Question Your Inner Reader to be a Better Writer

It's easy to forget sometimes that writers should ALWAYS be voracious readers. Reading makes us better writers. Read everything, including books outside of your genre-bubble. Consume everything. Buy/Borrow every book. THEN EAT THE BOOK AND DIGEST ITS SOUL!

.....*ahem*

Looking at yourself as a reader can help you to better understand who you can be as a writer. Asking your inner reader questions can be a great way to teach yourself to be a superior storyteller. 

Here are some questions to get you started:

1. Why do I read?

2. What do the books I love have in common?

3. Who am I as a reader? What do I want out of a story?

4. If you could write like one author, who would you choose? Why?

5. What is one beginning AND ending (can be from different books) that has stuck out to you as a reader? What made them memorable for you?

6. What characters/fandom would you get in a duel over to defend their honor? Why?

I think you can see where I'm going with these questions. Look at your favorites, then look at why they're your favorites. Ask yourself how you can emulate those characteristics in your own writing. Interview yourself! Then be inspired by the stories you love and WRITE LIKE THE WIND, FRIENDS!

How to Write Rounded Characters (and Avoid the Disney Princess Paradigm)

Creating new characters is like giving birth. Minus the nine months of pregnancy, morning sickness, and the whole "push a human out of your lady tunnel" part. And, just as if they were your own children, it's normal to want your mind babies to be perfect and unflawed.

But, in novels, character with flaws are often the most compelling.

Early Disney princesses come to mind as being the opposite of compelling. They are totally flat. Flatter than a piece of cardboard that's been trampled by a herd of elephants.

Cinderella is perfect: perfectly kind and perfectly hardworking. Princess Aurora is perfect: perfectly sweet and perfectly elegant. Snow White is perfect: perfectly innocent and perfectly pure. You seeing the trend? I call it the "Disney Princess Paradigm." Stop clapping, Snow White, it's not a compliment!

Those are a lot of good and admirable traits, don't get me wrong. But that's the problem: they're too good. They're too perfect.

And the problem with being perfect is that there's very little room for growth. What did any of those princesses learn from their stories? Can you think of a single thing? Anything?... Bueller?... Bueller?

Nothing, right!?

Real people are flawed with insecurities, fears, jealousies, etc. For every trait at one end of the spectrum, there should be a number at the other. And it's these negative traits that necessitate character growth, that force a person to confront their flaws and overcome them. And sometimes it's these traits that a reader can connect with. There's something powerful in being able to relate, to see your own mistakes and reactions and flaws in someone else. So you *puts bossy pants on* HAVE to create engaging, well-rounded characters.

To ensure my characters have positive traits AND negative traits/flaws and to keep them unpredictable and layered, I came up with a method I call the "U-List Method."

I do this for each of my characters before I start writing (though it might change as the story is written and as characters fall more solidly into place). Here's what it looks like:

Take your characters (main and minor) and apply this method to them. Draw a U, or a horseshoe if you're feeling fancy, and make a list along the "U," positive traits on the left, neutral at the bottom, and negative to the right. Here's a great list of traits some kind soul has already categorized.
Make sure your character's u-list is well balanced in each of these areas. Having a number of positive, neutral, and negative traits gives characters three-dimension. And knowing your character's main traits can really help you to understand them and how they would act/respond to happenings in your story.

Remember: negative traits don't always mean your character is bad. A character that's stubborn might also mean that he/she doesn't follow the crowd. A character that seems overly-sensitive might also be more compassionate. Make your villain idealistic and honest, make your hero gullible and impatient.

To every coin there are two sides, the same can be said of personalities. And that's what makes people so interesting. And it's what will make your characters more interesting as well.

So go forth, my fellow wordfolk, and unleash your rounded character creations on the world!
 

~Be mindful of a person's strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths can be a flaw and some weaknesses a blessing.~

My Problem with Triangles

No not triangles of the isosceles or equilateral variety. LOVE triangles! *gag*

The kind of love triangle I'm referring to is the Frankenstein creation that came from a YA trend, where the girl (or guy) "A" claims to love BOTH his/her pursuers "B" and "C."

NOT the kind where A loves B and C comes along and can't take the hint. Or A loves B, but B loves C, but C loves A (yeah, good luck with that conundrum).

Here's the difference as visuals:

A PROPER Love Triangle

@#$% YOU, PROTAGONIST!

Proper love triangle, that's fine, you can't control how others feel. But claiming to LOVE two people equally? HA! *face palm* No. That's taking the piss.

I'm not sure where this degree (get it? geometry lols) of fascination with the YA Love Triangle came from, why people believe you can truly love two people at once and that in doing so you actually love either. To me, that's not love at all--it's selfish indecision.

