Monthly Archives: March 2010

My first character sketch was not designed for developing a character, but for remembering the characteristics I had for an existing character.  It worked/works great for secondary characters that don’t change much and tracking infrequent characters.  I have made a couple of tweaks and hopefully it is better.

I have also created a new character outline to be used in conjunction with event pages.   This outline is for creating a well rounded character and, should you choose, tracking that character’s development through the events of the story. 

There is a marker box before each field on the character outline meant to be used with an additional page, Influential Events.  You put a number in the marker field to specify an event that modifies or changes the character, then add an Influential Events page and put the same number by an event.  You then describe what happened and how it affected the character. 

If used properly, you will be able to see what the character looks like at the beginning of the story as well as track the changes that happen to the character throughout the story.  You can also use the Influential Events page to set up events which occurred before the story that have shaped your character.

For example:

Ralph starts out atheistic.  That is what you put in the “Religion” field.  However, part of this story has to do with Ralph meeting God, so there will be an event that changes this attribute.  Put a number in the event marker box next to “Religion” on the outline.  For my example, this will be the third event, so I will put 3.  Then, on the Influential Events page, I will write down the “Character” – Ralph, and “Event #” -  3.  I will then fill in the fields except possibly “Chapter/Page” – this I can only fill in after I have written the scene.   

That’s it; you can look at the outline and clearly see the characters position at the beginning of a story, what will change (if there is a number in the box), and see how/when that change occurs by looking at the influential events page.  Not only can you track how a character changes, but you can also plot the changes and use this tool in your storyline planning.

Here’s what available now:

• I have added mannerisms, political leanings, and the point of introduction to the one-page Character Sketch.
• The full Character Outline includes everything from the sketch plus: aliases, nicknames, fears, abuses, indulgences, passions, temperament, background, event marker for each field, and the fatal flaw.
• Beyond the character sketch and outline, I have some additional pages that can be used for Address History and Employment History as well as Events that have positively or negatively influenced the character.

Writing challenge:

• Describe all of your minor characters using the Character Sketch
• Develop you main characters using the Character Outline and Influential Events page

I’m taking input on my next post.  I previously created a character sketch outline so I could manage my secondary/infrequent characters.  I am now interested in creating a full character outline template for my primary characters.  I am going to included everything that is on the One-Page Character Sketch as well as fears, abuses, indulgences, passions, mannerisms, temperament, background, and the fatal flaw.

If you think the character sketch would be useful to you, but is missing some items, let me know.  I will be taking suggestions until noon on Monday, March 29th.

Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it’s just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it.  – David Sedaris

A name carries some history with it.  More than anything else you write, a reader will bring personal bias and knowledge based on a name.  Some names are common, some are famous or infamous because of an individual or group, and some names can take you to a different place and or time.  All of those issues can be researched; pick one that enhances your character.  The reader will also bring their own baggage along with some names – that cannot be helped.

What image comes up when you hear Franz, Petrova, Gabriella, Degas, Edward, Obama, Siobhan, Chow, Smith, or River?  Does your mind picture different nationalities, time periods, or personalities?  I believe it should have.  Names follow patterns of culture, time, and geography.  Any number of pages exist on the internet that can help you pinpoint where a name came from, when it was popular, and if it has spread to other geographic areas.

Names become even more powerful when they happen in sets.  What family do you picture with each set of names:

• Antwaun, Tomika, and Roshawna
• Star, Hope, Joy, and Leaf
• Sven and Lars
• Jeremiah, Elijah, Mary, and Elisabeth
• Hoshi, Kazue, Ume, and Yamato

Do you see different cultures?  Different colors and nationalities?  Different cultural viewpoints?  Whether they are conservative or liberal?  Can you picture what conversations at the dinner table would sound like?  Carefully chosen names can save a writer hundreds of words of description by allowing the reader to use their own knowledge.

What do you think when you see Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Elizabete, Elisabet, or Liesbeth?  Do you see different origins?  Can you place the family history?  If not, do you think you can research it?  As a reader, I don’t know where every name comes from.  But I don’t think twice about Elisabeth whereas I try to imagine where a name like Liesbeth comes from.  Choosing the proper name can give you a head start in your description of a character.

It is very common to see names in modern literature that lack flavor.  These generic names deny the character both history and personality.  If you call a character Chris, he can be any of a dozen nationalities.  If you call him Christian, Christopher, Christoffer, Crist, or Krystof, you give him depth.  You give the reader that little taste of who he is.  Then you can let his friends call him Chris throughout the story.

