Push it. Push it real good.
Determination is a good thing to have in reserve; you never know when you might need an extra kick in the butt to get you going. To make you stop feeling sorry for yourself. To make you stop making up excuses. A reason to downshift a gear and make it up that hill. Determination is mostly what a writer uses in order to make it through one book and onward to the next. Determination is all you have when facing a long dry spell. Determination shows what you’re made of, what you’re capable of doing when everyone has long given up on you. Determination is you.
I think the hardest thing I’ve had to come to terms with in my switch from writing fan fiction to write original fiction is character. I still write the same genre. I still stay within the same plot lines, the same story arc and pretty much the same timing. I write like I approach exercise. I put one foot in front of the other. I keep my head down; focus all my energy on the task at hand. I remember to breathe. I ignore the racing of my heart, the sweat beading down my forehead. And when I want to give up. I’m tired and can’t run that extra mile, I reach down inside and remember the only person who believes in me, is me. And that makes me determined to move just a little further. So when I write my characters, I have to remember everything I love about characters I’ve read before. Everything I hated and wanted to change. Everything I would’ve done differently (but not better, because we all do things in our own prospective) and use it as I would the stair climber. Take those steps one at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Remember to focus on what you want most out of the exercise. Remember to breathe through the frustration. And at the end, you’ll reach your goal (not to mention the end of the torture cycle) your main character.
Building a main character is the most important part (well to me it is, besides the main plot) of the WIP. The main character is how you’ll draw that reader into your story. The main character shows off your voice to perfection, compliments your writing style, covers up your flaws. Since I write in first person and I write the female POV, I find that writing the main character is a little harder. Not as hard as writing third person, because that’s nearly impossible for me. Most main heroines have a dash of the writer in them. A lot of writers stick with the same kind of heroine, at least an echo of a heroine outline. Characters are what brings your reader back for more. Animated, lively characters, whose interaction with one another won’t let you put the book down. So how you do you find that formula? I’ve yet to find mine. It’s a harmony factor that I’ve been messing with for nearly two years. My male characters are good, but it’s all about the heroine. Once I mix up the right formula for my heroine, the story will flow like a river. It’s all about determination to get to that stage of the game.
Any advice you've learned over the years? Formulas for writing up characters? Any favorite characters you’ve read over the years that were a theme for the writer?
Books by the Crew
51 comments:
I'm at sea when it comes to characters. Though, I will say having been big into theater has helped me considerably when it comes to writing charaters. But for me it's all my secondary characters that come to life. I need more work when it comes to the main guys. Great blog!
Great blog, Sin!
Advice huh? I guess the best advice I've heard is this: Writers write.
Quick, to the point, and bold. The way I need things or I forget them. LOL!
I can tend to fuss around with my story, I can rail at how I don't have enough time. I can talk about the craft of writing until I'm blue in the face. But, those who are really successful at writing sit at their computers and make it happen.
Thanks for another shot of inspiration here today! I think we're getting fired up!
I got nothing.
My characters come pretty full formed and then I find out little details about them along the way. My hero hasn't changed much since we first met but my heroine changes often. She's still cranky and pessimistic but she's finally found some ambition. Thank goodness!
I need you as a personal trainer.
And I'd say Captain's characters clearly serve her themes. What better character to redeem than Lucy?!
She's my hero. :)
My characters grow as I write the book. for my first book, it took me four tries to get my heroine right. I just couldn't grasp her character and harness it properly in the story.
The one thing that help enormously is character interviews. If I need help building a character, or learning more about them, so I can translate their story better, I have my crit partners ask questions after I intro them.
Just like how we used to do it on the EJ/JQ board.
Those character interviews were a godsend. I learned so much about my H/H. Their hobbies, their families, even their movements and habits.
I know, a total godsend. I will never stop using them when I need help with a character. I've intro'd others to it too and they think they are fun, cause let's face it, it is fun to do.
