Monday Meanderings - May 9, 2016

Meandering #1 ...

My mind is buzzing with all the information I gleaned at the Storymakers 2016 writing conference. I got renewed by being around my tribe.

I also came away with more back problems. The chairs at that conference center HATE my tailbone (which I've broken twice). Ugh.

I must say that author Sarah Eden taught the best dang writing class I've ever attended. It was powerful and really resonated with me (and others who also attended). She wrote about characterization and how to go deep into understanding what motivates your characters. It was a two-hour intensive and she covered so much material and had us do a few exercises on our own characters.

There were two questions she kept returning to. "Why?" and "Why does it matter?" For any bit of information you might ask about your character, you should also ask those two questions.

The bigger the problems your character faces, the more emotionally removed the reader can get. When it gets closer to your character, it gets personal. And personal is what makes the reader care.

Bottom line: If the readers don't care about the character, they won't care about the book.


Meandering #2 ...

We've submitted our application for a building permit. Hubby and I need to decide on lighting, and I've also asked him to check on wiring for things like Internet and cable. Not that we have cable. I don't find it necessary when I have the Internet. They could break ground before the end of the month.

Time to start hucking and chucking things. Gotta downsize, you know.


Meandering #3 ...

Since I've been in the marketing zone this week for that Mother's Day Book Bash, I've discovered that a different part of my brain is active when I'm marketing vs when I'm writing. I've also been trying to do some promotional things. I thought this was fun.

It's time to refocus and get back to my writing. Big time.

What did you do this weekend?

See any good movies?

Characterizations

I recently listened to Richelle Mead's newest contribution to her Vampire Academy breakout series, Bloodlines. This is the third book with Sydney and Adrian. Now, Adrian (a Moroi--good vampire who can do magic and doesn't burn up in the sun but is fatigued by too much exposure to it) is very different from human Sydney (an alchemist whose people help the Moroi but only because alchemists view them as evil and must be kept from humans).

One of the things that strikes me as I listen to these books (I'm a huge audiobook fan) is how well Mead handles the unique and often quirky personality differences between Sydney and Adrian. And I'm not just talking about the fun voice differences the reader provides.

Adrian is a recovering playboy. Kind of. lol He's funny and he's flirty and he's self-denigrating. Adrian's flawed and still finding his way as he grows up and learns to deal with his magic (which could eventually drive him insane--literally). Here are some examples of the kind of quips he comes up with:

“I know how devastated you must be to miss me, but leave a message, and I'll try to ease your agony.” 

“Who is he?"
"An idiot," said Adrian. "Makes me look like an upstanding member of society.” 

“You look confused," said Adrian.
I shook my head and sighed. "I think I'm just overthinking things."
He nodded solemnly. "That's why I try to never do it.” 

The books are written in first person--from Sydney's point of view--so we don't get into Adrian's head. His comments do a great job of showing the reader what frame of mind he's in at the moment.

Mead has more flexibility with Sydney because of the first person writing, but I think this is where the author excels. The things that Sydney notices and thinks about are so "Sydney." She's brilliant, analytical, and totally a novice when it comes to feelings. Even her battle scene descriptions reflect how she views the world. She's a rule keeper and even her internal thoughts reflect that--if she's trying to break into someone's apartment and the ratty fire escape looks like it needs repair, she'll wonder why someone didn't report it, all while she's hanging two or three floors above the ground.

This is what we need to do with our characters. Make sure that we're capturing the uniqueness that is each one. Do you have any tips for doing that?

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?

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?

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? 

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?

Thinkers and Feelers

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

Remember, I'm an EXFJ.

Today I'm talking about the T(hinking) and F(eeling). From mine, you can see that I'm a Feeler. And since I've always taken the paper copy of the Kiersey, I know how many of my answers are Ts and how many are Fs.

Um, I'm not just an Feeler, I'm a flaming Feeler.

So what does that even mean?

Source: PowerPoint

Thinking: These are the folks who make decisions based upon logic, going for impersonal findings. They tend to be objective when making decisions and evaluate their options based on laws, principles, and policies. Good at arguments, they try to influence people using logic rather than emotions. They experience emotion just as much as the Feelers do but are less likely to show their feelings.

Feeling: We tend to make our decisions based on subjective reasoning and choose in the context of how our decisions impact ourselves and others. We don't usually hide our emotions. Our evaluations are usually in terms of circumstances, values, and good or bad. We can be very persuasive and appeal to emotions.

If you want to convince someone to do something, it comes in handy if you know if this person is a Thinker or a Feeler. Make your case to a Thinker using emotions or subjective reasoning, what do you think will happen?

In the communications class where I first studied the Kiersey, we were required to make three speeches. The first one was extemporaneous. The second one was to persuade using logic, and the third was to persuade using emotion.

I did okay with the first one. And I got an A with the logic speech, but the Prof said I knocked her socks off with the third one. You gotta play to your strengths.

An interesting tidbit about Thinkers and Feelers is how they react to strife. A Thinker boss facing the need to fire an employee will "feel" just as bad as the Feeler boss does. However, the Thinker boss is much less likely to have a sleepless night the day before. The Feeler has a harder time letting that kind of thing go. General office or family conflict tends to bleed into other aspects of a Feeler's life, much more so than it does to a Thinker.

Once again, there are degrees to which we may be a Thinker or a Feeler (or any of the other character groups). Someone who scores closely between the two will be different from someone like me who tests very high on the Feeler side.

So what about the main characters in your current WIP? Do you think they're Thinkers or Feelers? How might that impact how they handle the mean evil things you keep doing to them?