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!
Good morning, people of the blogosphere! Today, something a bit different! Enjoy it.
Remember to enter the rafflecopter drawing below! Cover reveal for The Bird to come soon! I'll have options for you all to help me choose from. EXCITING TIMES!
As the sun began its journey into the sky, Stormy watched it with intensity. Somehow it seemed brighter, like it knew that day would be different. She sighed and lifted her coffee to her lips, blowing the steam away to cool it. A tentative sip later, she relaxed into the chair as the warm liquid made its way down her throat.
Her thoughts turned to the reason she was there and a great wave of sadness settled over her. Mom only had about two months of life left and Stormy wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand it when the family matriarch died. They’d been through so much together and butted heads so many times it was ridiculous. But the love was there, and that’s what mattered. Stormy’s eyes misted up at the memories playing through her head.
A cardinal perched in a bush nearby and cocked his head to the side as if to say, “Hello. What are you doing sitting on my porch?”
She laughed softly and spoke to it. “Hi yourself. I bet you’re happy. It looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day. Why are you up so early? Oh, right, the early bird gets the worm, huh?” Another chuckle escaped her lips and she wondered if she was losing it. After all, who talks to animals?
It hopped out of the bush and onto the railing nearby; again, cocking its head at her.
“Well, aren’t you a brave little thing?”
In answer, the bird chirped.
Shaking her head, she smirked at the bird and spoke to it again. “You want to know what I’m doing here and who I am, huh?”
It chirped a few more times.
Stormy mumbled, “Well, might as well talk to it. It’s not like I can look any crazier than I already am.” She considered the bird for a moment before beginning. “Okay, you want to know why? I’ll tell you. Listen up, because I’m only telling you once. I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago telling me my mother only had a few months of life left and I needed to come see her. So I got on a plane and flew out here to spend some time in her company. As always, she hasn’t held back her opinions of me, and I’m beginning to regret flying all the way to Missouri. Not to mention my long walk this morning just to procure a cup of freaking coffee because she doesn’t drink it therefore has no pot.”
The cardinal pranced around on the railing and hopped from foot-to-foot before chirping at her again.
“Oh, you want more?”
Another chirp and a fanning of the tail feathers.
“Okay then. I’m sleeping on the most uncomfortable bed known to man, my cell phone died right after I arrived, and I have no laptop because it was consumed by the blue screen of death. I’m stuck out here with my thoughts and I’m talking to a bird; which, by all accounts, makes me nuttier than a Mr. Goodbar. I miss my dogs, my kids, and my life back home in New Jersey – did you recognize the accent? Now I’m facing losing someone I love dearly, but who doesn’t seem to notice I love her. I guess I figured flying out here would be enough. I feel like my whole forty-five years have meant nothing. But you don’t want to hear this.”
Stormy noticed a movement out the side of her eye and whipped her head around to find a spider descending from the eaves with its legs wagging as if in terror it would fall. A horrible thought occurred to her as the cardinal stared at the insect as well.
“Please don’t eat it,” she asked.
When the cardinal shivered, extended its wings, opened its beak, and mimicked throwing up, she laughed out loud.
“Well, aren’t you a clever bird?”
After fluffing its feathers, the bird cocked its head and gave a short chirp before hopping along the railing toward the steps.
Stormy said, “Leaving now? Okay, it was nice talking to you!”
It hopped back, bowed with wings extended, chirped again, then turned and walked deliberately back toward the steps.
“What?”
The bird hung its head and sighed. Then, it repeated its movements.
“You want me to follow you. Is that it?”
It danced around a moment then flew around her head before landing back on the porch railing and hopping back over toward the steps again.
Stormy eased out of her chair and began to walk toward the steps.
At her movement, the bird flew to the lowest branch of a nearby tree and turned to chirp at her.
Again, she followed.
This pattern continued until they were a good way from the house in a dense thicket of trees.
When they reached a small clearing teeming with dandelions, the bird landed on the ground and began to shake.
In a flash of light, Stormy suddenly found herself face-to-face with a handsome young man with short black hair, hazel green eyes, and skin that glowed like a god’s. He bowed to her and said, “Thank you for coming. We’ve been waiting for you to return for a long time now.”
