For What It's Worth

Building Characters - Natural Attributes

2012-01-26T09:17:00.001-08:00

Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character has some fabulous information to build believable characters, and I'm offering most of that wisdom to you, free of charge. If you want it all, you'll have to buy the book. In the last post, we discussed the physical attributes of your character. Today we'll look at the natural attributes, or those things your character was born into or with, things like gifts, talents, and background.

Family of Origin

First, think of your character's family. What kind of family is it? A person growing up in a house with seventeen kids and three generations will be different that an only child with a single parent. Consider the house: a shack, a mansion, a castle? Were the character's parents married when she was born? Did they stay married, or did they remarry and blend two households? Was the home stable and happy, or depressing and forgettable? Was there privilege or poverty, food stamps and welfare, yacht clubs and nightclubs, food kitchens (on either side of the serving tray) or church potlucks? All these things influence your character's personality.

Birth order can also play a factor. Is your character the first-born or the youngest of six? The only female in a house full of boys? If the oldest, was she responsible for caring for all those younger than her? Or was there a nanny involved? A mean baby-sitter? Was she a latch-key kid (home alone until the folks came home)?

Did your character have a parent with an exceptionally strong personality? Kids of drill sergeants grow up in a different environment than kids of hippies, and it impacts personality. Where did your character grow up? Military kids move around a lot. Farmers stay in one place. Did he grow up in the big city or in a rural community?

Education

How well educated is your character? Grammar school or grad school? Was it a high-quality education or street smarts, Ivy league or correspondence courses? How high did your character want to go in her education? Did she get there? Did she settle for less? Did she study what she wanted to study, or did she study what she was expected to study? Also, how intelligent is your character? Measure both mental acuity and common sense when determining how smart she is.

Gifts and Talents

What is your character good at? We all gravitate toward the things we're naturally gifted in, and so will your character. The highest goal is to join the things we're good at with the things we enjoy doing and turn them into something we can make a living at. Did your character succeed? Or is she a graceful dancer going to med school because her daddy wanted her to? Does she have a knack for fixing things? An ear for foreign languages? The uncanny ability to express thoughts verbally? A gift for teaching? A way with animals? A natural-born talent for spurring others on to virtuous works?

What does your character enjoy doing? Does she love throwing parties? Reading books all day long? Working crossword puzzles? Singing in jazz clubs? Sometimes what people are good at and what they enjoy doing are two different things. Your character may love to sing but be tone deaf. He may love kids but he ends up scaring them away.

These are factors in your character's personality, so know them well. In the next post I'll discuss love language, one of the most meaningful sections in the book (at least, it was to me).

-Sonja

Building Characters - Physical Attributes

2012-01-23T06:17:00.001-08:00

I'm in the process of dispensing wisdom from Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character. Today I'll continue discussing the physical attributes for your character.

Gender: This is a no-brainer, but Jeff brings up an interesting idea: what would your character be like if you switched her gender? A female bouncer at a night club or a male nanny might be fun. But chose the gender that best works for the story.

Race and Ethnicity: Use your character's race and ethnicity to add tension. Take an ENTJ character (someone who takes charge of any situation) and make her of a minority ethnicity or an enslaved people and see how her natural leadership expresses itself in her confines. Or think about cultural distinctives inherent in a race and go against stereotype (African-American rapper, Asian scientist, Hispanic cowboy). How would being Asian affect a boy who dreams of becoming a professional basketball player? Are there pressures on your character to pursue a certain line of education or work? Are there restrictions on her activities or friends or choices of mate due to her ethnic background? Think of the people groups in high school (jock, geek, band, brainiac) and how your character would react to being in one of these. Think of your character's culture. Is he a voracious Greek man? A repressed Jew? A quiet blond woman of Swedish descent who keeps to herself? Be aware of the influence these cultures may have on your character, and use them wisely.

Age: Age is both objective and subjective (the 42-year-old man who acts like a 14-year-old boy, or the 15-year-old girl who acts like a 35-year-old woman). It might be interesting to make your character the "wrong" age for the story you're telling: a Doogie Howser child prodigy or an octogenarian heading back to college. Whatever age you make your character, it's got to fit the story.

Physical Attractiveness: Not every character can be stunning. Nor should they all be hideous. Variety is important. Also remember that people are judged by their appearance, despite the adage to not do so. Attractive women find more dates than homely ones. Characters with deformities, especially in the face, may make others feel uneasy. Also keep in mind how this attractiveness or lack thereof affects the character. Is she aware of her beauty or non-beauty? Does she want to do something about it (exercise more, invest in plastic surgery, spend a fortune on clothing and makeup, etc)? The physical attributes of a person have an impact on his personality, so use that in your book.

Face, Hair, Eyes, and Complexion: Depending on ethnicity, you might not have a ton of variety here, but you need to know what your character looks like, even if you never describe her in the story. How does she wear her hair and why does she choose that style? Does she color it? Style it to match trends? Comb it once and ignore it for the rest of the day? Tie it back in a bun? Keep her temperament in mind. Someone who's practical like an ESTJ would wear a no-nonsense hairstyle, whereas an outgoing ESFP might wear her hair like she's going to party all year long. Also factor in the character's culture and whether she wants to fit into that culture. For men, consider facial hair and hair coloring. Would your character hide the gray? Wear a goatee or a soul-patch? Don't forget skin: acne scars or baby smooth, dark or light, freckles, wrinkles, age spots? These things affect how a person acts. Just ask the kid with acne all over his face.

Clothing and Style: What look is your character going for? How does she want the world to view her? Or does she even care how others see her? How successful is she at achieving her targeted look? And don't forget the accessories: jewelry, hats, scarves, shoes, and iPods all tell the reader something about the character. What is she trying to say or achieve or make others believe by the way she dresses, why is she trying to do this, and how successful are her efforts?

Other Stuff To Consider: This is the catch-all area for things that didn't fit in the categories above. Does your character walk with a limp? Missing a limb? Birthmarks? Asymmetry in face or body? Long legs and short torso? Remember that even the slightest details can impact your character's personality.

In the next post I'll look at natural attributes, those things your character is born with.

-Sonja

Building a Character - Physical Traits and Aptitudes

2012-01-19T10:29:00.001-08:00

I'm in the process of dispensing wisdom from Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character. Today I'll discuss adding physical and natural attributes to your character. By now, you've chosen a core personality type from the 16 archetypes (see previous posts if you're lost). You've made copious notes. You know your base character inside and out. Now let's start adding some fun stuff.

Jeff brings up this example: you meet two people of the same personality type. One is an old man from Taiwan and another is a teenage girl from the Bronx. You wouldn't know they were the same personality type until you hung out with them for awhile. But other things stand out about them right away: their appearance.

In real life, the first thing we notice about other people is their appearance: gender, ethnicity, age, height, build, hair, clothing, etc. These things are important in fiction, too. You might not always need to describe your character in the book, but you, the author, must know some things. Hair color might not be important, but age and gender are. Their aptitudes are also important: things like family of origin, birth order, gifts and talents, etc. These are things a person is born with that makes them a unique individual.

