Save What You Wrote: Teenagers

I’m pretty sure my neighbors yesterday thought I had gone crazy, I was laughing so hard. For fun, I pulled out my old drafts to read. I had realized that my characters were acting entirely too serious. They weren’t like teenagers anymore, so I decided to read the drafts I wrote when I was actually around teenage boys regularly. I about laughed my head off. All of my character’s friends teased him so badly! They were so mean, but that is how teenagers are. I laughed until I cried.

I also enjoyed how my characters morph. Here’s another favorite cut line from the original draft: “Autographs after the show, boys, please,” from an overconfident, large boned, stunt performer at SeaWorld. That character morphed into a girl less than five feet tall who speaks in a timid yet refined British accent. How did that happen?

I about died reading the scene when three of the characters sneak the health nut’s low-fat ice cream from his padlocked freezer (a padlocked freezer???). I think I have some reworking to do. My characters should be teenagers and carefree. They can get serious after they go into battle.

This is a lesson in save what you wrote. If you don’t save the things you write, how can you go back and remember what being a certain age or at a certain place of life is like? I need to pull out my teenage journals, too. Don’t worry, they’re mostly fictional. :-)

Happy Writing!

Circumstances vs. Relationships

I’ve mentioned before that I’m using two alternating POVs for my Epic Novel, Book One. When I first started writing the secondary POV, I had so much fun! Everything just flowed and came so easy. The character was mysterious, and that made him fun to write. However, the longer I wrote from his POV (and the more the reader got to know him), the more difficult time I had. I found myself floundering around for scenes to tell from his POV. What was going on?

My primary POV character, while daunting at times, has definite scenes and steady movement. The various trials he goes through during his military training move the story, show his growth, and set up future plot elements.

Since that worked so well for POV One, I decided to try it with POV Two. Except that it didn’t work. Every time I sat down to write, instead of marksmanship or marching or combat training, POV Two spent a scene during personal time to share a moment with his small group of friends. BORING. Or wait--is it?

You know those light bulb moments? I had one of those. And a flashback. (woah, light bulb and flashback at the same time!) I flashbacked to Lit class in college and those phrases:

     --Man vs. Man
     --Man vs. Nature
     --Man vs. Machine
     --Man vs. God

(my notes are in a box somewhere, so I’m just writing from memory.)

I realized that POV One’s character arc follows his circumstances. The situations in which he finds himself stretch and mold him; they move the story and show his growth. However, POV Two’s movement is more internal, more emotionally driven. Much of his growth happens within his own head based on the relationships he has. Ohhhh, personal time with friends. Relationships.

Summary:
POV One’s character arc is circumstantial.
POV Two’s character arc is relational.

Ta da! Wish I could say problem solved, but as I have very little experience in relational character arcs, I may have to do some research. Too bad all those books and notes are in boxes as well . . .

Happy writing!

MC/Author Similarities and Differences

So many times, I look at my story and think, “Wow! I hadn’t realized the main character was so much like I am!” However, I noticed last week one way in which we really differ. A lot.

I am a visual/book learner. In elementary school, while I always wanted to do science experiments, I never needed to. I would read the description of the experiment and understand exactly what was going to happen and what I was supposed to learn. I’ve never been very anxious to get involved, and often, I find the physical aspects of learning a chore.

My MC is the opposite. Books make no sense to him, but put him in the field and he’s good to go. He fails in school, but in the real world, life makes sense and he comes out ahead of the rest.

How did that happen?

On Target

When I originally started the Epic Novel (and I mean age 15 originally), I had five primary characters and used an (poorly done) omniscient narrator to tell the story. As the drafts went on, I gradually narrowed down to one main character and his POV. Now I still have that main character but I also have an alternating POV. As I switch back and forth, I find myself constantly wondering, what are the other characters thinking?

For example, the second POV character I use in Book Two--what does she think in Book One? What kinds of things does she go through? I find myself really wanting to add a dozen more POV characters because, to me, they are all interesting as well!

