The Agony of a Name #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

Definitely, without a doubt, titles are harder. I'm not so fussed with character names. I once wrote an outline for a story and I didn't want to waste time coming up with the main character's name just yet so I put in a placeholder: Guy. That ended up becoming the character's official name. With character names I can simply look up baby names and find one I like, but titles carry more weight. Along with the cover, titles are part of the first impression you make with potential readers. You want to capture the genre, the essence of the story, maybe even the drama. In a way, the title explains what the book is about. So, yeah, coming up with the perfect title is something to lose sleep over. For me, anyway.

Please note: The July IWSG posting will be on July 3, a Tuesday, due to the US Fourth of July holiday.

Announcing the IWSG Anthology Contest!

The genre is Young Adult Romance.
The theme will be revealed on September 5, along with the judges and other details. This will be our fourth anthology. Our previous anthologies were Parallels: Felix Was Here, Hero Lost: The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime.

The next #IWSGPit is Thursday July 19th 8:00am - 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Over a thousand agents and publishers have been invited to tune in that day. Polish your story and your Twitter pitch and be ready!

Writing Likeable Characters

I've often heard the advice that writers should strive to create likeable characters. Unfortunately the term 'likeable' is often misunderstood to mean someone you'd want to get to know in real life. As a result, writers turn their creations into sugar sweet confectionery that's neither likeable nor realistic.

I just finished reading The Diviners by Libba Bray. It's a young adult book set in the 1920's. It's a wonderful read, but I'm not sure I'd want to make the main character my best friend. She's far too selfish. Oddly enough, she's likeable nonetheless. Why? Because she's interesting. She's bold and open-minded and just a little bit sassy.

I also recently read Bloody Waters by Jason Franks. It's about a girl named Clarice and her rock band, Bloody Waters, as they rise to stardom with the aid of a deal done with the devil. Another fantastic read. I definitely would not want to know Clarice in real life, yet she's a fabulous character to journey with through the novel. She speaks her mind, is as rough as sandpaper, and will take out anyone who gets in her way.

Another great example of unlikeable likeable characters is to read pretty much any of the books written by Joe Abercrombie. The Blade Itself is his first novel. It's full of horrible people capable of doing horrible things, yet I was drawn to them anyway. He turned the sanitised fantasies into something new and engaging.

So when you hear the call for 'likeable' characters, think instead 'interesting'--characters with depth, inner conflicts and flaws. Realistic characters with no rainbows and unicorns in sight. It's the quirks that make the characters likeable and encourages readers to read more.

What stories have you read with unlikeable likeable characters? What do you think made those characters work?

4 Benefits of Listening to Your Characters

Nothing will pull me out of a story faster than a lack of character motivation. It’s a sure sign that the author didn’t listen to the characters. Sure characters can be obstinate, even infuriating at times, but they’re worth listening to, and here’s why:

Character Believability
Characters know more about themselves than the author does. Like an old friend, we think we know a character, but when we continue to listen to them, we continue to discover more about them. When we know our characters, getting deep into their histories and personalities, their likes and dislikes, they become real on the page, even when those details often don’t make it into the story.

Story Direction
When we listen to our characters they will tell us where the story needs to go. My latest work in progress has an ending that’s been rewritten twice and needs to be rewritten again, all because I failed to listen to my main character. Clearly she is smarter than me.

Breaking Writer’s Block
Characters don’t have the same hang-ups as writers. They don’t care if the story is good enough, or if it’s ‘The One’ which will finally catch the eye of a dream agent. Therefore, they have a clearer head so they don’t second guess themselves. They will continue to guide us through the story—if we are willing to listen.

Writer’s Sanity
Characters will act up even more when we don’t listen to them. Often we’ll end up with a bunch of rebellious characters who’ll refuse to play their part. So we might as well listen to them and save ourselves some grief.

Do you listen to your characters? If so, when do you listen to them?

