner. By example, one day she emailed, You are funnier. Obviously, she meant you are funny. Or another example, I had faxed something to her that should have been faxed to a customer. She emailed me to make me aware of my mistake and taking from the end of her email: I advice you resend. Here she meant to say advise. Small things like this can be used to disclose a character's background.
Some ideas to making a character's speech unique:
Make sure they have an agenda
- See Characters You can Pinch - Part 1: Give Everyone an Agenda
Observe people in real life
- My boss has a habit of saying okey dokey at the end of a telephone conversation. No one else I've ever known has used this expression. One day, I'm sure a character in my novel will have this habit.
Listen to people of different backgrounds and how they express themselves
- do they swear a lot? Do they show respect for other people by the way they say things? How do they phrase things?
Practice
- Write a dialogue passage as you would say it. Now, re-write it several times from different characters' POVs.
Can you incorporate any of this in your WIP? A character who talks in clipped sentences? Someone who always messes up popular sayings? Someone who comes out with the strangest things? Maybe they state the obvious?
Now the above has mainly dealt with revealing background of a character. Dialogue also has the ability to reveal attitude and motivations. Used effectively, you won't need to add after a character speaks, so-and-so smiled. Your reader will picture it. If your character says something off-cuff and sarcastic, if you've phrased it properly, you won't need to add, so-and-so said sardonically. It will be revealed through the words of your character.
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Plug Your Blog Friday
While this entire blogging experience is new to me, I'm having fun with it and I hope you're enjoying what I have to share. But, I'd like to know what you have going on. Post the link to your blog in a comment below, along with its subject matter. I look forward to checking it out.
Also, thank you to those that came out last week. And, of course, there's no harm in "re-plugging" ;O)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Murder Your Darlings
A writer friend of mine, Charlotte Jane Ivory is hosting Murder Your Darlings, and I have sacrificed my first novel to the fire. Be sure to go over and check it out: Carolyn Arnold Murders...
Also be sure to check out How to Contribute while you're there. You could be next.
Also be sure to check out How to Contribute while you're there. You could be next.
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 5
Creating Realistic Characters: Add Complications
When I say to add complications, I'm not talking about internal or external conflicts. I'm talking about the shades of grey that live in all of us. We love someone, yet can't stand them. We want to be liked, but don't really care what other people think of us. We want to do good, but there's an evil part of us.
If we can find a way to put this into our novels, our characters will become more alive. And these type of complications aren't necessarily spelled out to the reader in a passage. These types of complications come as an observation of your characters interactions with others. (Some of this will be covered in Part 6 Effective Use of Dialogue.)
So, how do you go about placing these complications in your characters? Have them act one way, while their internal or external dialogue is saying something else. For instance, you have a character that just broke up with their boyfriend after three years of seeing them. Obviously, there's going to be extreme heartbreak and bitterness, maybe a sense of betrayal. Yet, not most of us wouldn't want them to know how much they affected us. It's called pride. This character might carry on in front of them as if nothing went wrong, maybe even stage a rendezvous with a new love interest.
Another example, and I'll pull from my most recently completed novel, Assassination of a Dignitary. Raymond Hunter had changed his life around. Formerly, a hit man for the Italian mafia, he is now a family man. He's not an evil person, yet he has done evil things. So while you don't sense that he's a dark character, you can sense there is an aspect that is within him that is - conflict. A good person who is capable of horrible acts.
I wish I had an exact formula that would implant this strategy into your novels, but I don't. But, I do believe as you apply other aspects of making Characters You Can Pinch, you just might find that these complications are interspersed without you even trying. And you know why? Because you'll be writing your characters as people, not shadows on a page.
_______________________________________
Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 6: Effective use of Dialogue
When I say to add complications, I'm not talking about internal or external conflicts. I'm talking about the shades of grey that live in all of us. We love someone, yet can't stand them. We want to be liked, but don't really care what other people think of us. We want to do good, but there's an evil part of us.
