5 Ways to Bond Readers and Characters

Happy hump-day, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we'll be talking about ways to get your reader to really give a crap about your character. In reality, that bond is the most important. Forget plot, structure, and tension for a minute and think about your favorite book. What do you remember most? The Journey? The Problems? Or was it a character that made you say, "I want to be like them."? Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get this party started!

Here are five ways to create a tie between your reader and your character without resorting to handcuffs:

1. Likability
I'm sure you've all come across characters you didn't really like very much. Stop and ask yourself why. Were they cruel? Did they have too big of an ego? You want a character who can laugh at themselves. One who is kind or commits random acts of heroism. They need to care more about others than they do about themselves. There is one caveat to this: Power. If you make a character who's vile, give them obscene amounts of power. Above all else, you have to make them interesting enough to hold attention.

2. Inner Conflict
A character who has their mind made up, and one who doesn't struggle in some way, is boring as hell. Yes, this goes back to the doorway of change. Someone who has it all figured out and has no reservations will turn your reader off in a nanosecond. Show the inner conflict of your character, and let them come alive on the page. They'll seem much more real. Check out some of the entries in my Human Nature series of posts. That leads us to...

3. Identification
Here, I'm sure you're saying, "Well, duh, Jo!" But this is something a lot of people miss. Create a human that lives and breathes and your reader will identify with your lead. When we read about people that we can visualize, we tend to care about them. I've talked before about creating perfect characters and why it's never a good idea. Make your reader love the character (for all their flaws). This means...

4. Create Sympathy
There are four ways to do this:

• Give your character hardship. Some kind of hurdle in their life that wasn't self-imposed. If you make it so the character put themselves in that situation, they'll come off as whiny.
• Put them in jeopardy. Trouble is coming and there's no way out of it (or so it seems). Emotional jeopardy is just as heart-rendering as physical.
• Show their vulnerable side. If your lead could lose at any moment, your reader will care. Make them nervous for the protagonist and you'll win.
• Create an underdog. This is the long-shot. Know that horse who was slated to come in last in every race because of a prior hoof injury? What if it wins against all odds? There, you have your underdog. It's the same with characters that are humans.

5. The World and the Rules
Show the reader what life is like for the character. A character could be working or playing, but use this to create a bond and show the rules of their world. Perhaps a humorous mayor or a tough aristocracy is what your world will have. Portray the character in their setting and make one of the rules something they don't like or feel strongly about. It will help it feel like a reality to the reader. They'll inevitably compare it to their own if they believe it; and, bam! you have that special link.

Think about this post from last year: Writers that Cannot Feel, Cannot Write and ask yourself why that holds true. It's the same for readers. They have to feel something when they read your story.

Which of your characters do you love the most? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Arcs

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm looking forward to the weekend SO much. Melody is in round three of edits (see this post for the editing steps I take) and Coralie's story is flying from my fingers. I've been an emotional wreck the last few days because her story is truly terrifying. But, today isn't about those books, though I may use them for reference, it's about Character Arcs. What the heck is a Character Arc? Well, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you've been a regular visitor to the blog, you've probably read a lot about doorways and change. I'm always talking about how a character should pass through the doorway of no return and how that moment should end up changing your character in a profound way. But what are the steps from doorway to epiphany?

An excellent character arc has these things:

• Meeting
• The Doorway
• Impact on the Persona
• Moment of Change
• Finale

Meeting is where we're introduced to the character and learn a little about them. This isn't full disclosure, it's a tasting of the character's basic beliefs, values, attitudes, and opinions. Now, the basic beliefs and values a person holds are a direct result of their attitudes and opinions. Change enough of the opinions and you end up changing a core belief.

This is where The Doorway comes into play. Your character must waver on the threshold. Because of their beliefs and values, they won't want to step through that door. Find a way to shove them through. Leave them no choice in the matter. This is the beginning of change.

A few examples: In Mystic ~ Bronya, she has to leave the town she's in and give up on the possibility of love. I shoved her through the door by taking away all she cared about and leaving her no other option. While she answers the letter from WSTW with gusto, she almost turns around at the airport because she's still trying to retain hope that she'll end up with Cecilia. In Mystic ~ Lily, she's made to face the person in the mirror and practice self-love. She fights it because drugs and alcohol have served her well in taking away the pain up to that point. I added Markaza to the mix to shove Lily through the doorway; kicking and screaming.

Impact on the Persona happens throughout the story. These are what lead a person to begin to change their beliefs. Maybe hate is erased or judgment tendencies are quelled. But there are always outside forces at work. People the character interacts with or things they witness will begin to change their opinions, thereby changing their attitudes, values, and beliefs.

There has to be a Moment of Change. From everything that happens to the character from the doorway beyond, it will bring about the epiphany. It's that "ah ha!" moment. And it can't come out of nowhere. Outside forces are always at work on all of us. It's the same with your character.

You don't have to write out the moment. It can be shown via actions during the Finale. New things the character does or says can show the reader just how monumental the change was, and how the values and beliefs of the character were altered.

In a series, the Moment of Change doesn't usually happen in the first book; but in the last. For example: In the Mystic series, none of my ladies have really had that moment yet. Markaza is off collecting the girls,  each book is a sampling of their individual doorways, and some of the Impact that occurs to force the girls to pass through. There's no outside forces changing their belief systems just yet (though there was a hint of it in Mystic ~ Shelia when Aunt Ivy shows up).

Now, how to keep it straight?