These physical traits and aptitudes should be used to develop a great character. Jeff offers these examples:

* a character of the ENFJ temperament (who would have a tendency to be highly organized) has a tattoo diagram on her wrist that explains something important so she'll always have it "on hand."

* an ESTP (a temperament that lends itself to spontaneity and competitiveness) wears the most fashionable clothing and is constantly getting compliments for his taste and style.

Look for ways your character's core temperament would adapt to the physical appearance and background she was born with. Find the ways that your character's temperament will express itself on the outside. For instance, the main character in my newest book is practical and shy. She'd find fashion and bling a waste of money. She wears sensible, affordable clothing that doesn't attract undo attention and will last for years. Her vehicle of choice is fuel-efficient and low-maintenance. Her hair style is practical and low-maintenance. She keeps her body in fantastic physical shape - it would be illogical to let herself get fat, as that would make it harder for her to complete her work in an efficient manner. She's an introvert and prefers to work alone, so her career choice flows from that: she's part-owner of a small bakery, where she can stay in the kitchen and bake bread all day while her business partner runs the front counter and takes care of the people-side of things.

Hopefully you can see how fun it can be to integrate even the simplest of traits into an existing core personality to come up with a unique character. I'll continue this discussion in the next post.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 19

2012-01-17T09:39:00.001-08:00

We're finally on the last trait from the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling most of my info from Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

The last trait is the ISFP (introvert, sensory, feeling, perceptive), or who Keirsey calls THE COMPOSER. She's loyal, committed, friendly, and reserved. Like the Performer, the Composer dislikes conflict and is all about the feelings: impulse, excitement, joy. She has a special talent for tactical artistry, working closely with color, tone, texture, aroma, and flavor. ISFPs are the musicians, chefs, and fashion designers of the world.

Composer make up about ten percent of the population, but they don't want the limelight. As introverts, they prefer being alone, but will share their artistic outcomes with others just to share the joy. They don't express themselves verbally, but in action, with tools (fabric, paintbrush, tuba), because the spoken word isn't nearly as handy as the tool. If they can't find a medium to express themselves, then they'll keep to themselves. While it looks like they are hard at work on their compositions, they are extremely impulsive. They live intensely in the here and now, with little or no planning. "Composers are seized by the act of artistic composition, as if caught up in a whirlwind," says Keirsey. They paint, sculpt, dance, and compose simply because they must. Composer seem oblivious to fatigue and pain, but it's simply that they are so absorbed and excited that they don't notice the difficulties.

The ISFP is the kindest of all the personality types, and are especially sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. Composers are also extremely competitive, especially in sports or table games, and hate to lose. Educating a Composer is difficult. They often drop out of school before finishing--they prefer experiential learning. Friendly and soft-spoken Composers seek a dutiful spouse, someone who can keep the Composer from wandering away when a tempting opportunity presents itself. When tension arises in a relationship, the Composer will put with it to keep the family intact, then quietly slink off once the children are grown.

Good career choices for the ISFP include teacher, bookkeeper, systems analyst, and firefighter. Famous ISFP's include Donald Trump, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dan Quayle, Christopher Reeves, Fred Astaire, and Elizabeth Taylor. Fictional ISFP's include Bella Swan from Twilight, Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rachel Greene from Friends, Harry Potter, Flounder from The LIttle Mermaid, and Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Now that I've finished the sixteen core personality types, I'll rely more heavily on Jeff Gerke's book. In coming posts, I'll discuss character temperament, physical attributes, and love language. Stay tuned!

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 18

2012-01-12T08:42:00.001-08:00

Two more personality types to go. I found most of this information in Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

Today I'm covering the ESFP (extrovert, sensory, feeling, perceiving) or who Keirsey calls THE PERFORMER. He's fun, friendly, outgoing, adaptable, and can't resist putting on a good show. He wants to stimulate everyone around him, arousing their senses, offering pleasure, and creating a feeling of well-being. With his contagious good humor and irrepressible joy of living, everyone wants to be around this guy. When he walks into the room, everyone gathers.

These guys are plentiful, making up more than ten percent of the population, which is a great thing, because they bring joy to so many. They love excitement and crave an audience, so they try to generate a sense of showtime wherever they are. "All the world's a stage" applies brilliantly to them. They love the fast life, good food, fancy cars, bling, fantasy, and merriment. Life is a party to these people. They are inclined to be impulsive and self-indulgent, making them give in easily to others. Pleasure is an end in itself, and they are open to trying almost anything that promises a good time. They rarely consider the consequences.

They don't like confrontation or sticky situations. Their tolerance for anxiety is the lowest of all the personality types, and they will avoid it by simply ignoring it for as long as possible. "Always look on the bright side" is their motto, and if forced to endure a tense situation (at work, in a relationship) they won't make waves or put up a show of resistance. They'll simply walk away. This personality trait is ultra fun to play with in fiction because of their intense dislike of anxiety or confrontation of any kind.

ESFP's are the most generous of all the personality types, lavishing friends and loved ones with gifts. They don't have a stingy bone in their bodies, and have no concept of savings or investing their cash. Life is to be lived right now. They are emotionally expressive and affectionate, completely unable to hide their true feelings or hold their tongue. They tend to fall in love easily, and every time is like the first time. Intent on pleasing everyone, ESFP's can appear fickle, even promiscuous, to others, when they're simply and innocently sharing themselves with others.

Performers make exciting and entertaining mates, but cause a good deal of anxiety in these relationships. They love to spend money on fun things and will impulsively max out credit cards. They make warm, generous, loving friends to their spouse and their children, but should not be expected to take these relationships much more seriously than that. When tension arises, the Performer will quietly leave--and may not come back.

The best careers for the Performer are (duh) the performing arts, but they also find success in fundraising and retail sales. Flight attendant, photographer, teacher, and receptionist are also good fits, as they deal with people on a daily basis. They avoid solitary technical occupations in science and engineering, and couldn't stick to a schedule if their life depended on it. Famous ESFP's include Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, and Marilyn Monroe. Fictional ESFP's include Homer Simpson, Tim "The Toolman" Taylor from Home Improvement, and Kelly Bundy from Married with Children.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 17

2012-01-09T06:31:00.001-08:00

We're down to the last three personality types. I found most of this information in Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

The personality type on today's docket is the ISTP, or introverted, sensory, thinking, perceiving. Keirsey calls her THE CRAFTER. Others call her "the Realist." But no matter what you call her, she's patient, data-oriented, logical, efficient, and tolerant. She's best with a tool: microscopic drill, supersonic jet, giant crane, scalpel, any piece of equipment that she can play with. ISTP's enjoy spontaneity, follow their own drummer, and should not be subject to rules, regulations, or laws. Hierarchy and authority are unnecessary and irksome to the crafter, as they get in the way. The ISTP must be free to do her own thing, when the urge strikes, without a schedule bothering them.