Here are my issues with the YA Love Triangle:

• YOU'RE UNDERMINING THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACTUAL LOVE STORY. This kind of love triangle, to me, isn't love at all. If you can't choose between two people that love you, you reaaalllyyy don't deserve either of them. This destroys any chance of a believable love story because it reduces the notion of true love, which is supposed to be selfless and unconditional, to completely conditional and selfish. Who's going to sing songs about that? You think Shakespeare would've written sonnets about this kind of "love?" Doubt it.
• YOU'RE MOST LIKELY REDUCING YOUR PROTAGONIST TO A WHINY TWIT.
  So often the story starts out with a strong protagonist who is soon reduced to constant indecision over which person they should choose and a constant inner monologue comparing them against each other. "Omg, they both just love me SO much even though I've done nothing to deserve such devotion, how will I ever choose?" 
• THE LOVE TRIANGLE CAN EASILY TAKE OVER THE PLOT.
  My biggest problem is that the YA Love Triangle is rarely done well.  So often I start reading a book that promises this awesome, action-filled story with a kick-ass protagonist. Then the love triangle strikes and it takes over the plot AND the narrative. Too much room is made for what should be a subplot, too many aspects of the plot removed to adjust focus to the "love" story, too many random plot tools used at the end when they have to make a choice.   

This is obviously just my opinion. But I truly truly think you're doing a disservice to your young and sometimes impressionable audience by, essentially, telling them it's okay to love two people, that doing so still constitutes love, and that people will be climbing out of the woodworks to love them.

I promise to never EVER write a love triangle. Quote me on that right now. I'll chisel it into stone and hang the slab above the mantle. TATOO IT ON MY FACE.

TRUE LOVE FTW! Since I'm so demanding and anti-this-kind-of-love-story, I'll be following up on this post with another about how to write a compelling love story. Hold out for that. All the loves!

~Be mindful of the example you set with your words. People will take your message to heart.~

#FicFest

So some of you might be aware that earlier this month I entered a new writing contest called #FicFest. FicFest immediately drew my attention because it was a contest that gave an equal chance to all categories. Unlike other contests, that group picture books and adult books all into one, FicFest separates entrants by categories: Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult. Each category has 9 finalists, chosen by a mentor that will work with their mentee for two months to get ready for the agent round (where participating agents look at the finalists' queries and first 3 pages for their writerly matches).

Entering this contest was some serious last ditch effort-ing; I had already decided to shelve my story and move on to the next. On a whim, or perhaps by the grace of that ever-so-pushy hand of fate, I entered the contest. After numerous form rejections and the general agent consensus seeming to be "I love the story but there's no market for it right now," I told myself my chances were nil, but that it sure as hell didn't hurt to try.

And, lo and behold, I'm a finalist!!

And my mentor Hetal is every mentee's dream! I can't even begin to describe how refreshing it is to have someone so genuinely invested in your journey. To have chosen you for YOU, because they truly enjoyed your story and believe it deserves a place in readers' hands. Her creative insight is invaluable and she's an endless spring of support and encouragement and wisdom and entertaining gifs (for which we both have an intense passion)!

With some amazing notes and suggestions and critiques from my mentor-queen in hand, I've finished the first coat of polish on my MS so that, in the final round, an agent might say "How much is that novel in the window? The one with the lively tale?" (see what I did there? Lolz)

Fingers crossed that #FicFest will bear the fruit of my loins. Wait... sow the seeds of my labor? Er... Something something wisdom something something philosophical point about hard work.

For now, I'll wait for my mentor-goddess' next batch of notes on this MS and get back to dabbling in paralyzing self-doubt and that abyss of insecurity. Or as some of you might know it, "writing."

~Be mindful of the chances you're not taking--you have to open a door to see where it leads.~

WIP it. WIP it good.

WIP= Work In Progress, by the way. Get my writer-joke post title now?... 

...YEAH, WELL, YOU'RE LAME! 

Anyway, I'm working on a NEW project! THANK THE MUSES! I can't even begin to describe what a wonderful feeling it is.

I think the most exciting part of writing a new story is getting to know the characters. And then getting to see how they interact with the world you've created and the dynamic they have with their fictional peers. I LOVE writing individual bios for each one with a list of physical attributes, birthdays, personality traits (good and bad, characters should ALWAYS be flawed. One day I'll write a post on a technique I use to make sure they have a balance of traits), and some backstory.

My new story has quite the character lineup. And because it's a dual POV (point of view), both of my MCs (main characters) have a group of people they're close to. And it's sooooo much fun figuring out how they fit into each other's lives and developing their individual voices.

There are nine in the main cast (right now) and one of my favorite character descriptions so far is "has some serious resting bitch face." And that's for one of my guys.