Try creating a Character Arc list. Four columns on a sheet of paper, each with a heading. Here's an example:

Temujin begins life believing he's the end-all be-all and has very astute ideals about how things should be. When he breaks his values during the story, he ends up with a lot of humility and understanding about life and love. This can be ramped up with a little bit of tweaking, but it'll give you a map to work from. I didn't show what I have in store for the women of WSTW because that would spoil the last book.

I hope you all have a good grasp of Character Arc and a handy tip that will help you formulate a plan.

Question of the day: Do you plot out your characters beyond page one? How has it helped you/hindered you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Writing a Series

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you're all looking forward to some lovely time over the weekend and have huge plans for the week of the fourth! I've been knee-deep in the Mystic series this week and hope to roll Melody and Coralie out very soon. Fact checking can certainly keep one on their toes! Speaking of things to beware of when writing a series, that's the topic for today! So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

As regular readers of my blog know, I'm the author of the Mystic series. It's about six women who come together to prevent the end of the world happening. What they're fighting is birthed from humanity; the surprise of the series will appear in the last book, Markaza.

Some of the things I did to prepare for this series:

• Write character bios.
• Make a timeline.
• Decide on locations, issues, and strengths.
• Keep a chart of things that happen during the series (like visions Markaza has of the future) for quick reference.

If you're writing a series, these items are a must-have. They'll save you from having to go back through your previous work to fact-check. You can't contradict yourself if you plan to build a world and characters your readers will believe.

If you don't go into great detail with your characters' appearances, you'll not only leave a lot to the imagination of the reader, you also won't have to check back very often to make sure you're being consistent. How much is too much?


Good planning is essential. It'll get you everywhere.

I left off the Mystic series last year around December, but Melody is singing to have her story heard, and Coralie is acting like a pain in my ass. They're both scrambling, once again, to get out of my head and onto the page.

I hope this helps. A series isn't something to thumb your nose at. It takes a lot of careful consideration and work to make it interesting.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Is Your Character Sexy or Beautiful?

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, let's talk about sexy vs beautiful. There is a difference! You need to consider how your character is going to be portrayed to the world because each of these gives them different characteristics. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going, shall we?

First, a couple of definitions:
Sexy: sex·y /ˈseksē/  Adjective 1. Sexually attractive or exciting. 2. Sexually aroused.
Beautiful: beau·ti·ful  /ˈbyo͞otəfəl/  Adjective 1. Pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically. 2. Of a very high standard; excellent.

As you can see, they have different meanings. One can be sexy and not beautiful; or, one can be beautiful and not sexy. As we interpret language, we often confuse the two or use them interchangeably. But your character can be one or the other, or both. It's a difficult decision sometimes. You want to avoid the 'I'm perfect in every way' character because they're boring.

Examples:
I read Pride and Prejudice and thought of Elizabeth as beautiful but not sexy. Her sister, Jane, was both. Why? Well, Elizabeth held herself well but put off an 'I'm better than you' vibe toward men. It wasn't sexually exciting but her face was pleasing to look upon and her mind could stimulate another of the same caliber. Jane, on the other hand, was pretty, carried herself well, and excited men in a bashful, shy way. She was mysterious, sexy, and beautiful.
When I read Beautiful Disaster, I saw Abby as sexy, but not beautiful, because she had confidence. Her looks, as described by the author, were middling to fair.

Think about yourself for a moment. Do you wear pretty undergarments to make yourself feel beautiful or so you look sexually attractive in the mirror? One thing I do, to make myself feel beautiful, is keep my toenails painted. Always. Even in the winter, if you see me without shoes, my toenails are cute. These are things you have to consider when building a character because it's part of who they are. It gives you opportunities for discovery throughout the book. Like fairy dust sprinkled in to make magic, details like these make your character feel more real to the reader and allows a connection to be formed.

What character have you developed that was one or the other? What did you use as discovery tools?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A New Title - M

Happy Hump-Day, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm excited to announce a new book I'm working on! So strap in and take a gander.

Working title: M
Genre: YA urban fantasy
Length: TBD

Synopsis: It's the year 2042. A drug called M2, which alters the DNA of those who take it, is becoming widely used.

But at what cost?

For a young man named Griffin, the cost proves too high. Banding with other emfrees, he sets out to destroy the producers of M2 and find a cure. But time, a new breed of police officers called Phaedrons, and another young man named Phoenix, are working to stop the emfrees and assimilate them into the masses.

Well, that's the working synopsis for now. You'll have to read the book to find out more.

Yes, I know I'm evil with a capital E. I wrote a page or two while I was away this past weekend and I can't wait to dive in and bring you the first excerpt!

As it is, here's the cast of characters thus far:

Griffin (last name TBD) - Age seventeen, 6'1", 160lbs, brown hair, blue eyes, born August 12, 2025.
Brittany (last name TBD) - Age fifteen, 5'7", 120lbs, brown hair, green eyes, born March 30, 2027.
Phoenix (last name TBD) - Age eighteen, 6', 175lbs, blonde hair, blue eyes, born September 23, 2024.
Articus Bane - Age twenty-six, 5'10", 150lbs, black hair, brown eyes, born September 11, 2016.

