This Week in Favs……..

10) “Finding the Heart of Your Story: A Tip from Donald Maass” by Martina Boone on Adventure’s in Children’s Publishing. This article was all about finding the theme of your story……the heart. Using a tip from Donald Maass, which is someone I don’t think I’d be able to write without the knowledge and tips we obtain from his books and/or blog posts, Martina shows us how we can look for the heart of our story by picking the one scene that you would never, ever cut from your story. Once you’ve got the scene, you can pull it apart to find what speaks to you. Be it an emotion or an idea that you really want the reader to connect with. Martina even gives us links to other great articles on theme, which made this particular article a winner this week…hands down!

9) “Setting – Adding Dimension to Your Fiction” by Kristen Lamb. Oh….soooo creepy to open this link and have Hannibal Lector’s face as the first thing you see. Kristen did a wonderful job in covering the many things setting can do for your novel and/or scenes. They help your characterization, amplify the mood, and can also symbolize something deeper within your story rather than just being a background for the characters. Kudos, Kristen!

8) “Forcing a Story to Evolve – From First Draft to Finished Draft” by Jami Gold on Writers In The Storm blog. In this article, Jami approached the types of ‘big picture’ revisions that we should be paying attention to as we’re editing. Voice, tone, point of view and theme are just a few types of ‘story evolution’ that she’s basically handed to us on a silver platter. Print this one out or write it down so you can refer to them when you’re in the middle of revisions. If we’re watching for these and ensuring they’re being properly developed, then our polished product is going to be a heck of a lot better when it’s querying time!

7) “Keep Your Dream Alive: Avoiding Despair at a Writer’s Conference” by Barbara Scott on Rachelle Gardner’s blog. I chose this particular article since it served a much-needed reader for all of the unpublished authors out there to continue to strive for the ultimate goal of one day being able to call themselves a published author. It’s a very tough world out there and it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged – whether you’re at a writer’s conference, or in a chat room with other writers. As you can probably imagine, I’ve already printed this one up. Whenever I’m feeling a little down, I’ll be pulling this one out so it’ll turn that mood around OR push me to use those emotions in my writing. 

6) “The Grammar Hokey Pokey” by Ash Krafton on QueryTracker. Hehehe….I love this article. And here’s why: my hubby edits my blog posts and has often referred to me as ‘the comma whore’. LOL! This is only because I overuse commas throughout my writing. I used to pride myself on my grammar in writing and now I see that’s only because I know more than most, but not enough to not require someone to read behind me and make sure I’ve got everything right. Ash’s hokey pokey article is very similar to what me and the hubs are doing while I’m putting together my blog posts, but I’m getting better…I can assure you that :0)  Bottom line after reading this article: learn grammar! If you can’t, find someone who knows it better than you and ask them to do some grammar edits for you – and learn from their edits!

5) “How to Make Deep POV Enrich Your Internal Dialogue” by Lisa Hall-Wilson on Girls with Pens. I was on an author chat the other night, entitled “The Subtle Art of Show, Don’t Tell”, and when it came time for the Q&A portion of the chat, there were about 5 other writers in the chat whose questions were about deep POV: What exactly is it? How does it help? How can I do this? Well, needless to say, I pointed them to this blog with the mention that the Girls with Pens have enough articles about deep POV that you should fully understand the why’s and how’s of this concept. This particular article was wonderful for me because it gives a great list of guidelines on how to use deep POV to your advantage: by pulling the reader closer to the character so they will invest in the character’s story.

4) “Does Your MC Get the Best Lines?” by Jeannie Campbell, The Character Therapist. And here’s the article that really had me thinkin’ this week! I’m loving this line: “When we put our characters on such a high pedestal, we run the risk of not being able to write the very good scenes that show them falling off!” So, as I’m going through my MS one last time before sending to my CP, this is what I’ll be looking for. Our characters need to be relatable to the reader. Not bland. Go check out this article then take a look at your MC’s and secondary characters. Be sure the secondary characters are not stealing the spotlight from your MC with their snarky comments. Save the best possible lines for your MC. 

3) “What Comes After a First Draft” by Jami Gold. Jami hit another home run this week with this post! Like I said, she can always get you to think…even when you don’t really want to. ;o)  Jami brought up something in this article about using Microsoft Word’s Compare function. Hmm…. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I’m most certainly glad I know now because I’d love to go back and see how my stories have grown since their first draft (after I get over a fear of seeing how ‘green’ my stories were in the beginning). It’s a lot like life: We have to know where we came from in order to not only begin to understand where we’re going, but to also see how far we’ve come when the road begins to get rocky.

2) “How Our Relationship With Our Characters is Like Dating a Vampire” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. OMG I looooved this one. So, obviously I’m a big vampire fan, but this is something I’d never thought of: comparing our relationship with our characters to dating vampires. Very original, in my opinion, and a wonderful analogy. Genius, Lisa! Thank you for the great post - and for another pic of Damon which I just can’t get enough of either! ;o)

1) Ready for some Friday fun? I hope so because a new Simon’s Cat video has been posted and this one goes out to all my writerly friends who also have cats. I believe we all know how aggravating it is to try and get some writing done with a cat walking all over your keyboard, monitor, lap, mouse, etc. You name it, they’re on it! Am I right? So I really enjoyed seeing this being perfectly depicted by the artist.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading & Writing!