She couldn’t move or speak. Her feet seemed to have been cemented in place and her mouth felt like it was full of glue.
He smiled, revealing perfect teeth, and asked, “Are you surprised? Really? Have you ever seen a true cardinal behave that way?”
Stormy shook her head.
“I need you to accompany me right now. We have no time left to lose. My mother asked that I bring you to her so she can explain what’s going on and how we are in great need of your help. Will you come with me?” He extended a hand.
Without thinking, she placed her hand in his and nodded.
“Eventually, you’re going to need to speak.” He grinned. “I’m Michael.”
“Hello.” She managed to squeak out the word but even to her it sounded lame. “I’m sorry. Hello, Michael, it’s nice to meet you.”
His grip on her hand tightened for a moment with a reassuring squeeze. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I imagine I gave you quite a fright when I changed.”
“No. You just surprised me is all. I’m difficult to scare.”
Michael’s face showed appreciation and he nodded.
“Where are we going?”
“To my home. You’ll see. It’s not far now.”
Stormy allowed herself to be dragged through the trees toward the pond. When they arrived, she took note of the now dying tree growing near the water, remembering how she used to play on its branches when she was a kid. To her surprise, he headed straight for it.
Once they got close, he released her hand and said, “Stay right here for a moment.”
She did as she was told and watched him walk over to the tree and wave his hand in front of the trunk, near the water. A gasp escaped her lips when the water rose to reveal an elegant set of stairs with a gold banister that led down into the ground.
Michael returned and offered his hand. “Shall we?” he asked.
Her head moved up and down of its own accord and she placed her hand in his, hoping he didn’t mind the perspiration. Despite her display of bravado, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything she was seeing and her palms had begun to sweat.
When he didn’t seem to notice, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. With her heart hammering in her chest, she accompanied him down the golden stairs. As they descended, she could hear the water above rushing back into place. She was trapped.
As her feet moved forward, her eyes adjusted to the new light. It was a bit dimmer than above and had a more golden tone to it. She glanced down at her arms and noticed she looked more bronzed than she did before. Thinking it must do wonders for the skin, she wondered how often you’d have to be exposed to it to look like Michael. She felt the heat rise into her face.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Hello, good people of the blogosphere! This is my 200th blog post! Talk about exciting! My stats are off the charts and I have my followers, fans, and friends to thank.
As a HUGE thank you, I'm doing a giveaway of all my books. That's right, even Shelia, the third book in my Mystic series. It won't be published until December 21st (doomsday) so this is a unique contest. International!
Enter below and win something :) Information/synopsis/cover art can be seen here.
Holy crap! Tomorrow will be my 200th blog post! I also have 191 likes on my Facebook page. That's pretty close to 200, right? Today, I'm doing my check in for NaNoWriMo and tomorrow, well, I'm going to do a prize package for all you great followers/readers of my blog and books. What will I include? Come back tomorrow and find out. I know, I know, I'm evil. But ain't it grand? *evil laugh*
NaNo check in:
As of today, Monday 11/12/2012, at 8:30am, I've written 27,915 words. I don't write on weekends so I've managed this in six days. I'm astounded at the words flying from my fingertips. But maybe it's not so much that I write fast, maybe it's that I'm inspired.
I'm going to tell you all about the novel I'm working on. The working title is The Bird. Inspiration for this story came from a good friend of mine and previous guest, Sandi Tuttle. She's a blogger over at An Average Woman in a Superwoman World and a couple of her posts brought this book to mind.
Yes, I did ask her if I could base an entire novel off two of her posts and she said, "Go for it!"
Names have been changed and my weird imagination was let loose to further two things she spoke about: An old tree and a cardinal.
In my tale, the tree gets a shot of youth at the same time my MC's mother does. Without the tree, everything is destroyed: Mom, Trogon, and nature here on Earth.
But here's where an interesting twist comes in! I LOVE fairy tales. I've devoured them my whole life. I've read fairy tales from every country. I cannot get enough of them. My daughter has recently been exposed to this love of mine and, even though many princes, dwarfs, and things die, she has really embraced the general theme. I'm working that vast knowledge of fairy tale lore into my story. It's my first fantasy novel and I'm falling in love with writing it.