If we can find a way to put this into our novels, our characters will become more alive. And these type of complications aren't necessarily spelled out to the reader in a passage. These types of complications come as an observation of your characters interactions with others. (Some of this will be covered in Part 6 Effective Use of Dialogue.)
So, how do you go about placing these complications in your characters? Have them act one way, while their internal or external dialogue is saying something else. For instance, you have a character that just broke up with their boyfriend after three years of seeing them. Obviously, there's going to be extreme heartbreak and bitterness, maybe a sense of betrayal. Yet, not most of us wouldn't want them to know how much they affected us. It's called pride. This character might carry on in front of them as if nothing went wrong, maybe even stage a rendezvous with a new love interest.
Another example, and I'll pull from my most recently completed novel, Assassination of a Dignitary. Raymond Hunter had changed his life around. Formerly, a hit man for the Italian mafia, he is now a family man. He's not an evil person, yet he has done evil things. So while you don't sense that he's a dark character, you can sense there is an aspect that is within him that is - conflict. A good person who is capable of horrible acts.
I wish I had an exact formula that would implant this strategy into your novels, but I don't. But, I do believe as you apply other aspects of making Characters You Can Pinch, you just might find that these complications are interspersed without you even trying. And you know why? Because you'll be writing your characters as people, not shadows on a page.
_______________________________________
Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 6: Effective use of Dialogue
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 4
Repetition of Character Attributes
Okay, so you have a main character who is tall with a large chest. You pointed this out in a creative way in the first chapter. Now, he's been moving in and out of scenes for the last hundred pages, but you've never brought these physical attributes up again.
Maybe you're of the mindset that to repeat it would be, well, repetition. WRONG.
I got this terrific advice from a book on the craft of writing. Your reader isn't going to remember that your character is a large build on page 100 when it hasn't been mentioned or hasn't affected him in the last 99 pages.
This brings up another interesting aspect when it comes to our character's physical attributes - show how they affect them. Reference them periodically. Sprinkle them in.
Building on the example of a tall character who has a large chest:
Maybe he has to duck to get into a small space.
Maybe females have to arch their heads back to look up at him.
Or maybe his female companion needs to stand on her tip-toes to reach reach his lips for a kiss.
Maybe other men back away from a fight with him because of his size.
You probably see where I'm going with this. Make your characters breathe air like you do.
I put this element into application when I edited my first mystery. The Chief of Police is a tall man. Now instead of simply saying here and there, he's tall (again boring), make what you say apply to the setting.
The below is an example pulled from one of my novels. Please note, names have been changed as this current novel is on submission:
_______________________________________
Okay, so you have a main character who is tall with a large chest. You pointed this out in a creative way in the first chapter. Now, he's been moving in and out of scenes for the last hundred pages, but you've never brought these physical attributes up again.
Maybe you're of the mindset that to repeat it would be, well, repetition. WRONG.
I got this terrific advice from a book on the craft of writing. Your reader isn't going to remember that your character is a large build on page 100 when it hasn't been mentioned or hasn't affected him in the last 99 pages.
This brings up another interesting aspect when it comes to our character's physical attributes - show how they affect them. Reference them periodically. Sprinkle them in.
Building on the example of a tall character who has a large chest:
Maybe he has to duck to get into a small space.
Maybe females have to arch their heads back to look up at him.
Or maybe his female companion needs to stand on her tip-toes to reach reach his lips for a kiss.
Maybe other men back away from a fight with him because of his size.
You probably see where I'm going with this. Make your characters breathe air like you do.
I put this element into application when I edited my first mystery. The Chief of Police is a tall man. Now instead of simply saying here and there, he's tall (again boring), make what you say apply to the setting.
The below is an example pulled from one of my novels. Please note, names have been changed as this current novel is on submission:
Angela turned to see Chief Pedden approaching. His large stride would equal two for the average person. He came with Sergeant Thompson by his side. Thompson was dwarfed by the Chief’s height.Be creative, and don't fear repetition.