Only twelve chapters in and I'm already so in love with this story and these characters.
And, while I think this WIP could possibly run into the same issues as my last one, I'm having such a fun time writing it that I don't mind that it could be doomed to the same "hard sell" fate.
It's a YA Post-Apocalyptic story in the vein of Mad Max meets the Maze Runner and the dual-POV is really keeping things interesting for me as a writer. I'm so excited to give this story some grit and suspense and diverse characters and all the love I could possibly give it.

If you're curious, here's a little teaser for The Runners (this is a rough draft of a synopsis, but should get the story across!):

It’s been four-hundred years since civilization fell to the Pandemic and humanity has been spread thin. Isolated within walled cities, their only hope of survival is to remain behind their walls, exiling anyone who contracts the infection to the Wandering, the dead lands where the infected roam aimlessly in search of healthy flesh. Gas and oil have long since been depleted and the only way across the perilous Wandering is on foot. Each city in the Sierra Territory has a team of runners, brave, fast, and cunning, that runs across the Wandering with supplies to trade in the neighboring walled cities.

In the impoverished mining village of Stoln, seventeen-year-old Rook Haxley has her late father’s knack for finding ore veins and precious stones. The pay is decent and it helps to keep her and her six siblings fed. But when her older brother, Wren, one of the village’s fastest runners, is injured, her family is likely to starve without his income and the rest of the team is likely to die during the next Crossing, leaving the village with no resources to prepare for winter. Rook must take her brother’s place as a runner to keep her village and her siblings from a fate of human trafficking to survive.  

Across the Wandering, in the flourishing farming town of Bardeen, luxuries can be afforded. Their runners are treated like celebrities, and Beauregard Galloway has an ego to match. Coming from a long-line of runners, Beau has his family’s legacy on his shoulders. And while he enjoys the infamy of his family name, the horrors he sees during the Crossings are starting to turn him numb. Until he meets Stoln’s newest runner, a tiny bird of a girl with a sharp tongue and an instant dislike for Beau. Which attracts him to her immediately.

With another Pandemic season approaching and an unsuccessful harvest, Stoln and Bardeen’s runners join up to make the long Crossing to the city of Lux, where technology has survived but is selfishly kept for its city alone. There is where Bardeen and Stoln’s salvation lies. So long as Rook doesn’t take her pickaxe to Beau’s face before they arrive.  

It's not dystopian, I swear!! I'd love a few CPs (critique partners) for this story if anyone is interested! Must love: zombies that aren't really zombies, deserts, gore and violence, and tiny, kick-ass heroines (my stories will ALWAYS have some kick-ass women in them).

Happy writing, my fellow wordfolk! And may the muse be with you! 

~Be mindful of the characters inside you. Each one has a story waiting to come to life.~

Don't [Pity] Party Too Hard

It's my morning ritual to check my emails as soon as I wake up. It's silly, really, since I know agents are, contrary to popular belief, also human beings and must sleep and don't ALWAYS work through the night to keep on top of the infinite number of queries they receive. But every morning I click on the little mail icon, hold my breath, and hope for a reply. JOYOUS OF JOYS, today I DID actually get one. And one I've been anxiously waiting for. And it wwwassss... yet another rejection. This time for my only full request. And while it was an immensely encouraging rejection that shot rays of hope through my phone screen, it was still a rejection. And so I threw a tantrum.

"I JUST WANT TO BE A WRITER," I yelled, exercising my human right to be a big baby. And while it's not one of my proudest moments, though perhaps adulting at its finest, I'm telling you about it because it's also nothing to be embarrassed of. It's okay to want something so bad that it's the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about before you go to bed. And part of me thinks that's the only way to get what you want: to want it THAT HARD.

To want it SO hard that you throw a baby tantrum when you can't get it. Not because it's shiny and expensive, but because it's you and it's your dream and you know your life won't be complete without it.

If only just wanting something was enough! Even hard work--that wholesome, old-fashioned notion--isn't enough sometimes. We'd all be writers by now if just want and hard work were all it took.
But there should be a disclaimer attached to writerly dreams: "writer" is synonymous with "rejection." You'll get rejected. So. Many. Times. And BUY ME A ONE WAY TICKET TO FEELADELPHIA, does being book-blocked start to chisel away at your soul.

But I think there IS a way to protect your heart and soul and dreams against rejection. And it takes three things (the 3Ds if you will): Determination, Dedication, and Desensitization.

The first two are obvious (cue "Eye of the Tiger"). But desensitization sounds like the start of a debate on violence and video games. And what I mean by the third D is, DON'T TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY. And it's gonna feel awful personal, so it's no easy feat. That was your mindchild someone just passed on! How dare they!?
But sometimes a rejection truly has NOTHING to do with your skill as a writer. There are so many other factors: it's in an overly-saturated genre, your query letter didn't quite do the story justice, or maybe the agent already has too many authors in that area.

And if it DOES have something to do with your writing, be objective about it! Could you have spent a bit more time editing? Did it need a 4th or 5th draft? Could you have found a few more beta readers? Would it hurt to read a couple "how to write" books? Maybe not!