Crafter's seek recreation on impulse, taking days off just because they feel like it. These urges to take off can be irresistible and overpowering, and no one had better try to stop them. They are fearless in their play, risking themselves for the joy of the moment. They are bored easily. They communicate through action, and can't be bothered to develop verbal skills--and this lack of expressiveness makes them seem like loners. They're happy hanging out with their tools. They are hard to get to know, although they are fiercely loyal to those few people they are close to, but their inability to be tied to a schedule makes them unreliable when it comes to activity commitments: they might show up, they might not. Crafter's can treat their spouses like royalty and lavish them with beautiful gifts, then take off with friends for an unplanned week or two in the sun without bothering to notify their significant other. Crafters need their freedom to seek adventure, and mates who wish to keep them happy are wise to give them an extremely long leash.

ISTP's make up about ten percent of the total population (which is kind of scary, to an ISTJ like me) so you can put plenty of these people in your novel. In fact, if your protagonist is a SUPERVISOR or an INSPECTOR, he'll be driven up the wall, repeatedly, by the CRAFTER. Talk about tension. ISTP's make good software developers, systems analysts, and computer repair people, where they can set their own schedules and don't have to communicate a lot. They also make good firefighters or purchasing agents.

Famous ISTP's include Charles Bronson, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Keith Richards. Fictional ISTP's include Boba Fett and Han Solo from Star Wars, Wolverine from X-Men, and Butch Coolidge from Pulp Fiction.

Only two more to go! Hang in there.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 16

2012-01-05T07:43:00.001-08:00

We only have four more personality type to look at before we move on to the second step in creating believable characters. As before, I found most of this information in Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

Today's personality type is the INTP, or introverted, intuitive, thinking, perceptive. Keirsey calls him THE ARCHITECT. This guy is logical, theoretical, quiet, analytical, and critical. He not only designs buildings, he's the architect of corporations and theoretical systems. He's the master organizer of organizations. In his mind, the world exists to be analyzed, understood, and explained. He may venture so deeply into thought that he seems detached, and is often oblivious to the world around him.

INTP's are extremely rare, making up one percent of the total population. They won't be found in ordinary places, and they are rarely recognized, but they are easy-going and amenable. They prefer to stay in the background and not make a scene, but if someone violates their principles, they will become outspoken and inflexible. They tend to be shy, and are often seen as difficult to get to know. They do make loyal mates, although preoccupied much of the time and somewhat forgetful of appointments and important dates (like anniversaries). They won't want to entertain at home, but will follow their spouse to a planned social event. They'd prefer retreating to the world of books, emerging only when physical needs become imperative. They keep their desires and emotions to themselves, and may seen insensitive to the desires and emotions of others.

The Architect loves mathematics, languages, computers, and any other complex system. They thrive on logic and logical correctness, and can become obsessed with analysis. Word games (Scrabble) and strategy games (Risk, Chess) also attract their attention. They don't put up with nonsense, and can spot an inconsistency easily. They'll always point out these types of errors, making conversation with an INTP a little uncomfortable.

If you put an INTP in your fiction, put him in a room full of comedians and Elvis impersonators and watch the tension escalate!

INTP's make excellent professors, mathematicians, linguists, or economists. They'd be horrible at clerical jobs, as Architects are impatient with routine details. They prefer to work quietly, without interruption, and alone. Famous INTP's include Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Carl Jung, and Abraham Lincoln. Fictional INTP's include Data and Seven of Nine from Star Trek.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 15

2012-01-03T06:21:00.001-08:00

Once more, let's look at building believable characters using the good stuff found in Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

Today's personality is the ENTP (extrovert, intuitive, thinking, perceiving), or who Keirsey call's THE INVENTOR. This dude is ingenious, outspoken, easily bored by routine, clever, and change-oriented. He's the guy that can build the prototype of a device to make systems more efficient. He creates gadgets and mechanisms for the rest of the world. He started when he was a kid, and gets such a kick out of it he never quit.

These guys are rare, making up only two percent of our population, so use them sparingly in your fiction. They are intensely curious and probe all the possibilities. The harder the problem, the more they love it. Chaos theory is pure joy to these guys. Tradition, or "the way we always do it" means nothing to the ENTP's of the world. They're always looking for a better way of doing things, new procedures, new activities, new projects. Ideas are valuable only when they make possible actions and objects. "It can't be done" is a challenge that must be met with "I can do it."

Because of their confidence in their own ability to solve any problem, Inventor's often jump into a task without preparing adequately. They're quick, both verbally and cerebrally, and love to argue, playing devil's advocate sometimes just to confuse those around them. They avoid routine, which causes restlessness. They are basically optimists, but setbacks and inconveniences will tick them off. They have little patience with those they consider unintelligent, and aren't afraid to say that out loud.

In relationships, the Inventor is capable of a close bond but will choose carefully those select few who are worthy of this devotion. They are quick to spot kindred spirits, but are oblivious to the rest of society except as an audience. It can be difficult to get this guy's attention if he's not immediately aware of you. To get his attention, present him with a problem. In conversation, be straight forward. No games (he'll win), no pulling rank (he'll put you in your place), and no apologies (he'll dismiss you as unworthy).

Worthy career choices for the ENTP include computer science, financial advising, systems designer, computer analyst, and strategic planner. You won't find a happy ENTP on an assembly line or working as a bookkeeper. Famous ENTP's include Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Alexander the Great, and Weird Al Yankovick. Fiction ENTP's include Chandler Bing from Friends, "Q" from Star Trek, Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, and Garfield the Cat.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 14

2012-01-02T08:47:00.001-08:00

Today we continue this lengthy look at building believable characters using the good stuff found in Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

Keirsey calls the ESFJ (extroverted, sensory, feeling, judgment) THE PROVIDER. I've also seen this person described as "the Supporter" or "the Enthusiast." Whatever you call her, she's nurturing, loyal, harmonious, and collaborative. She makes certain that everyone around her has the necessities of life. She's eager to serve, arranging for the physical health and welfare of those in need. She's extremely sociable. She wants traditions upheld, social functions to succeed, and for everyone to be healthy and happy. She's the woman who feels the uncontrollable urge to feed everyone who comes anywhere near her house (which is kept immaculate but cozy, not museum-like).

Providers make up more than ten percent of the population, so they can show up frequently in your novel. They are tireless in organizing goods/services, and make excellent chairpersons for banquets, rummage sales, and charity balls. They are the best hosts/hostesses, aware of all their guests names, what everyone's doing, and what everyone needs. They are personable and talkative, and go bonkers when left alone for too long. The best way to cause this character stress is to lock her in solitary confinement for a couple of days. Even among strangers, the ESFJ will strike up a conversation with anyone nearby, about any topic. They are delighted with gossip. If your protagonist needs to know what's going on in any given neighborhood, have him seek out the Provider and she'll happy divulge that information, free of charge--and she'll provide coffee cake or a sandwich.

The ESFJ has observable things on her mind, as opposed to imaginary or abstract issues. She's much more concerned with people's lives than with theology or sociology. Sometimes she can come across as pessimistic when she turns nostalgic, recounting past experiences in the good old days, but most of the time, she's upbeat and highly sensitive to those around her. She loves to talk about her emotions. She's quick to like and dislike, idolizing those she admires. Anyone who disagrees with her, or does something she disapproves of, goes on her hate list. Personal criticism will crush the Provider, as she highly values the opinions of others, especially in regards to her own behavior.

