Dear O'Abby: How do I write a novel?

Dear O'Abby,

I have an idea for a book, but I've never really written before. At least not since I finished school.  Do you have any advice about how to go about writing a novel?

Sincerely,

Wannabe Writer

Dear Wannabe Writer,

Wow!  What a big question... 

First up, writing a novel is a pretty major undertaking, so you need to be sure this is something you really want to do.  It will take up a lot of time and, if you're anything like me, you'll end up living and breathing alongside these characters for years and years to come. Before you sit down and start writing, I'd suggest you sleep on it for a least a night.  If you wake up and that story is still burning to be told, well, maybe you need a little more sleep..

But seriously.  Wait until you're sure that story is the one you really, really want to tell.  The story you have to tell and that only you CAN tell.  Once you're sure this is the story of your heart, then you can think about starting to write.

There are a number of things to think about before you actually sit down and start writing.

Firstly, whose story is it?  Is it something that would best be told through a single lens, or does it need more than one perspective?  This will help you decide what point of view to tell the story from.  A single, first person narrative will limit what you can show to what your main character sees and experiences, while a third person narrative can open things up to showing things from more than one perspective.

You may want to outline the story to make sure it works, and that there is enough action and character development and tension to sustain a story of this length.  Personally, I don't do this, but only because I prefer to find the story as I write it and my characters make (often stupid) decisions along the way.  A lot of other writers find outlining helps them structure their stories and figure out where the beats are.

Some writers also like to create character sketches so they have all the details about their characters from the color of their hair to their favorite TV show at their fingertips. If you're writing science fiction or fantasy, it's important you know the rules of the world you're creating, so this may be something you need to sketch out in some detail too.

Once you've done all that preparation, you may feel ready to write.  Or ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing... If you decide to go ahead and write, then you need to get your butt into your chair and get started. 

Just remember, it's not finished when you type 'the end'.  Those words you've just written - all 80,000 or so of them,are just the beginning.

Scared yet?

Don't be.  Writing novels isn't easy - it can be painful at times, I won't lie to you.  But when you get it right, it can be the most rewarding feeling in the world.  So don't be frightened. The worst that can happen is you don't finish it, but unless you broadcast to the world that you're writing a novel, no one needs to know...

Good luck!

X O'Abby

#AtoZChallenge Diverse Characters

This is Jim Bob. He wants to write a young adult novel with an Autistic protagonist while he, himself, is neurotypical. He starts by thinking of all of the Autistic characters he’s seen in media, but he’s only read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” and watched “The Big Bang Theory.” His only exposure to Autistic characters has been that of Christopher Boone and Sheldon Cooper, but he thinks that he’s got a good enough grasp of what Autism is.

Jim Bob creates a character named Harold, who is a (in Jim Bob’s words) “high-functioning” Autistic white cishet male super genius who is smart enough to qualify for Mensa but doesn’t have any friends because he is intellectually arrogant. Harold lacks empathy for other people and is obsessed with trains and solving mysteries.

Jim Bob sits down to write his novel and brainstorms on a situation that he can send his little insufferable genius through. He is filled with the burning desire to write about Harold’s journey to leave his hometown to ride a bunch of trains to find a cure for his Autism and gets into wacky shenanigans along the way. Jim Bob writes his magnum opus during NaNoWriMo without editing the first draft. He sends it into the query trenches without any real Autistic people reading his work beforehand.

Unbeknownst to Jim Bob, he was writing an extremely stereotypical and frankly offensive portrayal of an Autistic character because he didn’t do his research. Jim Bob missed a lot of steps in attempting to portray Harold in a way that would not harm others. For one, he did not do research on his own about what Autism is or the fact that there are many different types of Autistic people in the world besides Christopher Boones and Sheldon Coopers. He created a “curing” plotline, which actively harms Autistic people and would be especially touchy for a neurodivergent teen to read. He then didn’t bother to consult Autistic people about how he was portraying Harold and did not ask for feedback or do revisions. Don’t be Jim Bob.

Instead, do your due diligence. The consequences for portraying a marginalized character incorrectly have been on all of our minds, particularly in today’s online climate. Most people want to write marginalized characters, and they want to write them well. However, that cannot be done without, A. Doing proper research and B. Consulting real people who belong to that group. This could mean hiring a sensitivity reader, a person who belongs to the same marginalized group as the character(s) who can scan for stereotypes, microaggressions and offensive material. It could also mean consulting a friend or pairing up with a critique partner who falls under that category.

Do you have to be marginalized to write these types of characters? In my opinion, no. You just have to make sure that what you are writing is not going to actively harm others.

As a sensitivity reader, I appreciate all of my clients because they are taking a big step in hiring me. They have the self-awareness to know that they may not know everything about their character and are prepared to receive feedback that may communicate to them that they have unconscious biases toward marginalized people. That, I’m sure, can be terrifying.

But I will say until the day I die that making stereotypes and microaggressions in the first draft does not make you a bad person. As long as you read as much as you can about the group that you are portraying and communicate with members of that group to fix any offensive elements in the second draft, you are automatically caring more than most writers today.

