Perspective

Perhaps you've heard this story. There was a dad on a crowded bus with his children-maybe three of them, I don't remember exactly-and they were misbehaving. Enough so that a woman turned to him and asked him to control them. His glazed eyes focused on the woman, and he apologized for their behavior, saying that his wife, their mother, had just passed away that morning.

If that isn't enough to make anyone feel like a heel, I'm not sure what is. Any situation can be turned upside down by simply coming at it from a different perspective. Maybe another woman on the bus was silently crying because her child has cancer and can't play, or a grandmother who was inwardly cheering the kids on because she knows those years don't last forever, and to squelch them at such a young age could make them grouchy adults.

You just never know.

And that's one thing that makes writing both exhilarating and challenging. In order to write a great story, each character needs their own goal and motivations. Sometimes they may align, but things get infinitely more interesting when characters have a different perspective on a matter.

One of my favorite examples of this is Magneto and Professor X of the X-Men comics. They live in a world where mutants are popping up everywhere, and each of them has a very different perspective on how the people of the world will treat them.

I stole this off of wikia in their villains section.

Despite once being close friends with Professor Xavier, the two became enemies when Xavier championed the co-existence of mutant and human kind working together. To Magento, a Holocaust survivor who had seen and felt first-hand the worst ways human beings could treat those they deemed different, such a system was impossible and he instead championed a violent pro-mutant stance, one which saw humans as the enemy in a genetic war and promoted the idea that mutants should become the dominant species on Earth.

Later in the entry, it states that Magneto's goal is protect mutantkind.

The character lived through the Holocaust. Of course he's not going to easily believe that humankind will simply accept mutants. They're different, which means they will be hated.

Professor Xavier didn't have a traumatic childhood. He went to college at Oxford, for crying out loud. Naturally, his perspective is going to be different than Magneto's. This is what wikia hero says.

Professor Xavier's ultimate goal is a world were all people are equal regardless of their origin...

Each character fights for their cause. Sometimes they align in their goals, other times they are directly fighting with one another. Is either character tragically wrong? The comics show us again and again that no, they're both right. And they're both wrong. That's what makes the conflict so interesting.

Can you think of any other good examples of this?

Don't Let Them Out of It!

Earlier this week I hopped up onto my soap box and ranted about being mean to characters. I am going to continue along that vein.  Although I’m not bringing out the actual box this time, because it’s small, and I get excited and when I throw my arms out in a moment of particular passion, I lean dangerously to one side.  Plus, even on the stupid box I’m still not very tall, so I’ve decided to sit here on my comfy couch and type.  I can rant from here. Trust me.

I’ve been reading a book.

Hey, don’t look at me like that. I do read books. Yes, without pictures. Sheesh.

What was I saying? Ah yes, the book. It’s a good book—so far I like the characters and they plot is full of fun and adventure and even a little bit of romance.  Go author of said book.

Anyway, about half-way through the story the main character comes face to face with his greatest fear.

Literally face to face with the most terrifying thing that this poor character could possibly have ran in to.

I was excited. (Please don’t bother with the gasps of appalled surprise.) Here it was, the perfect place to be mean to a character!  I was like, “How is he going to handle this? Will he run? Will he do it to help the others? Will he cry like a little girl? Scream? Let everyone down?”  There were so many possibilities!

I hunkered down into the couch, brought the Kindle closer to my face, and read.

About ten seconds later, I blinked, went back and read again.

Sure enough, I hadn’t read it wrong.

The character, when faced with the most terrifying thing in their life—a scared since childhood sort of thing—had two lines of inner dialogue adding up to “I guess I’d better do this,” and that was that.

…

Really?

The perfect place for a character to fail, which would have added so much depth to the story, and the author breezes over it with nothing more than two lines of thought.

I’m still sad about it.  And as I’m pounding out my outline and rough draft of my work in progress, I have vowed anew to be as mean to my characters as I can. Make them face fears, let them fail, let them live with consequences and figure out how to redeem themselves.

I need to make myself a sign that says:

“What’s the worst thing that could happen right now?”

I’ll hang it next to my computer and glance up at it when I’m being too nice as an author.

I’ll also have to take down the snide remarks that my husband will surely put up; things like “zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, Dr. Pepper shortage” and one that I refuse to put on my blog.

Boys are so strange.

Anyway, if you’re an author, don’t let those characters off easy! Go broader, go deeper—keep them jumping. And how they react will make them even more memorable in the reader’s minds.

Okay, everyone, go #BeMeanToCharacters !

Don't Flinch

Most people who are trying to get better at something go through phases.