Providers lean toward service occupations: flight attendant, teacher, clergy, nurse. They are visibly and honestly concerned with their customer's welfare, so used-car salesman isn't a good fit. They respect their supervisors, do their duties with diligence, and respect and obey all rules. They are exceptionally loyal, especially to family. To throw a wrench into the Provider's life, give her a mate that steps out on her, or is extremely independent (doesn't *need* her, per se), or refuses to share his emotions with her.

Famous ESFJ's include Don Knotts, Sally Struthers, and Mary Tyler Moore. Fictional ESFJ's include Monica from Friends, Rabbit from Winnie-the-Pooh, and Leonard McCoy from Star Trek.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 13

2011-12-29T09:26:00.001-08:00

We're so far into this discussion, I probably don't need an intro anymore. Here's the important stuff: Jeff Gerke's Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's Please Understand Me II.

Today we're studying the ESTP, or the guy who is extroverted, sensory, thinking, and perceiving. Keirsey calls this dude THE PROMOTER. He's hands-on, action-oriented, fun yet practical, and flexible. In the same way ISTP's operate instruments and machines, the ESTP operates people, maneuvering them in the direction they need to go.

ESTP's make up ten percent of the population, so you can put plenty of these guys in your story. He is witty and clever, bringing excitement to even mundane events. He always has tickets to the latest shows or sporting events, he knows the best restaurants (where the waiters know his name), and he has a hearty appetite for the finest things in life: wine, expensive cars, fashionable clothing. He's attentive to others and smooth in social settings. He knows exactly what words to say, when to say it, and what everybody's name is. He's so in tune with people that some mistakenly believe he has empathy. Reality is that he's really good at reading people's faces and body language. He watches people, collecting data to use for his own purpose: sell the customer.

The Promotor is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He's an excellent troubleshooter and negotiator (or used car salesman). He'll find what works to achieve his goals and toss out traditions or moral niceties that don't work. Usually, follow-up details get lost in the thrill of victory, so he needs someone to come in behind him and finish the job. They make great defense lawyers, industrialists, and real estate developers. Unfortunately, if their desire for excitement isn't met, they may channel their energies into antisocial activities (like con artistry).

The Promoter is rarely interested in long-term commitments, and usually family becomes a second priority. He's looking for the pay-off, the gain from their investment. If it's not apparent, he'll move on, leaving behind an ex who feels like a negotiable commodity. His kids love the lavish birthday parties and fancy new toys he's eager to bring home, but are usually less enthusiastic about being pushed into competitive sports, where winning is all that matters. The more exciting and dangerous the activity, the more the ESTP likes it: surfing, skiing, racing, rock climbing, sky diving. He's got a low tolerance for anxiety and will run from any relationship that shows signs of tension, so if you need a character in crisis, make your ESTP character marry a drill sergeant. Sparks will fly!

Some famous ESTP's include Teddy Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Mike Tyson, Jessica Alba, Lucille Ball, and Madonna. Fictional ESTP's include Sonny Corleone from The Godfather, Bart Simpson, and Mystique from the X-Men.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 12

2011-12-27T09:06:00.001-08:00

Here we go again with this fascinating discussion of creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Todays personality is ISFJ, or THE PROTECTOR, according to Keirsey. The protector is consistent, friendly, conscientious, and precise. The want to be of service and minster to others. They long to guard people against the pitfalls and perils of life and make sure everyone is secure. They find great satisfaction in caring for others, and long to be seen as dependable.

These people make up a large part of the population, about ten percent. They handle disability and neediness in others better than any other personality type, and go about their duties quietly and diligently. They don't mind being under-appreciated. They are not open and talkative except to those closest to them, and this can sometimes be seen as coldness or stiffness, when in reality they are quite warm-hearted and sympathetic. They have a strong work ethic and are wiling to work long hours, forsaking play time. Because of this, they are frequently over-worked and misunderstood. But they are humble to the core and submit to what's given them.

Famous ISFJ's are Barbara Bush, William Shatner, Jimmy Stewart, and Johnny Carson. In fiction, Melanie in Gone with the Wind, Snow White, Bianca in Taming of the Shrew, and Ophelia from Hamlet are ISFJ's.

Excellent career choices for the ISFJ character include tech support, secretaries, bookkeepers, paralegals, nurses, and veterinarians. If you need one of these in your novel, they'll come out extremely life-like if you model them after the ISFJ.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 11

2011-12-22T08:45:00.001-08:00

We're on Part 11 of this extraordinarily long series about creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Today, let's look at INFP, who Keirsey calls THE HEALER. These folks are curious, helpful, and values-oriented. They strive to mend divisions, restore lost unity, and establish integrity. On the outside, they're easy-going and serene. On the inside, they're going nuts trying to help everybody achieve world peace and wholeness. They see the world as an ethical, honorable place, and strive to make all that idealism come true. More often than not, they are let down and take it badly. They love fantasy, and love to please everyone at all times.

INFPs are rare, making up less than one percent of the population. Think of the princess in fairy tales, or the knight who wanders the wilderness seeking someone to save. Logic is usually optional to the INFP, who prefers impressionism, metaphor, and intuition. They may make errors with facts, but never with feelings. They make excellent mates, having a deep commitment to their vows and showing immense loyalty to their spouse.

Famous INFP's are Princess Diana (quit laughing! Just because most INFP's are loyal to their spouses doesn't mean that one can't stray...), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, William Shakespeare, Helen Keller, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Julia Roberts. In fiction, Anne of Green Gables, Winnie the Pooh, and Sleeping Beauty are all INFP's.

Great career choices for INFP's are missionary, psychologist, social worker, writer, and actor. You won't find INFP's seeking employment in science and technology fields, so keep that in mind when you're creating your characters. That *would* create a ton of tension for your INFP protagonist, though...

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 10

2011-12-19T08:05:00.001-08:00

We are deep within a discussion of creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Today's personality trait is the INFJ. Keirsey calls this person THE COUNSELOR. The counselor is curious, insightful, values-oriented, and organized. They want to help people to realize their human potential. They also want to contribute to the welfare of others and take great joy in guiding people onto the correct path. They are private, sensitive people, and don't crave the limelight of leadership, but are quite content to work behind the scenes to get things done.

They can be hard to get to know, as they are reserved and don't usually share their feelings with others. They can be hurt easily. When they find someone they can trust, they open up and let their feelings flow freely. They have strong empathic abilities and are often accused of reading people's minds because they can identify feelings and motives quickly. If anyone on the planet has ESP, it's the INFJ. They are seen as poetic and sometimes even mystical. They are highly attracted to the arts.

Famous INFJ's include Jimmy Carter, Jerry Seinfeld, Fanny Crosby, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Ghandi. In fiction, Luke Skywalker and Mulan are both INFJ's.

