Tag: writing help

Creating a character #MFRWauthor

Create a characterI used to think that creating a character for a book would be easy. After all, we all know a bunch of people. Just make a character like one of them. But the people we know are already true, full people (though I have to admit, I know a lot of people who could use a little more work). To take a concept, a thought of a person you want to play a part in your story involves developing every single facet of personality, appearance, habits, quirks. It can be daunting! Consider the difference between buying a house that needs to have the walls painted to starting from ground zero and building the whole house from scratch.

I use a couple of techniques to create characters. First, I generally think about the character for a while. It can be any length of time, from a week to a year. By the time I start, I have a good idea of who the character is going to be. Then I use a character sheet I found in a plotting book a long time ago. It helps me see the character as more than two dimensional. The character sheet forces me to think about physical characteristics like hair and eye color, tattoos, piercings, and such. I also fill in things like hometown, siblings, general background material, internal and external goals, what they want, and what they never want to do.

I love the character sheet! But I have found that even the sheet can Charactersbe a little short of what it takes to make a character real. Kayelle Allen provides character interviews for authors who post on the Romance Lives Forever blog and I love them. Interviewing the character and really thinking about the answers make the hero or heroine come to life as a person. Such a great help!

What do you do to make your characters real? And as a reader, what do you notice most about characters?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Burning Bridges by Anne Krist: old letters put the lie to Sara’s life. Now, mending her past mistakes while crossing burning bridges will be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

One Woman Only
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

5 Writing rituals for success #MFRWauthor

Writing books is not magicWhen I first saw the topic for the week, writing rituals, I had to stop and think. I don’t have any writing rituals. I know that writing a book takes work—it’s not magic (darn it!). But I have trouble thinking of it as a job to do every day. I’ve let my dreams fizzle without intending to. Anyway, because I have no writing rituals of my own, I looked up the topic and found this great article in a 2015 HuffPost article.

Author Jennifer Blanchard has created a killer process made of routine and ritual that keeps her focused and creative. I like her points! I’m going to try to work her ideas into my day…and maybe finish that stupid book I’ve been halfheartedly working on for a year. Here is what Jennifer does for herself:

  • Write before I do anything else (Routine). Write before you do anything else—put your writing first. It’s important. Treat it as such, like John does. See? He starts every day writing. I like that routine, John!

Start your day writing

  • Write five days a week at least (Routine). Everyone needs a break. Pick a day or two where you don’t write or don’t write as much, but success requires action. Be sure to write every other day!
  • Release fears, doubts, and excuses (Ritual). Our topic a couple of weeks ago was how fear is our greatest enemy. Jennifer recommends an action—write down your fears, your self-doubts, and excuses that allow you to justify not writing, and burn them. Let them go. They’re holding you back.
  • Acting “as if” (Ritual). This explanation struck me between the eyes. Hubby has said so many times that I get up to the edge of making my Writing as an important businesswriting matter and then I back off. Jennifer asks in this point, if you were a bestselling author, would you put your writing “off all the time or would you site down every day and write?” Wow. I really want to follow through on this point!
  • Amping up your mindset (Ritual). Simply put, believe in yourself. Don’t let preconceived notions about what you can or can’t do keep you from achieving your writing goals. Jennifer suggests making two columns on a piece of paper. On the left, list negative notions about being a successful writer. On the right, list the counter thought to the negative. Then adopt the ideas on the right. For me, I would list the self-doubt on the left that I can never measure up to friends of mine who are authors. On the right I need to say that I can be the best writer I can be. Then I need to adopt that notion. Affirmations work!

All in all, I found this article right when I needed it. I’m sending Jennifer a thank you note! 😉 We all need aids to reach our goals for writing. Jennifer’s process starts with routine and then uses the positive thinking that comes with the rituals. Find a routine that works for you. Then make the affirmations and believe them. What do you have to lose?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Mystic Desire: A collection of supernatural tales sure to keep you up at night, peering into the shadows! Or just wide awake, reading.
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

Journaling and why I’m an idiot #MFRWauthor

I am an idiot because I believe that journaling does help with writing and I don’t journal. Why don’t I journal, you might legitimately ask? I have no earthly idea.

JournalI have a journal book. In fact, over the years I’ve spent a bit of money on many books for journaling/brain storming/idea keeping. One year I bought a pen with a small recorder in it so I could quickly record ideas as I was driving or just out of the house. Did I ever use it? No. I probably stuck it in my purse and then forgot it when I transferred to another purse. Lord only knows how many great ideas for best-selling books I’ve lost because I didn’t grab that pen, press the magic button and say, “falling leaf, red” or “blue Corvette, hair blowing in wind, girl named Sally Jean Johnson.”

I do believe that keeping a journal helps us save ideas, capture thoughts and clear our minds. How can any of that not help in writing? If nothing else, just noting what we do each day, who we see, what we talk about, whatJournaling imaginations come to mind while watching the stars cross the heavens, will be interesting reading someday. And maybe inspire that best-selling book after all.

I’m going to grab my latest journaling purchase right now Or maybe after I finish going through emails…

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!