Take most sports players, at one point they all go through a chunk of time in which they work on footwork. It’s what gets you from one place to another, and if you do it wrong, really bad things can happen. But when executed well, footwork can be the difference between scoring and not scoring.

Obviously I’m simplifying, and yes, I realize that not all sports require foot work. Don’t be so picky!

Writers/Authors are no different.  We have phases. Right now some are focused on grammar, other plot or description or pacing or not using the word “was” ten times per page.  Everyone is at different levels, and everyone has a different focus.

For me, right now, it’s being mean to characters.

They’re like my kids, (not that I have kids, which may be why I have characters) and while I want to tell a good story, I don’t want to hurt them too badly. As an over-protective mommy/author, I feel the need to keep them as happy as they can be.

This is bad.

My husband (just got married, so you might hear a lot about him for a while) has no such qualms about being nice to people. Even real people, when they give him a good reason to eject them out of the friend pile.  He’s been a good (er, bad?) influence on me in this category.  As I embark on the rough draft of the sequel to New Sight, he’s helped me to be way meaner to my characters.  Way meaner.

Sometimes I have to tell him he’s gone too far and that I can’t possibly do “that” to them.

The reason that he can suggest I start killing everyone, is because the characters aren’t his. He has no emotional attachment to them.  That’s why he can be so mean to them and only shrug when I give him the “You can’t be serious” look.  He usually grins and goes even one step farther (further? Which one is it??) into the realm of character torture.

So that’s my focus right now. I’m even starting a little Twitter and Facebook handle of #BeMeanToCharacters. Toss up how you’ve been mean to your characters today. Or the ways in which your favorite author has been mean to characters.

It makes a story so much better, because the meaner the author is, the more the characters have to struggle, and the more the characters struggle, the more the readers route for them, and the more the reader is drawn in, the more they’ll love the book and tell their friends about it.

Really, it’s a win, win!

Except if you’re a character. Then…not so much.

What areas have you had to focus on in your hobby or career of choice?

The Thing About Writing

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  Yes, I watched the game.  Seven years of living in Denver at the beginning of John Elway’s career when I was a kid, and every Sunday afternoon to kill because my parents were usually away doing church stuff, ended up in a bit of a football addiction. It lasted quite a while, actually. And even now, when I haven’t watched another game all season, I’ll snuggle down to watch the Super Bowl.

The game this afternoon started off well, but quickly got old as the Ravens seemed to effortlessly (and mostly unopposed) glide into the end zone.  It should be noted that I didn’t care who won—I just wanted a good game to scream at.  So effortless is not acceptable. I want hard hits!  I want scuffles after the play! I want Hail Mary’s.  I want turnovers! I want a close, nail-biting game that literally keeps me on the edge of my seat.

Yeah, so the first half of the game didn’t provide that.  Good thing for the commercials, or I may have stopped watching. Oh, and the comfy couch I was sucked into.

We’ll skip the half-time show.

First play of the second half and I started ignoring the TV.  Then the power went out at the stadium.  Somehow this reset the brains of the 49ers and they suddenly remembered they were here playing for the championship of their sport.  The BIG game.  Then things finally got exciting.

As I watched the 49ers fail to get into the end zone at the end of the game, I had a thought.  Those guys have an entire season of football behind them. They’ve played their hearts out for months to get to this position, and most of them would feel it a privilege.  However, watching them, I thought, “How sad to have your entire year be defined by this one, last play.”  And they didn’t pull it out.

I thought about it further, and drew a few too many parallels between the game and writing a novel (like the dull start, the bizarre half-time show, the lack of intensity and then the rush to the end) before breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that I, as a writer, do not have to bank my entire career on a novel I’m forced to write in a few months, and a climax that I got exactly five minutes to work out.

Sure, authors have deadlines, writer’s block and distractions, but we generally get time to make that scene just right.  To tweak the emotions of our readers a little to the left, or tug at their heart strings through a series of encounters with our characters.  And even if you’d like to change it after it’s in print, it’s not like you spewed the words forth and people read them as you typed them, noting all of the tense mistakes, bad grammar, mis-used semi-colons and the extreme occurrences of ellipsis.  We get a chance to fix it.  We could have twenty chances to fix it.

All you authors out there, take a deep breath, hold it, close your eyes, let a smile creep to your lips, then exhale.  Because even with all of the struggles that come with trying to become a successful author, the career has its advantages.  No Hail Mary’s, and no opposing team to bat your words down as you type them.  (Ignore your editors for a moment)  Revel in your process, and tighten those laces so your work in progress is the best it can be.

Gorilla Glue?