I'm booting up my program right after I finish this post to get it all on a page!
Of course, I did a whole character bio on each of the people named above, but that's for me to keep to myself for now. I'll bring more when I know more!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

True Nature

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! February is about to step out and March will be upon us soon! I hope it brings you all peace and good fortune. 2013 is shaping up to be a pretty good year on this side of the country, and my blessing is that you all have the same success. Today we're going to delve into true nature. You know how much I like to go on and on about characters, and today is no different. Writing The Bird taught me a couple of lessons I'd like to share with you today. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Humans are such interesting creatures! They play mind games, put themselves on a pedestal, and manipulate others to get what they want. However, they can also be generous, kind, and caring. Whatever they are, it's their true nature. Pretenses can only be held on to for so long before the mask melts away, leaving their soul bared for all to see. This is important to remember when writing.

When I was writing The Bird, I had a loose outline in my head and the first few chapters plotted carefully. After that, I flew by the seat of my pants. I'm glad I did, because if I'd forced my characters into the roles I'd laid out for them, the book would've ended very differently. I love the ending! It was brought about by the true nature of my characters; which wasn't revealed until about halfway through.

This sounds crazy, huh?

But it's not. It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole when you attempt to force a character to conform. If you let them have their own way, they'll show you things your imagination could never come up with on its own.

But, Jo, it's in my head already, right? Something just happened to make it manifest on the page!

Not necessarily. As with life, it takes time for a character to show you the truth about themselves. They like to hide under masks and play cloak and dagger games with you; just like humans. Discovering what a character may be hiding is like finding a diamond in a lump of coal. But you have to give them time to reveal themselves.

You don't really know someone until you've been around them for a couple of years. In that time, watch how they interact with others, pay attention to the nuances, and listen carefully when they recount events you were present for to bystanders or other friends. It'll tell you a lot about their true nature. Everyone wants to be liked and revered; but that mask only lasts so long. You'll get glimpses if you pay attention.

I was caught completely off guard by my characters. Looking back, I now see the signs indicating exactly who they were on the inside. Their masks had me fooled, and I'm pretty shrewd!

So, take a look at your WIP's characters and look at what they're doing on the page. Really take the time to examine their actions and words. You may find that diamond.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Past, Present, and Future

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about time. I know, I know, we don't have enough of it in a day! On one hand, I wish the days were forty-eight hours! On the other, I kinna don't. You know?

There are so many novels in the world! Where do all the ideas come from? I can't answer for everyone but a lot of my characters and stories come from people I've known and things I've heard. Some of my stories grow from things I read online: News stories, blog posts, Facebook, etc... Just snippets of things here and there, really.

But here's the thing: Your past, present, and future all shape your stories. You may think they don't; but every good character is three-dimensional and every experience you have shapes the way your mind works.

Don't run from it; embrace it.

So what if your main character has attributes of three of your friends from school? That's the way great characters are made. Always consider time because your character didn't just pop into being when you began to write their story down. Okay, they did, but you get what I'm saying.

I've started thinking about this one lady I knew when I wrote the title for today's post. She was thirty-twoish and her husband was a year or two older than she was. We'll call her Remmy. I was blown away by what a kindhearted, sweet individual she was. I could see the love for her husband when she talked about him. They'd been married almost ten years and she was happy as a pig in mud. One day, she comes to work in tears and tells us all her husband suffered a massive heart-attack and died three days before - hence the reason she wasn't at work. He just dropped dead. All I could think was: If something that horrible could happen to her, what chance do I have to be spared? Remmy's attitude didn't change, she didn't grow bitter, and she still smiled every now and then. Those actions showed me who she was down inside. I have since endeavored to be more like her.

Remmy would make a great character because of that flaw and her story. She's a character from my past.

In my present, I've already used someone I know and their story as a basis for a book. Stormy, from The Bird, isn't a character from my past; she's in my present.

When I think about the future, the past and the present shapes it. I remember things that were done to me, by me, and for me. All of the things above are from my time on the planet. I have thirty plus years of characters and experiences and stories told to me to draw from.

There's no such thing as a totally original idea. We're all inspired by something.

Next week, my posts will be inspired by Typography. Join me to learn a little about letterforms!

What have you read or written that was inspired? How did it change you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Knights in Shining Armor

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today we're gonna talk about white knights on bleached chargers and what causes the little fiends to fall off. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Everyone loves a good hero. But what is the main quality of the heroes you remember the most? I bet it's that they have a flaw. Not a minor flaw, but a fatal one.

Shakespeare did this well. His tragic heroes all had a fatal flaw. One that led to their doom. Now, I'm not saying everyone in your novel must die, just that your hero (and heroine) must have flaws of some kind. This goes back to an earlier post I did on making your characters feel real to your reader. Aristotle wrote about tragedies in his book Poetics.

If you're a writer and you've never googled this, it's time you did. He wasn't a stupid man.

Basically, his idea says that you can't have a tragic hero unless that hero has a fatal flaw. Otherwise, nothing makes sense. But let's get off that and into non-tragedy.

If your hero is to be believable, he needs to commit some act that makes his flaw leap to the forefront. No one is infallible unless they're a saint. Let's face it, saints don't make for good fiction. You want your reader to want the girl to end up with the guy of your choosing but you can't make it easy for her. She needs to struggle with the decision a little. Every real relationship has things that must be overcome in order for it to work. If they fight like cats and dogs, use it to your advantage. If both your main characters have flaws, they can seem incompatible and you can use that to heighten tension.

Of course, a third character acting against the first two can also give your characters much needed tension. But it doesn't have to be a love-triangle scenario. That character can be a girl who doesn't want to lose her BFF or a guy who doesn't want to lose his football game buddy. It can even be a god or a ghost!

But your hero must also have some deep redeeming quality that allows him to rise above everyone else. It's a fine line to walk.