THE WRITERS' BLOCK: Exercises for Overcoming a Creative Slump (#4: Character Wish List)

In this new series, Operation Awesome is providing exercises to help you break out of writer's block, or a creative slump. Too often, we get stuck with writer's block because we believe when the words don't flow organically, or when the sentences don't come out perfectly structured, or when the plot has holes, we've failed. Usually, it just means you're having an off day, and forcing yourself to write on these days can perpetuate the feeling of being stuck. It can really help to take a day off from writing, but that doesn't mean taking a day off from working on your book. These exercises will help you work on your book when you're not actually writing.

So, none of our exercises involve narrative writing, per se. Instead, they require you to think, daydream, talk to your characters, and CREATE. You can jot down notes as you go, or you can record yourself talking through the exercises, or you can keep everything in your head.

For Exercise #4, we're going to focus on CHARACTER DESIRE. If you read writer's craft books, websites, or blog posts, you'll hear the same question over and over: What does your main character want? It's the vital backbone of your story, because readers relate and commiserate with characters who deeply want something, and have to overcome obstacles to get what they want. The desire can be anything from a love interest to saving the world to winning a sewing bee. But your main character (and your antagonist) must want something, or that want must propel them into action.

Use a paper and pen, or a computer, and make a list of everything your main character wants. This should definitely include the want that makes up the main plot of the book (for example, in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wants to go home). Then, take some time and brainstorm everything else your main character wants. Again, using The Wizard of Oz as an example, Dorothy's 'wish list' might look like this:

1) To go home
2) To defeat the Wicked Witch of the West
3) To bring the witch's broom to the Wizard
4) To protect Toto
5) To protect my other friends
6) To help my friends achieve their own desires (a brain, a heart, courage)
7) To avoid being kidnapped by the flying monkeys
8) To figure out a way out of the sealed room before the witch kills me
9) To not get blisters from walking miles in the ruby slippers (just kidding)
10) Others?

You can see that for a well-drawn character in a well-constructed narrative, the main character has many desires. It makes them more interesting and relatable to the reader, and makes it more understandable when they take action.

Once you've finished brainstorming your main character's wish list, turn to your antagonist and do the same. Does your antagonist want something deeper than to beat the hero? Dive into your antagonist's back story and see what you can come up with.


Did you run into any surprises while brainstorming your main character's and antagonist's wish lists?

THE WRITERS' BLOCK: Exercises for Overcoming a Creative Slump (#2: Character Questionnaire)

In this new series, Operation Awesome is providing exercises to help you break out of writer's block, or a creative slump. Too often, we get stuck with writer's block because we believe when the words don't flow organically, or when the sentences don't come out perfectly structured, or when the plot has holes, we've failed. Usually, it just means you're having an off day, and forcing yourself to write on these days can perpetuate the feeling of being stuck. It can really help to take a day off from writing, but that doesn't mean taking a day off from working on your book. These exercises will help you work on your book when you're not actually writing.

So, none of our exercises involve narrative writing, per se. Instead, they require you to think, daydream, talk to your characters, and CREATE. You can jot down notes as you go, or you can record yourself talking through the exercises, or you can keep everything in your head.

For Exercise #2, we're going to focus on CHARACTERS. Specifically, getting to know your main character, the antagonist, the love interest, and any secondary characters you want, by using a Character Questionnaire. Examples of these questionnaires abound online, but you can keep this simple and see where your creativity goes with it. You won't use the bulk of the answers directly in your story itself, but knowing your characters well makes it easier to build fully-fleshed out people.

First, pick a character you want to get to know better. Use a notebook, think through the answers in your head, or talk to your character out loud (probably don't do the latter option in a public place). Ask your character the following questions, and see how much better you can get to know them!

1) Full name (including middle name, maiden name, aliases, etc.) Have you looked up the meaning of your character's name? This can also help inform personality traits.

2) Birthday. Have you looked up the astrological meaning of your character's birthday? This can also be an interesting way to add personality and life events.

3) Where has your character lived? One place? Many places? If many, why did they move? How did your character react to moving?

4) Family/upbringing: Two parents? One? None? Siblings? Other relatives that lived in the house when your character was a child? Pets? How did everyone get along? Were they rich/poor/in-between? Were the parents strict, easygoing, loving, neglectful?

5) School: What level of education did you character achieve? Were they an attentive student? Did they enjoy studying or hate it? What were their favorite subjects? Extracurricular activities? Did they have a lot of friends or were they a loner? What significant events happened during your character's school years?

6) Friends: Who were your character's friends as a child? Are they still friends? If not, why not?

7) Love interests: Did you character have relationships as a teenager? What happened to them? What is your character's current relationship status? Ever been divorced? Ever had their heart broken? Ever broken someone else's heart?

8) Travel: Did your character get to go to many different places? If so, why (business trips, vacations, moving, etc.)? If not, why not (money, etc.)?

9) Careers: What kinds of work has your character done? Are they lucrative? Did they enjoy them? Are they respected at their job? Did anything significant happen at these jobs?

10) Fears: What does your character most fear? Have they told anyone? What does this fear stem from? Does the fear impact how they live their life?

11) Hopes: What does your character want out of life? Have they told anyone? What are they doing to accomplish these things?

12) Physical appearance: What does your character look like? Hair color, eye color, skin tone, height, build, and also things like notable scars, tattoos, piercings, etc. Are they athletic? Clumsy? Graceful? Do you picture a celebrity or someone you know when you picture your character?

13) Voice: What does your character sound like? Do they have any notable auditory characteristics, like a barking laugh or a beautiful singing voice?