Counselors make excellent recruiters, coaches, ministers, and (duh) counselors. If you need an entrepreneur or flight attendant in your novel, look elsewhere.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 9

2011-12-15T07:30:00.001-08:00

I'm back with more of this riveting topic of creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities, and If I don't pay attention, I'll lose where I'm at on the list. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts by now, so I don't have to repeat them yet again.

Today's personality is ENFP (extrovert, intuitive, feeling, perceptive), who Keirsey calls THE CHAMPION. The Champion is improvisational, optimistic, supportive, quick-thinking, and imaginative. To this person, nothing occurs that is without significance or profound meaning. And they don't want to miss any of it. They want to experience every moment of everyone's lives, and then relive those moments by telling others about it, all in the hopes of discovering truths about people and issues. Keirsey says these people are like fountains that bubble and splash, spilling over their own words to get it all out. Their enthusiasm is boundless and contagious, making them the most vivacious of all the types. They want to be seen by others as empathetic and benevolent.

Champions crave intense emotional experiences and possess a great passion for novelty. Real life can become boring quickly. They are fiercely independent and don't like to submit themselves to others, including supervisors. They'd rather lead. They are good at reading others and notice suspicious motives immediately. They tend to be hyperalert, always ready for emergencies.

ENFP's are rare, making up about two or three percent of the population. Famous ENFP's are Dave Thomas (founder of "Wendy's"), Samuel Clemens, Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, Dr. Suess, and Regis Philbin. In fiction, Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Dr. Doug Ross from ER are both ENFP's.

Some excellent employment options for the ENFP are inventor, entrepreneur, journalist, actor/comedian, or psychologist. You don't want your protagonist military leader to be an ENFP, or chaos will reign. Although, that could be fun.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 8

2011-12-12T07:06:00.001-08:00

We are still discussing creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

We're a quarter of the way through these personality types. Stay strong! We'll cover them all in no time. Today we're looking at the ENFJ, or who Keirsey calls THE TEACHER. This person is a natural teacher (hence the name) with the uncanny ability to influence those around them. ENFJ's want to learn about the humanities, are preoccupied with morale, and work well with everyone. They see themselves as highly empathic, benevolent, and authentic. Often they mimic people they admire. They're also enthusiastic, love the idea of romance, want to be recognized for their hard work, and aspire to be wise. They practice diplomacy over strategy and tactics - they are the peacemakers.

ENFJ's make up about two percent of the population, but that's enough. They are so charismatic, people around them tend to obey the Teacher's commands. They make excellent leaders and always have new ideas for group activities, often without a lot of pre-planning. They are natural hosts, making sure all guests are content and that there's plenty of activity to keep the group together. Teachers consider people their highest priority, and they communicate caring, concern, and a willingness to be friends with everyone. People often turn to ENFJ's for nurture and support. Sometimes ENFJ's can become too involved in the problems of others and become overwhelmed.

Famous ENFJ's include Ronald Reagan, Dr. Martin Luther King, Tommy Lee Jones, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan. Lisa Simpson from the Simpson's and Padme Amidala from Star wars are ENFJs.

If your novel needs a top-notch journalist, a diplomat, or a high school coach, the ENFJ is your choice for a base personality. If you need a software developer, a purchasing agent, or a firefighter, look somewhere else.

Next time, we'll look at yet another personality type.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 7

2011-12-09T06:53:00.001-08:00

I'm continuing the heady notion of creating believable characters using the Myers-Briggs core personalities. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Today we're covering INTJ (someone who veers towards introvert, intuitive, thinking, and judgement). Keirsey calls this person THE MASTERMIND. They are excellent at planning operations and contingency planning. Masterminds have a Plan A, but are always prepared to switch to Plan B, C, or D if necessary. They love to study science and technology. They are pragmatic and skeptical, and see themselves as ingenious, autonomous, and resolute. They trust reason, seek knowledge, and are prone to practice strategy far more than tactics or logistics. They love a great schedule. "Cost-effectiveness" is their motto.

Masterminds are rare in society, making up maybe one percent, and are rarely encountered outside their office or laboratory. They don't want to be the leader of any group, but will do a fine job if thrust into it. They are open-minded and will entertain new ideas or new procedures. Decisions come easy, and they have a drive to complete every project. Others tend to see INTJ's as cold and dispassionate, but they're just taking their tasks seriously. Indifference or criticism from others doesn't bother INTJ's in the least.

INTJ's want harmony and order in their homes, but want their mates to be independent and strong-willed. Selection of a mate is a rational process, and they will not waste time on a second date if they realize the relationship won't work. They rely on their head, not their heart, to make decisions. They have a strong need for privacy, and aren't very outgoing or emotionally expressive, but they can be deeply emotional, even romantic, once they have found a person worthy of the affection.

Famous INTJ's include Arnold Schwarzeneggar, C. Everett Koop, General Colin Powell, Jane Austin, and Stephen Hawking. From fiction, Ensign Ro Laren from Start Trek: The Next Generation, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings are all INTJ's.

Masterminds are outstanding in scientific research or business executives, so if you need a lab researcher or a computer programmer in your novel, you'll want an INTJ. If you need a lounge singer or a CEO, look elsewhere. Remember that, human nature being what it is, even people within the INTJ camp are going to be different from one another. Comparing Jane Austin with Arnold Schwarzeneggar, I'd have never guessed they were the same personality type. These typings are generalities. Once you plug in backstory, quirks, and flaws, you'll come up with a unique character for your novel. But if you use an INTJ in your novel, remember they'll always crave alone time, use facts more than feelings to make decisions, and will look at every possibility before making plans.

We'll cover another personality type next time around.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 6

2011-12-05T07:27:00.001-08:00

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

We've already looked at the ESTJ and ISTJ (we took one trait from each base pair). Now let's look in-depth at the next personality type, the ENTJ. Keirsey calls this individual THE FIELDMARSHAL. These are the uber-leaders, the generals, the guys mobilizing the troops. The basic, driving force of the ENTJ is to achieve The Goal. Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur were both ENTJ's.

ENTJ's are utilitarian in how the implement their goals. They are preoccupied with science and technology, and work well with systems. They are pragmatic, skeptical, and focused. They see themselves as ingenious and autonomous. They are bound to lead others, and take command of any group within their sphere of influence. Sometimes they find themselves in charge of a group and are mystified as to how it happened, but they take charge of it anyway. They always climb to the top. They have a strong, natural urge to bring order and efficiency to everything. They are bent on using their skills to arrange, prioritize, and compile, and if given the opportunity, they always meet their goals. And often, they will offend people in the process and make enemies. They just don't care if they're offensive. The Goal must be reached.

For the ENTJ, there must be a reason for doing something, and other people's feelings are NOT a good reason. They are skilled at eliminating bureaucracy in the workplace, and if someone needs to be fired, the ENTJ is the man for the job. They will abandon any procedure that proves ineffective--they are the supreme pragmatists. They can get so caught up in a project that they block out other areas of life, especially home life.

At home, the ENJT is in full command. Their children know what is expected, which is complete obedience. ENTJ parents don't make a scene when there is disobedience in the house, they simply dole out appropriate punishment and move on.

