Writing Tip: Always Give Your Character Something to Do

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creative writing, fiction writing, fictional characters, On Writing, the art of writing, the craft of writing, the writing process, writing a book, writing fiction, writing tip, Writing tips

Years ago, I took a fiction writing course where the instructor regularly gave tips on how to write an outstanding novel. Among those tips were, always give your character something to do.

If only I had remembered that recently.

Click here for original image on Jim Delorey’s website

As I was writing the follow-up to “The Dark Proposal” a couple of weeks ago, I was hit a brick wall. I was totally stuck on where to go and what to do next with the story. It was so frustrating because I had written scenes that I was proud of, and I was delighted with where the story was going. But then suddenly, it wasn’t going anywhere. I had hit writer’s block after doing so much with my WIP.

After a few days of editing, re-writing and deleting scenes that just weren’t working, I finally realized what was wrong: the story had become boring. Why though? Why right after such powerful scenes did it suddenly take a downturn. Was it because those scenes were hard to follow? After thinking it over, the memory of that instructor came back and realized what was wrong.

Claire was not doing anything.

Right after a few good scenes, the main character of my story was doing absolutely nothing. She was practically sitting around, moping and feeling sorry for herself. She was not doing any activity, any action, nothing. Just sitting there.

Was that boring or what?

So, I erased that scene and re-wrote it, giving Claire something to do. Then I was satisfied with it.

Now I understand why that writing instructor made an emphasis on giving a character something to do. Without any action or activity, a character is just sitting there. Does that sound fun? Interesting? Enticing? Heck, if I was bored with it, chances are, so would a reader.

So lesson learned and a tip from me: always give your character something to do. It gives momentum to the story, and it keeps it flowing. A novel should be rolling effortlessly, and any stalls means a stall in the storytelling. No one likes to be bored writing or reading. Then again, so doesn’t your character! Give them something to do. They’ll thank you for it.

 

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When It Comes To Writing, Don’t Overdo It

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art of writing, authors, book sequels, novelists, On Writing, the craft of writing, the writing process, vampires, writers, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, writing a story, writing advice

Writing a book teaches you a lot of things. You think you know, but you don’t know, and writing a book is quite an experience.

Writing a sequel is the same thing, only more. You continue to grow as a writer, while also learning tons about writing a follow-up.

Click here for original image on Jim Delorey’s website

One thing I am learning about writing a sequel is, don’t overdo it.

Heck, you shouldn’t overdo it when you write a first or stand-alone book.

But as I write my sequel, I realize there are times when I lose focus and I start to overdo it with my storytelling. Writing a sequel means picking up where you left off with the first book, and carrying on into another story or extending with the first book’s story. It is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when you realize there were some things that could’ve gone into the first book, and now you’re mentioning it in the second book.

And then you realize others things could be brought up. It’s like opening a can of worms when you write.

As I mentioned in my post about writing about vampires, world building is so much fun. But at times, it can be too much fun, and you might lose direction. That was a problem I had writing my sequel; I was having too much fun exploring the vampire world that I lost track of what I wanted the story to be about. When I revisited my work recently, I saw this and had to delete or re-arrange a few things.

Writing a story is so much fun. Writing a book is such a delight. But don’t try too hard. Don’t overdo anything. You can lose track and overwhelm yourself, your characters and the story altogether.

 

Writing and Editing at the Same Time

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authors, craft of writing, edit, editing, editor, edits, novelists, the writing process, writers, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, Writing tips

Some say when you write a novel, you should write first and save the editing for later. After all, if you do both, you’ll become distracted from the real goal of finishing the story’s first draft.

Well, I happen to be one of those people who edits as she writes. Meaning, I don’t save the editing for after I am through with the first draft; it is my priority alongside my writing.

Image by Nic McPhee via Flickr

Usually what I do before I write is that I read over the previous scene or two. Often I do this in order to get a feel for what is going on, so I could get into the ‘mode’, if you will. As I read over the scene, or scenes, I notice grammar or spelling errors. I also notice wordy paragraphs, redundant sentences, and things not well explained. So I edit these parts instead of saving them for later. I believe it is best to polish your work while you are creating it.

To best illustrate this, think of a sculptor. As the sculptor chips or carves away, some leftover pieces of the clay or stone remain on the artwork. This could be dust or pieces not yet brushed away. A sculptor has to brush away those pieces in order to continue with its work.