Now I have to answer some questions: Do I add another POV character? Do I add a secondary character book (an idea I’ve toyed with)? Do I write these other POVs just because they would be fun and might help me with the main story even if no one else ever reads them? Or do I follow the orders of Gold Leader in Star Wars?

“Stay on target. Stay on target.”

You Can’t Have Five Characters All Be the Same. Sorry.

I have a problem. All my commanding officers seem to be the same. The squad leader and the company commander, I realized, act almost the exact same way. They have this firm but genuine air. They don’t let people get away with things, but they care. They even look the same! Tall, thin, light hair. Hmm. This could be a problem.

Especially in basic training. I know my military isn’t as tough as our real military, but still, I think it needs to be tougher. For a little while, I was daunted. That almost gentle kind of CO seemed to be the only kind I knew how to write. But then, I remembered the drill sergeant from an earlier draft. Ta da! So, I resurrected him, and I’m really pleased. The problem I have now is keeping gruff drill sergeant different from unreasonably harsh disciplinarian commander.

Here’s an idea! Try putting a completely different character into a scene you already and see what happens. What happens if you add a tough drill sergeant in place of an encouraging mentor? What happens if the rowdy class clown is replaced by a mime or the meek accountant vanishes while a rough and tough cowboy appears?

Happy writing!

Don’t Hate My Babies!

I am currently writing in close third person point of view, which means I stick closely to my point of view character, almost as though I were writing in first person. If he doesn’t know it, then the narrator can’t know it, so the reader won’t know it. This poses problems for me in the motivations of others.

I just wrote a scene where my MC’s father said some pretty hurtful things. I caught myself starting to write, “Now, MC knew his father loved him and that he didn’t really mean those things . . . .” Really? If your father had just said some pretty hurtful things, would you really sit there and think, “Now, I know he didn’t mean that . . .” or would you go off and fume? (And remember, you’re a teenager at the time.)

Right. I catch myself doing this all the time, trying to explain why certain secondary characters are acting the ways the are because I don’t want my readers to hate them. Because really, my MC’s father does love him and is just under a lot of stress and is worried sick. But my MC doesn’t understand that, so my narrator can’t know it--so <em>I cannot tell the reader</em>. I just have to repeat that to myself over and over again.

So when eventually I publish something, you can always write me to ask why characters acted a particular way, and I would be happy to explain. Just don’t hate my babies!

Revision

When I first was writing as a teenager, I couldn’t imagine any of my stories changing as much as I heard stories often do in revision. This is my story, and that’s just the way it’s supposed to be.

Now, I’ve come to realize that a story is more than just scenes strung together. A story is a character and his or her growth. Now, I’m revising my story again, and the particulars of plot are changing in order better to reflect the story of the character. My character and his growth have not changed, but the way that growth plays out--the specific details of scene and plot--have.

This is fun. :-)

Typical Characters, Part II

Over the past week or two, I have been noticing people who look different or seem different than the characters I usually write. I’m starting to feel excited about experimenting with characters other than the same ones I’ve always written. I know this will stretch me and that I will grow. I’m looking forward to seeing what this does. Soon, I will give myself a challenge. I’m just not sure what that challenge will be yet.

Here’s a challenge for you: notice the people around you who are people you might not normally befriend, people who are dissimilar to you. Imagine why they are the way they are--what is their motivation? What is their past? Try writing a couple of pages about that person, and just see what happens!

Typical Characters

The other night, I watched the tail end of the new Star Trek movie. I realized with a start that Captain Kirk is a very different character than the main characters in most of the books I read. I’m used to reading books written for young adults and preteens. The protagonists I are usually unsure of themselves, a bit timid, slightly depressed.

Captain Kirk is self-confident, arrogant, and so sure of himself that he’ll talk back to commanding officers to make sure they do what needs to be done. Watching that reminded me of the dozens of different characters who could make excellent protagonists for books.

I think we often enjoy reading about characters who have weaknesses because deep inside, we know our own weaknesses. However, we are all in different developmental phases. Some of us have learned to trust ourselves if not others. Wouldn’t those people enjoy reading about a character with whom they can relate?