A few famous ENTJ people are Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Patrick Stewart, Queen Elizabeth I, Dave Letterman, Rush Limbaugh, and Steve Jobs. From fiction, Princess Leia Organa and Jordi LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation were both ENTJs.

ENJT's seek occupations where they can utilize their skills: military leaders, CEO's, construction contractors, technology guru's, and university deans. This personality type makes up less than two percent of the population, so use them sparingly in your novels. And don't use them as secretaries, teachers, or fast-food workers. (Can you see Margaret Thatcher happily flipping burgers?) Of course, if you did put an ENTJ into one of these unsuitable occupations, you'd have a ton of conflict in your novel...

We'll look at another personality type next time.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 5

2011-12-01T08:02:00.001-08:00

You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

In the last post, we looked at the ESTJ (we took one trait from each base pair). Now let's look in-depth at the next personality type, the ISTJ (note: this just happens to be me, so I consider myself an expert on this type. Follow along.)

The ISTJ is quiet and dependable, always seeking to fully understand things, and punctual to a fault. Keirsey calls this person THE INSPECTOR. Their motto is "rules must be obeyed." Inspectors are thorough in their inspections, making sure that no inconsistencies or irregularities get by. They work behind the scenes, content to do their work in quiet, by themselves. ISTJ's are reserved and soft-spoken, and don't naturally aspire to leadership positions. They are most comfortable when everyone around them does their duty with diligence. Conflict upsets the ISTJ, and they tend to back away from it. They thrive on to-do lists and schedules. They are also exceptionally traditional.

Inspectors despise flashiness. They have no use for fashion, glamour, or luxury. Their words, clothes, and home environments are neat, orderly, plain, and practical. They choose personal property (cars, furniture, etc) based on price and durability rather than on comfort or appearance. They prefer the old-fashioned to the new-fangled, and are not attracted to exotic foods or locales when planning their vacations.

The ISTJs make excellent mates. They honor their marriage contract and are faithful until death. Their word is their bond. Duty is another huge buzz-word for the Inspector. They enjoy social outings and gatherings, but if it gets too crowded, the ISTJ heads for the back door or a dark corner. They value ceremony and ritual. Weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays are significant events and will be honored with appropriate gifts or words of congratulation.

They make up about ten percent of the population. Some famous ISTJ people are Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, George H. W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, and Anthony Hopkins. I can't confirm this with inside sources, but I'm certain that Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is an ISTJ. My husband read the book and said, "Look, Sonja, they put you in a book." But that's a post for another day.

Because of their attention to detail, ISTJ's make excellent bank examiners, auditors, accountants, or tax attorneys. They don't take monetary chances -- with their own money or someone else's -- so you'll never find an ISTJ working as a stock broker or an investor. It's not likely you'll find ISTJ's working comfortably in the performance industry, food service industry, or the sex trade. If you need a prostitute in your novel, don't make her an ISTJ. Ditto a fast food cashier or a jazz singer. She wouldn't be a good nurse, either. But if you need a librarian, dentist, legal secretary, or high school teacher, then ISTJ is what you want.

Side note: speaking from experience, ISTJ's prefer being by themselves, but can learn to interact with people as if they were extroverted. I don't feel comfortable talking to strange people, but I can do it when I have to. So don't stick too rigidly to the personality types - theres' room for subtlety. A sensing person (who relies heavily on the five senses for collecting facts) can also dip into intuition to make a decision. It just isn't their first inclination. A thinking person can take into account someone else's feelings. It's not a natural thing to do, but if they try, it's doable. So don't feel boxed in when using these personality traits. Use them to build a base, then feel free to alter them as necessary. I actually worked in a fast-food restaurant once. I was more comfortable in the back making food than up front taking money, but I learned to take orders and cash because my boss wanted me to do it. And pleasing my boss was important to me as an ISTJ. An ESFP wouldn't bother pleasing the boss but would instead do what she pleased or quit. (We'll cover that trait in a different post). So when you feel the need to stray from the base personality, make sure it's a believable stray.

We'll cover another personality in the next post. Stay tuned!

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 4

2011-11-28T08:35:00.001-08:00

I'm still talking about creating believable characters. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II.

Now that we've explored the four base pairs involved in personalities, let's have some fun. It's time to mix and match. You remember the four parts:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Now we just pick one trait from each base. If you're a math person, you realize there are 16 possibilities. Check it out:

Someone who is extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judgment is called ESTJ in the Myers-Briggs game. The letters aren't so important, but it's much easier to type the four letters than typing the words out. Stay with me.

Keirsey calls this person THE SUPERVISOR. She is self-appointed to keep everyone in line. She likes being in a group, and she likes taking charge of it. She prefer facts to opinions and is highly practical. She will not be spontaneous (that's a perception trait) or particularly tactful (that's a feeling trait), and will not indulge in speculation, imagination, or fantasy (that would be the intuitive).

The ESTJ is eager to enforce the rules, and expects others to follow the rules or face the consequences--and this includes employees, offspring, and spouse. ESTJ's make excellent workers. They obey their superiors, and are comfortable issuing orders to subordinates. They are not always responsive to other points of view or to the emotions of others, and can be seen by others as rude or tactless.

ESTJ's are preoccupied with morality and worry about society falling apart, morality decaying, standards being undermined, and traditions being lost. They see themselves as dependable and respectable. Others see them as fatalistic and pessimistic, and that doesn't bother the ESTJ. She really doesn't care what others think about her. ESTJ's make up about ten percent of the population, so you'll run into lots of these people in life and in fiction.

Some famous ESTJ's are George W. Bush, Bette Davis, the Reverend Billy Graham, and Lucy from the Peanuts.

This type of person finds great success in occupations that require a high degree of dedication and disciple: corporate law, politics, police work, military service, and business. You will NOT find an ESTJ working as an artist/performer, a writer, or a sex trade worker.

So, if you need a prostitute in your story, she won't be an ESTJ. If, however, you need an excellent vice cop or a drill sergeant, the ESTJ is the perfect fit! Other good careers for the ESTJ include lawyer, chief information officer, and dentist. Make sure, when you're creating your character, that you don't veer from the base personality, or he won't be believable to the exalted reader. There's room for quirks, idiosyncrasies, phobias, and aberrations, but they need to fit within the framework of the personality type. Later, I'll get into how to incorporate these exciting bits into the base personality.

Can you now see how this personality stuff can help you create believable characters? Are you excited about it now? Are you dying to study the next one? It's coming up in the next post.

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 3

2011-11-23T09:51:00.001-08:00

Thanks for coming back to this deliciously useful series on creating believable characters. I'm posting a day early because it wouldn't be right to interrupt Thanksgiving to read a blog post. So today's entertainment--I mean, blog post--finishes what I started last Monday, and includes quite a bit of info from The Myers & Briggs Foundation website.

The four base pairs of all personalities are:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Let's finish the definitions.