When you're writing a character bio, keep these tension points in mind. Heck, after reading Aristotle's writings, you may decide you want to pen a tragedy! For the love of all that's good, google Poetics and have a read.

Who was your favorite hero? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Flipping the Switch

Happy Tuesday! Hi, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you all had a good Monday. Nothing like a great Monday to preclude a fabulous Tuesday, eh? Today we'll be talking about twisted characters; or, the switch, if you prefer. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

What's in a switch? Well, you have to first think about who's in your novel. You've filled out your character bios and given everyone a role, thought about your plot and where your main character will go from the beginning to the end (the journey), and considered who's going to be good, bad, or just a pain in the arse, right?

That's where the switch can come in. Look closely at your characters and their lives, then go read my human nature series of posts (found under the first heading - Writing) and think about your characters' lives, habits, personalities, and experiences. What can you bring to the front to make them false friends? Consider carefully because if your character doesn't surprise you with what they're doing, they won't surprise your reader.

Switches aren't always foregone conclusions. Sometimes, a switch can come in the form of someone leaping out from around a corner and yelling, "Boo!" They surprise you. Just keep in mind: Their proclivity was bent that way to begin with. It can't come out of nowhere. There should be some vein of something you show a peep of through your story to make the character's switch believable. But don't ruin it for your reader by foreshadowing too much.

Now, this can be a good guy who turns bad, a hidden society that the reader doesn't know existed until that moment, or a person lost from the character's past that comes back seeking revenge, love, or acknowledgement. Your choice! Yet another reason a character bio is so damned important.

Anyone have an example of a character switch that worked well? If so, please share with the rest of the class!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

What's in a Character?

It's Thursday, oh my! One more day until the weekend and you can all relax into your planned debauchery for two days. Today's post will be about character bios. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

What is a character bio?

Basically, it's a white paper on each of your characters that tells basic information. In order to portray a rounded character on the page, you need to understand why they'll react in a specific way in any given situation. To prevent screwing up things like age, height, or description, you need something you can reference quickly without having to scroll through your whole manuscript to see what you said about this or that. It helps you keep your story straight.

That's all well and good, but what should you include in a character bio?

Some of the same items on your Timeline should be included in your characters' bios. Here's a list of what I include - you may want to add to this.

• Full Name - First, middle, and last along with any other names they've had along the way.
• Location - Where they live, where they were born, if different, why it changed.
• Age - Includes birthday, zodiac sign, and recent celebrations.
• Physical Description - Height, weight, hair color, eye color, shoe size, skin color, manicure?, pedicure?, hair length, eyebrows (V shaped, bushy, pencil thin, etc...), identifying marks, for women: bra size.
• Mental Description - Self centered, egotistical, timid, brash, vengeful, etc...
• Reasons for Mental Description - What happened in life to make them that way.
• Friends - Other characters. Are they major? Minor? Plot changing?
• Relationships - Spouse, kids, parents - with names and nature of relationship.
• Goals - What their ultimate life goal is.
• Career - What they do or want to do.
• Skills - Any skills they may have.
• Magical Powers - For fantasy or paranormal. Can they shoot fire from their asses? Lightning bolts from their eyes? Levitate? See through peoples' clothing?
• Sexual Orientation - Straight, gay, bisexual, etc...
• Fun - What they do to let their hair down.

Again, feel free to add to this list. But if you fill out all of the above for each of your characters, major and minor, you'll have characters that feel real on the page because they're real to you. Fully developed and fleshed out completely.

I hope this helps in some small way.

Is there anything you include that's not on my list? Care to share?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Flaws

Happy Hump Day, good people of the blogosphere! After today, just two more days until the weekend. I heard that cheer! I'd like to talk about flaws today and why your characters need them. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Your character can't be perfect. Perfect people are boring and no one wants to read about them. Strife, problems, personality flaws, disfigurement, etc... are necessary to make your characters memorable. But more than being memorable, they need to be identifiable. People need to be able to pick up your book and understand the struggle your character is going through; maybe even see a little of themselves.

Every character is on a journey. Whether it's a journey to learn something, do something, or change something, they all must have a direction to travel in. If you've made them flawless, what can they learn? If they're doing something, why? What about their personality flaws makes them want to do it? If they want to change something, what is it? How can you give your character the two-punch they need?

Some flaws I love:

• Headstrong - These characters believe they're never wrong.
• Conceit - They love themselves so much, they feel they're perfect when they aren't.
• Mistakes of the Past - Oh man, these characters get themselves in so much trouble become they often become:
• Chronic Liars - Folks who lie to cover up a past they deem shameful.
• Revenge Seekers - Those people who can never ever just let it go.
• Addicts - The list of things people can be addicted to is long. Sometimes they know it, sometimes they don't.

There's so many to list I can't think of them all! Use your imagination; that's why you're a writer.

Just remember, when you're writing that character bio, be sure you go into flaws. If you don't use a character bio, I beg you to start. Aren't familiar with character bios? Come back tomorrow and I'll give you a list of things you need to include.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Writing as the Opposite Sex

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! What weird weather we're having here in Atlanta! It's really warm to be January and the birds outside are chirping away with the dawn. Feeling that joy, I bring you a post about crossing gender lines when you're writing. Some authors do this and some don't. I have thoughts about why it works and why it doesn't. Join me and feel free to give your opinions after!

Women writing as men:
I may be way off the mark when I say it's easier for a woman to identify with a man than it is for a man to identify with a woman; but maybe not. There are many wildly successful books written by women with a male protagonist: Harry Potter, Interview with a Vampire, Night of the Wolf, etc...