Either way, Desensitize that rejection nerve. Take the hit and then PUNCH REJECTION BACK. IN THE FACE (so much caps lock in this post... left my chill at home). Better yet, print out that rejection and stick it on your wall! Because that rejection letter is tangible proof that you're following your dreams. You're ACTIVELY pursuing something bigger than yourself (because creating something that hundreds--no, thousands--nay, MILLIONS--of people can connect to and see themselves in is soooo much bigger than just one person) and a lot of people aren't brave enough to do that.

But, keeping all that and those 3 Ds in mind, rejections are still gonna suck--no matter how objective you are or how thick your skin is. And I'm not saying you can't throw yourself a pity party. But let's not call it that. Make it something more than about pitying yourself. Let's call it a passion tantrum. And you deserve that passion-tantrum every once in a while. Just keep it brief and then channel it into something more productive when you're done. "Woe is me" does not a writer make... Unless you're Poe. He was pretty woeful.

At the end of the day, all we need is ONE yes. Even if it comes only after hundreds of no's. These authors got plenty of rejections and if they had quit at any time they wouldn't be where they are now. Success could be just beyond the horizon and quitting accomplishes nothing except to ensure that your dreams will not come true. I'm not going to quit, SO DON'T YOU QUIT EITHER (if you're thinking about quitting that is. If you're not, then crack on, my confident writer-friend!)

So while we're allowed to feel like this every now and then: 

  

Turn it into this when you're done:

 

~Be mindful of the pity parties. They give life to excuses.~

Take it to Twitter

I'm pretty new to the twitter game. I resisted for sooo long. And now I'm HELLA miffed that I didn't join sooner! It's such an amazing resource for writers. Great for inspiration, connecting with other wordfolk, stalking potential agents, keeping up with your favorite authors, and participating in TWITTER PITCH CONTESTS! If you have a completed manuscript, these contests are great for testing the effectiveness of your pitch or challenging you to have the shortest query possible, getting down to the bones of your story!

#PitchWars
#PitchMadness       (these 3 events are hosted by Brenda Drake, author of Thief of Lies)
#PitMad
#FicFest                  (a brand new contest created by author and editor Tiffany Hoffman)
#DVPit                   (hosted by Beth Phelan for Marginalized Voices/Diverse Books)
#PitchCB                (hosted by Curtis Brown and Conville &Walsh)
#pg70pit                 (hosted by story coach and freelance editor Lara Willard)
#SFFpit                   (hosted by author and scientist Dan Koboldt)
#QueryKombat       (hosted by authors Laura Heffernan, Michael Anthony, and Michelle Hauck) 
#SonofaPitch          (hosted by author Katie Hamstead Teller)
#PitchSlam             (hosted by L.L. McKinney, Jamie Corrigan, Kimberly Vanderhorst, and Laura Heffernan)#PassorPages          (hosted by Operation Awesome)

These aren't ALL of the Twitter pitch contests/events. Just a few! Follow the hosts on Twitter to keep up with the rules and dates for each contest!

~Be mindful of the opportunities that lie outside the box.~ 

ONWARD! To the blogosphere!

THE FIRST POST! Let's smack the proverbial bottle of champagne against the proverbial SS Blogger before her maiden voyage!

I can't even begin to tell you how many two-posts blogs I've abandoned to the blogosphere (sorry blogs!). You start one thinking you'll have something really profound to say, something special to share with the world, and I think the desire to be witty, unique, and eloquent became a bit overwhelming.

But, then I realized--all those things I was trying to be in writing--that just ain't me! I'm rough around the edges, sometimes a little too opinionated, and full of malarky. I'm too old to care about that crap anymore (just ask my furry legs and love handles... they know. Oh, they know). But I'm passionate. And that's something I'd like to share with the world of the Interwebz.

And writing is one of my greatest passions. Each of us is on our own journey. If you're a writer, that's usually towards a published book. And that journey can feel horribly lonesome sometimes. We as Wordfolk often get trapped in feelings of self-doubt and second-guessing, and it can make all the difference to know you're not alone in your experiences. You're not the only one with a character who just won't come to life. You're not the only one struggling to revise the story your brain is now numb to. And you're DEFINITELY not the only one getting those horrifically form rejection letters.

We're all in this journey together and I hope this blog joins you on your quest! I've got tips ,and trials and errors, and resources I'll be sharing that will hopefully be helpful in feeding that passion for story telling and dream weaving! And though I won't always make posts about writing (there are too many amazing fandoms and books and games and songs out there to ignore), my desire is to connect with you over it. SO LET'S CONNECT, INTERWEBZ!

Also, I'll always leave you with one of my own mindful musings inspired by the post. Here's the first one:

~Be mindful of the passions that propel you. And pursue them relentlessly.~