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 3
Using Character Description to Your Advantage
"Tommy came in wearing a pair of blue jeans with a brown sweater."The above is straight-forward. It tells the reader what the character's wearing, but do you care? What is this line missing? In one simple word: Purpose!
Just because you have 75-110k words in a novel, doesn't mean we can be sloppy with how we use them. Our job as writers is to hook our reader, and keep 'em hooked. And we're not going to do it when we formulate a character description based on the above-noted template. We all wear clothes, so unless it's a sex scene (in which clothes wouldn't matter lol) or the outfit has purpose to the scene, lose it.
Make the descriptions you give matter not only to the reader but to the character whose POV you're in. What about the other character's appearance affects them?
Drawing from the above example, who doesn't own a pair of blue jeans? And a brown sweater? B-O-R-I-N-G observations.
Remember, give it purpose, make it matter. Let's try it again, keeping this in mind.
Tommy walked in, wearing the same old tattered blue jeans he had from his days in high school. I just wished I could still fit in mine.See how this has more substance? What Tommy's wearing affects the POV character. Maybe, they've put on some weight while Tommy doesn't have to struggle with it.
My example focused on wardrobe but the same applies when it comes to their physical qualities - hair color, height, weight, and so on. And just because you may be able to see your characters clearly, doesn't mean you have to describe them in bullet-style detail, as if rhyming off a bunch of details. Pick one or two things to focus on.
Another key thing I've learned is how to use repetition of main attributes to keep a character's appearance fresh in your reader's mind. For more on this, join me tomorrow for Part 4.
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Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 4: Repetition of Character Attributes
Monday, January 24, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 2
Take Time to Familiarize Your Reader with Your Characters
Okay, so I'm sure we've all read novels where we've skimmed description. I know I have. And it's not just when it comes to the layout of a scene, the way a battleship functions, the schematics of a missile. Sometimes, it's an info dump on a character.
As writers, we've all heard of the expression info dump. To a serious writer, it's the equivalence of swear words. So, how do you plug in character information (I refer to background, not physical descriptions) without it becoming those two dirty words? Make sure the information you give is relevant to moving the story forward. Does the information provided add depth to the character, make them real, make them characters you can pinch?
My suggestion first off: keep these type of passages brief and limited, otherwise you risk being guilty of the other dirty words - telling not showing.
Now, I used to glance over this aspect in my writing. I leaned closer to the other extreme - not revealing enough. Now there are plenty of ways to reveal character traits, attitudes, agendas, etc. But what I wanted to bring out here is, there are places where a passage about your character is completely acceptable and actually has a tangible result on their believability.
Baldacci, one of my favorite writers, does this quite well. In fact, I learned from him it's okay to slow the pace of the story (be cautious however) and expand upon a character. BUT, make sure whatever you reveal in these type of passages comes into play for the novel, otherwise they're wasted words. Your reader will get tired, put down your book and might not pick it up again.
I'll give you an example from my most recently completed novel: Assassination of a Dignitary.
Some background. Christian is the son of the don, the boss of the Italian mafia family. This is the first scene I tell from his POV.
In this scene, Christian kills one of his men because he failed him. The murder is executed in a unique way (I'm not giving everything away lol).
As Christian leaves the room, and the man to die:
Maybe you've done something similar in your own work? I'd love to read it. Or if you have any other comments on this subject, please post.
_______________________________________
Okay, so I'm sure we've all read novels where we've skimmed description. I know I have. And it's not just when it comes to the layout of a scene, the way a battleship functions, the schematics of a missile. Sometimes, it's an info dump on a character.
As writers, we've all heard of the expression info dump. To a serious writer, it's the equivalence of swear words. So, how do you plug in character information (I refer to background, not physical descriptions) without it becoming those two dirty words? Make sure the information you give is relevant to moving the story forward. Does the information provided add depth to the character, make them real, make them characters you can pinch?
My suggestion first off: keep these type of passages brief and limited, otherwise you risk being guilty of the other dirty words - telling not showing.