In other words, when I write, I edit in order to move on. The previous step – in this case, a previous scene – needs to be sharpened as much as possible before I move on. Of course, the actual sharpening comes much later, but I am all for sharpening all the way. It is a way of perfecting your work, and possibly making the editing easier in the end. It is also a good warm-up for the writing you are about to do.

How about you? What is your take on editing as a novelist writes? Do you support it or believe it hinders a writer rather than helps? What is your method of writing and editing?

Fire away!

Well….Hey There!

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authors, books, eBooks, how to write a novel, Indie books, novelists, novels, paranormal, self-published authors, the writing process, urban fantasy, vampires, writers, writing

Hi everyone!

Gosh, its been such a long time. Maybe too long 🙂

It’s been a long while since I took a look at this blog, and its also been some time since I’ve been checking out my author platform elsewhere online.

Yikes, it feels so strange to see all of this now.

It used to feel like I was looking at a blog, or Twitter account or Facebook page that belonged to someone else. And to see my book on Goodreads was like seeing something from a past life.

But lately, seeing all this is like seeing an old friend. And maybe even like rediscovering an old part of myself that I’m excited to be in touch with again.

It’s been over a year since I announced that I was going to take a break from writing fiction. I had been having doubts about whether I wanted to continue with creative fiction, and I was feeling lost writing the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”. So I took a break, but I still flirted with the idea of writing fiction.

Starting last summer, the idea of writing “The Dark Proposal’s” sequel arose now and then. I was inspired by a couple of things, such as a song by Evanescence and a few personal experiences. In January this year, I realized what the sequel could really be about, and what kind of person Claire would be in her second story. At that point, the character of Claire McCormick began to finally slowly take shape, as well as the other characters.

I felt as if I could finally see Claire and get to know her as a person. I began taking notes on her upbringing and her family life to better explain the person she was during “The Dark Proposal”. I had felt I could’ve done better in her character development, but I feel those notes greatly helped me form and shape her.

The same goes for Hilde, The Black Roses, Casames and even Daniel to some degree. I became to know them more through my note taking, and they appeared to be flesh-out human beings (despite being vampires 😉 ) who were as complex and flawed like anyone else. It was a joy to see them as this.

Finally, this past March, I checked out my book’s page on Goodreads, and saw – to my surprise – there was a new review! It had been a long dry spell of any ebook purchases, let alone reviews. So I was thrilled to see my book was still being read, 18 months after I had published.

Seeing that review, which was positive and displayed excitement for the sequel, gave me the final boost to get started on the second book of my long dormant trilogy.

Yes, I am going to work on the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”. And I am as happy as many are 🙂

However, it won’t be an overnight thing. I can estimate it will take me 2 or 3 years to get the sequel published for the world to read. That is because I already have a busy life (you may recall that I wrote my first book while unemployed with plenty of time to write), and also, there may be a chance that I’ll self-publish this book. I don’t know. I have to wait and see. Maybe I can get a small publishing house to do so.

But even more so, I am going to take my time writing this book. Before, I was kind of rushing to write, while probably triggered my writers’ block. But I want to do this slowly so I can produce a novel that I will be pleased with.

I also will writing this book much differently as compared to its predecessor. I see this book as being darker in tone and in emotion. I also see it getting more into Claire’s mind and heart, and also capturing the essence of the vampire world and what is at stake.

I’m starting to read short stories that have a goth tone to them. I’ve read “The Raven” a few times to absorb its goth prose, and now I’m scouring for other goth literary pieces to get an idea on the tone I will be needing for this sequel.

I may even tweak a few things or mention somethings that should’ve been mentioned in the first book.

Basically, a lot in the sequel will reflect “The Dark Proposal”, but there will also be quite a few changes because of my new approach as a writer, writing this trilogy.

So, slowly but surely, I will be writing the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”. When I complete and what I’ll do with the final product is so far off that I am not really thinking about it. Just learning and growing as I write this. I have great ideas for this story, and some things to say about the human experience. I won’t say what they are now – that will come later.

So, good to see you all again! I will probably blog twice a month, just to keep everyone updated and to talk about my developments as a writer.

But until then, it is good to be back, and I look forward to taking you all on this journey with me, and I can’t wait to speak to everyone all over again!

Cheers! ~ Megan Cashman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons One Year Later: Being Ready

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how to write, life is a journey, self-published authors, the writing process, writing

Here is part two on my look back on what I’ve learned since self-publishing my book one year ago this. The first installment can be found here.