Let’s look at family names.  Do you picture something different when you see a sign with Garrett and Winchester versus Draper and Smith?  Does the first set of names feel more powerful?  Why?  Smith, on the second sign, is very common; it takes some of its power away.  Names like Smith, Jones, Miller, or Wilson are great for generic characters, for making them hide.  Also, Draper and Smith are names created from occupations.  If you are creating a character of one occupation, but give him the name of another, you can be creating problems for yourself.  For more information on occupational surnames, see What’s in a Name: Surnames and Occupations.  However, if you want to make an impact, choose something with cultural flare.

For a character, pick a name that means something.  If you are picking names for a family, pick names that naturally flow together.  If you are picking a family name, especially someone that isn’t going to be developed much, give them a name that brings forward images of race, history, culture, political view points, era, and class.  If you, as a writer, are going to maintain some illusion of control, you should try to work with your readers own preconceptions instead of against them.

Here is a writing challenge, develop a series of names that will help the reader see:

• A Chinese/American family during WWII
• Surfing buddies
• Russian lobsters (for children’s book)
• Irish immigrants before the civil war
• Tennessee tobacco workers in the 1969
• A French doctor

I was recently asked how I write by a good friend of mine.  That was/is a good question.  I didn’t have a good answer at the time; I still don’t have a great answer.

So far, I’ve finished two manuscripts and started on four more (not to mention the three short stories). I’ve also written outlines, scenes, and ideas for at least six other books.  I do write, but how?

I explained a little, but it wasn’t enough for him.  I have an idea, sometimes from a dream, and I run with it.  Here’s a little of the conversation, kind of paraphrased on my part.

He asked me, “Do you outline?” 

Yes, I do, sometimes.  I outline most things, at least loosely.  I have a strict outline for one of the manuscripts that I started.

Next he asked, “Do you brainstorm?” 

Sometimes, not often.  Normally I get a scene in my head, sometimes the whole book.  If I get just one scene, I might brainstorm (rarely).

He asked, “How do you go from a scene in your head to words on paper?”

I had no idea.  “I see it; I write it.” 

Lastly he asked, “But how?  How do you go from an idea to paper?” 

That’s where the conversation ended.  I couldn’t see where the dilemma was – I still have problems seeing it.  Why?  Because I have never had a problem writing what I think or see.  I couldn’t relate to the problem he is having.  I’m not saying I always wrote well, I didn’t, but I was always able to write.

I thought about the conversation a few times.  I was rethinking it today.

Writing is as natural to me as talking, sleeping, or eating.  My wife asks me, “How do you fall asleep so fast?”  I don’t know, I just do.  I lay my head on a pillow when I feel tired and just shut down. I don’t know how else to explain it.

Someday my son might asked me, “How do you use a fork?”  I don’t know exactly.  You pick it up, stab whatever you are eating (or scoop under it), and move the fork into your mouth without dropping the food along the way or stabbing the inside of you mouth.  “But how, Daddy?”

It was the “But how, Daddy?” that clued me in to what I should have told my friend, practice.  You need practice.

Like any profession, you need a little interest, a little natural ability, and a lot of education, practice, or both.

I used to draw.  I would see scene and try to capture it.  I wasn’t great, ever, but the more I practiced, the more I learned, the better I was at the craft.

I woodwork upon occasion.  When I am doing a lot of it, I am both quicker and better than when I don’t do it very often. 

I am a programmer.  When I write in one language for a prolonged period of time, other languages become more difficult.  Why?  Because I am out of practice with them.  I have to reacquaint myself.

To all people that have ideas, but don’t know how to get them on paper, I have one word, PRACTICE. 

I can just picture my friend asking, “How do you practice?” 

You write, just write.  Write anything.  Write everything.  Write down conversations.  Write alternate endings to conversations.  Write down descriptions of places like hospital rooms, automotive dealer waiting rooms, your dining room, or your wife’s side of the closet.  Write down what someone smelled like in the elevator.  Write down what it felt like to hit your thumb with a hammer.  Write down how it hurt when your sixth-grade crush embarrassed you on April Fool’s day. 

I can write about all those things because I have experienced them.  I can picture any one of them, think about it, and phrase it so others could picture it also.  You should start by writing about what you have experienced: what you have seen, what you have smelled, what you have felt both physically and emotionally.

Once you have the ability to do some of the minor things, like describe a conversation with alternate endings and describe a hospital room, you can mix them.  Soon you will have a scene.  If you can do one scene, then others will follow.  And that is how you can put an idea to paper.

A writing challenge:

• Write 10 conversations down, but alter them along the way somewhere.
• Describe five locations that you are familiar with.
• Try to capture ten physical sensations and/or emotions.
• Combine one of each to make a scene (may require more alterations to make it flow well).

