#writingtipsandtricks

Here are a handful of quick tips to help you write believable characters! 

1. A character’s arc doesn’t need to grow linearly. Your protagonist doesn’t have to go from being weak to strong, shy to confident, or novice to professional in one straight line. It’s more realistic if they mess up their progress on the way and even decline a bit before reaching their goal.

2. Their past affects their present. Make their backstory matter by having their past events shape them into who they are. Growing up with strict parents might lead to a sneaky character, and a bad car accident might leave them fearful of driving.

3. Give reoccurring side characters something that makes them easily recognizable. This could be a scar, a unique hairstyle, an accent, or a location they’re always found at, etc.

4. Make sure their dialogue matches their personality. To make your characters more believable in conversation, give them speech patterns. Does the shy character mumble too low for anyone to ever hear, does the nervous one pace around and make everyone else on edge? 

5. Make your characters unpredictable. Real people do unexpected things all the time, and this can make life more exciting. The strict, straight-A student who decides to drink at a party. The pristine princess who likes to visit the muddy farm animals. When character’s decide to do things spontaneously or in the heat of the moment, it can create amazing twists and turns.

6. Give even your minor character's a motive. This isn’t to say that all your characters need deep, intricate motives. However, every character should need or want something, and their actions should reflect that. What’s the motive behind a side character who follows your protagonist on their adventure? Perhaps they’ve always had dreams of leaving their small village or they want to protect your protagonist because of secret feelings.

The Heart of Your Tale

Nearly all stories in science fiction and fantasy deal with new systems of power—whether it be Frodo’s magic ring or Asimov’s robotics, ultimately you’re creating a new system for acquiring and maintaining power, and when you do this, as Orson Scott Card put it, you are forced at some level to consider the question, “What is the right use of power?” The understanding of power is vital to making better magic systems for your world.

Very often, the answer to this question becomes the very heart of your story. Certainly, it did for Frodo with his ring of power, for Luke Skywalker as he struggled to master the Force, or for Ender Wiggins as he fought to outwit his aliens.

Indeed, if your story is going to have an epiphany—a powerful moment of realization where the audience actually learns something of value—you as a writer have to contend with the issue of the proper use of power.

It’s for this reason that Algis Budrys, the longtime science fiction critic for the Chicago Sun Times and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction pointed out that “Science fiction and fantasy are the last bastion of moral fiction in America, the only place where you as a writer can talk about good and evil.” (In the mid-1980s when he said it, there was a backlash in popular fiction where people refused to talk about morality. Given the recent #MeToo movement, corruption in politics, and our persistent mass shootings, I suspect that maybe some folks will begin to realize that, “Hey, maybe we should have been trying to reach a consensus on what is right and what is wrong.”) We ignore moral questions at the peril of our own society.

Thus the issue of morality tends to become the very heart of your tale.

Now, there are thousands of “power systems” in the real world. If you think about it for a few moments, you’ll recognize them. In our world, money can give you power. You can use your money to do good—to cure cancer and help others—or you can become totally self-serving and build your pool until the day you abruptly expire. But other power systems exist. I’ve known men in politics who tried to gain power and then been destroyed by others in their own political party. I know writers who use their gifts primarily for self-aggrandizement until they become the Harvey Weinsteins of the publishing world. I’ve seen priests who were destroyed by public adulation, along with rock stars and actors and sports figures and so on. Heck, I’ve even seen mothers use their parental authority to become evil moms.

You’ve probably heard Acton’s quote, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He continues, “Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.”

Take that quote to heart. I think that when most of us hear it, we assume that Acton was talking about someone else. Let me assure you, he was talking about you and me. He was talking about the protagonist of your story. Whatever power system you serve and struggle to use, it can and will corrupt you. All of us need to learn how to handle power without being destroyed by it. Part of learning how to use power is understanding how and why and when to give it up.

What does that mean to your story? Whatever wanky magic system you create in your tale, it is a monster that is likely to turn on and destroy your protagonist. If you missed the prior tips on this topic, you can start here!

Happy Writing!

Inspired by a recent reblog titled “words to use instead of crying,” I want to talk a little bit about physicality. 

So often in my critiques and beta reads I see authors using fanciful words in an attempt to express emotion where a physical description would work better.

Crying is the perfect example of this. 

Crying is a physical expression of emotion and it leaves traces all over the body. Sobs shake the body. Tears make the eyes sore. Extended crying gives the crier a headache. Loud crying/sobbing makes the voice ache. Crying thickens the throat and makes the breath come quick and shallow. Already you can probably think of several ways to describe each

Telling your reader that “grief washed over” a character, that they “cried hysterically” or “broke down in tears” is just that. Telling. By giving the reader an insight into the way the emotion makes a character feel inside their body you provide a link to the reader’s own experiences with the same emotion. You trigger memory of a time they felt the way the character is feeling, a memory they can use sympathetically to feel as the character feels. If the reader can relate, they can empathise, and if they can empathise you’ve got them right where you want them. 

Here are a handful of quick tips to writing stronger characters and understanding them better as a writer.

Give your characters a title. This can help with worldbuilding and placing your protagonist into the environment. What do others call your characters? The emperor, the bastard son, the Grinch, the chosen one, the class clown, the evil witch, the popular girl, etc.

Use your settings to enhance your character. You can use the locations of your novel to mirror or contrast your character. Do they blend in or stand out? What they focus on can say a lot about them (ex. a fearsome character mishearing things on a dark street, a princess in a ballroom only focused on the exit.)

Know your protagonist's motives and goals before you start writing. What is something they need that fuels their actions throughout the novel? Money, freedom, an artifact, food? To protect their sister at all costs and survive the Hunger Games? 

Now that you know their motive, make it more complex. A character's motive can be made more complex by putting them in high-stake situations that force them to make decisions. For example, Katniss wants to protect her sister, a very common motivation. However, present-day conflict makes her to do it in the most extreme way by volunteering in the Hunger Games. The plot forces her to make an extreme choice fueled by her motivation.

Your protagonist should be active. It's okay to have your story's events sometimes happen to your character (this is referred to as the character being passive, ex. a tornado sweeping them away) but your protagonist should be active a majority of the time. This means they should always be making decisions, thinking, reflecting and progressing through obstacles.

Here are a handful of tips on how to write intriguing and strong *no pun intended* fight scenes! 1. Give your character a meaning behind their actions. Are they fighting to survive? Are they the aggressor or the victim? Are they defending someone they love or hunting down someone who hurt them? Makes sure the audience knows why this action scene is important to your character. Unimportant and nonmeaningful actions can be boring!

2. Short sentences. Generally speaking, longer more detailed scenes slow the pace of your novel down. This is because the reader has to take more time to read and absorb all the details. Quicker, brief sentences make the pace move faster because there is less for the audience to read. Most fighting happens quickly and instinctively— without too much thought or anticipation. When things are happening fast, we have less time to take in details.

🏃‍♀️ Fast-paced with minimal details: "He punched me in the cheek, my back molars ripping open my fleshy skin. By the time the next punch came, I was already choking on a mouthful of blood."

🐌 Too many details/thoughts that slow down the action: "His large fist hurled towards me with insane speed. I could hardly believe it. He punched my cheek so hard that my sharp, back molars ripped open my fleshy skin. It hurt so bad, but I couldn't stop the next punch from coming. Blood filled my mouth, the irony taste causing me to choke and for my face to wilt."

3. Use all five senses. When adrenaline is pumping, the body can become hyperaware! Touch and sight are the senses that most people focus on... but don't forget about smell, hearing and, taste. Does your protagonist hear dogs approaching? Do they taste the blood from their busted lip?

4. Don't' slow down the pace by adding too much detail. Try to keep an ebb and flow in your action scene. When the action is happening, keep the details quick and short— no one has time to think about their next move when in the heat of danger. However, you can balance the scene out by giving your character a chance to breathe and think and observe

5. Research/study. Watch famous fight scenes in movies or anime to see what is realistic and what is exaggerated. Pay attention to the pacing or what keeps you on edge. When does the character get a chance to think or come up with a plan? What makes this action scene so enthralling?

6. Consider what is at stake. Stakes always make a scene more tense. What does your character have to lose and how does this affect their mental state? Does it aid in their energy, or does it distract them from the fight?

7. Develop characters/the plot. Consider how this action scene will either further your character in the plot or set them back. Does this scene give them a lasting injury that follows them throughout the story, or do they lose an ally that they desperately loved? How does this affect them moving forward?

Here are a handful of ways to open the very first scene in your book! There are plenty more to explore, but these are a set of very tried and true methods.

Autobiographic - your protagonist starts the book reflecting or talking about a past event. They’re looking back in time and sharing an important piece of information with the reader.

In trouble/conflict - a problem has arisen for the protagonist and a sense of urgency is established. This can be an intense conflict like a chase scene or a puzzling problem.

Mysterious opening - the reader is introduced to something peculiar (a fantasy location, unique magic, a cloaked figure, etc.) that raises questions in their mind. Their curiosity will keep them reading.

Scene-setting - the most common opening where you focus on introducing the setting and the characters in it before anything else.

The questioner - the protagonist is questioning something: “Who invited the guy in the trench coat covered in red?”

Beginning with a thought - the novel is started with a philosophical quote or meaningful thought from the protagonist. “What is living worth if she’s not doing it with me?”

Intriguing dialogue - the book starts with interesting dialogue that captures the attention of the reader.

Mood establisher - the novel opens with a deliberate mood that signifies to the reader what they should expect from the story. Ex. a spooky story may open with eerie words and a dark atmosphere.

Tackling a whole 50,000+ word novel can be a lot. Here are some ways to break down the process to make it a little more digestible.

Choose, research, and enjoy your story's setting. Whether this is a fantasy realm, a lost planet, or a small suburban town, know and research where your story takes place. Think about the time period, cultural details, geography, the laws/rules, etc. This is a world where the reader will be spending hours, so make sure it's immersive.

Place your protagonist in the world and give them a story. You could have the most detailed fantasy world, but that means nothing without a story or character to explore it. Create a compelling main character and give them a story that progresses them throughout the world you created. 

Find your story's theme. A well-rounded story will revolve around a theme or central idea. Some themes include survival, love, good vs. evil, death, war, forgiveness, etc. What do you want to teach your readers or leave them with once the novel is finished? Do you want them to know that forgiveness is important? That war creates wounds only love can heal? That beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Weave these themes and lessons into your plot and story.

Create a cast. Build your protagonist friends and foes that support or challenge them on their journey. Give some of these characters their own arcs/side plots to thicken your story. There are a bunch of character types that you could add to your story such as the love interest, a mentor, an antagonist, minor characters, etc.

Divide your novel into acts. Once you know the big picture of the story you want to tell, break it up into acts. There are three main acts of a traditional story: Acts I, II, and III. Look up and consider following the Three-Act Structure to give your story a fluid motion of beginning, middle, and end.

Know your ending. The ending is the final part that your readers digest, meaning that it will likely stick with them. You don't have to fully understand how your novel will end, but having somewhat of a plan is important. This way... when you write, you're writing towards something.

Thinking of publishing traditionally? Here are some reasons why a publishing agency might reject your book. Don’t let any of these reasons keep you from writing, but rather help you strengthen your craft!

1) Your target audience is unclear. Are you writing for middle-grade boys or adult females? Suburban single mothers or war-enthusiast who love everything weaponry and explosive? Of course, your story can end up appealing to multiple categories of people (take Harry Potter for example). But if you know who your prime reader is, you’ll be able to use the correct language, voice, and reading level for them.

2) Your query letter or synopsis is lacking and doesn’t hook the agency. A query letter and synopsis are two different things presented to an agent or publishing company. You must be able to properly sum up your  book in an interesting way for an agency to want to peruse your novel. You have to pique their interest.

A query letter is a brief summary used to capture the attention of an agent/publishing company. A sales pitch one might say. It typically contains your story's main hook, some details about the book (genre, similar books, etc.), and some facts about yourself. If the query letter is successful, the agency will go on to read your synopsis/pages.

A synopsis is a summary of your entire book from start to finish and what happens in it (including character arcs and plot). This is all done in less than two pages.

3) Predictability. It may be predictable characters, or the plot itself. Either way, predictability isn't good. What's the point of reading a book if you can already predict the events? Conflict is the heart of all stories and if your book lacks conflict/stakes, it can become predictable. Give your characters inner conflict just as much as you do physical. Make it difficult for readers to know what your character will do.

4) Your story starts way too early. From what I’ve researched, a huge reason why books get declined is that they start wayyy before anything happens. You’re revealing tons of background information or your character is doing pointless things when they should be approaching the inciting incident. The inciting incident is the scene that launches your character on their journey and should happen sooner than later! 

5) You aren’t balancing showing vs. telling. Contrary to popular belief, a novel should have a bit of both (but... probably more showing). If you spend every scene in extreme detail, you risk slowing your story down. If you tell everything, you aren’t immersing your reader.

6) You’re spending too much time in Act 1. A story consists of three Acts. The beginning, middle, and end. The rising action/set-up, the middle/climax, and the resolution. Don’t spend too much time in Act 1 setting things up. You’ll want to properly pace your story so that it doesn't drag on too long before hitting the heart of the story.

7) Simply... bad writing/grammar. Also, consistent POV is important. This one is self-explanatory, but if you care about what happens in your story, you should also care about the grammar and prose! Typically, hiring editors is a step you must do before taking your novel to a publishing agency.