Even though I am proud and happy that I wrote, completed and self-published a book, I tend to wish I had done things a bit differently. No, I have no regrets self-publishing because it was something I wanted to try. I also have no regrets about the story that I wrote because it was something I felt was worth telling.

But I really wonder if I didn’t approach everything correctly. When I began working on “The Dark Proposal”, a temp job had ended and I was one of the millions who was unemployed. It’s devastating to be in that position, because it is as if your life is at a total stand still and the future is unknown. You may a get a job tomorrow, you may get one in one year. The uncertainty can weigh heavily on a lot of people.

At this time, I decided to be serious about writing and publishing a book. I had dreamed of doing so since I was a young kid, but I put it off to concentrate on school and my first real world job. Now my life was in limbo, and I wanted something to happen in my life. The uncertainty of my future was terrible. Besides, I had the time and energy to devote myself to this project, so why not?

It took me about six months to write “The Dark Proposal”. I began during NaNoWriMo in November 2011, dabbled in it during December, but really got into the story by mid-January. I was done by mid-April. It was exciting to write a novel for real. Before I used to write stories for fun. I would say those writings would become actual books, but this time, I truly committed to completing and publishing a book.

I was delighted with what I created, and I still am. However, there are times when I look over my work, and say to myself, “Hmm, maybe I could’ve written this differently”. I mean, I probably should’ve thought through a few scenes and a few characters better. But since I am working on the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”, I should be able to fix what I can and explain things better.

I think the questions on my mind for my anniversary is that, did I allow my need to be productive in my life prevent me from doing a better job? Was I really ready to write a book? Was my book really ready to be released to the world? I am a perfectionist to the point of insanity, so maybe I am looking from the wrong angle.

Hey, granted, I did had a good journey. I did learn a lot about writing as I wrote my first book. Some I wished I had learned sooner, but others I am glad I took note of. It was an experience that I’m glad I went through and it made me a better writer, which I hope I can show in future works. Fortunately, I will know then that it is better to slow down and not be so worried on an uncertain future, and then you can produce better work.

But please take it from me: have no regrets about your learning process. It’s worth it 🙂

Learning as I Write #1 – Letting Your Characters Go

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authors, how to write a novel, learning how to write, novelists, novels, the writing process, work in progress, writers

I want to start this series on my blog because not only do I want to keep you updated on how my second book is coming along, but I also want to share what I’m learning as I grow as an author.

Click here for original source

Even though I self-published a book almost a year ago, I still feel like an apprentice. My first book may have an 3.36 rating on Goodreads (meaning 82% of those who rated it liked it), but I still feel like I know so little about telling a story. Maybe this my self-doubt as a writer coming in, which makes sense because I can demand far too much from myself.

As I write the sequel to The Dark Proposal, I am putting so much pressure on myself to make it better than it’s predecessor, and to improve on where I didn’t do so well the first time around. Unfortunately, I am trying too hard and I’m driving myself nuts along the way.

But I kind of had an epiphany last week when I read a blog by another author who talked about letting your characters do their thing. Reading that part made me realize that I was holding onto my characters – especially the main one – so tightly that they almost couldn’t breathe. As a result, they couldn’t develop well.

You have to let your characters be, that’s what I’m learning. Yeah, you may want them to do something or be a certain way, but you cannot force them. They may be fictitious people who only exist in your mind, but they do have their own lives. It’s about fear, and you have to let that fear go. Then your character may just surprise you.

So take it from me and don’t make yourself as upset as I have been getting: let your characters go. Let them breathe, let them fly. They will be OK and they will do well. And they will help you tell a great story too.

 

The Challenges of Writing Ethnic Characters

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books, ethnic characters, ethnic diversity, multi racial characters, novels, racial diversity, racial issues, racial sensitivity, the writing process, writers, writing

Writers are supposed to go beyond their surroundings, and create worlds unlike those they’ve faced in life. That means writing about places they’ve never been to, jobs they’ve never held, situations they’ve never been in and hopefully would never be in.

This also includes creating characters very much unlike them – including those of a different ethnic, racial or religious background.

As authors we have to portray the fact that our countries are more multicultural than ever before, particularly in the United States. I’m sure British, Canadian and over nationalities know that it is really a folly to have all-white characters in our books. Unless it is in a rural area with few industries that doesn’t often attract racial minorities, but that is not always the case.