Anyone ever used Gorilla Glue? That stuff can permanently stick almost any two objects in the world together. And it has gorilla in the name, which means it's tough, manly and possibly hairy. What's to stop you from jumping in your car and buying some today?

I wonder if they make any that's safe to put on my brain.

No, I'm not trying to zombify myself. My mind won't focus on writing right now, and I wonder if glue would help. Actual gorillas would be distracting—like shiny objects, but louder. However, I desperately need something, because writing is not getting done.

Anyone else have this problem?

First you look at the computer, glare, run through what you should get finished tonight in your mind, decided that a snack would be just the thing to settle you into story telling mode, turn away and go into the kitchen. If you make it back to the computer, which is about a 50/50 chance for me, you sit. I fiddle with the mouse, and somehow the cursor seems to make its way to the internet icon, where it double clicks of its own accord. The next fifteen the sixty minutes is then sucked from my life, never to return—filled with cute kitten pictures and a snarky remark in Facebook. Or three. That's when I notice the time, shut the computer down and go to my next activity.

So how do you focus?

I've found a few things that work for me. (They're not working tonight, obviously, but I'm justifying this as “writing time.”)

1-Think about what I'm going to work on during the day, so when I get home I ignore the call of the toilet, sit down at my computer and start typing before it's even booted up all the way.
This really can work, it keeps me excited about my wip.

2-Re-read what I wrote last session as a warm up into this one.
Sometimes I forget I had a brilliant idea last night, and if I don't re-read it, then I'll completely miss it. This also gives my editor brain a chance to kick in for a second, which usually helps my writing brain to wake up. Also, if you leave off a writing session in the middle of something exciting, it can be easier to pick up where you left off.

3-Avoid distractions

Turn of the web, leave the snacks in the kitchen, shut the blinds, put in your headphones, remember to start the music (no podcasts or audio books), assume your writer's position and go.

4-Decide that you are NOT going to let the thought of a dirty bathroom, piles of laundry, unfinished projects or all of the shows on your DVR lure you away from writing. Forget about that stuff for a few hours. It will be there when you get back.
This one gets me every time. You see, I got on my computer tonight to write, got distracted by an e-mail from my publicist and decided to blog instead of working on my wip. Before I sat down I trolled the kitchen for a good five minutes looking for just the right snack—because without food I surely can't be expected to use my brain.

5-As so many professional authors say: Butt in chair, eyes on screen, hands on keyboard and type.

Just start typing. See what pops out. Not every single word that comes up on your monitor needs to be awesome. A few lines of crap will be fine for now, you can fix them later. Just get the words on the page.

There isn't a real secret cure for this problem, although now I am considering the Gorilla Glue for the brain option. So often the reason I can't write is because I'm stuck in some aspect of my story. Either it's boring, or I'm missing a key plot point, or my characters have rebelled because I've pushed them too hard and they've had enough and gone on a cruise.

Obviously tonight I'm not going to get very far, but I hope you do!

Anyone else have a cure for the brain that's holding out on you?

An Exercise in Character-Round 4

Our main characters have responded to and then re-posted this on Facebook:

If no one reads my wall, this should be a short experiment. Lol. If you read this, leave one word on how we met. Only one word! Then copy this to your wall so I can leave a word for you. Please don't add your word and not bother to copy... You'll spoil the fun!

Last time we went into people our character would either respect or have to listen to. This last one is always fun...what would their enemies say? Thinking about this is key, because as an author, you need to be able to take every side of every part of your story—not just the rosy parts and the bits that make you laugh. Understanding all of the characters in your story is important. And expanding your thought process to how they feel about one another can lead to some very fun inside jokes, plot points and perhaps even relationships—not always the good kind.

Super Secret Agent Bunnynose has many enemies. She and Agent Amphibian Queen have taken down their fair share of evil masterminds. These are just a few of the words they might leave:

Toxic Fumes

Barrel of a Loaded Gun

Church

Underground Lake

Kiss My...

They are all very upset evil masterminds, and would all take hours and hours to come up with just the right response, and of course go over the specified word count. They're also plotting ways to kill Bunnynose. Just FYI.

These are just her big enemies, people who simply don't like her because she can kick their trashes in a fight would have an entirely different set of words to say. “Ouch” may be the prominent response.

Hopefully you get my point.

Go forth! What single word description would your character's enemies use of their first meeting? Or about them? Be creative and break it down. Happy writing!

An Exercise in Character-Round 3

Our main characters have responded to and then re-posted this on Facebook:

If no one reads my wall, this should be a short experiment. Lol. If you read this, leave one word on how we met. Only one word! Then copy this to your wall so I can leave a word for you. Please don't add your word and not bother to copy... You'll spoil the fun!