Kelly, I can't act. I'm horribly shy and I get so red when attention is focused on me that if I was up on a stage, I'd pass out. My youngest cousin loves theater. It's always fun to see her on stage, she's so bubbly. But I can see how a theater background would give you an edge on characterization. I love secondary characters! The crazy aunt! The ladies man brother. The prissy sister. I adore secondary characters in books!
Marn, I write. It's never anything I was supposed to write. LOL. Sometimes I forget how easy it was to write before I had friends. I didn't email. I didn't cruise the internet for updates on blogs. I just turned on the computer, which used to be in the kitchen (no distractions) and I would write for three hours straight. I can't quite figure out how to get back to that. I need to just stop procrastinating and write.
Ter, surely you have something. You say you got nothing but then you came up with the character interview, which I've done for Sadie and it ended up being 10 pages. It was helpful, but it's like wrestling her in slimy jello- you just can't hold onto her for the life of you.
We'd spend too much time laughing if I was your personal trainer. I laugh too much at the gym as it is.
Tiff- it was you who mentioned the character interviews! I wasn't around on the board at the time y'all were doing the character interviews (or maybe I was and didn't know the direction, LOL). My heroes are growing by leaps and bounds in my WIP. They aren't the problem. I can't get the heroine to cooperate. She's flighty and she's not. I don't know how to describe her attitude any better than indifferent.
Maybe we should have a week of nothing but characters.
Great blog Sin, I love the pic:)
The most helpful thing to me is the character questionaire that you forwarded to me. I approached it as though I was interviewing my characters. Actually it was enjoyable.
I totally agree with you, characters make the book. If you nail the characters you've won most of the battle.
LOL! Sin, I can completely relate. Sometimes email/blogs/etc will take me line 2 hours.
Oh, and by no means did I mean I TAKE that advice, just that it was good advice were someone to consider taking it.... LOL!!
I love the idea of character interviews, Tiffany. I do something like that but my characters come fully packaged and I really have to work hard to figure out how to make them grow throughout the book.
Marnee, I need to apply your credo stat. "Writer's write." How poignant. I spend too much time piddling on the Internet instead of turning on my WIP. Friends are good, important to self-preservation. As writers we spend a lot of time in isolation. That's the downside to this profession. It's important for us to know we're not alone, that others think like we do, to learn from other writers, be encouraged too. I've been in dire need of that lately. That's what makes blogs like yours so addictive. :-)
I confess. Ye ere a jaunty lot. Ye've plundered me ship and taken me aboard. I've got no other choice than to sign the articles, me hearties, and start me duties. I'm opening that WIP stat. :-)
Awh... Kathy, that's sweet stuff. We are so glad you hang in with us too.
I'm opening my WIP right now too.
Marn, I had a quote recently I saved that said much to the same effect of writer's write. I need to find it. *running off to dig through my folders*
WP Lis, I love that pic too. I was in a kick ass mood last night. Me and you should schedule an email session where we do nothing but act like our heroine. LOL. Or sign into the chatroom. That was a great time we had in the chatroom with the characters.
*note to self "Never exercise with Sin, she will leave your lifeless body on the trail and keep running"* OKAY, let's see, question...
Characters.
I agree, characters are a sort of echo of the writer. Ben, I'd say, is more an echo of me than...He Who Must Not Be Named. Because Ben is always flirting, talking, saying outrageous things (and though HWMNBN is good with the occasional outrageous remark, he's not nearly as witty as me. He's gotten better, but he's not Ben Quality yet.) Ben also averts conflict by making jokes or deflecting them with a teasing question--he doesn't want to focus on the serious. Things will work themselves out--and you don't need to question them all the time and have a contingency plan for going to the bathroom in Walmart. (Although maybe you SHOULD if you go to the bathroom in Walmart.)
I don't know how Livie differs from me, but there's gotta be something. Maybe she snores. Or prefers Dr. Pepper. (She couldn't possibly. Dr. Pepper is nasty.)