I did it myself when I stepped out and wrote Yassa. I had to be able to identify with Genghis Khan on some level and be brutal when he was angry, compassionate when he was loving, and strong when he was feeling dejected. I was able to do it because I truly understood his dilemma: Uphold a law or turn his back on the very thing he believed so strongly in. I think men are more like women than women are like men. That's not to say a man can't write a strong female lead; just that they may have a more difficult time thinking of a woman as a warrior. After all, there's a reason the military doesn't like females on battlefields. Women can write men as strong because we see them as strong (in most cases).

Men writing as women:
A man, by his very nature, should see the softer, mothering, loving side of a woman. To step beyond this boundary may be difficult if the man can't directly identify with the female. However, there are many wildly successful books written by men with a female protagonist: Carrie, Percy Jackson series, The Pelican Brief, etc...

If a male writes as a female, he must forget some of what he feels and be willing to write difficult scenes where the woman is injured, shows her strength, or commits murder, and not bat an eyelash at what he's writing. Men don't typically like to think of women this way. Because men are protectors by nature, they tend to see women as life-givers that nurture; not go to war.

A strong female protagonist, just like a male, has to have some callousness at her disposal. Readers want to look up to their main characters. If a female lead is oversexed, weak, or portrayed as dumb, readers tend to get angry and are pulled out of the story. On the other hand, she must have a certain level of compassion. There's the softer side that needs to be portrayed and played up.

Examples of female protagonists that work and why:
Katniss in The Hunger Games. She had that hard edge but also showed her softness when Rue was killed. While she cared about the people she was fighting with, there was no hesitation in taking out Coin in the end. Her loyalty to her sister and mother were part of her being female but so was her desire to protect them in the absence of a father.

Myra and the other females in the Vigilantes series by Fern Michaels. Every one of these women have some vein of ruthlessness running through them. They're clever and skilled beyond measure when slapped into a room with one another. Sure, they have males helping them, but they're puppets in the women's games (and know it). It never fails; I always find myself cheering these women on.

Carrie from Carrie. Telekinesis from hell. But the author wasn't afraid to show Carrie's weaknesses as well as her strength. She cried, was humiliated beyond belief, had common desires (to be accepted and pretty), and wasn't afraid to take out a whole town when she got pissed off. Add to that her own self-destruction in the end and you have a character we all cheered for, identified with, and feared.

If you're a male who desires to write as a female, take some time and really pay attention to women. On the same token, if you're a female who desires to write a strong male, learn as much as you can about men. Find out what drives the opposite sex, don't be chauvinistic, and don't be afraid to allow your character to be exactly who and what they are. Social 'norms' be damned.

Thoughts? Can you think of any other books where the author crossed genders and it worked or didn't? Why or why not?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Human Nature - Holding a Grudge

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! This week I'm going to be discussing a few different facets of human nature as they relate to characters and writing. See the quick schedule below:

• The Love Affair
• Holding a Grudge
• Seeking Revenge
• Situation Reaction
• Thought Processes

Day 2 is here so let's talk about Holding a Grudge. Grab your paper and pens and let's get going!

When we are wronged in some way, it tends to stick with us for a long period of time. Humans aren't equipped to deal with betrayal when someone has our perfect trust unless we work very hard at it. It makes us angry and, sometimes, we hold on to that anger far longer than we should. Letting go is an art form. This should happen the same way with your character. Remember to be true to life first.

If you have immortal characters, holding a grudge can be a good way to move toward Seeking Revenge. However, you can use a grudge from a betrayal to help your reader get a better sense of your character's personality. There are three basic types of characterization here:

1. Never Letting it Go - These people can't get over even the smallest slight that's done to them by anyone. They allow hurts and betrayals to fester and boil. It destroys friendships, families, and possibly entire worlds in its wake. Pain is taken to a bitter place and makes the person ugly on the inside. But, on the bright side, this person is an honest one who refuses to lie about how people make them feel. On the dark side, it usually leads to Seeking Revenge and the character never trusting another person. Ever.
2. Pretending to Let it Go - People who pretend to let it go but don't really are the ones most commonly found. Most people don't want anyone to know they hold the grudge so will pretend like the act of betrayal didn't bother them as much as it did. These are the people plotting a slow death via a sneak attack against whoever wronged them in the first place. They may still be friends with the person who did them wrong; but it's all an act. It's almost impossible for them to forgive completely. Relationships with others become strained from this person's POV. Everyone else should believe things are fine. This person oftentimes also never trusts anyone else but they also never let on they feel that way.
3. Forgiving Completely - Complete forgiveness takes a special kind of person. These are ones who will try to see all sides of the picture and gather an understanding of why the wrong was done in the first place. Now, that's not to say this person will continue to be friends with the person who committed the wrong; it's just that they won't hold the hurt in their heart. There's no revenge plotting going on with this type of person; they just release the other into the wild and bid them adieu. This person will trust another blindly and will oftentimes end up hurt again down the road the same way. It's a vicious cycle.

All three of these types of people make great characters. If you use the first, you can create either a really evil character or one who is very honest. Perhaps they move on to Seeking Revenge, perhaps not. But it's that difference that will make or break the persona you create. When using the second, you're guaranteed to create a lying, backstabbing, vengeful character who grows bitter. Special characters should be reserved for those that you want to be good through and through. This is not to say they can't struggle with the decision. It also doesn't mean they can't start out as type one. Hell, it's a journey, right? Change them in that way.