14) Social: Is your character an introvert, and extravert, or somewhere in between? How do they react in social situations? Would they rather go to parties or read at home?

15) Children: Does your character have children? Want children? Hate children?

16) Hobbies: What does your character like to do when not working?

17) Food and Drink: What are your character's favorite foods and drinks? Least favorite? Are there any memories attached to these preferences?

18) Music, movies, TV shows: What are your character's preferences for entertainment?


That's enough to start with. Have fun interviewing your character and try to apply what you've learned about them to their story!

Pre-Writing a Novel, Making a Road Map

The next time I start a brand new project with new characters, I plan to follow these steps BEFORE I spend any time writing the actual story. At the beginning of my writerly life, I would have considered this a huge waste of time—when I already know (mostly) how the story will go in my head. But ultimately, for me, writing panster-style (and writing by consensus) created years of rewriting, reorganizing, and countless cleanups to make sure all the details were still true to what was kept (and that details or character comments didn’t pertain to something that got cut).

This recommended process (a writing assignment from my publisher) took me about two weeks and ended up being about 25k. I have referred to it often in the course of writing my series, because some plot threads span more than one book, some characters aren't fully revealed in a single book, and I can't forget who and what they are (lest I end up with loose threads and characters who vanish for no apparent reason.)

1. List every character who has a name and give them a face (a real picture from google images—no one but you will ever see this image, so no worries in regards to fame or legal rights)

2. Give each person a life—age, family status, why, who, where, how, what they want, goals/dreams/fears. What part do they play in the story? Where do they end up by the time the story is finished?

3. What are the plots? What are the sub-plots? Play all the plots out to the every end, including all major turning points, climax, and end (for every plot, like a synopsis!). This will give you a steady pace to follow, and keep you from giving away too much info too soon (if you know exactly how much is there in the first place).

4. Think of questions that could potentially rip your story apart, and figure out the answers before you start writing. (How does an entire community of shifters stay hidden? Why can’t Ariel write Eric a note to declare her love (after she’s lost her voice) when it’s clear she knows how to write? Who has access to the ‘magic’ and why?)

5. Connect all the dots. How does each character interact with the main character/s? Do they help or hinder? If they do neither, maybe they shouldn't be involved at all (if you’re doing this AFTER your story has been written, and you’re looking for ways to cut. If you love the character too much to cut, make him/her earn his way into the story by giving him a purpose that makes sense. Or save him/her for book 2, or another story entirely.) :-)

This is a great way to determine how much value a character or plot adds to your story. You don’t want or need extra wordage the reader could do without, or “talking heads” with no real cause.

Have a solid plan and know your characters’ personalities before you begin the writing, and you’ll save hours and hours (maybe months) of fixing timelines, filling plot-holes, and tweaking details for pace, believability, and dimension. With each character and plot, you should know exactly where they need to go and why. How they get there can still be a surprise in the writing, but the destination (along with the critical gas stations) should be mapped out before the journey begins.

*bonus tip! If your ideas gets tweaked along the way, do you best to keep this master document updated as you go. Because every time you come to roadblock in the writing, you'll have an accurate map to get you back on course.

If a *shiny new road has your wheels spinning faster, you can more accurately predict how much change one little detail might have on the overall story--if you can still get to the same destination on a different route.

*There's no harm in changing the destination before you get there, you just have to make sure all the details agree to change direction. If you've already written stuff that no longer applies...it's not the end of the world (just more work). Sometimes a different destination is well worth the effort. ;-)

Is your character someone to root for?

As I've mentioned before, effective character development is something I constantly strive toward. This was especially apparent last Friday, when my story was up for critique in my MFA class. 

During the workshop, people said they didn't really like the main character--and some of them even sympathized with characters who were supposed to be adversaries. 

One classmate hit the nail on the head as to why. She said, "She wasn't really someone I could root for."

This really struck a chord with me. Because we all want our characters to be relatable. Likable. Someone our readers will want to stick with for several pages. 

But if I'm rooting for a character, I'm with them all the way, even after the wheels fall off. 

So I asked myself the following:

Which characters make me feel like this: ("Rick 'em, rack em!")

From Tumblr: "A Girl Worth Fighting For" http://i-wont-say-im-in-loveee.tumblr.com/

Instead of this: ("If he can't do it, GREAT!")

From Tumblr: "Darling You'll be Okay" http://lover-drown-me.tumblr.com/

Here are a few examples I came up with:

Matilda Wormwood (Matilda, by Roald Dahl): Matilda grows up in a family that doesn't appreciate her. But what really keeps us with her the whole way is she doesn't let this get her down, nor does she act superior (even though she is). As an agent of chaos, she fights back by playing subtle pranks on her family and other adversaries.

What Matilda teaches us: Protagonists need to see the humor in their situations, no matter how bleak they are.

Claire Beauchamp (Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon): In contrast with Matilda, Claire is an inherently strong-willed person. But what keeps us for the long haul is her vulnerability as well as her strength. Like Matilda, she's cunning, and willing to be an agent of chaos to get what she needs. Steal a horse to return to the standing stones that brought her to eighteenth century Scotland. Or defy a priest to save the life of a young boy.  But in both those situations, Claire is also inherently vulnerable. 

What Claire teaches us: Protagonists' actions need a distinct purpose in concordance with the chaos they create, and strong characters need to show their softer sides.