3. The third pair, thinking or feeling, deal with how people make decisions.

Thinking: Someone who is tough-minded and objective. They find the truth or principle to be applied, regardless of the situation. They analyze pros and cons, then try to be logical. They try to be impersonal and don't let other's wishes (or their own) get in the way. They enjoy technical and scientific fields of study. They notice inconsistencies. They want to be fair, and believe that telling the truth is far more important than being tactful. They are sometimes seen as too task-oriented, uncaring, or indifferent.

Feeling: Someone who weighs what people care about and the points-of-view of the other people involved in the situation. Values are important, and the establishment of harmony is the most important thing. This person is seen by others as caring, warm, and tactful. They are communication-oriented, and feel nervous when conflict exists. They make decisions with their heart and want to be seen as compassionate. Others sometimes see them as too idealistic, mushy, or indirect.

4. The last pair, judgment or perception, deals with how people live their lives.

Judgment: Someone who prefers a planned or orderly way of life. They like to have things settled and organized. They feel more comfortable when decisions are made, and crave control. They may not FEEL like this on the inside, but this is how they want the world to view them. They like to appear task-oriented (and may even BE task-oriented). They like making to-do lists. They do their work before they play. They work solidly toward a deadline so they don't have to do a last-minute rush. They focus on the goal, and sometimes miss new information.

Perceiving: Someone who prefers a flexible and spontaneous way of life. They want to understand and adapt to the world, not organize it. They are open to new experiences and information. They are seen as loose and casual. They like to keep planning to a minimum. They mix work with play, find stimulation in approaching deadlines, and work in bursts of energy. They sometimes miss making necessary decisions because they're so open to new information.

Now that we've examined the base pairs, we can go on to mix and match. We'll cover that, and more, in the next exciting installments. Same bat time, same bat channel!

-Sonja

Believable Characters, Part 2

2011-11-21T08:51:00.001-08:00

Thanks for coming back to this deliciously useful series on creating believable characters. I'm pulling from several sources, but mostly Jeff Gerke's book Plot vs. Character and David Keirsey's book Please Understand Me II. Today's post includes quite a bit of info from The Myers & Briggs Foundation website. In my last post, I listed the eight parts that going into making a full personality. Today I'm going to define half the terms. I'll hit the other half in the next post.

The four parts are:

1. Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

2. Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

3. Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

Let's jump into the definitions.

1. The first pair, extrovert or introvert, deal with where people put their attention and get their energy. (Note: for all of these, everyone experiences both patterns, but everyone leans more toward one than the other.)

Extrovert: Someone who is expressive and outgoing, who re-energizes by being with other people (the more the merrier). Someone who feels at home in the world and loves to make things happen. When faced with a problem, extroverts feel the need to talk about it, preferably with lots of people. They are more likely to jump into a project without allowing enough time to think it over.

Introvert: Someone who is reserved and seclusive, who re-energizes by being alone and dealing with ideas, pictures, memories, and internal workings. Introverts don't necessarily avoid crowds, but they feel more comfortable in small groups or alone. They take time to reflect on ideas and are careful making decisions. They often enjoy the idea more than experiencing the real thing. They prefer having a few, close friends then making tons of friends they don't know very well.

2. The second pair, sensing or intuitive, deal with how people deal with incoming information.

Sensing: Someone who is highly observant to the physical reality around them and what they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. They are concerned with what is actual, present, current, and real. They notice facts and remember details. They look for the practical use of things and enjoy learning, and experience is the best way to learn. They work through problems by examining all the facts. They don't always see possibilities.

Intuitive: Someone who is introspective or highly imaginative, who pays more attention to impressions or the meaning and patterns rather than the information itself. They work through problems by thinking them through, as opposed to hands-on. They're interested in new things and what might be possible. They love to speculate on the future. They work with symbols and abstract theories. They are likely to remember events more as impressions than what actually happened. They are excellent at "reading between the lines" and envisioning new possibilities.

That should keep you thinking until my next post, when I'll cover thinking/feeling and judgment/perception.

-Sonja

Oh, no. Not another series... Believable Characters Part 1

2011-11-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

Yep, it's that time again. Time for me to devote the next 16-20 posts to a single topic--of my choosing--that I find interesting. Hopefully, you'll also enjoy it. Deep thought goes into choosing these series. (Actually, it's whatever I'm struggling with at the moment and feel the need to study more in-depth.)

This quarter, I've been struggling with absolutely everything. Writing is no longer fun for me. I'm vacillating between panic mode, compulsive eating mode, and it's-all-rubbish mode. Mostly, I'm staying in the it's-all-rubbish mode, and that's a pretty rough place to be. To be honest, I've opened the file that holds my novel at least six times in the last four days, and haven't done a thing to it. I get all woozy feeling and shut it down before I faint.

So it's time to get my mind back on track. Time to get back into my story. Time to dig into what the experts say and hope to find some inspiration.

This series' expert is Jeff Gerke, from Where The Map Ends, Marcher Lord Press, and FictionAcademy.com. I picked up his book Plot vs. Character a while back and blitzed right through it. Twice. Now it's time to pull some things out to share with you (and hope that some of it sticks in my brain long enough to get it into my novel). The focus will be mainly on creating believable characters. Gerke depends heavily on the Myers-Briggs personality test and the book Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey.

The first step in creating a believable character is to begin with a core personality. Myers-Briggs (MB) says there's 16 of 'em. The Thompson Concept says there's eight, and I've heard there are other systems that come up with different numbers. But I'm sticking with MB because that's what Gerke did. (By the way, we won't actually get to Gerke's text for awhile because there are other things to look at, first.)

So let's dig in to the first MB personality type and figure out what to do with it in a novel. There are eight parts to a personality, according to MB. Before we can play with them, we need to know what they mean. Then we can mix and match to come up with a core personality that's believable. After that, we add the extra quirks, flaws, and idiosyncrasies. These eight parts are four sets of opposites. People either veer toward one end or the other. These four parts are:

Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)

Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

According to the MB system, every person has a combination of these elements. When you mix and match every possibility, you end up with 16 core personalities. And that's where the fun starts.

I'll take my time over the next umpteen posts to look in-depth at these combinations, what they mean by themselves, and what fun you can have mixing and matching when creating characters for novels. Then we'll dig into Gerke's book and see what he says to do with these characters once we've built them.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja

Guilt vs. Fear

2011-11-14T07:10:00.001-08:00

Mike Duran recently posted a blog about blogging, specifically a condition he calls Shizo-blog. Here are the symptoms (copied word for word from his blog so you don't have to read it if you don't want to):

* You feel guilty for blogging because you should be writing your novel

* You feel guilty for writing because you haven't updated your blog in two weeks

* You feel guilty prioritizing one over the other because with some creative management or self-discipline, you should be able to do both

* You feel guilty about feeling guilty because you expected this writer's gig would be a lot more fun.

To add to the misery, he quoted from Rachelle Gardner's blog, where she stated that one of the biggest turn-offs in blogs is when a writer has irregular or infrequent posts.

I have experienced all those guilty feelings from the list. I have been guilty of irregular and infrequent posts. I have been guilty of playing computer games when I should be writing (blogs AND novels).