Character Interview and Review for #MakeBelieve

Christa is the main character in Birthright, my story published in the Make Believe anthology. For something a little different, she will be with Susan Rocan today at mywithershins for an interview. If you'd like to learn more, please pop on over. I'd love to see you there. Click HERE.

Susan also wrote up a wonderful review of Birthright, which really made my weekend. You can read it here.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books on Board

#MakeBelieve

Character Spotlight: Kurt Lancer

Fact File:

Name: Kurt Michael Lancer
Age: 33
D.O.B.: February 2nd
Likes: Bruce Lee, martial arts, Chinese food
Dislikes: Gang culture, social prejudices, benefits fraudsters, religious fanatics, hospitals

Bio:  Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is the main protagonist in Oracle. A homicide detective with the Murder Investigation Team of the London Metropolitan Police, he is charged to solve a series of bizarre murders, linked only by an oak leaf left at the scene of each crime.

Six-foot-four and solidly built, Lancer is conscious of how his appearance and stature intimidates people. He compensates by being soft-spoken, and although he practices martial arts, chooses a ‘soft’ style where size and strength does not give him any advantage.

A recent widower, Lancer is a single parent to eight-year-old Meghan, whose progressive disability worries him daily. He also cares for younger brother Reggie, often having to spring him out of trouble.

Lancer throws himself into his job, working long hours to keep his mind off his troubles at home. However, his two worlds come crashing together when someone starts stalking his home—and Meghan.

And the culprit could be closer than he thinks.

Oracle 

With London gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn't need a serial killer stalking the streets, but they've got one anyway.

Leaving a trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police force is no closer to finding the latest psychopath than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solution for his daughter's disability.

Thrust into the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parent is wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety of a growing population of potential victims.

One of whom could be his own daughter.

Fingers point in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer's only answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene. 

Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

J.C. Martin is a butt-kicking bookworm: when she isn’t reading or writing, she teaches martial arts and self-defence to adults and children.

After working in pharmaceutical research, then in education as a schoolteacher, she decided to put the following to good use: one, her 2nd degree black belt in Wing Chun kung fu; and two, her overwhelming need to write dark mysteries and gripping thrillers with a psychological slant.

Her short stories have won various prizes and have been published in several anthologies. Oracle is her first novel.

Born and raised in Malaysia, J.C. now lives in south London with her husband and three dogs.

Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

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Note:  I've read this book and loved every minute of it. JC has a fantastic writing style that brings her stories and characters alive. To see what Kurt looks like, check him out HERE.

Thank you: Thanks to everyone who offered me their condolences, prayers, and well wishes after the recent passing of one of my family members. My aunt will be dearly missed.

Giveaway: Jamie Gibbs of Mithril Wisdom is hosting a giveaway to celebrate 350 followers. Yay, Jamie!! Pop on over HERE and check it out.

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How to Write the Ultimate Man

While people-watching by the seaside one summer, I bantered with a good friend over what we thought made up the ultimate man. To my surprise, the physical attribute that attracted her most wasn't a man's eyes, his butt, or his muscles. Instead she confessed she adored his hair: hair on his chest, face, arms, back, and shoulders. The more hair the better. I shuddered at the thought and when I told her so our conversation degenerated into amusing name-calling. (I never said I was mature).

My point is that hair does not make the man and neither does his height, the colour of his eyes, nor his bulging muscles. It's not the physical appearance of someone that attracts for longer than a few seconds, it's his or her thoughts and actions that give the lasting impression. This is also true in books.

If I used description to define my characters then I run a powerful risk of not only alienating my readers--what one person likes, another may not--but I also risk underestimating my readers and turning my characters into shallow nothings.

I'm not saying don't describe your characters at all--if you try to please everyone you'll end up pleasing no one. I'm saying be careful not to put too much emphasis on their appearances. The ultimate man can only be defined by the decisions he makes and the actions he takes.

In books you've read what physical attributes in the characters attract you? Have you been turned off a book because the character descriptions have been too much?