Now, I used to glance over this aspect in my writing. I leaned closer to the other extreme - not revealing enough. Now there are plenty of ways to reveal character traits, attitudes, agendas, etc. But what I wanted to bring out here is, there are places where a passage about your character is completely acceptable and actually has a tangible result on their believability.
Baldacci, one of my favorite writers, does this quite well. In fact, I learned from him it's okay to slow the pace of the story (be cautious however) and expand upon a character. BUT, make sure whatever you reveal in these type of passages comes into play for the novel, otherwise they're wasted words. Your reader will get tired, put down your book and might not pick it up again.
I'll give you an example from my most recently completed novel: Assassination of a Dignitary.
Some background. Christian is the son of the don, the boss of the Italian mafia family. This is the first scene I tell from his POV.
Christian snapped his fingers on both hands. It wasn’t a move that came naturally to him. He had worked to perfect the mannerism over time. Yet his father never considered him to be a focused person because he couldn’t chose one killing method. Maybe he had a form of dexterity when it came to that. He wasn’t limited to guns or knives. He rather enjoyed experimentation. He would teach the old man something about focus and improvising.The purpose? Character development. You can see that he's a determined person, and has focus. His father doesn't see him the same way. This brief description serves to introduce conflict as well, making the passage not only informative as to Christian's character, yet relevant to the novel. It puts the reader in Christian's mindset. Maybe you can sense an unpredictable nature?
In this scene, Christian kills one of his men because he failed him. The murder is executed in a unique way (I'm not giving everything away lol).
As Christian leaves the room, and the man to die:
Christian snapped his fingers again and closed the door behind him. The screams resonated through the walls and were heard for minutes before they dissipated to silence.
I’ll give you focus, pops. Ingo was one of my best men.Hopefully you can see how I tied character and brief background information together in such a way that Christian isn't a flat character but one you can pinch. In conclusion, when taking the time to weave in background information, make it it brief and relevant.
Maybe you've done something similar in your own work? I'd love to read it. Or if you have any other comments on this subject, please post.
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Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 3: Using Character Description to Your Advantage
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Characters You Can Pinch - Part 1
Give Everyone an Agenda
This advice came from a novel I read on the craft, and it's been a tremendous inspiration to me. Now most of us realize that our main or supporting characters need an agenda. In fact, they need to have a large one.
Characters are what drive the plot of a novel. Agendas are what drive the characters.
So, that's a given, most of us realize that. But what about minor characters - all novels have them. The ones that show up in the police interrogation room, the guy at the coffee shop, the server at a restaurant. You name it, every novel has them. Maybe right now, you're thinking so what?
I'll tell you want. Those minor, seemingly insignificant characters, give you the writer, the chance to shine. Think of it this way, what person in real life doesn't have something else going on in their life, in their minds, when we interact with them. If they didn't, they'd be robots. We all have concerns, aspirations, responsibilities, and plans for what we want next.
Now, this book, in paraphrasing put it this way: an agenda can be as simple as needing a glass of water.
Maybe you're still not buying this? But, I urge you to try this in your novel. Not, that I'm telling all of you to make everyone thirsty. See beyond the words. The jist of this is: Keep it Simple.
But if you start thinking along of the lines all your characters being people, then you're well on your way. For example, a person being interrogated by police. Do you think they woke up that morning expecting the interview? Is this all that was going on in their minds? Delve into it. Now, I'm not suggesting back story - at all. But try to get in their mind-set for the scene. Example, why are they co-operating? Why aren't they? Are they in a hurry to catch a bus to work? Are they protecting someone? Did they have a background with police?
When you can answer those simple questions, you have a simple underlying agenda for this type of scene. Now, apply this thought process to everyone you come across in your novel. As you practice this, and think about every character being a person, these simple agendas will start to flow without much thought.
Would love to hear any comments you have on this subject.
_______________________________________
Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 2: Take Time to Familiarize Your Reader with Your Characters
This advice came from a novel I read on the craft, and it's been a tremendous inspiration to me. Now most of us realize that our main or supporting characters need an agenda. In fact, they need to have a large one.
