How well do you know your characters?

All through the how to books, you will find some writers put plot over character development and some the other way around. In my world, the two go hand and hand. The characters create the plot; the plot creates the characters.

When I begin a new project, my first step is to capture an idea germ. These little creatures come in many shapes and forms and can appear anywhere. My next step is to brainstorm around the idea germ. Who is the character? What does she want? How will she reach her goal? Who will stop her? What if the villain turns out to be a nice guy? And on and on goes the questions.

Then it’s time to get to know my characters. Usually through the brainstorming session at least 3-4 characters will show themselves and volunteer to be participants in the story at hand.

In short stories and novellas, the characters usually grow in my head. But with my work-in-progress, a novel, I’m feeling a need to really get in touch with these characters and what motivates them. The story is on the complex side and the better I know these people I’ll be spending so much time with the better we’ll all be.

I believe the information needed about your characters may depend on the story at hand and how long you anticipate on spending with them. That’s not to say knowing your character is any less important with a short piece.

Through the years, I’ve read many suggestions on getting to know your characters. From information sheets, to character interviews, and even producing scenes just to see how they react. I believe the depth and technique you use will depend on you as an author. You may not need to know your character’s favorite color or her favorite food. But, knowing such things can give you added insight you may find useful during your time with your new family.

Ask yourself, “What is my favorite color? In what way does this affect my everyday life?” Does it?

I’m partial to blues, maroons, and browns. I feel this aspect of me does affect my life to a certain degree. I find these colors to be earthly colors, but others may find them boring. What does this say about me? I think it has to do with my down to earth nature, my mature and responsible attitude. Not to say anything’s wrong with hot pink. It’s a fun color, but you probably won’t see me wearing it, at least not on a normal day.

Did your character have a happy childhood? Did you have a happy childhood? How did this affect you during your teenage years, your adult years? If you really think about it, a person’s likes, dislikes, childhoods, parents, and so on, make us who we are. So, why would it be any different for our characters?

Some authors take it further by producing birth charts, reading tarot cards, and even shopping as their character.

How well do you know your characters? How deep do you go?

Procrastinators Unite! Tomorrow

Are you a procrastinator?

Do you put off what you could do today till tomorrow?

Or are you creating quietly in your head?

It is important to realize that all lazy days are not actually a waste of time. Our minds work 24/7 - or at least mine is continuously rattling away, lol. Sometimes you are preparing for your next step, rather you realize it or not.

This preparation could be for a creative project, or life.

Someone brought it to my attention, "I am a thinker." I'm not sure if it was meant as a compliment or not, but the truth was spoken. My mind is never still. Even in sleep it goes on, creating the most bizarre things you could imagine.

Is this a good thing? Sometimes, yes - sometimes, no. As a thinker, I also find I am a worrier, but not as much as I have been in the past. Most of my thinking now  revolves around my next project, whatever it might be.

So, the next time, you feel defeated at the end of the day because nothing was achieved, think back over the day. How many times did you think of what needed to be done? How much of that time was spent deciding in what order to accomplish this goal? Did you have a quick moment of thought on that next scene in your book and jot down the one sentence moment of inspiration?

Sometimes our best ideas come forth while we are doing nothing at all.

Paradise 21 by Aubrie Dionne

Paradise 21 takes you on a ride you’ll never forget.

Aries finds herself trapped in a world where she has no choices. As a Lifer, her husband and profession are chosen for the good of future generations.

Determined to be her own person, Aries takes the ultimate risk and escapes the confines of New Dawn, a ship traveling toward Paradise 21. Landing on her targeted planet, Aries finds more than she ever expected – dangerous life forms and another human.

Aubrie Dionne did a wonderful job. The story is well-written, vivid, and heart touching. I’d recommend this read to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced story that delves into a sweet romance set in a futuristic atmosphere.

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/paradise-21/

Blogging - Your Target Audience

The top discussion around writing blogs seems to be whether picking writers as your target audience is the wrong direction for a published author. Some believe this isn’t the best way to get readers for your publications.

When I began blogging, my goal was to build a following and meet others interested in the same things I am. The main suggestion I found was to blog about what you enjoy. Writing and Tarot became my topics of choice, and the results were two different blogs. I’ve built a following on both my blogs. I enjoy my readers and my article writing. 

So now that I’m published - Am I supposed to concentrate on a new, different audience?

I’ve thought about this from different angles.

What blogs do I follow? Writing and tarot blogs

How do I decide what to read? Reviews, recommendations, and favorite writers

How do I find these reviews, get recommendations, and discover favorite writers? Writing blogs

If I changed to writing about my cats, my cross-stitching, and my job, would I gain a new audience? Sure, but would that bring them to read my book? I wouldn’t think so, but it is possible, I guess.

Would I enjoy writing about such things? Maybe an article or two, but definitely not a whole blog. My life revolves around writing, tarot, and other spiritual matters. The rest really isn’t that interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love my cats, enjoy my cross-stitching, and well the job is a job, nothing more.

Tuesday, I went in a different direction with the blog and shared an interesting tidbit I discovered during research. I enjoyed writing the post, and I hope some enjoyed the topic. The response for this post will determined how many more posts will appear similar in nature. But for the biggest part, the blog is not changing.

I plan to do more interviews, guest posts, and book reviews, but that was already a part of the blog, so not much difference there, just more of it, which is actually just a part of the plan for more posts overall.

At this moment, the schedule on Footsteps of a Writer is Tuesday and Friday writing related posts, and Wednesday has been set aside for any promotional type posts. I’ll be over at Tarot Guidance on Sundays and Thursdays. Saturday and Monday are my days off from blogging. This schedule was only recently decided upon, so you will notice it gets off track over the next couple of weeks due to previously scheduled guest posts, but bear with me as I get settled into the new routine.

Happy Friday!