Tally Youngblood (Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld): Tally, like Matilda, is put in a weak position from the onset, especially after she loses her best friend Peris to the "pretties." Although Tally considers herself an "ugly," she doesn't wallow in that. And through her journey to dismantle what's been created, she figures out that being "pretty" isn't all that important anyway. 

What Tally teaches us: Protagonists need enough flexibility to grow and change. 

Notice that all three characters have something in common: a willingness to be an agent of chaos. To turn their external worlds upside down. What makes the difference is how that change relates to them as human beings.

So in this short story I wrote (it's probably going to turn into a book chapter), I've decided to make my character a little wiser (like Claire), more stoic (like Matilda) and more flexible (like Tally). And, like all three, a true agent of chaos.

What about you? Which characters do you root for most? And in turn, what do you think makes readers root for the characters you've written?

Pets and Peeves, the Unexpected Heroes of Fiction

Here's a Friday writing tip to get you started on your weekend writing binge.

Add an animal.

Or a spook.

Give it a personality, a driving motive, setbacks, and final triumph.

Remember Peeves, the poltergeist of Harry Potter fame, who would only listen to Fred and George Weasley?

In the book, as Fred and George ascend on broomsticks amid a tantalizing display of illicit fireworks, ready to leave Hogwarts for good (for now), their parting words are, "Give her hell for us, Peeves." It's not in the movie, but here's the scene to jog your memory:




Throughout the well-woven story, ghosts play a contributing role, whether the conundrum is solving a murder, figuring out a clue, or finding the final Horcrux.

In the same series, animals play pivotal roles. There's Hedwig the loyal snowy owl, without whom Harry's lonely summers would be unbearable. And there's Buckbeak, a hippogriff who is only misunderstood, according to Hagrid. Buckbeak flies in to save another misunderstood creature, Sirius Black, from the kiss of death.

Hippogriff Wiki

If one were to take out all the ghosts and animals from the Harry Potter series, the story would fall apart. There'd be no Aragog the giant spider or Moaning Myrtle to tell the morbid story of her death or Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog to guard the Sorcerer's Stone.

For a more realistic fiction approach to animal characters, read Where the Red Fern Grows. There's a story about two canine characters with personality, heart, and character arcs to rival any human story.

Do you have an animal muse at home?

Here's one of mine doing what she does best: Playing with the kids in all weather.

Happy Writing Weekend!

Using our Better Selves to Sort Through our Lesser Selves

As writers, we're constantly confronted with what we do well in craft, and what we don't do as well (this ratio might be higher if you're part of a critique group or an MFA program).

The thing is, most writers know what they need to fix. But the problem isn't in the knowing. It's figuring out how to execute the things we have trouble with. For example, I've consistently struggled with character development, one of the basic corner stones of any story. The gist of my feedback usually goes along the lines of, "I don't really know this character..." or "I don't really care about this character..."  or "I'm not sure what this character's motivation is..."

But I think my favorite was the most recent feedback I got from a writing instructor: "What will she sacrifice or learn about herself to meet her goals? Give the girl a STORY!"

And it's not like I hadn't thought about ways to enhance my protagonists. But even after that, I still had trouble translating them to the page.

Then it occurred to me. What if I used what I did well to help the things I didn't do as well? Used my better self to sort through my lesser self?

Like this, but much more convoluted.

I've been complimented on my world-building, so I decided to use that as my catalyst, and see how my characters were affected by the places I'd created for them.

When I did this, I discovered the following: 

My external worlds played directly into my protagonists' main motivations

Both my current works-in-progress deal with characters who feel trapped in their situations. And I realized--the settings I'd created for them had no literal windows. None.

It turned out my world-building self was trying to tell my character development self something. That these characters wanted windows. Wanted options. And I could use that to motivate their actions and move their stories forward.

My external worlds demanded that my characters take action

One reason my characters tend to fall flat is I put them in these rich worlds but don't let them do anything. It's almost like I'm afraid to give them freedom to move within the spaces I've created.

So today, when crafting a scene where my protagonist finally has to confront the antagonist, I had her speak up and be an active agent of change in her own story.

While it was harder to write because I was stretching myself to places that weren't as comfortable, it helped me get more into her head. I ended up writing a scene where she actually had to struggle (I'm also way too easy with my protagonists a lot of the time).

Instead of taking the usual advice I've heard about character development, I made it work for me by putting it in terms of world-building, something I knew inside and out.

And now, I pose the following to you all:

1. First, consider which writing aspects you receive the most compliments on.
2. Now, consider something you don't do as well.
3. Consider how you think through the thing you do well. For example, if you're good at characters, how do you build them? If you're good at plotting, how do you develop it?
4. Use this same thought process for the thing you don't do as well, and discover ways to perceive it in a newer light.
5. Apply this to your writing.  

What do you struggle with in your writing? What strategies do you use to work through challenges? 

Earn your Endings

Here's a topic that has been on my mind lately: Endings. In my Fiction II class this semester, we're been talking about a lot of important story elements, and endings are chief among them. They're important because they are the last thing your reader sees before they close the book. An ending is supposed to satisfy them and perhaps make them ask questions or leave them wanting more. If an ending fails, the reader feels cheated and it leaves a sour taste in their mouth.

As we investigated the different types of endings in my class, there became a clear theme: Earn your Endings. Everyone and everything in your book has to earn those final words. The characters have to earn it. The story arc has to earn it. The writing has to earn it.