Characters are what drive the plot of a novel. Agendas are what drive the characters.
So, that's a given, most of us realize that. But what about minor characters - all novels have them. The ones that show up in the police interrogation room, the guy at the coffee shop, the server at a restaurant. You name it, every novel has them. Maybe right now, you're thinking so what?
I'll tell you want. Those minor, seemingly insignificant characters, give you the writer, the chance to shine. Think of it this way, what person in real life doesn't have something else going on in their life, in their minds, when we interact with them. If they didn't, they'd be robots. We all have concerns, aspirations, responsibilities, and plans for what we want next.
Now, this book, in paraphrasing put it this way: an agenda can be as simple as needing a glass of water.
Maybe you're still not buying this? But, I urge you to try this in your novel. Not, that I'm telling all of you to make everyone thirsty. See beyond the words. The jist of this is: Keep it Simple.
But if you start thinking along of the lines all your characters being people, then you're well on your way. For example, a person being interrogated by police. Do you think they woke up that morning expecting the interview? Is this all that was going on in their minds? Delve into it. Now, I'm not suggesting back story - at all. But try to get in their mind-set for the scene. Example, why are they co-operating? Why aren't they? Are they in a hurry to catch a bus to work? Are they protecting someone? Did they have a background with police?
When you can answer those simple questions, you have a simple underlying agenda for this type of scene. Now, apply this thought process to everyone you come across in your novel. As you practice this, and think about every character being a person, these simple agendas will start to flow without much thought.
Would love to hear any comments you have on this subject.
_______________________________________
Next post: Characters You Can Pinch - Part 2: Take Time to Familiarize Your Reader with Your Characters
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Developing Characters You Can Pinch
As a writer, we all have areas to improve our craft. And for each of us, that may prove to be something different. For some it might be grammar, the use of cliches whether it be sayings or plot lines. For myself, one challenge that I had to take on was character development.
People who read my first few novels, all enjoyed them. But there was one statement that kept surfacing - my characters needed more depth. At first, I made excuses. The common one: It's the genre. It's not necessary to have to know everything about their personal life or motivations.
But I was deceiving myself. It doesn't matter what genre you write it, if the characters are not fully real to your reader - now by real, I mean vivid enough to envision their chest rise for breath, skin accessible enough to pinch - then there's area for improvement.
At the time, I had no idea what they meant by there could be more depth to your characters. In fact, I didn't even know how to go about making them more real. What did they expect of me?
But now, after a year of honing in on this, I believe I have the answers. What did I do to figure this mystery out? I did a lot of reading and writing. And in my opinion, nether could have been dropped in favor of the other. They both were required to create the effective elixir.
I read books on the craft, and novels in similar genres to what I write. I took knowledge I gained from books on the craft of writing and studied how successful, published writers applied this in their work. It didn't take long to realize the developing pattern. Below are a few things I've learned along my journey.
For the next nine days, I'll expand on these areas. I'd love to know your thoughts along the way and what you've found that has worked for you.
 |
| Are your characters simply shadows moving around in your novel? |
People who read my first few novels, all enjoyed them. But there was one statement that kept surfacing - my characters needed more depth. At first, I made excuses. The common one: It's the genre. It's not necessary to have to know everything about their personal life or motivations.
But I was deceiving myself. It doesn't matter what genre you write it, if the characters are not fully real to your reader - now by real, I mean vivid enough to envision their chest rise for breath, skin accessible enough to pinch - then there's area for improvement.
At the time, I had no idea what they meant by there could be more depth to your characters. In fact, I didn't even know how to go about making them more real. What did they expect of me?
But now, after a year of honing in on this, I believe I have the answers. What did I do to figure this mystery out? I did a lot of reading and writing. And in my opinion, nether could have been dropped in favor of the other. They both were required to create the effective elixir.
I read books on the craft, and novels in similar genres to what I write. I took knowledge I gained from books on the craft of writing and studied how successful, published writers applied this in their work. It didn't take long to realize the developing pattern. Below are a few things I've learned along my journey.