I'm a pantser. I started my novel with a vague idea of where it was going to go between my definite beginning and epic ending, a seriously bad dude as the villain, and a ton of possibility. Where it's taken me, I can't even begin to tell you. I love to write this way because the story comes to life. My characters are doing things I never planned for them to do. They've taken on lives of their own and are leading me through adventure, heartbreak, and magical kingdoms galore! But I'm not forcing their hands. I'm letting them lead me.
By being a pantser, I allow my imagination to run wild with every scenario you can imagine. I accidentally killed off a character I adored. Why? It was her time to go, I guess. I didn't ask, I just wrote it as it unfolded.
My MC is named Stormy Terrebonne. She's facing some wicked challenges (and wicked witches). A parallel tale is about her mother, Valletta. We get to see this woman go back in time and get a chance to start again. How fun is that? Stormy gets to be nearly immortal, her mother gets a new shot at life, and they both get to experience love like it was the first time.
I may give you all an excerpt sometime this week. Come on back and have a looksee. You may be surprised at what NaNoWriMo can do for a writer with a vague idea and a little motivation.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Hello, good people of the blogosphere! I bet you're all wondering what the heck is up with my signature tagline of WRITE ON! huh? It's time I set a few things straight. Join me for some laughs, epitaphs, and just good plain fun!
When I comment on other people's blogs, I leave my tagline of WRITE ON! rather than signing it Jo. Why? Well, the words mean so much more than keep writing. Because write and right are homophones (two words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings - check out this post for some common ones) I use that to my advantage.
In some cases, I mean RIGHT ON! In others, I mean WRITE ON! But why not just use one and let it be the representation of both as well as serving as a tagline? I'm sure you don't need to see my name to know a comment is from me because it's always ended the same way. If you see an anonymous comment elsewhere and it has the tagline, you know it's me without needing to dig further. Even if you miss my name at the bottom of my post, you know it's mine because I tell you to write on.
We are authors - or bloggers. We write. But sometimes, I agree with what you're saying on your blog and I'm trying to give you twofold encouragement with one simple phrase. When I agree, you're right, but I want you to write more tomorrow. Give me more. So, it serves as both an agreement and a call to action.
If you've been to my website, follow me on Twitter, or have checked out my Facebook page, you'll see I use the word write in the titles of all: writejomichaels.com, @WriteJoMichaels, facebook.com/writejomichaels. I do this so when you find me, you know it's the right Jo Michaels AND that I'm a writer.
Now that's branding for ya.
Think about it. How can you brand yourself?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Hello, people of the blogosphere! Welcome to the eighth stop on the Why Indies ROCK Blog Tour! To start us off, we've been given three specific topics to address. I hope you're enjoying your tour so far and are loving reading about rockin' Indie authors! Let's get going...
Why I ROCK as an Indie author:
I give back. When I'm invited to an event for another Indie, I participate and push their books as hard as I push my own. I do a blog party now and then in celebration of great Indie authors. When asked to participate in a giveaway or other such thing, I always donate something to the cause to add value to their promotion. When I win a book via a giveaway, I do my best to read it and leave a review. After all, we want to expand our readership and gain a few fans and reviews by doing a giveaway, right?
When I saw this tour, I couldn't pass it up. It gives me a chance to name other awesome Indie authors and help out. I'm going to do my utmost not to include those on the tour (though I know many of them and they, too, ROCK) so you can get a broader spectrum.
I've also written seven books so far this year and have an eighth scheduled for release on 12/21/12. It's the third book in my Mystic series and is titled Shelia. Here's the cover and synopsis for you all.
Synopsis:
After a horrible accident takes the lives of her parents, Shelia Morgan is placed in the care of her Aunt Ivy and Uncle Melvin. For six years they work her like a slave. On her twelfth birthday, Uncle Melvin makes Shelia an offer that will destroy her life.