YOU have to earn it.

So how does one earn an ending?

The short answer is: No one really knows. But that's a lame answer, so instead, let's think about a few categories that endings can fall into and how to make them work.

1) Happy or Sad?

While the final pages of your novel can be a combination of happy and sad, oftentimes endings can be grouped into these two categories. Does the novel have an uplifting end? Or does everything come crashing down, leaving the characters stranded? Whatever the case, you have to make sure the tone of the ending feels true to the rest of the story.

How to do this? Well, in a few simple words, happy endings don't work without struggle, and tragic endings don't work without hope. A happy ending does not feel true to us unless we think their might be a chance that things might not work out. We must worry for the characters and wonder how they're going to get out of this situation. Likewise, a tragedy doesn't work unless we have some hope that they'll make it through. We can't be resigned to the fact that everyone is going to die or we don't care. Remember this line from Hunger Games?

That's important story advice from President Snow. Without a little hope, we don't feel the loss. In your endings, happy or sad, a taste of what will not be makes the outcome all the more sweet. Or bitter.

2) The Great Twist

So you want your ending to be unpredictable, huh? I mean, that's what a lot of people want from their stories. They want a twist a la Sixth Sense to shock the pants off their readers. Everyone likes a good twist. But the funny thing about twists is that they're never completely unpredictable. If they are, then they don't feel true to the story. For instance, Bruce Willis, at the end of Sixth Sense, could have been revealed to be a vampire. But that wouldn't work because it wasn't built up. There were several hints throughout Sixth Sense hinting at his true nature throughout the movie. That's why it hits us so hard. Because we should have SEEN that. It was right under out noses and then it socked us right in the mouth.

When it comes to your ending, the audience reaction shouldn't be confusion. It should be "What?" followed immediately by. "Oh. Of course!"

3) Arc Completion

When you start a story, you begin an arc. So that arc, for better for worse, must come to a resolution. That means your characters have to go through some sort of satisfying change and that their story line needs to be resolved. It doesn't have to be tied up in a little bow, but if you leave things unsaid, at least tease at a resolution. That way the reader can imagine what might have happened after the 'The End'. The characters don't have to reach an epiphany. But they should reach SOMETHING and that something should be built into their arc throughout the story. If your characters earn the ending, then chances are you will too.

Those are just three tips to look at when writing endings. Obviously you could probably write a whole book on this topic. But remember, your ending is the final thing the reader sees before they return to the real world. Make the words linger. Don't let them leave completely.

A good opening hooks you in. A good ending echoes in your mind for days after.

I'll Make it Fit: Why Cramming Things Together is a Bad Idea

Having finished the second draft of my WIP, I've thought about my editing process, and what I learned from this past go-round. A lot of things came to mind, but the most important was the consequences of molding the story into something it wasn't (and having to back-track when that didn't work).

We've all been there, I'm sure. When revising the heck out of Plot A, Plot B comes along and says, "I'm the real story here. Plot A can suck it." So I cut too much to accommodate Plot B, and ended up having to re-add it back in (thank goodness for previous saved drafts).

The trick is to marry Plot A and Plot B in a way that doesn't feel forced:

"I'll make it fit!"

When we try to force story, it gets stifled, and turns into something it isn't meant to be. If you're encountering this, take a step back and see what your characters are doing.

That's right--I said characters. Not plot. Because the "making it fit" phenomenon happens when I'm trying to tell my characters what they're supposed to be doing. Making them speak, instead of letting them speak.

If you find that your novel is feeling forced, ask yourself the following:

1. Am I letting my characters discover their true selves, or am I adding unnecessary frills and forcing the story?

2. Does Plot B contradict the characters' actions that led up to the current scene? Or is there a way to tie it together to what will inevitably happen?

3.  Am I going wider? Or deeper? (Hint: Go deeper so the puzzle pieces fit, but don't feel forced.)

Once I found my villain's true motivation--simple, with no frills attached--Plot B finally said, "Oh! That's what you're doing. Okay, I can fit in this way..."

And because my villain's no-frills motivation was directly connected with my protagonist's inciting event, it let me see what was supposed to stay (and what needed to be cut). And at last, I saw my way to the end.

So what about you? What do you do when things don't fit?

Reasons for Requesting: Character Interests

So you've got this concept, right? And an idea of what kind of character you need at the helm. You've developed their personality and dialogue and fears, so you've got a pretty well developed character on your hands. But there is a vital ingredient that your character will be lost without: Interests.

Yes interests. We all have them. Our hobbies and activities that make our hearts sing. And, especially for YA and Middle Grade, these things are important. I mean all of us were probably in some kind of club at one point or another. Band, theater, sports, art, underwater basket weaving... there are lots of things out there to be interested in.

But many times when I read an MS the character doesn't seem to... like anything. They make a big deal over the things they hate and don't get but not what they love. I think often times that's a trap authors fall into, especially in fantasy. They make the character's life flat and boring until the adventure starts and THEN the MC's life begins. But it feels cheap. Like the character has existed in a bubble until the story comes along.

How do you solve this? Give your MC goals and interests. Give them a path in life that they would have gone on if not for their adventures. And for bonus points, work their talents and interest somewhere into the plot. If they are adept at underwater basket weaving, maybe add a scene where the only way to beat the villain is to weave a basket-like prison underwater. Obviously an exaggeration, but it makes the character feel more real and three dimensional.