I knew a girl once who coward every time someone raised their hands.  I know a guy who does a fist pump whenever he takes a drag of a cigarette.  I remember a dog that barked at any man who wore glasses.  I know a guy who washes his hands any time he touches a doorknob.  I worked with a man who held his ribs as he laughed.  I met a woman who offered her hand to be kissed, even to other women.  I knew a girl who prayed over hamburger meat because cows were precious.  I know a woman who went through a phase where she always had someone check her rear-end after she used the restroom.  Ally McBeal had a character who always flushed a toilet by remote control before stepping into his stall.  I personally check behind the shower curtain before I use the bathroom.

Why did I tell you those things?  Because you can later identify each person from those mannerisms.

Before we get any further, let’s define a few terms.  A trait is a distinguishing feature such as a look, line of thought, or behavior.  A habit is an automatic, repeated, or regular pattern of behavior.  A mannerism is a pattern of behavior that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual.  In other words, a habitual trait is a mannerism.  Got it?

How is a mannerism helpful in writing?  It helps you manage your secondary characters.  Yes, yes – main characters have mannerisms as well, but they are often annoying and hard to keep consistent.  If you can do it, great!  You will have great depth in your main character.  However, that isn’t why I think mannerisms are important.

Do you remember the girl who prayed for precious cows?  Of course you do – I hope you do (it’s the whole point here so you better).  Let’s play with her mannerism for a moment.

Let’s say that you are writing a manuscript and you think it might become a series.  Let’s also say that you have a small character who you hope will come up from time to time, but not necessarily in every novel.  How can you hope that the reader will remember this girl?  By the name?  Not likely, there are plenty of repeated names in real life and the reader will not necessarily know if it is the same girl or not.

In the first novel you could introduce the girl as saying, “Aren’t they precious,” while looking at cows.  That will stand out, but it isn’t a mannerism.  Before the reader has a chance to forget her, somewhere in the next chapter or two, insert the mannerism, have her pray for the “precious cow meat that we are about to eat.”  That reinforced what you read earlier and set her up with a unique behavior.  Then, in book 3, 7, and 8, you can bring her back and just have her praying over the hamburger, “God, we thank you for the precious meat here before us.  Forgive us for taking the life…”  Each time you can make the prayer a little more mature, the girl is maturing, but the mannerism of praying for the precious cow will always remain.  Your reader will always know it is the same girl.  That’s all there is to it.

Remember, a mannerism is a habitual trait – it identifies your character in a way that a name alone cannot.

A writing challenge for you, create a list of mannerisms for all your current and former friends and coworkers.

• From pressure can come productivity.
• Patience and perseverance are close neighbors.
• There is such a thing as too much description.
• Aways have an proff readder too catch thee little mis-takes;
• Indigent does not always refer to need of money.
• Readers can see more than what was intended, and sometimes that is a good thing.
• It is difficult to get people to comment on my blog.
• Babies take a lot of time.
• Sometimes silence is the hardest lie of them all.

Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.   – Thomas Berger

I have scoured the internet (okay, I did Google and Bing searches looking at the top 20 hits) to find something about creating a sense of history based on a character’s initial description and setting.  I found nothing, and thus, I am writing.

My theory: if there is only physical character description without setting, the character’s history has to be explained.  However, with proper consideration of the setting for introducing a character, history will take care of itself.

For most people, first impressions are very strong.  Part of that impression is of the person themselves, but part of it is the setting.  We associate our stereotypes with settings.  Seeing an attractive, drunken woman at a bar might be enticing for some men; however, seeing an attractive, drunken woman in cuffs near the scene of a fatal accident gives a totally different impression.  Why?  It is because of our experiences, because of our prejudices.  We, the readers, add to what we read.  The setting gives us all we need to let our minds go wild, especially if it is a first impression of a lesser character.

Let’s play with an example: if a main character, Andre, is described as mulatto, well groomed, athletic build, and wearing a black suit, you can picture him without knowing anything about him.  Further, add that he is crying while holding pink pom-poms to his chest.  Now you may think he is strange, you may want to know more.  However, that is all the physical description you need to make Andre totally come alive.  Let’s play with the setting two ways:

•  Andre is sitting on a couch between two other metro men watching “Bring It On” with a stack of Hayden Panettiere movies off to the side.  What do you picture about the man?  Can you see more than what was written?
• Andre is standing before two closed caskets, one full sized and one smaller.  A group of peewee cheerleaders sit in the third row staring at the smaller casket.  Do you get a sense of history that isn’t explained?  Did you assume the caskets contained his family?  Did you at least think about why the caskets were closed?  What gender was his child?  How close he was to his child?