I like to use the Tami Cowden Archetype book; and Victoria Schmidt's Archetype book is good too. I like to work from "stereotypes" (well, they call them archetypes, but I still think it's a sort of stereotyping) then figure out what qualities make this character unique in his/her stereotype. SURE, she's a kickass FBI agent who thinks of nothing of breaking into an apartment and shooting up the place, but she's...terried of heights. And bunnies. (And I wouldn't suggest asking her WHY she's scared of bunnies. She is packing, you know.)
Ironic quirks. I have the biggest trouble coming up with these aspects, but I remember reading an article how important they were to characterization.
Kathy! I love that you board the ship! It's so wonderful having you around. You're such a sweetie pie even if you have a parrot on your shoulder. (Though, I have a monkey on mine. I shouldn't talk. LOL)
Marn and Kathy, lucky wenches. I'm stuck at work and can't write until 8. :(
Kathy, we love having you here. And Jack has said many flattering things about you as well, until I reminded him who was footing his rum bill and he remembered to flatter me as well.
Kelly, I remember doing Improv in our speech classes in high school. OMG, I had so much fun doing that. Talk about getting into character, and fast...I think theater does help, if that is something that speaks to you.
Dude: We totally went down to the trail together and it was fine. Okay, I admit we went a little further than we were supposed to, but it all worked out. *grimace* I swear I wouldn't leave you behind. I'd piggy back you.
HWMNBN- if you were both witty, there would be a problem. You'd constantly be outwitting each other and you wouldn't be able to stand it. You'd loathe the sight of him. Wait, it would be one of those extreme love/hate relationships. But the kind that the flame would burn out fast.
Bunnies? *raised eyebrow* How about walking under power lines? You know that's where the majority of birds perch and that's where the pooh the most. I hate walking under the powerlines in the morning. I'm always afraid they'll skunk me.
THOUGH you must know that if a bird craps on you, it's considered good luck in some cultures.
Wow, that totally explains why Mikey & I didn't get along. It was constant oneupmanship. You're right. It wouldn't work.
I could have used a piggyback last night. Holly has a new dog and took me on the trail. We got to the 2.5 mile marker, no problems, but then we had to walk it back...and I was gimpy by the time I hit 4 miles. And I was gimpy all the way to my car...and to the house. *LOL*
Power lines is a good one! And I love the birds thing. *LOL*
Gross.
I wish I'd gone down to the trail last night. It was a pretty night for a run. Tonight is my kickboxing night and I know I'm going to be dying. Tomorrow, I might go down to the trail if it isn't raining. I need some fresh air. Maybe that will help my creativity.
By the way, this is why I use horoscoping (as Ely coined the verb) as a way to determine my character. It gives me some nice general stuff, that does differ him/her from other characters--and then I can factor in some quirks. (OR if I want to go the whole hog, I can usually use their Ascendants or Venus or Mercury as their "quirk"...but it's usually more fun to make them afraid of bunnies.)
No advice here, none that I've tried anyway. My characters are pretty much just there. Although my latest hero is being a bit obstinate. It was suggested by one of my cps to interview him. I suppose it could work.
Great blog, almost as if it were written directly at me and my feeling sorry for myself hide. ;)
Renee
Sin, the trail was wonderful. Don't take a dog. It won't let you walk or run or be productive. And Holly bored me with dog anecdotes and I bored her back with where I was stuck on my story. *sighs* We should have talked about movies or something.
Suzanne Brockmann said in an old AAR interview, "My primary goal as a writer is to create characters who are completely real. I want to know these men and women so well that every thing they do - from the most minute movement of their little finger to the making of huge, life-changing decisions - rings completely true."
That's my goal too, and, as others have said, the character interviews on what was then the EJ Board helped me tremendously. I took the notes from those interviews and wrote detailed bios not just for my H/H but also for most of my secondary characters. I used those bios every time I couldn't decide where to go next and when I lost sight of motivations. I am still referring to them as I revise.