Ron was good at chess. It came in handy. Hermione was good at all of her classes and that comes in handy. In an MS I read recently, the MC used her talents and passions to solve the situation. Give them interests and make them count and its a good way to earn a request.

Bonus tip: if the only thing the character is ever passionate about is the love interest, you're doing something wrong. The character's whole life is not tied to the love interest. Even though 'interest' is in the title, it doesn't count as one. I have read books where that has happened.

That's all for today. Have a great week everyone!

Reasons for Rejection: Unlikable Main Character

When I say unlikable main character, I'm not talking about an anti-hero. I can always get behind an Elphaba going bad or an Ebeneezer Scrooge going good. I'm actually quite fond of an anti hero. But in their case, I know I'm supposed to have doubts about their morality. Since the book is trying to make them a little unlikable, I can role with it.

A character becomes unlikable when we're SUPPOSED to like them, and then we don't. When we are TOLD something about a character but not SHOWN, that character might start to annoy us. If you tell me that your character is 'really a good person' but all I see them doing for the first pages is being nasty, that turns me against them. And when I turn against the main character, its all over for the pages. Because how can I stay with this person for 50,000+ words if I hate them?

I think one of the best examples for me is of Tris from Divergent. I know a lot of people like this book, which is great. I'm glad you'll get a joy out of it that I never will. The problem with the test at the beginning is that we are told that Tris, in addition to being brave, is divergent for selflessness and intelligence. The book does not put its money where its mouth is because she is only selfless and smart when the plot calls for it and other times becomes borderline sociopathic and stupid. I also disliked the character because the books always wanted me to side with her and I often found myself going against her. Obviously a lot of people like Tris because they didn't see this contradiction so they were perfectly fine with liking her.

There's a simple solution to this: show don't tell. Show who your character is. That way there is no question of whether or not I'm supposed to like them. It will make for a smoother journey through your pages and, perhaps, even an exciting one.

But like with Tris, everyone reacts to characters differently. Though I dislike her, a lot of people love her. In the same way, your character may hit home with an agent but fall flat with another. That's the old subjectivity coming into play. You can't make a MC who appeals to everyone. But you can 'show' and not 'tell', to make it a little easier.

Who Are You?

I've been having fun revisiting some of my previous posts recently. While I do love a good gif post, today I wanted to share this post about characters.

Different things make us pick up a book. It could be an amazing story and awesome characters. Or it could be a recommendation from bloggers or friends. 

These things might make me pick up a book, but the one thing I like to have to keep me reading is a compelling character.

We all know characters are important (both in what we read and what we write), but what makes a compelling character?

For me it's a combination of two elements: voice and flaws. I'm not talking about someone who occasionally wears the same socks two days in a row. I want someone who knows a certain action is reckless but necessary. Who makes good and bad choices. Who is afraid to love, but takes the chance anyway. Who can be selfless but also selfish. In short, I want someone who's human.

They can be a million miles away from who I am, but I want to open the page and connect with them. Why would I spend 300+ pages with them if I didn't?   

I mean, I don't live in a world where teens kill each other on live TV to satisfy the government a'la The Hunger Games, but I cared about Katniss. Why? She's sarcastic, feisty, loyal, confused, tough but vulnerable. And the best thing? I get to know her as the story progresses.

I'll admit I never know everything about my characters when I start a new WIP. Reading a new book/writing a new WIP is like making a friend. 

The voice comes first. It gives me a flavour of who they are. I like peeling back the layers as I go. But, in the end, there needs to be something there to make me want to stay writing/reading about them. There may not be a magical ingredient (unless you're Harry Potter), but the one thing I find compelling is that they are human.

I don't want perfect. It would be nice to live in a world like that, but we don't. I want to see their flaws. Show me weakness, fear, the odd little habits that make no sense to anyone but themselves. I want to see them evolve as a person. A character never shows who they are straight away. The details wait to be discovered in the time you take to get to know each other. 

Just like making a friend, it's knowing there is something else there. That, for me, is what makes them compelling.

What about you? What makes a character compelling for you? 

Reasons for Rejection: Stereotypes

One of the quickest ways for a submission to earn a rejection (from me at least) is stereotypes in the first pages. And not just of people either. Stereotypical situations, settings and plots can turn me off as well. This should come as no surprise and yet it can be very difficult for writers not to rely on stereotypes.

You have to establish a lot in your opening pages. Characters, setting, relationships, the inciting incident and, if you're writing fantasy, another world. So, sometimes, it feels necessary to take short cuts. You need people to feel sympathy for your outcast character? Boom! Stereotypical bullies donning football or cheerleader uniforms. You need your character to look like they have a life and friends outside of the plot? Boom! Stereotypical funny, out-there, but supportive best friend who is mostly there to be your character's best friend.

I think its hard not to fall into stereotypes like these, especially in YA. Parents that don't understand, bullies, cool best friends. These are tropes that have been done to death. So if I start reading a scene the features one or more of these, the story starts to feel tired. I feel like I've read it before. And you don't ever want an agent to feel like they've read your work a million times before.

There are a lot of ways to solve this problem. You can spend a lot of time developing your side characters. You can pull the reader through with a gripping voice. You can try starting your story in a different place to see if it cuts out the stereotypes. Experiment and you'll find a way.