Melinda

Getting from Point A to Point Z: The Unruly, Untrusting and Hard-Headed Character

It’s hard to get some characters through your novel with a distinct character arc. Am I right? Or is it just me?

 

One of the great aspects of reading is seeing a character learn and grow through the conflicts they’re faced with. But what about the characters that never seem to change or want to share more about their journey? You know, the ones you’ve invested so much in that you’re rooting for them to dance on the other side of the story as a stronger person?

 

Stay with me on here: You’ve got a greatly flawed character you’ve fallen madly in love with from the moment they waltzed onto the page. But even with a clearly defined road map, they don’t want to take that left-hand turn, much less read the signs on the highway that point them in the right direction. Or what about the character that does change a little, but it’s nothing large enough to make you feel as though they’ve truly changed? Sound familiar? Anyone? Bueller?

 

I’ve recently learned there are some characters that we as writers have to struggle with in order to either A) get them to change and learn more about themselves through their conflict or B) open up enough for the reader – or writer – to clearly see and feel their arc. These are the characters I desperately want to strap down with duck tape until they start telling me what’s going on in that head of theirs.

 
Based on my experience with a few of these characters, I’ve discovered a few things:
 

• Duck tape doesn’t work as well as we’ve been told. Maybe you haven’t spent enough time with the character in order for them to feel comfortable opening up to you. If they’re not comfortable with you in the first place, they most certainly aren’t going to talk when you’re threatening them. You have to give them the freedom to get to you know you while you’re getting to know them at the same time. Patience is a virtue here – though not my greatest attribute I can promise you!

• You’ve got to dig to find the core. Remember those models in grade school of the earth? The ones with the layers of the earth? You’re characters have those same layers. You’ve got to drill a tiny hole in your character’s heart and mind and slowly work your way down into their core. This means you gotta start from the beginning…their beginning. Take a trip with them down memory lane via a character interview and let them slowly start to tell you about their humble beginnings. Slowly, but surely, they will begin to open up.

• Road trip buddies and pit stops are required. We each have a friend (or friends) that have a huge influence on our lives, thus a huge influence on our own personal character arc. Don’t just plop your character onto the page and not give him a driving buddy (even the villains have buds, right?). Even if the character is starting to open up to you, they’re going to open up even more with a trusty companion at their side and a place for the two of them to stop, kick back, and rest before moving forward in their journey. At that point, you should take a back seat and watch the layers begin to peel away (with a bag of popcorn of course).

• Maps, directions and ETAs/mileage are suggestions. Just because you have the story plotted out on paper or in your head, doesn’t mean the characters are going to take the exact streets you’ve mapped out. Detours and road blocks are going to happen. A character can sometimes start to shut down on you when these happen. So what do you do when you’re faced with that bright orange “Road Closed” sign? You back up and find another route (no – you don’t click the ‘alternate route’ button on your GPS). Part of their character arc is finding their voice – not yours – and looking for another way to solve the conflict so they can get into the safe zone as soon as possible. It’s super surprising and amazing when it happens which is why detours should always be welcomed with open arms – in writing, not on the street. Grrr….

 

Basically, what this all boils down to is time. Your characters may spring up on you overnight, but like all great friendships, it takes time to get there – sometimes months or even a year. Pushing a character to open up and take the path you’ve given them only pushes them farther away, causing you both to be utterly frustrated to the point of not even being able to share their story the way it deserves to be told: with complete and total honesty and compassion.

What about you? Have you comes across an introverted character in the past that had a hard time opening up to you? What did you do to get them to open up and show their core?

This Week in Favs……

10) “The Art of Subplot” by Amy Rose Davis on Fantasy Faction. Okay, so anyone who uses The Princess Bride as the basis for a write-tip article has me at ‘hello’. Plain and simple. What’s better is the fact that Amy has used the Montoya subplot to show how supporting characters and their stories are just as important as the main characters in our writing: they provide foils, reveal information, highlight themes and help drive the main plot. And like she also lists, they do provide some much needed comic relief. This was a great read for me this week and I highly recommend it to all writers…not just those who love The Princess Bride.

9)  “Writing Wednesday: The Handy Book of Villainous Dialogue” by Anime on Anime’s Musings. Ahh, yes. The cliché dialogue of an antagonist that we as writers should stay far away from. Now that I think about it, I may have one or two lines that are little like this. *seriously considers shutting down internet to start editing again* I like how Anime mentions that we really need to think outside the box when it comes to our bad guys. I also like how she expands this article into steering clear of all clichés in our writing, not just the villainous dialogue. The use of the Disney villains’ picture was a great choice also! They’re my favorite, misunderstood characters of all time :0) 

8) “Voice Is Not Everything (but it is vitally important)” by Lydia Sharp on The Sharp Angle. Agreed! Voice definitely is important, but it really isn’t everything. Story is what’s important. Even though I’ve always been able to find the voice of my protagonists, this was still a great article to read and it serves as a reminder: “You cannot have a good voice with no story, just as you cannot have a good story with no voice.” I think we all know this, but it’s always good to be reminded every now and then. Lydia also gave some great resources for those who may either struggle with voice or plot <- which is one of the reasons why I absolutely enjoy reading her blog every week!