- Part 1: Give Everyone an Agenda
- Part 2: Take time to familiarize your reader with your characters
- Part 3: Using character description to your advantage
- Part 4: Repetition of Character Attributes
- Part 5: Creating Realistic characters: Add complications
- Part 6: Effective use of Dialogue
- Part 7: Creating Likable Characters
- Part 8: Modeling a Character Outline
- Conclusion: Books that have helped along the way
For the next nine days, I'll expand on these areas. I'd love to know your thoughts along the way and what you've found that has worked for you.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Plug Your Blog Friday
Have a blog you want to get out there? Well, I just started this one and I'm hoping to make a lot of new writer friends and strengthen the relationships I already have.
So, Fridays are going to be "Plug your Blog" day. Tell us what you've got going, a latest post, or a summarization of the blog's purpose. Give us a link. And if you follow mine, I'll follow yours. I look forward to meeting you. Come on...you know you want to :)
So, Fridays are going to be "Plug your Blog" day. Tell us what you've got going, a latest post, or a summarization of the blog's purpose. Give us a link. And if you follow mine, I'll follow yours. I look forward to meeting you. Come on...you know you want to :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Finding Balance
We all have more going on in our lives besides the current WIP, updating our blogs, and staying connected with other writers whether it be online or those in our community. Add to this, most of us take part in helping our fellow writers, whether is beta'ing their projects, offering critiques or supporting and encouraging them in other ways. And all of these aspects are important to being a successful, well-rounded writer in my opinion. Some go a step further, creating extensive networks and platforms.
Yet the above only covers the responsibility of the writer. Most of us don't have the ability to focus on our craft full-time. We have families to care for, day jobs to go to, and correct me if I'm wrong, but we also need some down-time, and a social life. Also, let's not forget a regular exercise routine.
So just one question: When are we supposed to find the time? I mean, obviously a time machine isn't an option (although the thought of one is sometimes appealing). And we can't add more hours to a day. We all have twenty-four hours in which to jam everything.
We can't simply turn our backs on our spouse or children to write, we can't call in sick every day from the day-job or we wouldn't have one...and then that would result in a whole lot of other issues. We'd lose hydro, and how would we power our laptops to write? Or log on-line to network?
It's so easy for the pendulum to tilt in favor of your writing endeavors, at least for me it is. My husband and I have even attached a label to it - Writer's Widower. And I'm sure every writer has some version of this in their own lives whether it be not enough time spent with the spouse or the kids. Basically, the implication could apply whenever things go out of balance.
I really wish I had the perfect answer to provide. I don't. My suggestions? Write down a list of all you have to do in a week, set aside time for that workout at the gym(you know the one you keep making an excuse to miss), make a date with your spouse, arrange to eat all meals with your family (or at least one a day).
For me, I've agreed to make some cutbacks in the time I spend online over the weekends, use this time with hubby and friends. The gym part...well, I'm still working on that. (Hate to pull a Cliché but Rome wasn't built in a day.) And, well as for the day job, it's not going anywhere soon, so I might as well come to grips with it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Editing
Is there ever a point when a writer can say, and believe it, that their work is finished? I don't know about the rest of you, but for myself I find it very hard to say that statement. In fact, I'm not even sure I'd ever accept edits as being complete until the book hit store shelves. (And even then, I might pick up a copy and take out a red pen...if I'm not tired of looking at it by then.)
More recently, I decided to go back through the books I've written and give them a really good run through. After all, how can they ever garner an agent's attention, and eventually a publisher's, if I've never queried them?
Now, the first novel I ever wrote was more to say that I could do it. I've put it aside for now and set my attention on the my second mystery. It's also the second in a series surrounding Major Crimes Detective Madison Knight.
The thing is, I loved that book before. But I haven't read it in over a year. In that time, I've written 3 novels. As most of you know you grow a lot with every word you write. Let's just say the book I expected to be pretty near perfection, isn't. In fact, I'm chainsawing a lot of it and I only made it to page 13 as of the date of this post. But the result is going to be a marketable novel with three-dimensional characters and settings the reader can be immersed in. And that...that is what will keep me going.