Last time we dove into how the character's closest friends would respond.

This time lets try people they have to listen to: parents, family, boss. Or someone the character respects.

Agent Bunnynose's family is her fellow agents at SSA. But if her boss, Supervisor Mud, were to respond, it would probably be along the lines of, “unfortunate.” They like each other, but Bunnynose tends to bend orders in creative, and sometimes dangerous, ways.

If her mother did post, it would read something snarky (Bunnynose had to get it from somewhere) like “birth.” Siblings would playfully deny the relationship, and her dad would refuse to waste time on Facebook.

What about your character?

An Exercise in Character-Round 2

See the last post for the start of the exercise.

You've established how your character would respond to the Facebook post:

If no one reads my wall, this should be a short experiment. Lol. If you read this, leave one word on how we met. Only one word! Then copy this to your wall so I can leave a word for you. Please don't add your word and not bother to copy... You'll spoil the fun!

For the sake of further character development, let's say that your character decides to re-post this as is. And if they refuse, someone does it for them.

So now there are a few groups of people who would respond. Let's start with your main character's closest friends. What word would they use? How did they first meet? This not only tells you about your main character, but gives insights to the lesser ones as well.

Agent Bunnynose's closest friends:

Amphibian Queen (partner at Super Secret Agency)-Frogs

Milkshakes (fellow Agent)-Bribery

Sugar Lips (fellow Agent)-Secret Room ...yes, she would leave more than one word.

They are cryptic, but in my mind there is a hilarious story behind each one.

So have at it. Pick one or a dozen of your main characters closest friends, and see what they say.

An Exercise in Character-Round 1

I always struggle with characters in my writing. They either all sound the same or they all sound like me. Granted, I'm pretty funny, and somewhat interesting at times, but eight of me gets real old, real quick.

As I finish up season 4 of Babes in Spyland, and I'm gearing up to go back into novels, I thought I should perhaps take some time to learn about building characters. Facebook gave me the greatest idea, so I thought I would share it.

Join me over the next four days while I go through this exercise to see if I know Agent Bunnynose (Babes in Spyland) as well as I should. Do you know your characters?

Last night a friend of mine posted the following on Facebook:

If no one reads my wall, this should be a short experiment. Lol. If you read this, leave one word on how we met. Only one word! Then copy this to your wall so I can leave a word for you. Please don't add your word and not bother to copy... You'll spoil the fun!

First exercise in character...what would the main character of your latest project do? Assuming that they were active on Facebook, of course—don't get all technical that in some fantasy world without electricity that Facebook doesn't exist; use your imagination. Let's also assume that your character views this person as a real friend.

Would they:

Leave a word and re-post it as instructed?

Ignore it?

Scoff?

Roll their eyes.

Get teary from the memory of the first meeting?

Leave a whole sentence just because the directions say one word?

Or something else entirely?

And, most importantly, why?

Super Secret Agent Bunnynose would glare at the message, noting that she would not use lol in that context, and sigh. If she was in a good mood, she might leave a word. Probably something snarky. No sentimental nonsense. Her goal with the whole thing would be to make her friend laugh. A good snort would be ideal. Bunnynose would probably not re-post it, because she's got better things to do than have her phone go off every six seconds with Facebook updates. She's trying to save the world from a mad genius at the moment people. If she did re-post it (due to a chocolate milkshake induced euphoria) she would probably change it to “Leave one word describing the first time we got into a fist fight.”

What about your character?

The Sweet (Buttery) Taste of Success

A year ago this month, I received an e-mail from Big World Network saying that they loved my submission (what would become Babes in Spyland) and that they wanted to publish it as a serial story on their website.

I keep a journal, and write pretty much every day, so I pulled out last year's and took at look at the entry. There was an overabundance of Squeeing, as well as a great deal of shock that the silliest thing I've ever written is what they were interested in.

At this point last year I'd been querying my novel, New Sight, for about six months with no success. I sent Babes in Spyland to Big World Network on a crazy whim, with the plan that if they didn't want the story I would put an episode up a week on my blog. I'd always wanted to do a serial story, and this was, I supposed, my chance.

Now I haven't made millions of dollars from Babes in Spyland, but I have heard from a few people that I don't know who love the story. I even know a girl who is now writing her own version of it. And I have to admit that I'm jealous she used the name Agent TMI before I did. Oh, and the first fan art I saw made me cry,

Earlier this year I heard Kevin J. Anderson speak about his popcorn theory. To break it down, he told us that early in his career, he decided to dabble in as many areas in writing as he could—thus tossing a lot of kernels into the pan—and see where that got him. Well, go check out the guy's website and see for yourself where it got him. He's written in the Star Wars universe, the Dune universe, he's made several of his own universes and the guy just keeps on going. All because he tossed as many kernels into the pan as he could.