A few people have told me that when I draw, all my people look the same. There may not be much help for my sketches, but I hope that when people read my books, they won’t think all of my characters are the same.

Writing Psychology

Sometimes, for fun, I take personality tests, specifically tests on the Myers-Briggs types. The fun part is when I take the tests from the POV of my characters! This accomplishes several things:

It helps me to think like my characters.

It helps me to understand my characters.

The description at the end of the test helps me to figure out if I have a correct and clear picture of my character’s personality.

It provides insight in how a character of that personality might think or process things, which helps me to write a more believable character.

It’s just plain fun.

As with real people, personality tests are good only to a certain point. However, they can provide insight and inspiration. Especially for those of us who have a hard time imagining life from a different perspective. I’m a logical, introverted, semi-nerd who enjoys science and music. What if my character is a creative extrovert athlete type? Something like a personality test could help me to understand how a character like that might think.

Character Arc

I have finally discovered what is the main difficulty with Epic Novel Part One. Did I mention this is the messiest draft I have ever written? I was reading back through it this morning, trying to get the draft to a point where I can have someone critique it. I was tempted to start rearranging scenes again. Why can’t I get this right?

Suddenly, it hit me: I’m having problems because my character is underdeveloped. He is the one who is messy. I have a basic idea of how his growth manifests, but the details are fuzzy. Before I can get this draft to the point it needs to be, I have to get my MC to where he needs to be. I have a tendency to get my characters’ points of growth confused or mixed up.

If I had my lecture notes and writing books with me (I’m out of town), I would spend some time flipping through to refresh my memory on character arc. That will have to wait until I get home, so I don’t have much insight in how to fix this problem. One thing I do know: before I can write this draft the way it needs to be written, I must answer a few questions.

• What is my character’s desire line for this particular section of the story?
• What is point ‘A’, what is point ‘B’, and what does the journey between them look like?
• What are the details of this journey--does MC have different friends than I thought he did?
• How do I flesh out that journey in scenes?

I’ll let you know once I’ve made some progress.

A Field, Not a Swamp

Stagnant. That’s what a swamp is.
Cultivated, plowed, sown, tilled, harvested. That’s what a farmer’s field is.

I want my characters to be fields, not swamps, but in order for that to happen, I have to be a good farmer.

• Unturned soil: Character begins thinking he is pretty happy, but something nags at the back of his mind
• First plow: Character realizes not all is well in his internal workings. He wants to be something more.
• Seed is sewn: Finds purpose in working hard to obtain goal
• Drought comes: Goal is put out of reach. Despair sets in.
• Fertilizer: Perhaps can reach goal another way.
• Rain: Outside influences encourage growth.
• Growth: That one’s pretty obvious
• Ripening: Character realizes perhaps his goal should be different
• Harvest: Achieves goal

The important part is not to get things out of over. If the rain falls at the wrong time, the crop is ruined. I have a tendency, I’ve noticed, to start my character mid-development or to rehash problems the character has already worked through. Writing out a list helps me to have an idea of where my character is supposed to be at a given time and it keeps me on track (lists are the way I do things, but you could use an outline, a chart, a bubble graph, or even a picture like a visual life map).

The only problem then is that you have to know where your list is . . .

Rest in Peace, Jason

“Sorry, Jason. Tertiary characters are supplanting your position as an important secondary character. You’ve been a good friend, a good older brother, a good leader in the resistance, but you just make the story too convoluted. It’s your own fault, really. If you had just joined the military when they asked you to . . .

I’ll make it up to you, though. If demand is high, and I’m rich and famous, I’ll go ahead and write you your own book. Deal?

Sincerely,
The Author”

Sigh. Cutting characters is hard.

Cutting Characters, Left and Right

“Sooooo, did you catch last night’s episode of popular reality show? Yeah, no? You missed a good one, man. You missed a good one. They were kicking people off left and right. And like, some people got kicked on. And uh, I mean, you should a watched it, man. You definitely should a watched it. Should a watched it.”
~~Homestarrunner in Strong Bad e-mail 37, “Dullard.”