6 Reasons to Write Flawed Characters

It's so tempting to write the perfect character: the dream man, the rugged hero, a character who could grace the catwalks of Milan, knows exactly what's going on, can solve anything. But it never turns out well. One element every character must have is a flaw. And here’s why:

1. Credibility. No one is perfect. No one is good all of the time and no one is bad all of the time. It’s just not real. We all have multiple flaws, both internal and external.

2. Likeability. A likeable character is an interesting character and they are usually interesting because of their flaws.

3. Relatability. We can relate to characters with flaws. It’s easier to care for a character we can relate to. We may yell at them for making stupid mistakes*, but that’s part of the joy of reading about them. That relatability draws the readers into the story and keeps them there.

4. Conflict. Flaws get characters into trouble which can add tension to a scene and build much needed conflict in the plot.

5. Uniqueness. If we all wrote perfect characters, they would lack distinction. I think part of what makes us unique is our different combination of flaws.

6. Growth. Growth and development are essential to the main characters across the course of a story. Flaws give the writer this opportunity.

Can you think of other reasons to write flawed characters? What are some flaws you've used?

*make sure they learn from those mistakes and don't keep making the same mistakes.

7 Essential Elements of Character Creation

Last week Nikki Jefford requested a post on developing characters. There are many different approaches toward developing characters for a story. Last year I wrote a post on different ways to get to know your characters which might help anyone getting started. The techniques I included were the use of visual aids, character questionnaires and family trees. Each author needs to find the technique that works for them.

No matter what method an author chooses to adopt, there are a number of elements that are essential to include in the creation of every character:

The name: Many writers will start with a name and build on the character from there. I can easily spend hours searching for the right name. I’ll often look up a name’s meaning to give a subtle extra dimension. Back when I didn’t plan my stories, I changed a character’s name midway through the manuscript only to discover that the changed name also changed the character’s personality which in turn changed his role in the story. A name can reveal a lot about a person. For example, it can reveal their family’s country of origin.

The appearance: There are a lot of factors to consider for the appearance of a character: their height and build, how they project themselves, if they have any scars or tattoos, and so much more. A character’s appearance will reveal their origins, their education, even their frame of mind. These details, when offered in a sprinkling of information rather than a flood, can engage the reader and make the characters feel more real.

The motivation: The easiest way I get to know my characters is to find out what drives them. What are their passions, and what’s the reason behind their actions?

The use of language: The way a character speaks can be enormously revealing. For example: whether or not a character uses slang, expletives, a certain dialect, abbreviations. The character’s voice can make a reader love them or hate them.

The flaw: Every character must have flaws to make them more believable and well-rounded. The flaw will also give the main characters room for conflict and change through the storyline. You can find more on that subject in a previous post on The Character Arc.

The past: The past, our environment, and our experiences shape us. Because of this, many writers will build a thorough history for their characters to get to know them. While that history may not always end up in the pages of the novel, it’s good to know

The likeability: A main character in particular must be likeable for a reader to journey with them through a story. This doesn’t mean the character has to be nice all the time. We can like mean characters as long as they are interesting in some way. 

Which elements of a character’s creation do you spend the most time on? What are the factors you like most about any given character?

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I was recently tagged by Tiffany Garner. I am meant to post 10 random things about myself. Being the rebel that I am, I will post 1 random thing: I have been mobbed like a popular celebrity (or a strange curiosity) in a remote village in India. I took the photo I used for this post from a bus window. I boarded the bus to hide from this crowd because I was so different--white skin, blue eyes and glasses. (Probably a good thing I wasn't blonde as well).

Ways to go from Plod to Plot

Many stories fail before they begin. They lack that special something that engages the reader. The story may be self-indulgent. It may lack focus and plod along without any clear direction. These things will cause the reader to put down a book and never pick it up again. Below are some tips on how to keep your readers from boredom and frustration:

Story:

• Have a beginning, middle and end. They don’t necessarily have to be in that order.
• Make sure you grab your readers on the first page of your novel, on the first paragraph, on the first line.
• Take out any scene that doesn’t add anything to the story
• If you are bored writing a scene, then the reader will be doubly bored reading it. Remove it or change it.
• make sure there is something new and interesting about your plot otherwise the reader will feel like they have read it all before.