7)  “Writers – Develop a Thick Skin!” by Megan DiMaria on WordServe Water Cooler. First off, this is a great blog that started not too long ago by the clients/writers of WordServe Literary agency (Rachelle Gardner’s agency). I think their blog is a brilliant idea and I love how they’re always bringing new and fresh ideas to the table. Okay…back to the article. This was another article that served as a great reminder for every writer out there. We all need to develop thick skin. As much as I would like to believe ‘words will never hurt me’, I’m not there yet. Because they still do, to a certain extent. But I’m slowly getting there and I’m being helped along the way with articles such as this.

6) “Backstory: Where and How Much?” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. We all know that backstory can either make or break your novel. It has the ability to keep your reader hooked while giving them important information, but if it’s in the wrong place and/or dumped on the reader, then it can bore them into closing the book and putting it back on the shelf (and said book might find its way into a yard sale shortly thereafter). Lisa explains, very simply, where and how the backstory should be introduced to the reader, and she uses an awesome example from Harry Potter. Well done, Lisa!

5) “Frustration: Your Novel’s Best Friend” by Angela Ackerman on The Bookshelf Muse. Hehehe…..frustration is a sinister little thing, isn’t it? But it’s a sinister little thing that I’ve come to appreciate….after the fact! The same can be said about our characters. One thing that makes a story believable are believable and relatable characters. Nobody wants to read a story about a girl and a boy who get together without any problems or issues that threaten to keep them apart. The same can be said about a main character not experiencing frustration somewhere along the way from point A to point B. Angela has written a great article here about what a character might do when they find themselves between a rock and a hard place and she also reminds us to make sure that the reactions match the character! <- That, my friends, is one of the many things that make a character and their story believable.

4) “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?” by Jami Gold. Yay! Jami’s written about the cauldron of ideas that every writer has hiding in their closet! I literally had to stop and think about where my ideas come from. This was just because once I get an idea, I run with it so fast that the original nugget it came from has snowballed into something greater than I ever could’ve imagined. So it’s hard to go back and find the seed among that growth. But alas, I was able to figure out the answer to Jami’s question: my ideas come from dreams and the “What if?” questions and my latest MS actually came from the character herself when she showed up after I finished a book and said, “I think me and that protagonist need to get together and have some coffee.” Hehe….I LOVE it when they sneak up on you like that!

3) “The Art of Avoiding Burn Out” by Danyelle Leafty on Query Tracker’s Blog. If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I had a big meeting earlier this week. I also had to present in front of 90 people on Tuesday morning, which was sooo nerve wrecking! But anyway, the reason why this particular post caught my eye is because one of the topics I presented about on Tuesday morning went something like this:  “…now is the time to take care of yourself. We’re busier than ever now that we’re in our busiest season of the year and if you don’t take care of yourself when you feel the burn out coming, then it’s only going to get worse!” Danyelle’s article is spot on about how we as writers need to avoid burn out by taking breaks and scheduling in activities that “…allow your creative muscles a chance to relax, to heal, and to rejuvenate.” Similar to the advice that I shared with my sales reps, if you don’t take care, it will get worse, which means your story will not thrive as it should. This is a must read for every writer.

2) “Kate Hart on Dialect and Dialogue” on Adventures in Children’s Publishing, “5 Basics About Dialogue You Need to Know” by Marcy Kennedy on Girls with Pens, and “Say What? – Writing Believable Dialogue” by Megan DiMaria on WordServe Water Cooler. Most of you know that I’m in the middle of a month-long advanced dialogue course, and so I’ve really been wanting to highlight a writing article on dialogue. Well, go figure that there would be at least three awesome posts this week on this very topic! Obviously I couldn’t decide between them all, so you got two bonus links on this one! It never hurts to read up on articles about dialogue since there are so many creative ways that we can show a conversation happening between two people (or a group), and it’s always a great reminder that we should be writing believable dialogue.
*On a side note: I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned in this workshop in October…and it’s quite a lot! We have assignments that are due every Tuesday and Friday, so I’m busier than I thought I’d be with this class, but I wouldn’t trade what I’m learning for the world!

1) Here’s an interesting and funny video for you! My hubby showed this to me this week and I seriously could not stop watching until the video was over.

I’m a Metallica fan, and most of us may have heard this song before: Enter Sandman (if you haven’t here’s a link). These guys are so much fun to watch and I absolutely love their creativity of covering songs by playing the kazoo <- something so simple that not many people would think of doing! And it’s such a dark song that was made light by this creativity. :0)

I hope you enjoy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!


Happy Reading & Writing!

Melinda