...Authorship-ism-ology exploration continued: Characters...

****PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post. I no longer post on this blog. For more information, to visit my new blog, or to contact me, visit HERE****

 

OK all, we're two weeks into November, and so far...I'm doing alright with my NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50K in 30 days. There are many aspects of pre-planning your story (including outlining and brainstorming, which I discussed in one of my last posts) that have helped me get this far. But this post is about my character development. 

While plot and setting are important, characters are what drive the story--they are the voice(s) behind the telling. So, naturally I want to understand them as best I can before I dive into writing the world from their perspectives. 

• If I can think like them, that means readers should be able to as well. 
• The last thing I want is for Reilly and Sam to be muddled in any way, so that's why I've dug a bit deeper into what they look like, what their hobbies and favorite places are, asked myself what their fears and passions might be, and what it is that drives their actions.

Finding the right Characters.
One aspect of story building that I usually enjoy is finding a physical representation to reference for my character inspiration. This is both fun and frustrating because it's not often easy to find that perfect muse or reference. But, when I do find it, it truly helps everything else fall into place.

People have asked me why, if I'm a good writer, do I need a picture for inspiration, especially if the character is so clear in my mind? 
Great question, and for me, it's like this... 

1. I'm not a great writer. I'm a novice, and I can only achieve so much with my imagination and writing ability so early in my writing career. I'll take all the help I can get creating characters that don't really exists. Would a poet be able to write poetry without having lived through what they write, at least in some small way? My characters are IN MY MIND, so it's easy to overlook certain traits and behaviors about them that my mind glazes over. A physical reminder helps me keep the descriptions and actions dynamic.
2. I'm no expert. I don't know what it feels like to lose my father, and I wouldn't be able to write about my character's reaction without doing the research or talking to those who have lived through something so traumatic. Physical research and appreciation isn't any different. All aspects of a character deserve due diligence if they're going to be authentic.
3. No such thing as a brand new character. No characters--looks or character traits--are completely made up. There's generally a living person who brings their image to life, a television character or college roommate, a teacher or the girl next door that contributes to the person in your head. Writers use what they know, and I'm a visual person.

Organization.
Generally, I'm an indecisive, easily distracted, and unorganized person. So, there are steps I'm learning to take and tools I'm exploring to help me stay focused, visualize the scenes, and get to know my characters with a bit more ease.

Pinterest
While most people use Pinterest to pin recipes and craft ideas, I use it to organize and visualize my story ideas through pictures I can reference while writing.

Some of my Pinterst Boards - Story ideas and inspiration

I can also collage the photos I've collected on my Pinterest boards to compile visual tools like these...

Story Boards and Introductions:

Sam's Story Board

Meet Samantha Jenner, a simple girl living in a overly complicated world. Once sweet and endearing to the few people she holds dear, everything changes after a horrible accident. Her innocence turns jaded, her timidness solidified to distrust and the need for control. Sam's a care giver and has nearly perfected the art of lying--to others and to herself. Though naivety has shredded her heart, loss has shown her that vulnerability is the most dangerous emotion. 

On any given day, Sam enjoys the outdoors and camping with her friends. When she's not mucking out stalls, riding her old gray mare, Shasta, or taking care of the only family she has left, Sam does all she can to keep busy...she'll do whatever it takes, as long as she's not alone with her thoughts for too long. Loneliness welcomes thoughts, and thoughts conjure guilt and sadness, two emotions that have helped mold her into the dark shadow of herself she's become.

Reilly's Story Board

Meet Josh Reilly, a heart breaker to some, best friend to others, and an arrogant bastard to the one woman he wishes would just give him a damn chance. This military man is no stranger to hard word, taking chances, and living life to the fullest whenever possible. Despite what some may argue, Reilly prides himself on his loyalty--even when it gets him into trouble and nearly ruins his life. But life decisions, good and bad, have taught him that he has to work for what he wants, no matter how daunting the task, if he ever wants to find true happiness.

For fun, Reilly likes to play baseball with the guys, live a little dangerously, and work with his hands (wink). A perfect date would be drinking a beer by the bonfire down at the lake, listening to old rock'n roll, and sharing embarrassing childhood stories.

~Coming soon: Outlining a Series~
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...National Novel Writing Month has begun!!!!....

Okay, all! It's that time of year when all moments are filled with thoughtful distractions--wishes for writing and the impending 50K word count writing challenge! Participating in NaNoWriMo while having a job, friends, and family (especially during the busy holiday season) can be difficult. 

This is only my second year participating, but last year wasn't all fun and games. It's a lot to take on. Here's my project for this year, and how I try to stay focused...

My NaNoWriMo breakdown:

My project:

Working Title - Reilly, book one of my currently titled series, "Whatever It Takes"
Genre - New Adult - Contemporary Romance
Goal - Completed first (very rough) draft by Nov 30
Current WC - 40K with an approximate 50K more to go
Challenges - Writing even when I'm not feeling inspired to do so

The staples:

Libation for long, brain-fart stinted nights

Cozy Leg Warmers for cold days

Lady Gray Tea and my Balsam-scented candle

I generally only eat once around 11:00 or so...I make it a good one

What I use and how I do:

I couldn't stay organized without Scrivener

Or my story notebook, which contains sketches, notes, outlines, ideas, etc....

Playlist:

A few artists and the songs that help me stay in my story "zone" this year...

• Milky Chances 
• Sam Smith
• Black Eyed Peas
• Metric
• Sia

What keeps my creative juices flowing:

1. HOT showers
2. Wine...bubbles and more wine
3. Observing - being out in public
4. SLEEP

Oh yeah, it's official...