Characters:

• Create believable, relatable characters.
• Don’t use names that are long and difficult to remember or pronounce.
• Characters need conflict but often it’s how they react to conflict that makes them interesting.
• Take out any character that doesn’t add anything to the story. If two characters perform the same function in your story then remove one.
• Weak and whiney characters will make a reader put down your book.
• Readers want to see growth and change in the characters.

Description:

• Weave in description rather than dropping in a solid block of it. Many readers skip descriptions anyway.
• There’s no need to describe every detail in a room or every action a character takes. Readers have a vivid imagination so our descriptions should only be enough to pique their imaginations.

Pace and Rhythm:

• Times have changed and continue to change. The majority of the population prefer a faster paced book than they did 20 years ago.
• Rhythm is the music of your novel. It’s the subtle magic that keeps the reader’s eye dancing across the page. Match rhythm to pace and even a slow scene won’t become a plod.

What do you do when your stories begin to plod? Can you think of any other tips?

The Character Arc

We all know the perfect character in any story will only add a plastic element of make-believe like something pulled from a Disneyland parade. No one in real life is perfect and, if they appear that way, then they will bore us to death when it comes to reading an entire novel about them. We want flawed characters and we want them to overcome their inner conflicts so they can conquer their outer conflicts.

This is where the Character Arc comes in:

The Character Arc is the gradual development of the characters through the story. It’s about their inner struggles and growth reflected by the outer changes in the plot. The reason why it’s so important is because it gives depth to the characters. We want to cheer for them, we want to cry for them, and we want the novel to grab us by the heart and involve us in the story.

To plot out an Arc for a character many writers start at the end. They want to know where their characters are internally and externally so they can work out the best possible path to that point. For example, if I wanted a character to show an act of courage at the end of the novel, then the act becomes more poignant and heartening if the character starts the story with a lack of courage. Think of the Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz.

The change can be more subtle than the example I gave above, but it shouldn’t be a sudden change. It’s unrealistic (and a bit of a cheat) for a character to do a sudden 180. No one decides to change their ways without reason. Instead, key moments in their story will guide them to the changes they need to make.

Do you plot out the Character Arcs before you begin a novel? How detailed are your Arcs? Do you ensure an Arc is present for your secondary characters as well as your main character?

Write What You Don’t Know (Part 1)

When I first started writing in my teens the one piece of advice I most frequently heard was write what you know. I struggled with this rule. If I could only write what I knew then my work would end up as dull and boring as I believed my life was at the time.

I didn’t want to write only to reflect the mundane. I wanted to write to escape the mundane! And this meant writing what I didn’t know.

I’d never had an adventure, I’d never investigated a crime, I’d never met a dragon, I’d never battled supernatural armies. I wanted to make the ordinary extraordinary.

It wasn’t until later I learned it wasn’t about the unknown worlds I created, it was about the characters. What engaged me most about the stories I read was the fascination for people and their struggles. We all have that fascination. People are interesting, even the dullest people. It’s because we are made up of so many layers and contradictions.

Writing is a journey of discovery. We want to know why a certain person acts a certain way. We want to follow them on their journey. The more we can relate to the characters, the more their journey becomes our own.

And so we write -- and we sometimes write what we don’t know.

Next post I will explore how we write what we do know even when we don’t realise it.

Are there other rules on writing you’ve struggled with? Do you often write what you don't know?

Pic: As a teenager I drew a lot of dragons. Here is one I did in coloured pencils.

How to Make Compelling Characters

This post is part of Jen, Alex and Elana’s Great Blogging Experiment.

What makes a character compelling? What is that secret ingredient that makes us care about what happens to them? Below I’ve listed a few elements that add to a character’s charm.

Believability: characters should come across as real. Not cardboard cut outs. Compelling characters should be like onions. They should have more than one layer. They need to have depth, history, motivations, goals.