Renee, as though it may seem it was directed at you, it was just pointing the finger at me. I do a lot of whining and procrastinating and I need to just do it. Only problem is that when I pull out the interview, I procrastinate even more. :( LOL
Thanks for stopping by today Renee!!
Janga, what a great piece of advice! Taking detailed notes and pulling them out when you lose sight of motivations. I'm not quite as organized (says me who has panic attacks when the post-it notes come out and the story boards) but that is a wonderful idea. And it could give you a different direction when you might need one as well!
I'm embarrassed to be sneaking a peak at ye ol' blog, crew. No writing to report yet. I've been sending e-mails, cleaned up a bit (though from the talk I should've walked like I'd planned to beforehand), I've done some laundry, read some of the paper, and finally sat down to play my Master & Commander soundtrack for inspiration. Couldn't get it going and will have to bring in alternative CD player. In the meantime, I'm here.
Love having a parrot on my shoulder. Actually, I do have a parrot (stuffed, of course) and ought to display it in my study for creative purposes. LOL. Perhaps it could recite witty words to get my butt in gear. Arrrr!
I have a question for all of ye. How long do you spend developing your characters via story boarding, interviews and horoscopes?
Honestly, I don't write anything done. It's all in my head. I don't really plot, other than knowing it very rough draftish in my head, as you know I don't know my characters, I know sorta what the story line will be and then I just sit down and write. If I get stuck, well I whine about it. But I don't board, I don't do the horoscope thing and I really don't interview (unless you really count one time. Hm, that makes me sound like the virgin who still wants to say they are because they've only done it once, LOL). I think I spent a total of five minutes on it before I just decided I was gonna write it and almost two years later I'm still piddling around with it. It's been written twice and I hated it both times.
Kathy, I interview my characters long enough to get bored with their suspicious responses--or stuck on a question (How would I know if he hates broccoli? And why would it matter to this story?), which generally encourages me to just write a scene already. Just anything.
You know a FUN thing to jumpstart your writing for the day? A Madwrite. We give you a sentence...and that's your starting point.
Here you go (put the parrot away):
He never made promises he couldn't keep.
Hellion is awesome with horoscope help. Hellion, what was that horoscope site again that you forwarded me?
I'll do interviews with my CPs when I'm stuck but mostly, I try to figure it out on my own b/c my characters (especially the current heroine) wouldn't tell anyone anything until she's ripe and ready.
Great blog, Sin!
http://www.alabe.com/freechart/
(Hee, hee, I got Ely hooked on this site. What a delightful way to waste time. You'll totally convince yourself it's research and be awed at how a computer knows your character better than you.)
Oops, forgot the important part of the madwrite. You're only supposed to write for 10 minutes on the scene. Usually you get caught up and forget though...and sometimes you can even use it in the story.
Mostly it's just a way to get your writer's brain going. Much like making the scribbling gesture with a pen on a piece of scrap paper to get the ink to work.
I just did my chart and it's so on point! :)
Sorry, haven't been playing. TIMESHEET! Dang it.
I really have nothing, Sin. LOL! No process to speak of. No advice. Which Hellion will tell you is totally unlike me. My characters just showed up and I've had a few show up since that are (for now) patiently waiting their turns.
The interview does work and you don't have to be that organized to use it. Say a bunch of us ask your characters questions and you just answer them without really thinking much. You'd be surprised what you learn. And then you just copy it all into one Word file, name it Character X Interview and it's there if you ever want to look back.
I could never keep stuff in files. I already have piles of papers, bills, and mail all over my house. Which reminds me, I NEED A MAID!
Sorry, I'm trying to keep up but I've been so busy at work I've developed a wicked eye twitch.
Ely, I can see why you're addicted to that site, I went over that and played. Wow. You could learn a lot of stuff about your character just reading that.