More recently, I decided to go back through the books I've written and give them a really good run through. After all, how can they ever garner an agent's attention, and eventually a publisher's, if I've never queried them?
Now, the first novel I ever wrote was more to say that I could do it. I've put it aside for now and set my attention on the my second mystery. It's also the second in a series surrounding Major Crimes Detective Madison Knight.
The thing is, I loved that book before. But I haven't read it in over a year. In that time, I've written 3 novels. As most of you know you grow a lot with every word you write. Let's just say the book I expected to be pretty near perfection, isn't. In fact, I'm chainsawing a lot of it and I only made it to page 13 as of the date of this post. But the result is going to be a marketable novel with three-dimensional characters and settings the reader can be immersed in. And that...that is what will keep me going.
The Selling Synopsis
I used the word selling for a reason. First of all, as writers, we're familiar with the phrase, show don't tell. With a synopsis, we have to keep up the same adage. Agents don't want to know how your story develops in a rhyming off of and then...
Three key things stand out to me when I've researched writing a synopsis.
1) Develop a pitch line
2) Keep true to the voice and style of the novel.
3) Tell it in third person POV
Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. As writers, we have the task of condensing a full-length novel down to the length of a 1000 words or less. (Personally, I find about 800 words, single-spaced fits on a page and qualifies when agents ask for a 1 page synopsis.) Recently, I've gotten on a kick of going back and assigning one for each novel I've written. And to be honest, it hurts to tear apart a novel that took months to write. Not to mention the fact, all of the POVs and sub-plots that get lost in the transmission to a short synopsis.
Here's my strategy (I wish I could find the link where I got the advice to share, but it was a while ago now.)
1) In a new document, start with a pitch line.
2) Write a stellar line to describe the way your story ends - remember the main plot
3) Now fill in the blanks.
Personally, I just let the novel points flow out of me. I allow the flourish and extra smooth transitions for the first draft. Once I have a first draft of a synopsis, it's time to print and rip it apart - again, that's how I do it. I repeat the process a few times until I've whittled it down to the bones of the story, while still leaving a voice in there. And of course, the synopsis can't be stagnant with boring composition or no agent will ever want to read the novel. I also suggest stepping away for a day or two and going back over it to look for any loopholes, plot points that may have been cut that are needed. And there you have it, how to quickly write a synopsis. Also, a bonus, if an agent asks for an expanded synopsis, you've already got a solid basis.
Here's some links I've found:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html
http://www.writing-world.com/publish/synopsis.shtml
http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/how-to-write-a-synopsis.html
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/synopsis.html
If anyone has useful links to on this subject, or have a method to share with the rest of us, please leave a comment. Best of luck everyone!
Three key things stand out to me when I've researched writing a synopsis.
1) Develop a pitch line
2) Keep true to the voice and style of the novel.
3) Tell it in third person POV
Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. As writers, we have the task of condensing a full-length novel down to the length of a 1000 words or less. (Personally, I find about 800 words, single-spaced fits on a page and qualifies when agents ask for a 1 page synopsis.) Recently, I've gotten on a kick of going back and assigning one for each novel I've written. And to be honest, it hurts to tear apart a novel that took months to write. Not to mention the fact, all of the POVs and sub-plots that get lost in the transmission to a short synopsis.
Here's my strategy (I wish I could find the link where I got the advice to share, but it was a while ago now.)
1) In a new document, start with a pitch line.
2) Write a stellar line to describe the way your story ends - remember the main plot
3) Now fill in the blanks.
Personally, I just let the novel points flow out of me. I allow the flourish and extra smooth transitions for the first draft. Once I have a first draft of a synopsis, it's time to print and rip it apart - again, that's how I do it. I repeat the process a few times until I've whittled it down to the bones of the story, while still leaving a voice in there. And of course, the synopsis can't be stagnant with boring composition or no agent will ever want to read the novel. I also suggest stepping away for a day or two and going back over it to look for any loopholes, plot points that may have been cut that are needed. And there you have it, how to quickly write a synopsis. Also, a bonus, if an agent asks for an expanded synopsis, you've already got a solid basis.