Unique openings are difficult but they can start with unique, fully developed characters that don't take shortcuts and draw in your reader from page one.

A Little Culture Goes a Long Way

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Which brings me to the question...

Do you have cultural events mingling with the events of your novel? I'm not suggesting your plot should be centered around cultural traditions, but that you consider using events (real or imagined) in the finer details that follow your existing plot.

Cultural events are the world-building results of a society. They add a sense of depth and realism for the reader, and the reader might even gain a new appreciation for something they didn't know (if your events are accurate). They can reveal a character's personality and upbringing, and the level of tolerance, understanding, and maturity of sidekick characters. They map the passage of time, season, and weather. They create a calendar deadline that can't be changed, even if your mc hasn't finished saving the world.

They can also instigate conflict and moral dilemmas. Would your mc pick a family tradition/gathering over a first-year anniversary? Does the significant other respect that decision? And on that note, did the mc even warn his date that there might be an issue when he brings her to a family event for the first time? Did he explain the expected customs so she could be prepared?

While your mc is actively saving the world, would his/her mother call to remind him/her that it's Mother's Day, and that a phone call would have been appreciated?

Does an unusual attempt at meal preparation reveal the fact that the in-laws are coming for Memorial Day weekend, and one spouse neglected to tell the other?

Does your mc care if the family doesn't approve of his/her friend for racial or religious reasons? It'd be kind of sad if the mc was just rebelling the family standards, and didn't take the long-term effects into consideration because the relationship wasn't supposed to last. (Character growth!)

Does your mc buy decorations/gifts at the dollar store the day of... or have they been prepping all year? Oh the stress if all that work was suddenly lost. How will they handle the holiday without the "things"... How would they handle a holiday they love in a society where that holiday isn't recognized?

Cultural events and holidays happen in all societies, no matter how much stress your character is trying to handle at the time. Don't let your plot get off track, but don't forget the calendar!

Is Your Character Wearing Green?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? More importantly, is your character?

Your book may not take place on St. Patrick's Day, but what would your character do? Wear little shamrock deely-boppers? Dress in green head to toe? March in a parade with his bagpipe brigade? Swill a green beer? Sip a Guinness? Roll her eyes and dress in black? Or have absolutely no idea what St. Patrick's Day is?

Holidays and celebrations can reveal a lot about characters, and they are even more important in historical and fantasy fiction, showing the values, rhythm, and shape of society. While you may not be strongly aware of Lughnasa, Soyal, Carnival, or the Spring Festival, if you have your characters going about their daily business during an important time on the calendar, you're missing an opportunity. If you are building your own world, and you don't have a few holidays figured out, you haven't yet created a full society.

So ask yourself:

• What holidays and celebrations would take place during the events of the story?
• How are they celebrated?
• What is the historical and religious significance?  
• What do these days mean to the people in society? 
• What do these days mean to your characters?
• How might the events of the plot be tied to this event?
• What kind of personal conflict or societal strain might be attached to the holiday?
• What is the thematic, symbolic, or emotional meaning?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, whether your characters are wearing green, Sunday best, or pajamas right now.

(Mine are bedecked in fuzzy green sweaters and green plastic beads, if you were wondering)

Who Are You?

There are certain questions a writer will be asked at some point:

1) Are you published?
2) How do you write?
3) Do you base your characters on anyone you know?

I'm going to answer number 3.

3) Yes and no. Characters are a weird. Some like to pop into your brain fully formed and ready to cooperate. Some take time to show who they are. I've never based a character on a particular person. Aspects of their personality may be taken from my friends and family and people I know. I may even add a bit of myself in there. Also, I like to people watch. A character may come from the person in the street/shop who was doing something interesting/reacting in a certain way.

Inspiration is all around. Drawing on what you know, what you want to know, what your experiences are etc., can help create a rich, complex character for you to weave into your story.

How do you create your characters?

Arts & Crafts: Do Your Characters Make Stuff?

So. Yesterday was Halloween. When I was a kid, I LOVED Halloween. Mainly because that meant DRESS UP TIME and CANDY. Now I only like the candy part of Halloween. I don't really know why, but costumes don't get me as excited as before. 

I do, however, love seeing other people wearing costumes. My favorite costumes are the ones people make themselves instead of buying at a store. The dedication behind costume-making is intense, y'all. I'm in awe of those of you who can whip up something from nothing, then wear it like a boss. Seriously.

This whole costume design fixation (and fashion design in general) led me to wonder about characters and their stuff. Clothes, jewelry, hair accessories, you name it. My WIP has a character who designs and makes stuff, although they're more of the sharp-pointy, totally-can-kill-you variety. :) But I've yet to write about someone who just sits down and creates things they can wear, either for themselves or others. 

I'm curious: do your characters make stuff? If so, what do they make? Does it hold a special place in their hearts, or is it something they must do out of necessity? 

Characters Who Watch TV

Source: Sedentary TV Time May Cut Life Short

I think it's universally accepted that a character who sits around and watches TV in his spare time doesn't make a good protagonist... except maybe if he's watching mandatory TV in The Hunger Games. But even then, that's a supporting character. The main character is ON the mandatory TV.

So I'm not suggesting we all make our characters TV junkies.

What I do want to suggest is that real people watch TV - sometimes a lot of it. We watch Oscar ceremonies and MTV awards, Olympics events and sports games, sit coms and soap operas and dramas and space cowboy steampunk and pyschological thrillers... and commercials.