....Authorship-ism-ology: Brainstorming and Outlining...

****PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post. I no longer post on this blog. For more information, to visit my new blog, or to contact me, visit HERE****

Brainstorming
I start with getting in the right mindset. It's hard when you've got another story and characters so prominent in your mind (The Ending Series). So, wading around in my ideas, sketching and observing while watching a show or movie sometimes helps inspire me to get into the "New Story" frame of mind. Thus, the birth of my new story notebook. While "Reilly" is only my working title, it's the only title I have right now, so...

"Reilly" Story Notebook

The Basics
Reilly was the original title for the story I wrote when I was in high school. At the time, I deemed it a masterpiece and marked it "completed". Now that I'm older and have written a book or two, I've learned a thing or two that was glaringly wrong in my old Reilly manuscript:

• A story with only 20,000 words isn't a novel, but a short story or novella.
• Although I want my stories to be riddled with emotion, they've got to have a happy ending - otherwise I'm depressed writing the damn thing. So the originally Reilly story is getting a major face lift and rework, hopefully leaving plenty of grit and emotion in the mix while providing an ending that is satisfying to me and readers.
• I've got to develop my characters more, hence the extensive outlining process below.

Key issues I've had while working on "Reilly":

• Getting out of my own head. Just because I wrote a certain story line fifteen years ago, doesn't mean it's good or that I have to stick with it. As much as I know that, it's hard to work through something that's so solidified and concrete in my mind. no matter how horrible parts of it is.
• Writing is a courtship, not a marriage. Things change, ideas come up, and characters take the story where they want to. Wait until you're finished or 100% certain of something before you decide to commit, it will make everything so much easier.
• Keep exploring cover ideas and title ideas and series ideas, write them down, run with them, do whatever is needed in order to stay inspired and keep the creative juices flowing.

Ideas, characters strengths and weaknesses, etc.

When the Muse is a no show
In my world, libation equals creation. There's no better way to free your mind than a glass (or two) of wine. It may sound silly, but there's something to be said for getting out of your own head and letting your mind wander, most often stumbling across something magical that would've otherwise remained uncovered.

Fancy Pants, I show that story who's boss...

Outlining
This is a long process with lots of twists and turns, revisions and road blocks. I've spent a solid two months developing my characters, exploring the story, bouncing ideas off friends, all so I could get a solid outline. Let's be honest, outlining is a great intention to have, but things always change as I mentioned above. So, use it as a guide, but don't resist the desire to explore or take another, unexpected road.

Extended Outline - Chapters, setting, characters and notes

So, obviously there is much to learn when writing a novel by yourself. It's strange how different it is than writing a book with someone else. There are many elements that are very much the same, like brainstorming with friends, deciding what actions and situations are best suited for your characters, while others aspects are completely different, i.e. coming up with your own story line, deciding where you want to take the story, with the help of your characters, of course. Either way, it's the life of a writer, and I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.

I'll be posting my character story boards and character explorations next. Stay tuned!

***** 

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...writers remember...

You can't fail at writing...unless you quit.

"If you write a hundred short stories and they’re all bad, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. You fail only if you stop writing. I’ve written about 2,000 short stories; I’ve only published about 300 and I feel I’m still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer."

RAY BRADBURY (1967)

...Sigh...Amazing book reviews that make me smile...

Thanks to Library at the End of the Universe for such a wonderful review of the book. I can't wait to share book 2 with everyone...and I'm most excited to start writing book 3....so much I want to share but my lips are sealed!!!

"After The Ending hooked me into the idea from the back cover blurb, which is a snare trap for books. A good blurb does not always mean a good book. This time it does though. Yes, it is an apocalypse story, and that has been a trend that some steer clear of, with good reason. The difference here though is that the story is more about the endurance of a friendship. Dani and Zoe anchor the cast of highly developed characters, which is a huge plus for me. Characters that are flat and boring, make a story hard to stomach. Even though the story is dealing with the harsh reality of surviving the end of the world, the characters are richly built by the authors. They do not choose to hammer you with all of the details at once though, the slowly reel you into the characters personalities as the story plays out. You know I do not like to give spoilers, so I am not going to highlight all of the characters, but I want you to know that every character has a role that they play. Fairleigh & Pogue crafted every minute aspect of each person and animal so well, they alone make the novel worth the read.
The true star of the show though is the story format that the authors chose to use in telling their tale. Alternating chapters from different points of view, including email communication between Dani and Zoe until that is no longer available, all makes for a fairly unique format. I found that I liked this way of story telling and was easily drawn into the unfolding drama on either side of the world. The story is also one that is beautifully written with a clear understanding of the subject matter. Whether it is survival training, medical knowledge or mental health the authors went into just the right amount of detail to show they were aware of the topic, but not going to hammer you with unnecessary details. There is the right amount of action and drama within the story that the reader is never left waiting for something to happen. Just as you think things may be coming to some level of closure something surprises you and the characters and the story moves further forward.
This is the first book in The Ending Series, and I know I am eagerly anticipating the second book."

...the woe's of authorship-ism-ology

So, being the budding author that I am, I have to say, I'm having to do things I've never even considered part of the "craft." While I know designing book covers, taking author photos, and coming up with slogans and back-cover dialogue is all part of the game, I never really imagined myself doing it. 


But...alas! Back cover design for L2 Books's first publication is ready to go! Our first author picture has been chosen and we wrote our bios! AMAZING, right? Here's mine :)


"Lindsey Pogue is a history addict, traveling fool and food lover who dreams of the day she can go horseback riding, write and read, all in a days work."

On small victory!