Here's some links I've found:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html
http://www.writing-world.com/publish/synopsis.shtml
http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/how-to-write-a-synopsis.html
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/synopsis.html
If anyone has useful links to on this subject, or have a method to share with the rest of us, please leave a comment. Best of luck everyone!
Monday, January 17, 2011
How do you stay motivated?
Sometimes you have to dig within. Remember why you write. For myself, it's really become part of who I am. It's like getting up in the morning, dressing for the day and going about my responsibilities. When I fail to do it, something is missing. Maybe you feel the same way? If so, you've come to the right place.
One idea that recently presented itself, is how do I celebrate a completed novel? And by completed, I'm not referring to pristine, and perfect. I'm referring to that first rough draft, the one you sacrificed other things for just to get your ideas on paper. Maybe you're thinking it's nothing worthy of celebrating, but I'm here to tell you it is. Not every one can write a book. And if you've got that first draft, you've succeeded where many have failed.
Now, what I'm doing to keep me motivated while waiting on my break, the one I'm working hard to make a reality, is rewarding myself with a wall plaque for each book I finish. I'm fortunate to have a hubby who is a graphic design artist who can turn my cover art into something worthy of Chapters or Barnes & Noble. He's lays it out with my "book blurb" on an 8" x 10". Needless to say they're beautiful on the wall. And it helps impress upon me how much I have accomplished. Maybe you do something to celebrate completion of your novel(s). I'd love to hear about it.
One idea that recently presented itself, is how do I celebrate a completed novel? And by completed, I'm not referring to pristine, and perfect. I'm referring to that first rough draft, the one you sacrificed other things for just to get your ideas on paper. Maybe you're thinking it's nothing worthy of celebrating, but I'm here to tell you it is. Not every one can write a book. And if you've got that first draft, you've succeeded where many have failed.
Now, what I'm doing to keep me motivated while waiting on my break, the one I'm working hard to make a reality, is rewarding myself with a wall plaque for each book I finish. I'm fortunate to have a hubby who is a graphic design artist who can turn my cover art into something worthy of Chapters or Barnes & Noble. He's lays it out with my "book blurb" on an 8" x 10". Needless to say they're beautiful on the wall. And it helps impress upon me how much I have accomplished. Maybe you do something to celebrate completion of your novel(s). I'd love to hear about it.
So, what is the life of a writer like?
Here's just a few things that come to mind...
Isolated. It's definately a venture one undertakes on their own. To allow your mind the time to weave fiction in a world unlike anything you know, takes meditation and "quiet time".
What keeps me going is the relief that comes with allowing myself the freedom to explore the realms of my imagination, without restraint, without judgement.
Focused. Equally important to taking the time to let yourself go where you dare yourself to go, is knowing exactly where you want it to take you. Is it for the purpose of a select few to read your work? Or do you aspire to more than that? Hundreds, or thousands of people who anticipate your next work. Only you can answer that question for yourself.
You can't permit negative influences to curb your writing, which brings me to the next point.
Can be full of negativity - if you let it. As with any work of art or craft, it falls under the skeptism of the masses. And there are people out there (even people you think of as being close) that will not be as excited for your new interest.
But you can't let it get to you! You're writing because you enjoy it, it's a release and ultimately you feel you have something to offer -- so keep it up!
Surround yourself with positive influences. Focus on them, breathe them in. Keep a journal of positive feedback. Discard everything that pulls you down and discourages you keep the dream alive. Reach out to other writers and form a positive support network whether that be online, or in person. A great online community that has been priceless to me is: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums
I'm sure everyone has their own ideas or comments to add on this subject. I'd love to hear them.
I'm sure everyone has their own ideas or comments to add on this subject. I'd love to hear them.
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