When she turns 19, the ugly truth about her past comes out during a therapy session, Uncle Melvin is arrested, and she's placed in the sights of everyone in town. Hurling insults, objects, and threats, the townspeople side with her uncle and call Shelia a liar. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her freedom in one day. When a girl named Markaza shows up and tells Shelia she's part of a group of young women destined to save the world, Shelia begins to dream of a new life and true freedom from her personal demons.
She tells the jury her story and boards a plane destined for New York and her new life. Once there, she meets Bronya and Lily: Two other young women with special powers they must learn to harness in order to fight an evil that will rise on December 21, 2012, and destroy the world.
Markaza boards a plane to Atlanta to save the life of a young lady named Melody before her mind destroys her from the inside out. As Markaza fights for Melody's life, Shelia, Lily, and Bronya throw themselves into their studies and learn that even power from within can get out of control.
You can pick up a copy of Bronyaor Lily over on Amazon.
Now, before I answer the next question, enjoy a video!
On to the next prompt! Other Indie authors that ROCK: Tia Silverthorne Bach - You may remember her from my blog party (if you happened by) or you may have been over to her blog Depression Cookies and had a read. She rocks because she gives back to the Indie community however she can, is an active participant over on She Writes, and went through quite an ordeal to get her book published but never gave up. Heather Topham Wood - Heather has never been a guest on my blog (I'm hoping one day she will be) but I see her help other Indies out by tweeting their books, giving reviews, and providing useful information about promotions she's done to get her books out there. Heather's Book Chatter is a blog I follow to find new Indie reads and she does a great job of giving us a boost. Crystal Lee - I met Crystal via comments on another blog and we discovered we had a lot in common. It was a fast friendship from there. We trade editing services and promotional activities in an effort to help one another out. She's a great indie author and has written unique books I love to edit (because I get to read them, duh!). Check her out over on her blog Crystal Lee Author and tell her I said, "Hiya!" Janiera Eldridge - I know I promised to try not to include anyone on this tour on my list, but Janiera is the exception to the rule, people. She rocks because she's always around to give a helping hand with a promotion for someone else or just a quick re-tweet or share telling folks how wonderful the book is and urging them to check it out. She also writes reviews when she wins a book and that's HUGE in my eyes.
Before I move to the third and last prompt, have a lookie at our schedule!
Now, for the last prompt Screw you, negative people!
For all you naysayers who think Indies are uneducated wannabes, I'll have you know the vast majority of us are very intelligent. A whole bunch of us take care when writing our books and preparing them for public consumption. So you stumbled across one book that was poorly written? Don't give up on us as a whole! We write because we're storytellers with something to say. If you don't like us, keep it to yourself, please, and don't read our books! We're sick of hearing your mouth run with, "Blah, blah, blah!" We've heard it before. You're neither having an epiphany nor communicating profound intelligence to the world at large. However, if making yourself look bad is your game, go for it. We don't hear you! *sticks fingers in ears*
Take a moment and click the Thanksgiving MEGA Giveaway button over on the right-hand side there and enter the rafflecopter giveaway. We have some great prizes!
I do hope you all make a stop on the next blog on our tour tomorrow and enjoy the insights of Ms. Tammy-Louise Wilkins!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Hello, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about something you may or may not know: FTC Guidelines when posting an endorsement or testimonial.
Did you know:
When you give someone a review, these guidelines say you're supposed to fully disclose your relationship and method of procurement of the product in question clearly?
Neither did I. Not until I was on Goodreads and checked out the link to the FTC guidelines.
If you were given a free copy of a book in exchange for a review, you're supposed to state that in your endorsement/testimonial.
I didn't see anything on the site that said you had to disclose that information when slamming something with a bad review, but I think it should be common courtesy either way.
This raises the following:
How many authors give their books to readers in exchange for a review and have had the review come back with negative tones, a bad rating, or anything else that's critical and not say where they got the reviewed material? Wouldn't it be safer to simply purchase the books and have it be a verified purchase review? Or to gift them?
I don't have an answer. Just food for thought today. If you're a reviewer, you might consider adding whether or not you were paid for the review in your copy.
Today's questions: Did you know these guidelines existed? Have you ever paid for a review? Did your reviewer mention they were paid?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
