Weekly Writing Tip

Characters. They can make you grin or pull out your hair in frustration.


    Last week we talked about naming our characters. It's easier than naming your own children but by just a fraction. :) 

    This week lets talk about the psychological make up of your character. Uh, oh. My character isn't crazy, he's not an axe murderer why do we have to analyze him? Because we need to know what makes your character tick. Everyone has quirks, habits they perform, things that set them off because of events in their lives and a great character 'experiences' those same problems.

    Now, with that being said, the reader may not know everything you know. Just because you know your character to drink three cups of strong coffee and a single piece of toast for breakfast, doesn't mean it might ever make it into the story. The reader doesn't need to know all that is mundane, just what pertains to the story.

     So why bother to know so many details? Because it adds depth and realism to your character. If you understand your character than you know what they will do in situations, how they will react, what emotional response they will have and you will be able to convey this information in a way that captures our emotions and makes us care about your character. There's nothing worse than having a character that no one cares about it. The readers have to care about your characters to care about your story. 

     To start figuring out your character write down this information; where they live, what job do they have, what job would they like to have, what foods they like and what foods they don't like, do they have a pet and how do they treat that pet, their family and the thing they hate most. What are their views and how do those views effect their outlook on life? 

     You don't have to write a complete diary or a novel on your character. You would never have time to write the story if you did that but write a couple of pages just to start to understand your character, realizing that you can add to it as you write the story or even change things if you decide something would work better. You can also write down slang or certain pieces of dialogue they are prone to use. 

     The idea here is to have a reference guide of your character. To add depth to the why your character does certain things. It can also help keep characters consistent if you take the time to write their details down, then as you write the story you can refer back to it as you need to. 

      Remember, this is your character and they need to seem real, like they could step right off the page and into someone's living room. Know the mundane of your character but focus on what makes them likable (or unlikable if need be) and human.

Just a Musing...

Lunar Eclipse and Freezing in the Cold...

       Monday night and into Tuesday morning I was shivering under layers of clothing and a thick blanket watching the slowly disappearing full moon. It was wonderful and agonizing slow. I've never seen a lunar eclipse and didn't realize that they stretch over a bit of time. Or at least it seems a bit slow when your toes are going numb and your nose is as bright as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer's. Brrr. 

      But it was worth it. I'm not going to try to wax poetry here, it isn't my strong point in writing, but the moon was beautiful. A wispy winter cloud cover made it difficult to see the copper orb high above us, but binoculars helped us see more of its awesome red color. And slowly as the minutes past, more and more of the moon faded from the sky. 

     The night was still, the city was quiet. And the Earth was blocking the sunlight from hitting the moon and so for a few minutes in time, the sun, Earth and moon were in alignment. Does it mean anything? I don't know. Some cultures and religions put significance on the event. Is it cool? Completely. When else can you be reminded of how small you are in the universe than when you're watching heavenly bodies line up all in a row?      

      We are all part of something much bigger than we can even imagine. 

     As the moon was nearly completely blocked and had turned a lovely copper color, I woke the kids from their warm beds and they hurried into boots, coats, and mittens. They were ready to see a full lunar eclipse on the night of the winter solstice. My youngest looked at it for a few minutes with a huge grin and then went promptly back to the bed. My oldest pondered the mysteries of the universe through the glass of a heavy set of binoculars and then joked about greeting the start of winter because it seemed just as cold yesterday when it was Fall. Around here winter tends to kick Fall out on her arse a little early. Grin. 

      Twinkle, twinkle little star...because we start to ponder the sky above us from birth. 

     On another brief musing...Last week I wrote about miracles. And it's fascinating me, must be the season. But I came across this quote that I would like to share. 

 “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

 Albert Einstein

Merry Christmas to everyone. 

Weekly Writing Tip

Characters. 

Do you have one? Or the faint shadow of one?

      Why do we love stories? Obviously, the plot plays an important part. If you don't have at least a decent plot with all loose ends tied and knotted than you're going to have trouble building a readership. Readers are easily disappointed and will remember if you finished your story by making up something crazy at the end or forgetting to address one of your subplots. Also, you can't rearrange the basics of science or life, unless it's your own world and you have built it up that way. But we'll talk about plot at a later entry. 

      Today we're going to talk about characters and their development. Think about why you love some stories. Yes, the plot was probably good and the writing was more than likely interesting but it's the characters that live in our minds way after the story is finished. If we care about the characters, if what happens to them in the story affects our emotions than we'll remember the story far after the words, 'the end.' 

       So how to make characters that come alive off the page and stay with your readers? You have to know them first. They're your characters, develop them. Think about their name. Most characters carry names that show a bit of their personalities or quirks. Pick a strong name for your alpha males. Choose a elegant name for your lady, unless she's wild and unconventional and than perhaps go by a nickname that reflects her playful attitude. 

       If they carry an unusual or an old fashioned name, explain it. Put a bit of the story around it, make it important. Do a bit of research, what does the name mean? Sometimes you can choose a name for it's meaning rather than just the sound of the name. A great source for names is the Internet, check out any baby naming website. Or the phone book can be an informative location. Parents spend a lot of time stringing names together that sound pleasing to the ear and it can make finding a name easy. (It's also a great way to unblock a muse that doesn't want to give up any names.)

      Don't forget the culture of your character. If it's important to the parents of your character, then a cultural significant name may be valuable to your story. If you're writing historical fiction, names need to be given a bit of thought. The popularity of names go through cycles, so perhaps Doris isn't one of the most popular names of today but in other time periods it would have been. Search the web for the most popular names of today or during certain years.

       Religion can also be a factor in choosing the 'right' name for your character. Especially if you're writing a historical piece. Or if you're writing about characters from other cultures. 

       Memorable names are vital. Think of some of the great classics, Little Women, Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables. Even comic book heroes have awesome names that can be unforgettable. Superman, Spiderman, Wolverine. The characters are with us long after we finish the book. So name your characters with thought, care, and with fun. :)