Gawd, I read this blog and felt like you were reading my mind! I write in first person in the female POV as well. Not to mention I completely agree with so much of what you're saying.
My issue is that I tend to put too many qualities that I admire into my characters. They need more grit. A perfect character isn't interesting to read about (at least not for me). No tips from me but I'm soaking up what everyone else says! I still can't get my mind around completing a character interview but I might possibly open the creative door (just a smidge) to that idea ;)
Stephanie J! I was reading my mind but apparently this is on everyone's mind today! How do you like writing first person POV? Do you find it easier than third person?
I'm the same way. I put WAY too much of what I love into a character and not enough of what I don't like. I'm not much of a outliner, but that character interview stuff is pretty fun for a rainy day.
Thanks for stopping by!
If anyone wants to find flawed people, you'd turn on the Jerry Springer show. I think I resist putting flaws in my characters because I'm all too aware of mine...and being I'm glaringly single, clearly my flaws don't make me as endearing as the flaws of characters in books who seem to find Patrick Dempsey on a cracker with little effort on their part. Therefore I try to keep the flaws as minimal as possible. I want my characters to be loved and adored.
Hmm. I'd have to say I find third person harder. I'm sure if I found it easier I'd write in it more often! But that's not to say writing in 1st person is easy. Because it's just the one POV I think there's a unique challenge in developing the characters effectively because you can't just jump to where they are and what they're doing as all scenes need to have the heroine present.
(ok, that was one long sentence but I think you get my point!)
I have absolutely nothing to add, but as always have learned a lot today. Thanks, Sin, great blog.
Although, now I've got Salt N' Peppa's Push It (along with Hellion's "The Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - another blog) going through my head. I foresee a very restless night.
Can I ask anyone if these character interview guidelines are still available somewhere?
I totally agree Stephanie! It's difficult to tell a well rounded story in first person but that's the type of challenge I love. I can build a bigger mystery if you can only see through my girl's eyes.
Irish - I've never really used one of the form interviews. It's more fun to give your character the floor and let some friends ask questions off the cuff.
I had that problem at first that my characters were just nice people but then I realized they weren't human. That's the trick, to make them human. That doesn't mean they have some horrible flaw. They just have quirks and hang ups and baggage. We all have baggage. And as I once realized, you never know how much baggage you're carrying until you try to put it down.
It was after my divorce and I was feeling philosophical so sue me. LOL!
Anyway, I think my point is that my heroine being pessimistic doesn't necessarily mean she's flawed. She's just human.
Irish! I was in step class last night and that was one of the songs that played, hence why it's the title. I love that song. I loved Salt N Pepa. Ooh baby baby. Ba ba..baby. Oooh baby baby.. Ba ba baby. Push it. Push it real good. Ah, push it. Ah push it.
I sure you can just imagine me dancing around. LOL
http://www.ifvchicago.com/process/wr_characters_questions.shtml
That questionare is okay.
http://students.westport.k12.ct.us/lintermans/character%20development%20questions.htm
These just get you thinking about things. Not necessarly the right questions but gives you starting blocks.
I'll have to use that starter sentence to get my writing juices flowing tomorrow, Hellion. Thanks for the inspiration. :-)
Cool character list websites. I checked them out and saved them. The horoscope website is awesome. I'm amazed that it speaks so true of me! But I'm not exactly sure how to read it. Does the whole thing pertain to me or just a section of it?
Now to get The Surrey with the Fringe on Top out of my head.
Kathy, the whole thing is suppose to pertain to you, but to understand it, you'd have to understand what that planets are supposed to effect. Like Mercury represents HOW you think, philosophies, stuff like that. Later planets refer to your HOUSES, like your family life, work life, health, etc....I don't understand any of those...I only get the Sun, the Moon, the Rising Sign...and a couple other planets. After that, it's nice, but doesn't really make sense.
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