You're the writer. These are all decisions you make as you write (or before you begin). Remember that in order to have a character who reacts appropriately to a situation, you first must have a deep understanding of every facet of their personality. You may change them along the way, but it needs to be part of the journey.

Question of the day: What's the most common type you've encountered?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Write From Life

Happy FRIDAY, good people of the blogosphere! At the bottom of today's post, I'm gonna list all the fantastic rafflecopters I have going on my blog so you can enter to win! First, I'm going to address something not many people may know about: writing from life. So grab those pens/pencils and notebooks and let's get going!

 

Most of what we writers put on the page comes from life. We can't help it. If you find a particularly good book, you'll know the writer pulled it right from life and was honest on the page. Characters that seem amazing and well rounded were likely based on someone the person knows in the real world.

Pulling from life may seem like a risk. For some, it's a huge risk (especially when it's an expose) but they're willing to take it. Why? Not to make a million bucks, that's for sure. If you're an author, you know that's a one in a couple hundred thousand shot. They do it because they want to share their story, the people they know, or because their imaginations can't be contained.

Yes, they do really see you with purple skin, six horns, and an eye in the middle of your forehead when they look at you. Calm down, it's not a knock!

They write because they're compelled to write. Something inside of them pulls them to the keys where they simply must tell the story their brains have created. It all comes from life. If you end up as a character in a fiction novel, shake the author's hand; they thought you were interesting enough to write about. If you're the villain, maybe you need to look in the mirror...

Most of us write the truth as we see it. Sure, there's a fictional twist here and there if we're fiction writers, but you'll find that your true self will be exposed if you end up in the pages of a book.

Many of my characters have my personality flaws. As I write, I work through some of them. Others, I adore and want to keep. After all, to be human is to be flawed. However, there's a good chance that reading a book someone has written with you as a main character will teach you how to interact with that person or give you insights into your life you never considered.

Writers are students of human nature. We watch, examine, listen like hawks, and throw in a little fiction before writing it down. It's writing right from life at its finest.

If you're a writer, talk to people, observe them, get them to open up to you in ways you only imagined possible on the pages. You can do it; everyone likes to be listened to. Keep in mind that you shouldn't judge and before long you'll have a notebook teeming with profiles for great, rounded characters.

Now, without further ado, the rafflecopter widgets:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, everyone!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Relationships

Good morning, people of the blogosphere! Today, we're going to talk about relationships. No, I'm not gonna tell you how to catch or keep a man (or woman). This isn't a dating advice blog. I'm talking about relationships between your characters and how to add tension. So grab that pencil and notebook and let's get going!

We're all familiar with the classic love triangle: one man two women or one woman and two men. The main character is torn between the two and it heightens the suspense in the book. This triangle has been well used in the Twilight series and most of us are familiar with that one. It's basically Bella loves Edward, Edward loves Bella, Jacob loves Bella, Bella thinks she might love Jacob for a minute but not the same way... You get the idea. This is a great relationship plot with a ton of tension opportunity (especially since Jacob's entire reason for being a wolf is so he can kill Edward and those like him).

In addition to having the love triangle, you also need some reason the main character shouldn't be with one of the love interests in order to make the story work. In Canopy, Lissy loves Jash and Tristan. Jash is fused, Tristan is not, Lissy is a purist and refuses to fuse, being with Jash puts her at risk. In Twilight, Bella loves Jacob and Edward. Edward is a vampire, Jacob is a human who happens to sometimes be a wolf, Bella is human, being with Edward puts her at risk.

See where I'm going here?

If you don't want the whole love triangle thing, then you need to give the relationship some kind of problem to overcome. We all have them so draw from your own life or the lives of those you meet. Get out and talk with people. Find out what issues they've had. Are they still with the person? Why or why not? What was the final straw? Why did they choose to forgive and stay?

Humans are human. They make mistakes. In order to have characters that are believable, you must have characters with personality flaws, impulsive behavior, or indecision issues. Get inside the character's head and try to understand where they're coming from. Don't be judgmental, just tell their story. Using a character's flaw can bring you to a decision about how he/she will change from the beginning of the story to the end. If you have a perfect little character with no flaws, they won't be believable. You can add even more tension by adding another love interest for one of the main guys/gals. Now that gives you power!

One of the most believable characters I've read in a while was in the book Beautiful Disaster. He wasn't the main character, but he experienced change from the beginning to the end. Boy was he ever flawed! Succumbing to tempter tantrums, jealousy, and control issues were the least of his problems. It made me interested enough to turn the page again. These character flaws were so bad, he almost became the antagonist and he put the main character through hell.

Remember, every protagonist is on a journey of some kind. They must experience change from the beginning of the story to the end. Either a change of heart, beliefs, character, or something in their life. Without that change, you have a flat, static character.

Your reader wants someone they can identify with or understand. Give it to them.

What characters have you really gotten into lately? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Ten Timeline Tips for Tuesday

Good Tuesday, people of the blogosphere! Today I'd like to talk a little bit about those pesky problems we all run into from time to time called inconsistency. I'm gonna give you a handy dandy way to eradicate that problem by giving you ten tips to creating a timeline in MS Word that will help your story (or series) stay the course.