Relatability: characters should have traits we can all relate to. We like the people we connect with the most.

Flawed: characters who have flaws are more interesting and believable and in turn become more relatable. No one likes a perfect person. No one likes a perfectly bad person either.

Conflict: even the most interesting character becomes boring if they are placed in a story with no conflict. Our characters need challenges to overcome.

Envy: This might sound strange, but even a boring person becomes interesting when they have something we want. I’ll travel through a book with a bland character and hardly notice their blandness if they are living the life I want to live, overcoming the odds I want to overcome.

Uniqueness: the same ole clichéd characters we’ve all seen before won’t pique our interested. We should try to give them something new, something unexpected.

Consistency: characters need to react in a consistent way. We put our guard up when they do something totally unexpected without motivation.

Likeability: No one likes a whinger. Even a whinging villain can become a groan.

Can you think of other elements that make up a compelling character?

Character Relatability

Continuing the character theme of my posts this week…

We want our characters to be relatable in some form or another. The best way to make them relatable is to make them real and interesting. We can’t achieve this if we make all our characters the same mini versions of ourselves. Writers instead need to seize the opportunity to explore the rich variety of the human race. We can relate to more than one personality type. We can cheer for more than one style of goal.

So, what makes people/characters interesting, relatable, and real? Below is a brief list of things that might help when you are creating characters.

• No one reacts the same way in the same situations.
• Most of us learn from our mistakes but some of us learn faster than others.
• Everyone has a different history which will affect their responses.
• We all look different. Even identical twins have variations in their appearance.
• Not everyone is beautiful
• Not everyone is intelligent
• Even intelligent people have their blind spots
• Even beautiful people have their faults
• No one is perfectly good
• No one is 100% bad
• We all have differing opinions
• We all pursue different goals.
• We all have differing degrees of drive.

Can you think of other things that may make your characters more interesting, relatable and real?

Minor Characters are Real People Too.

Minor Characters are the forgotten heroes. They are the supporting actors who never reach the lime light. Because of their very nature, they require less detail and a lower word count, but they are no less important to a story.

Minor Characters have many functions. They are the cogs that keep the machine of your novel running. They are there to support the Main Characters. They are there to enrich the story. They are there to populate your worlds or to push the plot forward.

But they are more than just a function. Minor Characters are real people too and, like real people, they cry out for attention. They can have backgrounds and reactions and feelings. They can be unusual. They can have secrets. They can intrigue.

As long as we balance how much we give our Minor Characters, by making them interesting, they can help to breathe life into our novels.

Do you spend much time thinking about your minor characters? Has a character ever started as a minor and ended as a main character?

How to Write a Cardboard Character

If I lived in a one dimensional world with my one dimensional mind, I’d want to know how to create a one dimensional character. It would be a terrible thing if my readers should ever care about my characters. To avoid this embarrassing eventuality, I’ve written a guide to help the imaginative writer to improve their unimagination.

1. Don’t give your characters any goals to strive towards or any lessons to learn. Make sure your characters are the same at the end of your novel as they were at the beginning. The single dimension can’t pull off anything as engaging as – shudder – growth.

2. Stick to clichés like glue. We all know that builders, truck drivers and miners are burly men, so if your character is any of these, then he must also be burly. We all know librarians wear glasses, so why give your librarian character good eyesight? Your main character has to be beautiful and she must be good at everything. Don’t rock the boat in the one dimensional world. No one likes surprises there.

3. Avoid motivations. Who cares what may have caused your characters to react a certain way. No explanation needed.

4. Only write as much about the character as is required by the plot. Make sure they are only driven by the story you want to tell. Don’t waste the reader’s time with internal conflicts. Don’t try to add any extra dimensions. One dimension means one and one only.

5. Don’t smudge the borders of good and evil. Make evil characters evil and good characters good. If your character wears the proverbial black hat then he must not show any goodness in him. Let’s not confuse the readers.

What are some of the mistakes you might make while trying to create a cardboard character?