That quote keeps running through my head as I write, with minor variations. “She was cutting characters left and right, and like, some characters got kicked on.” When I started this story, I had five main characters and about four secondary characters. Over a period of about five years (author time, not story time), it grew to ten main characters with about fifty secondary characters (not at the same part of the story at least!). My protagonist started the story with a family of seven, a best friend and his little sister, and another friend and his family of nine (plus a sister-in-law and nephew). He then met up with a group of nineteen others, plus around five mentors. Add to that all the tertiary and absent characters as well as the villains and it was mind-boggling.

At my first writer’s workshop, I submitted the first (terrible!) three chapters of The Epic Novel. One of the questions my shopmates asked was why the fourth friend was there. Because you don’t leave one of your crew behind when you take a road trip, of course.

As I’m redrafting this first part of my novel, I painfully realized that the question they asked was quite legitimate. Cutting that fourth friend hurts because two of my favorite most poignant scenes deal with that character. Sigh.

Horrifically, I am realizing that the third friend, who at one point was my favorite character, may not have purpose either. Not to the MC’s motivation, not to this particular plot of the story. Sadly, I think he may have to go. The problem is, his sister is quite involved. How do I keep her involved without him? How does the MC even know her if not as the little sister of his best friend? Dilemmas, dilemmas!

Perfect Heroine

My heroine used to be so solid, a rock the hero could rely on--that everyone could rely on. She was always encouraging, a stickler for rules but fun. She was tenderhearted but strong. She was the manifestation of an ideal.

And then, I started telling the story from her POV. Suddenly, she seemed so insecure. She had bitterness she’d never dealt with from being rejected so often as a child--by her family, by her peers. She was strong because she had to be--no one else would be strong for her--but all she really wanted was for someone else to come take care of everything, for someone else to make  things better. She wanted that strong person to hold her and fight away her bad dreams. She wanted that person but didn’t know how to trust anyone to be that person because everyone she had ever relied on had let her down.

Wow. I guess I need to go back to Book One and rewrite all her scenes with that in mind. She isn’t as perfect as she seemed.

I think I like her better now.

Motivation

When I embarked on the journey of Epic Novel, I had never had any instruction in Creative Writing. I had learned what I knew solely from reading fiction and one or two books on craft. I had not even had much instruction in reading literature. I had no knowledge of character motivation or character arc. Even so, I recognized that my story fell flat because I didn't know what my main character wanted. Okay, there's a huge massive war and he wants to protect his family and his people. But what about before the war? What did he want then, and how did that motivate him to join the war? Rereading my draft, I realized that he has motivation--he's had it all along--it just needed bringing out. I didn't recognize it when I first started the story because I didn't know what my own motivation was. I know both now. What a relief!

Rereading my old draft, I realized there are a lot of things buried in there that I didn't realize when I wrote it. The motivation for my main character seems so obvious to me now, it's amazing. I've figured out a few more motivations as well, including the motivation for Arch Nemesis Number 1. Now I just have to master character arc. :-)
Anne M.

One Lump or Two?

I just read an interesting article at the Teaching Authors blog on food and fantasy. It reminded me of an exercise I did once for a big project. I wanted to get to know my characters better, so I wrote a few questions for them. A couple of the questions were "What is the character's favorite dessert?" and "How does the character take his tea or coffee?" I used it just to get to know my characters better, but the answers came in handy later for a scene where the characters drink hot tea after a harrowing experience. I knew the MC always had his tea with a little bit of honey.

In other news: today, I turned in the first twenty pages of a young adult science fiction novel for my workshop in January. I really like the story, but I have a feeling the first draft of the first twenty pages isn't very good. I'm also almost done with the second draft of my middle grade novel. And my last packet is due December 10! I feel this semester should be over already, but just three more weeks.

I imagine I won't post in the next week (family in town), so Happy Thanksgiving everyone!