1. When you decide on a year your story will take place in, write it down.
2. Make a quick list of your characters' ages and put their birthdays on your timeline.
3. Use sequential time (don't put 1988 down, follow it by 1992, then jump back to 1964).
4. Be specific - use a calendar and reference months and days.
5. Don't move or change dates while writing (you can add, but that's a different animal).
6. Use a type size that's easy to read (I recommend 12pt or larger).
7. Italics and bold are your friends.
8. Bullets can be used to call out a list of events that occur on the same day.
9. It's okay to have a year where all that happens is a birthday.
10. Color code your characters' names.

Now, for a more in-depth look at each of those tips and why they're important.

#1. You want to have an idea of what the speech was like in the era you're writing about. You also need to know what the world was like. If you're writing a novel set in the 1960's, you won't have someone chatting on a cell phone.

#2. You need to know your character from birth to death even if you don't kill them off during the story. Life events have a way of shaping us into who we are. Know them all.

#3. You don't want to hunt through ten pages of time to know when a character fell down and scraped her knee. If you want to make it when she was nine, you'll be able to look up the year by following the timeline.

#4. Just do it. Your story will be more believable if you do and will help you find pertinent information later with ease, keeping you in the flow of writing. If you have to stop and figure out what Saturday in May little Alice had her twelfth birthday party, you're going to break your concentration.

#5. I don't know how Scrivner works, but if you're hashing out a manuscript in word, changing the date something happened is a PITA. You may have referenced it elsewhere and forget. Make decisions!

#6. This is so you don't suffer eye strain when looking back and forth or searching for something.

#7. Italics and bold can help you call out emotional or life-changing events; eliminating the need for searching through your entire timeline to find out when the character's friend called him ugly.

#8. If you have a particularly stressful day lined up for your character in the past, bullets will help you reference the list quickly and call it out on your timeline for easy spotting.

#9. Even if it's just a 9th birthday party, put it down. You may decide later to have someone drown in the pool and it will prevent you having to look up what day of the week it was on. See #4.

#10. If Margot and Alice both had an event on the same day, color coding will help you see what happened when and to whom as soon as you find the date. Easy peasy.

I hope this list helps you prepare to write using a timeline. For a series or a work with specific dates already set in stone (like the birthing of children in a Historical Fiction novel), it's a must-have tool.

I used one religiously when writing Yassa so I could keep the dates of Genghis Khan's son's birthdays in order. Is it just me or was that a lot of s use?

Do you keep a timeline? Have you ever thought about it?

Well, that's all for today, folks! If you haven't picked up a copy of Yassa yet, it's on sale everywhere for the month of October at just $2.99. Go get one! You can find the links here. Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Interview with Lily Mystic Book Two

Hello, good people of the blogosphere!! To warm you up for my author interviews and blog party next week, I'm giving you a look at the main character in Lily, book two of my Mystic series. I hope you all enjoy meeting her.

Jo: Hi Lily! It's good to have you here today.

Lily: Thank you. It's good to be here, verbally, rather than on-screen - I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

Jo: I understand your fear. If I'd gone through what you went through, I'm not sure I'd be sitting here either.

Lily: *laughs* I'm thankful to have been rescued from the hell I was in.

Jo: I bet. So, tell us a little about your modeling career.

Lily: I was famous. I appeared in every fashion magazine that exists by the time I was nineteen. My career really took off when I was eighteen and had already been working for a year. My ex and I did a campaign for Guess and that was the beginning of success for us. We were booked through the next two years after that ad hit the shelves. It was like a fairy tale come to life.

Jo: Will you please tell our readers what happened?

Lily: Well, I was drunk and decided - like a fool - that I should drive home. I crashed on the exit ramp and went through the windshield. I almost killed my ex-boyfriend in the process.

Jo: That's quite a burden to carry. How did you deal with it?

Lily: I'd prefer not to talk about that. Can we talk about Markaza instead?

Jo: Sure. I understand if the memory is too painful. How did you meet Markaza?

Lily: She moved into the beach house next door. That crazy fool went swimming in the Atlantic ocean in January! Afterward, she collapsed on the beach. I put an umbrella up so she didn't get crispy-crittered. She returned it, and we met.

Jo: How did she help you?

Lily: She helped me find a way to love myself again. I'm beautiful, even if I am scarred. It's my heart that counts.

Jo: How right you are. Tell me about moving to New York. Why did you make that decision?

Lily: I got accepted to a program in a college here where I'll be studying ophthalmology. I got a full scholarship from a company called WSTW - Women Save the World - and I took it.

Jo: Tell me about WSTW. What do you know about them?

Lily: Very little. All I could find online was their mission statement: "WSTW is on a mission to empower women and bring the strongest of them together to right the wrongs in the world." Pretty powerful stuff, huh?

Jo: Yeah, it is. How do you like your roommate, Bronya?

Lily: She's great. We haven't had a lot of time to get to know one another though. What I know and what I've seen, I adore. She seems really eager to make friends.

Jo: I interviewed her a few weeks ago. She's marvelous and has a huge heart. Well, Lily, thank you for your time today. I enjoyed talking with you. One last question: If you could choose who would play you in a movie rendition of Mystic, who would it be?

Lily: Thank you, Jo. I enjoyed being here. If I had to choose... Taylor Swift. She seems innocent enough.

If you want to know what Lily struggled with and how she dealt with it, you'll have to read the book!! Her story will be released 10/30. It's a hair-raiser. Don't forget to pick up a copy of Mystic~Bronya and get up to speed on what's going on! Just $3.99 for Kindle on Amazon!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Coffee and Writing

That's right, you know what I'm talking about: the stuff of life. Those rich, dark, enticing brews we all know and love called: coffee. The perfect friend for writers when they're struck by the muse and need to keep their peepers open or for the mom who just needs a helping hand to get moving in the morning.