When I wrote my book, I knew I could not have all my characters to be white. It just doesn’t make sense to do that. However, to be honest, I also knew I couldn’t create a major character who was not of European descent. Not because I was afraid of not being able to sell my book because of the fewer white characters. Not because I was afraid of some racist disliking my book. And not because I harbor any prejudiced views myself.

I chose not to write a major minority character because I truly do not know what it is like to be a minority in the United States. I understand anyone who isn’t white – or even Christian or heterosexual – has had a lot of difficulty in this country. But I could never know what it is like to be a minority because I did not live that life. I could read every single book about living as an minority in America, but I still could never fully walk in the shoes of someone who is black, gay, Jewish, Muslim, Asian, and so on.

If I were to try to write minority main characters, I really don’t think I can portray their lives and mindsets accurately, and therefore, I didn’t do my job as an author. It is almost like writing what you know. Even though writers are supposed to break that age-old suggestion, I believe it shouldn’t be done if you cannot do it well.

That being said, I don’t think an author shouldn’t at least write secondary or minor characters who are not white. In my book, I had one of my protagonist’s roommates, and close friend, be a Mexican-American. I also had one of the vampires be biracial. Perhaps I should’ve created more ethnic characters, but I plan to do that in the follow-ups, but we’ll get to that later.

I admit, though, I was nervous about the way I portrayed Monica Alejandrez, the Hispanic character. I wondered if I was subconsciously giving in to any stereotypes about Mexican-Americans. I don’t think I did, and I haven’t received any complaints. But that’s the anxiety with writing about something that is very sensitive to many people.  Racial, ethnic and religious issues are very controversial and sensitive. Just the fact that I had a Hispanic character and a half-black, half-white character might be seen as a huge statement. If anything, the only statement I made is acknowledging that white people are not the only ones in America; there are many other races and cultures here. That may be huge to some, but to me, it was all matter-of-fact.

I also admit to being a little nervous about how I portrayed Claire McCormick’s other best friend, Samantha DiCarlo, an Italian-American. I made her outspoken and even a bit loud. She may seem a bit too blunt for some, but she was brave enough to confront Claire’s evil vampire boyfriend at one point. Was I giving into Italian stereotypes? I probably was, though I haven’t received any complaints. Then again, I grew up in an area that had a large Italian-American population where 90% of my elementary class was of Italian background. Maybe seeing this culture as it is gave me a good observation. But again, I’m not Italian, so maybe I wrongly gave into stereotypes.

It is a huge challenge to write about characters who are not of the same racial, ethnic and religious background as your own. Unless you’ve had a good access to those cultures, it is very difficult to do a good job at creating characters who are much different from you. That is my experience, anyway. I could be dead wrong or worrying about nothing.

If you are a writer, how do you approach creating characters not of your background? If you are a reader, how do you feel about this topic?

You’re Not Going to Write the Greatest Novel Ever Written

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authors, books, creative writing, novels, storytelling, the writing process, writers, writing

Ah, what wise words.

I just wanted to share this with everyone. It’s very poignant and I hope all writers – aspiring and published – take note. It’s important to know and remember that stories are subjective, so not everyone can agree on what’s amazing and what is not. Look at the Twilight saga and it’s offspring Fifty Shades of Grey. There are some who adore either or both series, some who are indifferent, and others who passionately despise them. See? No one reads a novel the same way. We each have our own minds that sees things differently.

I honestly used to dream about writing the greatest book of all time. But now as I am maturing as a writer, I realize that dream has little place in reality. I could fantasize about one of my books being listed among the greatest books ever, or the best NA books, self-published books, best books of the year or season. Those dreams are more realistic. But even then, I should still focus on writing my absolute best, and keep developing and maturing my storytelling.

Till then, copy and paste this meme, everyone. And keep it close by to remind yourself to be realistic, and even humble.

NOTE: the above meme is from author Sarah Cradit. Check out her blog: http://sarahcradit.wordpress.com/

Balancing Visions – Yours and Your Readers

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authors, book series, books, Charlaine Harris, readers, reading, Sookie Stackhouse, the writing process

Every author wants an audience. We all want a loyal following, where numerous readers are eager to get our next book. They’ll recommend our work to others, tweet, Facebook and blog about our books, and maybe even leave kind messages to us via email or social media, ever thankful we’ve written books they like.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

But what about when they don’t leave kind messages to us? Especially if they are not happy with one of our books?

