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? 

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)

Nom Nom Nom: Why I Want Food In Your Story

Confession: I am obsessed with food. I eat about a bazillion times a day (that's a rough estimate). I am not ashamed of stealing cupcakes and cookies and pizza slices from my loved ones. They know I'm a lost cause. 

Perhaps it's this obsession with food in my real life that I'm always on the lookout for food in novels. I almost pass out every time I read scenes inside the Great Hall in the Harry Potter series. My tummy went berserk when I not only read about the November cakes in Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races, but also when I saw BOTH of her posts with the recipe. I've yet to actually make my own November cakes, but it's forthcoming :)

Similar to your main character's Impala, I think food tells your readers a lot about him or her. Do they like sweet stuff? Sour stuff? Spicy stuff? Or are they like me and eat EVERYTHING EVER IN THE UNIVERSE EVER? Perhaps your MC is an aspiring chef, and food is their whole life. Or perhaps your MC is allergic to halibut, but their love interest is all over that halibut. Awkward first dinner date, huh? Or perhaps your villain knows about your MC's allergy, sneaks in bits of halibut in your MC's dish, and OMG I don't even want to finish this sentence. 

My point? Food is just another layer of who your characters are. Sure, there are tons of other things that can deepen characterization better, but why pretend food isn't a big deal? I think it totes is. You should, too :)

Now tell me: how do you incorporate food into your manuscript? Do you go about it casually or are there detailed descriptions of yummyness? 

No Really. Literally.

A page from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I learn so many cool things from my CPs about writing. Like one of the first lessons they taught me was that when you're writing in a genre that bends reality (fantasy, science fiction, paranormal), you pretty much forfeit your right to metaphor.

I'm joking. Sort of.

Let me show you what I mean.

From my last WIP:

"She nods, root beer candied eyes fluttering shut."

This sentence is in reference to my Seer character, but no--her eyes are not made out of root beer candy, as delicious as that would be. This is me trying to be poetic. Unfortunately, more than one person thought it might be literal since there are other unbelievable things in my story. A later draft had "root beer colored eyes" and then I think I ended up getting rid of the imagery altogether and going with something simple like "Her eyes fluttered shut."

But even though I've already learned this lesson once, I still have to be reminded.

From my current WIP:

"She'd had no problem being invisible as a high school senior. Now, with one month left in her first post-graduation summer, she half-expected the invisibility to become permanent. But he saw her."

I posted this in the WriteOnCon forums and had the gall to be surprised when people said, "Oh, cool! She's invisible? Why can he see her?" They had lots of great suggestions for how I could demonstrate her invisibility, like when she was getting onto the plane, she could completely bypass the poor visible people getting pat-downs. Very clever ideas. I was half-tempted to run with it.

But she's not invisible. She's just shy.

Why am I posting these embarrassing examples of my world-building fails? 

I'm hoping they'll help somebody out there who's a quicker study than me. Someone who will remember that you can't take anything for granted when you're introducing readers to your brand new version of reality. 

They know nothing about your world until you tell them. Pigs could fly. Elephants could be psychic. (Why am I only giving examples of animals here?) Angels could be ice elementals who collect souls for sport.

For all your reader knows, the sun really could be a pat of butter melting into the horizon!!

So you may want to do what I plan to do from now on and reread your manuscript with an eye for poetry that could be taken too literally. Because the last thing you want is somebody thinking your romantic lead's eyes really do hold the world inside.

Now that WriteOnCon has ended, what are your new writing goals?


p.s. I just joined a Blog Chain and today's my day to talk about Self-Publishing. I'd love to hear your point of view over there.

A World Of My Own!

Last July I went to Universal Studios in California. After I'd been on The Simpson's Ride (alone I may add... my parents are wusses) we went on the Studio Tour.

Driving round in the tour bus we took in the sights of the studios -- the King Kong ride was awesome -- but it was the street sets that struck me most.

Driving up you see a series of buildings that look three dimensional, some can be, most aren't. While some sets are towns, most are facades to create the illusion of a city or town.

This got me thinking about writing, more specifically, about setting and world building.

As writers we spend time developing characters and have them interact with the environment around them. Sometimes locations only serve to perform the scene. Sometimes the setting IS the scene. Creating a world both we, and the reader, can believe is an important tool to make your story come to life.

In my new MS I had to tackle some serious backstory and world building and I have a lot of notes. Lots. Lots. Lots. Even if I don't use everything the notes aren't a waste. I need to know what happened in the past to understand where my MC came from and the life she lives now. I want a 360 degree view of the surroundings. I want to see the sun dappled clouds on the horizon, smell the embers of dying fires...sorry I got lost in the moment there. ;)

Anyway, my point is this. To create my story and character I need to believe in the world they live in. The idea is like the 2D set at Universal Studios -- one layer of a fully realised vision. So I need to invest some time building the different layers, even if my character is only passing through, to create the 3D effect I hope to achieve.

And scene. :)

Any tips for word building? Leave 'em after the beep...