I feel like Babes in Spyland is that for my career—a kernel. It's nothing big. I love it, and have used it to learn how to keep a story down to a specified length while preserving good characters, humor and a plot that makes sense. If I'm not laughing as I write it, then it needs to be fixed. It reminds me that writing is fun, and that I'm here to entertain people. And if I cracked someone up, then my mission is accomplished—kernel popped.

Season 3 of Babes in Spyland concluded a few weeks ago. Season 4 begins in February. There will be 5 seasons total, and at the end if it I expect to feel like I've accomplished something. Sure, each time I read an episode that's already published I see things I could fix in it. And yes, there are a few subplots that I wish I'd explored more, but all in all I'm terribly grateful for Big World Network and their willingness to believe in me and my story. Agents Sugar Lips, Milkshakes, Bunnynose and Amphibian Queen thank them as well.

So this is a new year, what kernels are you going to toss in?

Stairs, My Old Enemy

Stairs are evil creatures with nothing but malicious intent toward the human race.  Sure, they’re helpful, and often times needed, but in the end I feel that their goal is to torture us. Either one has to climb UP them or keep the grasping fingers of gravity at bay as you descend them—usually with something in both hands and a bag dangling off of one shoulder.  In my humble opinion, stairs and gravity are in this together, and they plan to leave no survivors.

However, since they are a necessary evil, we all learn to negotiate these horrid stairs starting at a young age.  It’s a wonder that we ever get past the crawling up and sliding down on our butt stage, but the need for enough speed to get away from our parents, siblings or the family lick-in-the-face dog is generally enough motivation to do so.

The toddler years aren’t kind.  The word toddle doesn’t inspire confidence of any sort, especially toward the concept of balance.  The thick diapers keep the back end from serious bruising, but the rather large head usually hits first, and I know many a parent who has enjoyed a trip to the emergency room due to the combination of stairs and gravity.

As we get older, the world looks for other ways to take us down: gym class at school, annoying people, ridiculous schedules, ice cream, members of the opposite sex, children, standing in lines, commercials, jeans that shrink in your closet…For a while, the stairs and gravity combo remain quiet.

And then you get really old. Somehow the stairs know, and gravity rejoices, and they renew their assault on you with more vigor than ever.  It’s not very nice.

I bet you’re wondering how this relates to writing.

Oh it does. Wait for it.

There is a rather large pile of skills that I need to work on, sitting right over there in my writer’s corner.  Things like grammar, the proper use of a semi-colon, making sure my characters have clothes on, getting rid of passive voice and a whole slew of others.  But one that always gets me is the romance line of a story. It is my stairs of writing.  I feel like the toddler trying to get up the stairs without going to my knees because I’m a big girl now, and then face-planting while everyone is looking.

Those romance lines kill me!  But I plan to attack them in each novel I write with vigor, and make sure that it doesn’t stop me from creating a great story.  Even if I do have to wear a helmet and ask my romance writing friends for help.  I can swallow my pride.  Really.

So what is your writing nemesis?

Once again, I was reading in Dwight Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer, and I came across a bit about writing that I'm not sure I understood before.

I'm always trying to figure out when to pour on the words and when I can skimp. When is it appropriate to be verbose, and when should you let it go? I think this bit of insight might help me. And who knows, maybe it will help someone else too.

Have you ever noticed that a good day goes by in the blink of an eye, while on a bad day you could swear that the clocks are literally running backward? An evening out with an old friend is much too short, while the exact same amount of time spent at an awkward family gathering can feel like a week? Or longer.

Well, the reason for the above phenomenon is because of the tension involved. Talking to someone you like doesn't usually involve any tension. Having to be cordial with someone you want to punch can fill the room to overflowing with tension, which I'm pretty sure is what stops those clocks.

The same theory can be applied when you are writing. If your main character is walking home from work on a sunny day, thinking happy thoughts, then there isn't much tension, and the time (and therefore the space on the page it takes up) goes by quickly. On the other hand, if your main character is walking home from work on a sunny day, wondering how he is going to tell his wife that he just lost his job and may be arrested for questionable business practices the time might not go so fast. Each agonizing step draws his mind further and further into the problem, and as he walks the world seems to stop around him, all because of the amount of tension he's dealing with.

From the above mentioned book:

“In writing, you translate tension in to space: the more tense the situation as your focal character experiences it, the more words you give it.”

It totally makes sense, but a few weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to explain it. At all.

Back to writing!