You may have heard of author Charlaine Harris, who wrote the Sookie Stackhouse novels which are the inspiration behind the HBO series True Blood. She recently completed the series, with the release of Dead After Ever, and boy, were many fans livid. Some were very disappointed over who Sookie Stackhouse ended up with at the end, and some reacted rather viciously.

I get annoyed with some authors myself. I feel like Anne Rice could’ve written better books. I think Paulo Coelho thinks himself too much as the voice of wisdom, and should stop preaching and just tell a story. But I could never threaten someone’s life because they didn’t do what I hoped they would do – especially if it is an author who has no affect over my life other than my leisure time. It’s scary to know there are people who would go that far over a minor thing.

But this raises the question: should an author consider what their readers want from in their work? If so, how often?

It’s a delicate balance, I believe. I have ideas on how my vampire trilogy should end and how the protagonist, Claire McCormick develops. I think my readers will like them, though it’s possible they’ll be surprised by the direction I take the books. That’s my feeling and I could be wrong. I touched on it in the first book, The Dark Proposal, so I hope it wouldn’t be completely unexpected by anyone. But I have in the back of my mind that some may not be pleased, and that’s just to prepare me for any disappointed reactions I may get.

But if I ever read a review on my book, I am taking into consideration on what my readers would like to see become of Claire. Granted, none are asking for a lot, just to see Claire become a stronger person. That’s fine, and I am working on that. I did intend to make her develop more for the follow-ups, though I admit I wasn’t aware of how weak some readers thought she was. My intention was for her to wracked with anxiety and fear, but I guess I didn’t do that so well. Anyway, I’m working on redeeming that part in my next book.

My point is, it is best to take consideration on what your readers want from your books. They bought it, they read it, and if they liked it, they will be first in line to read your next work. You sort of owe it to listen to them, but I also don’t think you shouldn’t disregard your plans for your characters. Maybe tweak them a little, or let them not do something your fans wouldn’t want them to do. It won’t be easy, I’m sure, because we authors spend hours envisioning what our characters will do. Those characters are very real to us, and to learn that reality isn’t going to be popular is a bit disappointing.

So again, it is a delicate balance. Authors have to be true to their vision, but be considerate of their fans, who make writing worth the time. A good author learns to balance all this well.

But I highly recommend not threatening an author just because a series ended the way you didn’t want it to. It’s just not right. It really isn’t.

Disclaimer: This is a Work of Fiction…

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authors, book disclaimer, characters, developing characters, disclaimers, novelists, the writing process, writers

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

We’ve all come across this when we opened to a new book, right? Maybe most of ignore it or barely think any of it, but it seems there are some people out there who need to read that disclaimer.

I suppose many authors deal with this: people thinking the characters they wrote about are actually the author themselves, or the conflict the characters face is something the author actually went through, minute by minute. It can be true. Some authors may write about an event in their lives, yet tweak a few people or scenes to make it more fictitious. When I took a writing course a few years ago, a few people in the class were doing that. 

But some stories are born out of a writer’s imagination. There may even be some aspects of the event or character that resemble the writer, but not all of it. We all know Stephen King’s novels all take place in Maine, where he is from. But that doesn’t mean everything he’s ever written about has actually happened to him.

I just bring this up because a few people in my life who have read my book have actually asked me if parts of it are reflection of me. They ask if, like Claire McCormick, I am agnostic (nope). They ask if I’ve been in an abusive relationship (no, and I made that clear once before). The hysterical part is when I’m asked if I really do have sex on the first date (I do not, and I’ve explained why I wrote that part). It’s funny because it is usually a guy who asks that question. Ha!

So while a few things about Claire may sound familiar to those who know me (freelance journalism, struggling to find work in a lousy economy, Irish heritage, living on Staten Island), many things about her are not like me. I don’t have a brother, and I also would’ve handled the terror Daniel put her through in a different way – and that would’ve been by ending up in a psychiatric unit.

When I write my characters, they develop and grow on their own. You can’t micromanage characters, especially main ones. They become their own persons to the point that nothing of you is able to penetrate them. With that, it is impossible for a book to reflect it’s author – unless it is that author’s intention all along.

So yeah. I’m just bringing this up for lighthearted fun because recently a guy I went out with did ask about the sex on the first date part. He seriously thought he had struck gold with me. Oh, was he disappointed!