Another example, if Christian, a main character, was described as a blubbery white mass nearly 100 pounds overweight, wearing sweatpants and a bandana.  What do you see?  Let’s see if we can add or take away from what you picture by adding the setting and maybe a touch more description.

• Christian is in a gym after most of the lights have been turned off, pleading with the owner to give him five more minutes on the stationary bike before going home.  What do you think of the main character now?  What is going on here?  Why type of person is he?
• Christian is at his fly infested house that smells of stale food.  Trophies for high school wrestling are in a display case behind him as he sits in a fabric worn recliner watching reruns of Ninja Warrior.  He has a beer in one and and the last slice of a large pizza in the other.  Can you picture what has happened in his life?  Do you see him as the same man as from the bike setting?

Last example, this is from a manuscript that I have been working on.  Picture a 16 year old Caucasian boy who is watching television with his dad – competing with him on some game show answers.  What do you think of boy? the family?  How does your viewpoint change when I say that it is 10am on a school day?  Or that they are in a rundown trailer?  What if I were to add that an older brother and wife were in the next room having loud sex?  Do you think less of the father?  Do you wonder about the family dynamics?  Do you think “white trash!”?  Do you automatically make assumptions about the family and their history that I didn’t mention?

Whether you are introducing a drunken woman, a sad father, an overweight has-been, or 16 year old slacker, the context in which you introduce them in will give the reader so much more than what you actually write.

Setting is important when introducing characters, especially secondary characters.  It gives the reader more than what you say and keeps you, the writer, from having to fill in some blanks.  If you introduce twenty characters at once in a party, then you have denied yourself and your reader the power of the first impression.

Here is a writing challenge, think of all the places you could put five naked teenagers – three boys and two girls.  I’ll start with the first one, huddled together in what was supposed to be a shower in Auschwitz.

Yes, I ditched my RSS feed to io9.  I admit it.  I still love them so get over it.

I got rid of all my RSS feeds, dropped one of the two side bars, and went with a theme that allowed me to put a pic at the top.  Let me know what you think.

Like many aspiring writers, I have a normal job – a day job that pays the bills.  I leave the house for nearly 11 hours a day when you count in commute and lunch.  This means I don’t have a lot of time to write or edit.  Before the baby I would write about 500 words a day and not every day.  An average week for me was 2000 words and a really good week was 3000.  In the last two weeks leading up the birth of my son and the first two after, I wrote only 1500 total words – 1500 words in one month.  I told you that to tell you something else.

Yesterday I wrote 2500 words.  2500!  I know there are a lot of writers that do a lot more, you may be one of them – good for you, you little braggart.  This post is about me. 

The reason for so much production was the anthology.  The original date for rough drafts to be submitted for review was last night.  We have since moved that date out a week, but I still wanted to make the first goal.  I wanted to do it because I was wondering if I still had it in me to write.  One month is a long dry spell and I was worried. 

I was 4000 words into my short a month ago and 5500 words just yesterday morning.  I wanted to finish.  I had thought about the story many a times while commuting, cuddling my baby, or doing any number of other tasks, but I hadn’t had the chance to put pen to paper (or hand to keyboard). 

Yesterday I started at 6:50 am.  Every time I looked at the clock I would say to myself: “17 hours left”, “9 and a half hours left”, “1 hour 22 minutes left.”  The pressure felt good.  The writing felt good.  I submitted just before the original deadline (I actually had another week).  I haven’t looked over the last 2500 words, they may be trash, but I wrote.  I wrote, I submitted, and I made my goal.  For that I am happy.

• I try to open my eyes but the light is too bright.  I squint against the pain and try to look towards the darkest corner.  There is no dark corner.  A sound, gentle yet frightening, beckons for my attention.  It hurts as my eyes meet…
• My wife’s face is red and covered with sweat.  A nurse stands on the opposite side of her as I do.  My wife nods to me and I prompt, “Deep breathe, now push, two, three, four, five, six, doing good, eight, nine, ten, breathe, push…”  Her breaths aren’t deep between pushes, but quick and short.  The midwife asks if I want to look.  I can’t.  She grabs my wife’s hand and guides it down to touch the head.  She screams, “Noooooo!”
• Late!  I’m running late, now?  Damn it!  I’m the guest of honor.  It’s okay to be fashionably late, but this is ridiculous.  I honk my horn pointlessly at the car in front of me in the parking-lot freeway.  And to think, I was actually getting the award for…
• That’s it!  Farris Sheckle will not have the last laugh this time.  He may think he does, but that is all part my plan.  Tomorrow he’s in for it.  Now I just need to get…