8 Tips Actors can give Writers

For a brief time in my youth I toyed with the idea of becoming an actor. I went to acting classes, I studied other actors, I read, I practised, I yearned. And then I gave it all up because I was hopeless – truly hopeless – at learning my lines.

But it wasn’t all a waste. I learned so many great things from acting. Below is a brief list of tips that writers can gain from the skills of the acting trade:

1. We communicate in more ways than dialogue alone. An actor learns that emotion is also conveyed through body language. It’s shared through silences. It can even be shown through interaction with the environment. Remember that when you write and you’ll go a long way.

2. Actors show the drama. They don’t stand on stage and describe the emotions they are going through.

3. Study people. Great actors build an understanding of people: how they react, how they move, how they think. They observe and they remember so they can then emulate what they have learned in their art. So too writers need this skill to build on their characters.

4. Don’t overdramatise. The audience and readers alike only cringe. Over the top dilutes poignancy and smothers nuances.

5. Build self-confidence. It takes courage to stand up on stage and offer the audience yourself. It takes great courage to send your writing into the public. But not only that, it takes courage to spill out your heart and soul into your work.

6. Be thick skinned. Actors and writers will have to face criticism in their careers. Learn when to listen and when to shrug it off.

7. Practice makes perfect. The more an actor acts, the more a writer writes, the better they will become.

8. Be professional. No matter what you choose to take on in life, always be professional. Show respect for your craft.

Can you think of any other acting tips which might be helpful for writers?

4 Ways to Write with Passion

William Wordsworth advised about writing, “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” In other words, write with passion.

To write with passion, to have your words sing, you must give of yourself. Rather than tip-toeing through the puddles of the worlds you create, wade in, and then immerse yourself.

If you aren’t willing to fully enter your world, then your readers won’t either. You’ll be cheating yourself (and your readers) from everything that makes writing (and reading) such a trip.

Below are four ways to tap that passion:

1. Get involved. Get involved in the lives of your characters. Get under their skin. Find out what motivates them. Learn their likes and dislikes. Discover their quirks and imperfections. Care about the details. Nurture them. Help them to grow.

2. Get poetic. Don’t settle for the everyday way of description. See the world through the eyes of an artist – because we are artists and our paint is words.

3. Be true to yourself. Don’t try to imitate someone else’s art. Make your own. Write the stories inside you that cry out to be written. Be brave and don’t hold back.

4. Care. Care about what you write. Care about the impact your writing may have on another. Extend yourself. Learn about your craft. Do your best and never settle for less.

What is it that makes you passionate about your writing? Can you think of other ways to tap that passion?

Character Building

How do you get to know your characters?

The voice journal: James Scott Bell in his book The Art of War for Writers suggests writing the ‘voice’ of your character for 5-10 mins without stopping. You can prompt them with the occasional question to keep them ‘talking’ but it’s a great way of getting to know who they are and the way they talk.

The interview or worksheet: Some people like to give their characters interviews with a set of questions designed to get to know the inner them. Jody Hedlund offers a very good character worksheet on her blog. It can be an effective method and it helps to keep your characters consistent.


The timeline or family tree: Some people draw up a detailed historical timeline or a family tree for their characters. I did this for my first novel because the machinations of my characters had grown so complicated that I needed to get a handle on it all. I needed motivations and I needed their histories even though much of their history never made it into the story.

The artistic method: Because I’m a visual person, I also sometimes draw my characters. It doesn’t matter to me that I’m not really good at drawing them; it’s enough to get a glimpse into their personas. The clearer I can see them, the louder they speak to me. Sometimes I wonder why my characters look so sad in my drawings and so I’d make up an event in my character’s past to explain that sadness.

The showbiz method: Some people start a character using an actor as a base from which to build. I once based a character off the actor, Leo McKern. The danger of doing this is to build your character into someone else’s character. But it did make a good visual start and from there I changed him into something else.

What’s your preferred way of getting to know your characters? Can you think of other methods?