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm chatting about something I imbibe great amounts of on a daily basis. Join me!

I've been drinking coffee for more years than I know. It's always been a part of my life; kinna like breathing.

Things I've learned about coffee through the years:

• Some like it hot
• Some like it cold
• Some like it strong
• Some like it weak
• Some like it sweet
• Some like it bitter
• Some prefer cappuccino
• Everyone has a preference

Beyond how people like their coffee prepared, most of them are brand-loyal. There are many brands out there to choose from. My favorite is Community, but I know some who like Folgers, Doughnut House or StarBucks; to name just a few. I've been lucky enough to find a partner who loves coffee as much as I do. May you all be as blessed!

How does this pertain to writing besides keeping you awake so you can? Oftentimes, I find my characters having a chat about things while sitting around. I introduce coffee. Coffee mugs give them something to do with their hands. It can be spilled, thrown, or make someone ill. Making coffee gives a reason for a character to leave the conversation for a moment to think, reflect, or calm down. Java can give them the jitters or enhance tension in the room. It can also provide fuel for keeping them up all night having a chat.

I've had many many conversations over a cup of coffee; some were life-changing. I write what I know.

Markaza, Bronya, Lily, and some of the other ladies from my Mystic series are always drinking coffee. Why? Because it's in their character bios. How you take your coffee can say a lot about you. Keep this in mind when creating your characters.

I leave you all with a question: How do you like your coffee?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

3D Characters

Good Wednesday, people of the blogosphere! I'm revisiting an old favorite of mine: character creation. So, sit back and buckle up, grab your coffee and your notebook, and get prepared to join me on this short journey.

How long is your book? That's the first question you must ask yourself. If your book is part of a series, how much do you want to reveal in book one? That's question two.

Every character has a past, present, and future (unless you kill them off, you cad!). They all have a set of core beliefs and an intrinsic nature. These things should be decided upon before you ever put down the first word.

I cannot stress enough how important a character bio is. It will give you a document to reference when gauging how a character will react when placed into a specific situation where they have a decision to make. For example: If your character is very humble, they won't brag on their accomplishments in a group setting, take praise well, or be comfortable in a situation where they're the center of attention.

But a decision must be made on how to convey these values to the reader and if/when to tell the reader where the values were instilled in the first place. In a series, don't reveal everything about the character from the first book. Leave some to work in later. In your character bio, be sure and mark through what you have and haven't told in the story.

You do need to make your character 3D though. Show their emotions, living conditions, and perhaps even give a little background information. But those moments of reveal should come from things that occur during the story. Have a reason for showing the reader the past.

If you do the above, your characters will be loveable, connectable, and three-dimensional.

If you're writing Historical Fiction, you already have a good idea of how your character will behave. When I wrote Yassa, I knew Genghis Khan was very strict, believed in God, and was loyal beyond all else. I used his loyalty against him when I made him react to his wife's relationship with Jamuka. It provided tension that couldn't have come from any other source. His inner struggle was severe because of what he did.

If you'd like to get an idea of how powerful characterization is, I've put Yassa on sale for the month of October. It's priced at $2.99. You can pick up a copy on Smashwords, Amazon, or B&N for this price (Amazon will update sometime today, Kobo, iBooks, and others will update throughout the month). Go pick up a copy and have a read. Then pop on over and tell me what you thought.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Bass Ackward

Good morning, people of the blogosphere! How are ya?

Today, I'm going to talk about a few more things I notice when reading that, if you'll take care with, can make your book ten times better. Ready? Grab your coffee and notebook and let's get going.

First item on the table:
Afterward vs Afterwards (note this is not Afterwords! Afterward is an adverb meaning (1) at a later time, or (2) subsequently. Afterword is a synonym of epilogue—that is, a short addition or concluding section at the end of a literary work.)

I'm not talking about definitions here. This is about the use of the S on the end of the word.

Both ways are correct. However, use of the S is a preference thing even though the use of the S is a British standard and leaving it off is the American standard. Again, it's a choice. What I'm seeing is one usage of afterward and a later use of afterwards. That is wrong. If you're going to choose one style, stick with it. Same with backward, forward (Note there is no e in this word. A foreword is an introduction in a book or something you tell a person before beginning a story.), etc...

Consistency is key.

Second item on the table:
Redundancy and unneeded words. You can remove words and phrases like that, just, a little bit, almost, etc... Especially when you're saying something like this: She felt her legs go almost instantly limp. Remember my post on ly and take out the word almost. She felt her legs go limp. It's easier to read and kills the redundancy. Many of the ly words are redundant in nature; hence the reason they can be removed.

Third item on the table:
Paragraphs that jump POV. Some of the most skilled writers in the world can pull this off. You aren't there yet. Stick with one character's POV through as much of the book as possible. It's called head-hopping and it will chuck your reader right out of your story. To give a look through another character's eyes, add some extra space between paragraphs where the switch takes place, stay with that character for more than 200 words, then add extra space again when you transition back if you must. Oftentimes, the switch isn't needed.

Remember, your main character has no idea what other characters are thinking. It's possible for that main character to assume based on body language or facial expressions but please don't have them know unless they're clairvoyant. It comes off sounding like this to your reader:

I hope these tips help you in your writing endeavors. Use them when editing your work and see the difference it makes.

Is there anything you see here that reminds you of something you do when you write?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo