Wednesday, February 27, 2013

LTUE Recap - Writing Memorable Characters

I wish I could credit this panel of authors, but I can't find description in my conference booklet.

Source: PowerPoint
The better we know our characters the better we can tell their stories.

1. Choose a name that fits. Don't give similar character names or only in a situation where there's no way they can be confused--an example might be a young male child and an old man. Last names suggest ethnicity--if that's not your intent, you may want to reconsider. Be careful of the baggage names can bring.

2. Know your characters in and out--you should know how they'd react in any given situation. What are their food likes and dislikes? Do they obsess about anything? What motivates them to do something? Be careful with speech patterns. A lot of heavy phonetic language is hard to edit and to read. Slang and colloquial terms go out of date quickly. Unique mannerisms, attitudes, abilities, and capabilities are options but be sure you provide good descriptions.

3. Flaws - life altering attributes

4. Strong sense of purpose - your main characters should have solid belief and value systems. Those can be flawed. Have to want/need something badly.

5. Smart, tenacious, perceptive, dedicated, and tough--but they need to be sympathetic when appropriate. Readers want the characters to be capable but not perfect so the reader can relate to them.

6. Characters should have emotional baggage so they'll have something to overcome. They have to grow.


7. Relationships - family, friends, acquaintances. Do their relationships drag them down or support them? How different do they act depending upon who they're with? Are the characters surprised when something new is foisted on them?

8. Give the characters something the readers can identify with. Whatever emotion the story is invoking should be relatable. What commonality could they all have? The character could be the readers' best friend, next door neighbor, etc. But your characters should also be uncommon enough to be interesting. Protagonist shouldn't be perfect and the antagonist shouldn't be perfectly evil.

9. Give your character a phobia and play on it.

10. A talent, definite tastes or knowledge--show this early on and play on it throughout the story. 


11. Work against stereotypes.

12.  Give habits or patterns that make your characters unique. Is your character a slob or a clean freak? Make sure you stay true to those characteristics throughout--unless the changes are part of the characters' growth.. If they deviate, it should be a sign that something's afoot.

13. Write what is going underneath--when the characters act out of sync, there should be a reason for it.


What do you do to help flesh out and make your characters three dimensional and believable?

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Cover Reveal - CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

I've been at a writing conference, so I'm a little late jumping in . . .

CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Release date: September 17, 2013
Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844002
E-book ISBN 9781939844019

I can't wait!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Guest Post - Author Adrienne Monson

I'm taking a break from our Kiersey personality trait discussions for a special guest--paranormal author Adrienne Monson--who's going to talk a bit about characters. I loves me some talk about characters. Adrienne's a wife and mother of two children. One child has the angelic role while the other is its exact counterpart. Together, they make quite an interesting team against their mom. When she’s not playing with her kids, she’s writing at the computer, or reading a good book. Besides her passion for reading, she enjoys weight training and Zumba. Check out her debut novel, Dissension, is scheduled for release on February 23.

Thanks for having me as a guest, Donna!

There’s so many different writing tips that could put to good use, so I had a hard time just coming up with one. However, I prevailed over my rambling mind and was able to focus on a singular topic.


Characterization. This is something I’ve personally had to improve on. The first draft for my novel was decent. The plot moved quickly and there was lots of action, but none of my beta readers cared about the characters. Once I got this feedback, I tried to immerse myself in different processes to having solid, three-dimensional characters. The tips I share in this post are ones that helped me the most, but keep in mind that every writer has their own process and you need to utilize what works for you. We writers love trial and error!


I’m very much a plot oriented author, so I still like to write out a rough draft before I get to work on my characters. Once that’s completed, I write a file on each character. It has notes on their physical attributes as well as mannerisms that are unique to them. Then I write up a full bio in those same files. I like to be detail oriented here: dynamics with family when growing up, failed relationships, things they fear, their favorite animal, color, food, etc. I realize most of this information isn’t written into the manuscript, but it really does help me to write the characters more clearly.


The next part of my process is kind of fun. I look up random personality quizzes online and take them from the perspective of a character. I usually just do these for the main characters, and it really does help me to think about things from their point of view.


Okay, so this next part can be a little tedious, but it seriously helps. What I do is read my manuscript from just one character’s point of view. If they’re not in some scenes, then I go ahead and skip them, but if they’re just a small part of other scenes, then I read it from their perspective anyway. As I do this, I’ll make some changes/additions depending on how I think that character would react. Once done, I start from the beginning with a different character’s point of view in mind. This is another process that I specifically use for the main characters, but I’ll also try to pay attention to the other characters while I’m doing a final read-through.


It’s crazy how attached I’ve become to some of my characters, even the evil villains. Because I know them so well, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that they’re not real people. When my sister-in-law told me the name they’d decided on for her baby, I got excited and said, “That’s the name for the main character in my demon novel!” After a hesitation, she forced some enthusiasm, but I could tell she didn’t love the idea that I was comparing her flesh and blood daughter to one of my characters. I do think my niece will have fun with that when she gets older, though.


How immersed in your characters do you get?

Sunday, February 17, 2013

LTUE Update - Writing Fantastic Description

I've never hidden the fact that writing description is hard for me. I think I'm getting better at it as I do it more and pay more attention to it as I'm reading. Hopefully, I will continue to improve the more I do it, and it won't be such an agonizing experience.

I'll be honest, though. I don't like too much description. I've been in bootcamp critique groups where some of the input I receive is they want more description. And it makes me feel . . . conflicted. Yes, there needs to be adequate description but since I tend to skip too much description in books, I don't want to write stuff people like me are going to skip.

As author Elmore Leonard said: I try to leave out the parts that people skip.

Um. Yeah.

So I was particularly interested in the LTUE panel on Writing Fantastic Description (and Knowing Where to Put It) with Amber Argyle, Michelle Davidson Argyle, Frank L. Cole, Chad Morris, Peter Orullian, and Andrea Pearson.

Following are some of the snippets I jotted down during the class:

  • With epic fantasy, the world is important and must be described in detail - I was always amazed at the way Robert Jordan could describe clothing. In some books, the kind of detail he put into would be overdoing it, but he wrote epic fantasy and the clothing in many ways was part of his world building by how it represented the various cultures.
  • Don't just describe the physical traits of characters--make what you describe say something about the character as well
  • Be aware the attention span of the target audience--middle grade doesn't require as much detail as genres for older readers
  • The words you use should set the tone - what your characters see when they enter a room or check out people says a lot about your characters. So don't just mention that the sofa was green unless the sofa being green means something to the character.
  • Reveal information gradually so the reader has 'aha' moments along with the character
  • Every word has a job--don't use words that aren't doing something for the story
  • Using description tidbits in dialogue lets those words do double duty
  • Metaphor and simile can be a great ways to describe
  • Let your content mirror the action
  • When you're writing a sentence you don't want to bury what you're describing, so list what you're describing at the end - oh, my heck. Some years ago I was reading a book aloud to my husband and one of our sons. It was Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Both hubby and son are great audio learners, but we were all getting lost in the excessive description  The point of the paragraphs was being lost. Without telling them, I started reading only the first and last sentences of each paragraph. After a few paragraphs, hubby and son looked at each other and said, "Wow. Why is it suddenly making sense?" 
  • Some kinds of description are easier done in third person than first
During the iWriteNetwork Winter Workshop last month, I taught a class on writing a one-page synopsis. As I was reviewing my notes from the LTUE class, I realized that writing a short synopsis could be an excellent exercise is making sure that you don't have any lazy words. You have to give each one serious consideration to make sure it's doing that job you need it to do.

My oldest son's amazing at it--in seventh grade he knocked my socks off with his ability to paint a picture with words. I have no idea where that gift came from.

How about you? Is writing description your friend? Or are you more like me?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Kiersey Combinatons


This is Part 6 of my series on personality types (character traits) based upon the Kiersey Personality Sorter. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, and Part 5 here.

I've reviewed the basic, single personality attributes:
Extrovert (75% of the population)
Introvert (25% of the population)

Sensing (75% of the population)
Intuitive (25% of the population)

Thinking (50% of the population)
Feeling (50% of the population)

Judging (50% of the population)
Perceiving (50% of the population)

There are certain character traits that come from pairing just two of these.

SP - These people wish to be free to be spontaneous and act on a moment's notice. They believe life is to be enjoyed, should be fun and varied and full of excitement. They tend to live in the moment, are playful and light-hearted. With endurance and stamina, they are born adventurers and take risks, testing the limits of life. Routine jobs bore the SP but love tools and can see them as extensions of themselves. They're natural performers and can become frustrated when their current pursuits are blocked. In love, they look for shared activity and interests, wanting to explore new vacation spots or restaurants or way to keep the relationship fresh. They can be charming, witty, generous and warm.

SJ - These folks want the freedom to be responsible. Sensible, punctual, and practical, they believe in earning their way. They need to feel like they belong and can be unappreciated. Parental by nature, they like taking care of others and do well in fields like teaching, sales, business, and medicine. The bring stability and maintain the organization for smooth functionality. They tend to be rule-keepers. As for love, they are drawn to traditional and conservative views of marriage, expecting their mates to work with them. They tend to be loyal, faithful, and dependable. (I'm an SJ--the S because of my X--sounds like a dog to me.) 

NF - These guys need the freedom to seek out the significance and meaning of life. They want their lives to count for something. Honesty and integrity is important and they can be spiritual and idealistic. While wanting to authentic, they also desire unity with others. The NF makes commitments. Being communicative, creative, and people-oriented, they have the power to influence others. They often find work in "helping" professions, teaching, creative arts, and communication fields. In romance, they seek harmony. They are the true romantics, believing in the perfect love, and bring empathy, drama, and warmth to their relationship.

NT - The NTs desire freedom to use their intelligence, going after wisdom and knowledge. Life should make sense. They seek to control their environments by being able to predict them. Having a low tolerance for emotional or illogical  thinking (according to them), they can have a difficult time interacting with others. NTs have a drive for perfection and can deserve the title "workaholic". In love, they aren't looking for complex relationships, wanting the head to rule over the heart. They can be uncomfortable losing control to their emotions and don't like repetition. "I told you I loved you already. Why do I have to keep saying it?"

Remember when you took the Kiersey test? There were no right answers. It merely identifies how you view the world.

How often do your characters fit these descriptions? Are you consistent in your personality types? 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Blue Sky by Melissa Lemon

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Sunny is bereaving the sudden death of her parents. Lewis is a homeless runaway seeking shelter in Sunny's basement from an early winter storm. When they unexpectedly meet, Sunny wants nothing more than to kill him. After a bizarre hostage situation and a poker game, Sunny realizes that Lewis isn't out to hurt her. Their initial distaste turns to friendship and love, but Sunny isn't keen on starting a relationship with a man she knows so little about. Lewis is loyal, and his patience paramount. Sunny is hesitant but her love runs deep and true. They are separated unwillingly, and must struggle and face overwhelming odds to find each other again.

MY TAKE:
I really liked Lewis. I kept wondering when we'd find out what would drive a young man like him from home and to the streets. My heart went out to him when I finally found out. The issue of being homeless in the winter is brought very much to life.

It made me even more irritated with Sunny for her hot and cold treatment of him. While her erratic behavior--considering what she'd just been through and what an emotional mess she was--could be excused somewhat, it still totally messed with poor Lewis's head. Her behavior was also consistent with the way I see real girls treat real guys all the time, cluelessly sending mixed signals.

I thought Lewis's brother Jack was hilarious. I would love to see Melissa write another novel that takes on his story.


Melissa has had many imaginary friends (and enemies) since she was a child. Her vivid imagination had her writing stories and jotting down book ideas for years until she finally sat down and finished a novel. She is married to an awesome man and the proud mother of three children. Music is also an important part of her life and she shares time with her music students teaching them piano, cello or guitar. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Utah and currently resides in the Salt Lake area.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Judgers and Perceivers


This is Part 5 of my series on personality types (character traits) based upon the Kiersey Personality Sorter. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

Remember, I'm an EXFJ. My "X" is special, so if you want to understand that, you'll need to read Part 3.

Today we're talking about the final pair, P and J.

Perceiving: These folks tend to prefer open-endedness, delaying judgement (decisions) in order to collect information. Because of this, deadlines are not their friends since they prefer flexibility and open options. They're frequently playful and are apt to put things off.

Judging: We judgers like closure. We want things to be tied down because things tend to be more orderly that way. Judging folks like deadlines and take them seriously, seeking decisions. The can believe work comes before anything else.

Um, I'm not that last statement.

Things to be wary of for each:

Perceivers can spend so much time gathering information that they miss out on opportunities (deadlines). I just need a little more time before I decide.

Judging types must be careful not to be in such a hurry to get  closure that they make a decision too soon, that they don't collect enough data.

Perceivers are big picture people. They like to look at the grand design. Judgers are detailed oriented--mix the J with and S, and you have really organized people.

Real life examples.

My husband is a P. He was a general contractor before he retired and had to balance things all the time between various jobs. Seriously, he would have five jobs going at once and when the weather was bad or supplies didn't arrive in time, no biggie. He'd work on one of his other jobs.

Hmm. That would absolutely drive me nuts. I'm a J. I start a project and finish it. Then I start another project. And finish it. Having several unfinished projects hanging over me would make me run screaming from the room.

Hubby's Perceiverness came into play when we first got married. His approach to bookkeeping (I used to be a bookkeeper) is very different from mine. Once again, he's a big picture guy. I'm into the details. When we were looking to pay our debt down, he was interested in things like interest rates overall. I just wanted to know if I could pay our bills that month. But don't mistake my concern for the current for being a long-range planner. Budget? That's me, right down to the day something's paid off and those funds then move to pay something else off.

Until I took the Kiersey the first time and found out the his approach was a legitimate way to view the world, I thought he was being irritating on purpose. Learning about his Kiersey results, took a lot of strain off our relationship. I know. Petty of me to assume he was doing it to bug me. I know. I suck.

Work example. I worked in a place that oversaw hundreds of building. The director (my boss) was a hands-on, detail guy. The finance guy prepared the initial budget proposal accordingly because the director was right in there all the way. However, he retired. I'm sure the new director was a P. Very big picture. The finance guy put the initial budget together just like he did for the old director. Finance guy made the observation after the first budget meeting with the new director: "I would have planned that very differently if I'd known."

What kind of potential conflict do you see in your WIPs with characters who view things so differently?
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