And then we talk about it to anyone else who watches the same stuff we do.

It never occurred to me to make my characters real in this way until I read Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. Her main character, Evie, is a pink-loving, sparkly-taser-toting, Buffy-esque paranormal huntress whose biggest desire is to be normal. And she is obsessed with a teen drama called Easton Heights... so obsessed that she compares things she is experiencing to specific episodes from the fictional show. It works because most of us have seen these teen shows and understand the cliches she's embracing as her ideal of "normal."

Of course, throughout the three-book story she comes to find out that normal is not really a real thing, and if it were, it would be overrated. Her awesome message-made-for-teens aside, giving Evie a favorite TV show was brilliant. Here's why:

• we all watch TV and can relate (well, most of us)
• the stories we take in on TV inform and affect our perceptions of our own lives
• we share TV stories as part of our popular culture; it can even bond two strangers in an elevator
• our TV tastes are a reflection of our personalities

So if you have a scene where your main character walks into the house to find her little brother watching TV, go the extra mile and tell the reader what he's watching and what your MC thinks about it. It only takes a few extra words and it helps to characterize both people in the scene. Even if you aren't going to mention it in the story, give your MC a favorite TV show. See if it informs any of her dearly-held stereotypes, friendships, or choices.

If your protagonist were living in today's world, what would his or her favorite TV show be? What movie did he just watch in the theater (and with whom). What old show did she rent or watch from Netflix?

Happy Friday!

Hey I just met you and this is crazy...

What first impression is your character giving? 

 I wrote a book back in 2008 for Nanowrimo that was pretty awful. I loved it at the time, of course, but it didn't flow. It meeeaaaaaanderrrred like a snake through a really, really big garden. The beginning didn't match the ending (a common problem for pantsers, I hear). But worst of all, the first impression I'd created for my main character fell completely flat.

 If you write romance, or anything with a romantic element, you know how important that first meet cute is. You plan it out: wouldn't it be fun if they met at a doughnut shop or a dog park or a moon colony grand opening?

 Yet many of us make the mistake of introducing our main character to potential readers in a dull way.

 Back to my Nanowrimo 2008 novel: 

 It started with a man-child science fiction writer waking up and going through his day. He got irritated by things a lot, and the reader got the full dose because I did this all in first person POV. Eventually his book publicist/mother figure walked in and started giving him orders. He reacted. She left. He went on to the next boring thing he had to do.

 I don't know why I thought it was so important to show this boring part of his life, but I did. I was convinced it was the best way to characterize him for the reader. That way they could be super excited when something different happened.

 Um, setting up low expectations for a big surprise later is a bad idea in a novel. Apparently, readers with low expectations just. stop. reading. This isn't rocket science, I know. My MC was bored with his life, so why wouldn't readers be bored by his life, too?

 I soon found out this is a common problem for newbie writers. A friend of mine showed me the beginning of his on-a-whim attempt at a novel start. He, too, had come up with a plot involving a troubled dude. He, too, had begun by describing just how troubled the dude was. It, too, bored my socks off. Eventually, it was going to get into corporate theft, blackmail, and scapegoating -- but the first chapter felt like standing in line at the DMV.

Nowadays I understand the importance of tension and EVENT in the beginning of a novel, but I still struggle with creating the perfect first impression of my main character.

In life, people like to think they have you pegged from "Hello." The statement, "Oh, you're one of those people," may be said rarely, but it's secretly thought about a gazillion times per second. This isn't a terribly bad inclination of humankind. It has its roots in our survival instincts, which are pretty important. Babies study their parents' faces. When we meet someone new, we do the same thing but in a (we think) more sophisticated way.

We listen for

• jargon or slang
• pop culture references
• vocabulary level
• accent

If a person uses a $10 word like 'ephemeral,' we either think he's stuck up or nerdy or just plain impressive. It all depends on the sum of the pieces.

If he uses it in a stuck elevator after you've been sitting on the floor talking about the difference between happiness and joy, it will strike you differently than if he says it while staring wistfully at his spilled vanilla latte.

We aren't just listening, either. We're breathing, which means we can smell the way-too-minty toothpaste she's using or the cologne that takes us back to a golden summer of a first kiss, or the movie popcorn butter on his still-greasy fingers.

Beyond the obvious visuals we all remember to include like hair style, dress, and weight, there's an every-sense meeting going on between our reader and our main character. If you're leaving something out of that first-impression equation, make sure you're doing it on purpose.

It's okay to let your reader think the protagonist at the pharmacy is a self-righteous line-cutter with anger management problems, and then to explain a few pages later that he was actually buying an inhaler for his asthmatic five-year-old, waiting in the car with his panic-prone wife.

Meeting your protagonist should be entertaining and make us as readers feel like we've already got him or her pegged. Oh, she's one of those people.

So, to sum up:

• use all five senses
• put the MC in an interesting situation right off the bat (make sure the character isn't bored)
• make us guess wrong - never let a stereotype stand

Homework:
Try writing a first scene about your main character from the perspective of a mind-reader watching from a bus stop bench. How do the MC's thoughts reinforce or belie his other identifying features? Are his clothes ratty but his thoughts highly educated? Does he smile while he's in pain? How would a non-mind-reader perceive these contradictions? What physical evidence gives it all away?

Have fun and Happy Weekend!