And I have discovered that feeling the guilt doesn't actually motivate me to do what I'm supposed to do. I can happily play solitaire all day long while the guilt simmers in the backfield. At the end of the day, when I have nothing to show for my time, I just think to myself, "I'll do something tomorrow - today was a mental health break."

I seem to need quite a few of those mental health breaks. What's going on? I love to write. I love the feeling I get after a long writing section that produces bunches of good words, all in the right order, and on topic. So why is blogging harder than writing novels? It's not like I have a word count to meet. I definitely don't run out of things to say (just ask my husband).

I've discovered the true problem: I'm worried that my readers won't find what I have to say interesting. I'll bore you into moving on to the next blogger before you've finished reading what I wrote. And you won't leave me comments. And Google Analytics will tell me that only three people read my blog. And they only stick around for 3.4 seconds. And I'm one of those three people, checking to see if the thing actually posted.

So there you have it. The problem isn't guilt. It's fear. The solution? Quit being a wuss. Two readers isn't so bad, is it? It's better than none.

-Sonja

NaNo progress

2011-11-07T10:07:00.001-08:00

I announced my intention to use the frenzy of November NaNoWriMo to finish the edits on my Cassandra story, and that you, my loyal blog readers, were to keep me accountable. So here's my progress report:

I'm on page 116 of 350. I've written four new scenes, altered the pacing of the first 50 pages, and changed the first two visions from 3rd person to 1st person. I've also re-arranged the sequence of the visions so that they get progressively scarier.
Bottom line: I'm not that far. I'm going to have to pick up the pace if I want to finish on time. Scold me in private, please, so it's not quite so humiliating.

-Sonja

All Hallows Read

2011-10-31T13:23:00.001-07:00

Over at The Kill Zone, author Clare Langley-Hawthorne wrote about giving away scary books for Halloween. Read the post for details, if you're interested. What caught my attention were the questions she posted at the end. She asked, "Which book was the scariest you ever read?" and "Has there ever been a book so terrifying that you couldn't even finish it?"

I'm a wimp when it comes to scary books. I don't read too many. But when I was a teenager, I couldn't get enough of Stephen King. His books answer both those questions for me. The scariest book I ever read was Pet Sematary. Interestingly, Stephen King says writing that book scared him so much, he had trouble finishing it. I don't doubt that. It was the intensity, the unexpected twists, that made the book such a terrifying read.

The second scariest book I ever read was It by Stephen King. I had nightmares for decades after that one, but it was the movie version that haunted me more than the book. I didn't actually watch the movie. My husband did. I just happened to be wandering by the living room on the way to the kitchen when I inadvertently saw the shower scene. You know it--where the clown comes up through the shower drain to do whatever he needed to do. For years, I couldn't take a shower without watching the drain intently. Do you know how hard it is to rinse shampoo out of your hair when you can't close your eyes?

There are a lot of books I never finished, but mostly that was due to bad writing, uninteresting plot, or unlikable characters. But one scary book stands out in my mind because I picked up, then put it down, too scared to continue. Then I'd pick it up at a later date, only to put it down again, pick it up, put it down (you get the picture). I finally finished it, and wished I hadn't. That was Stephen King's Misery. It was the hopelessness of the protagonist's situation that got me, and even thinking about that plot line sends shivers down my back.

Those are my answers to Clare's questions. What about you, loyal followers? Which book was the scariest you ever read? Has there ever been a book so terrifying that you couldn't finish it?

-Sonja

The NaNo Challenge (aka No More Whining)

2011-10-28T09:15:00.001-07:00

I've been lazy. Or bored. Or terrified. No, lazy is the word needed here. In September, Andy Meisenheimer at The Editorial Department critiqued my latest novel, CASSANDRA'S CURSE. He didn't tear it apart. He packed fifty pounds of C4 into chapter 3 and stepped back. Granted, the story really needed an explosion of that magnitude to get it moving in the right direction, but I'll admit the damage put me into a state of shock.

I emerged ready to do what needed to be done, only to fall into a pit of depression. I'd had enough. It's too hard. The process is too long. Whine, whine, whine. (You've all probably heard this before.) Thankfully, I have a friend who kicked my behind out of that pit by saying she wouldn't let me quit. She's that powerful.

So I re-structured the novel via a new outline. I integrated a list of new scenes that need to be added. I identified the weak scenes that need to be deleted or seriously revised.

Now it's time to do the work. And since November is coming, all I see in the blogosphere are NaNoWriMo posts and hints for making November a successful writing month. I'm taking advantage of this euphoria/frenzy. I'm setting a goal: finish the edits on CASSANDRA'S CURSE by November 30 so I can send the revised manuscript to the literary agent who wants to see it.

With my goal published here, you, my four loyal readers, are in the enviable position of keeping me accountable. I'll share my progress at the end of November. If I succeed, gift cards are welcome. Failure is not an option.

I'll keep you posted.

-Sonja

Got Prompts?

2011-10-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

James Scott Bell shared a site at his Kill Zone Authors blog that needs to be shared. He saw this site as providing insight into backstory for developing characters. I see it as a great way to get NaNoWriMo started. Check it out. Click here, add your six words, and watch the magic happen.

-Sonja

How to Fix a Haunted House

2011-10-13T09:06:00.001-07:00

November's issue of Popular Mechanics had this tantalizing line right on the cover: HOW TO FIX A HAUNTED HOUSE. No matter what genre you read or write, that line grabs your attention like a frisky pit bull. I figured there had to be something in there to wake a writer's imagination.

Let me quote the beginning of the article. "Every house has secrets. Doors open or shut themselves. Lights flicker randomly. A toilet flushes on its own. And there's that deathly odor. You've been catching whiffs of it for years now, but you still can't seem to locate the source. Sorry, but your house is creepy."

The article then pinpoints areas of your creepy house that could be causing these problems.
* A ghastly stink from the sink could be the olfactory trace of something horrible that happened there. Or maybe it's the result of a dry sink trap.
* Lights that shut themselves on and off could be a carpet-covered monster chewing on the wiring in your electrical panel. Or maybe it's just loose/frayed wiring.

* Doors that slam shut on their own could be the ghost of Aunt Mary letting you know she still needs to wear a sweater around your drafty old house. Or maybe the doors are hung poorly and sway to every little puff of wind.

As a writer, this article is a gold mine. Who doesn't love a good scare now and then? But in my books, I don't want to rely on the supernatural to spook my protagonist. Knowing a physical fault in the house can cause a freak-out on a dark night is much better than relying on the aliens, ghosts, or evil spirits making mischief. Check out the article and find new ways of adding a little suspense to your scenes, courtesy of an old house.

-Sonja

Say That Again, Please

2011-10-06T08:31:00.001-07:00

All of us do it. All of us have them. A favorite word or a pet phrase that gets repeated in our manuscript a little too often, and we're not even aware of it. I'm not talking about 'and' or 'the' or 'it.' Usually it's a descriptive word, one with several meanings, that show up over and over again.

I'm talking about actions as beats: characters who shrug, shaking heads, grinning lips, rolling eyes (which is really gross, if you stop and think about it.) Or repeated adjectives: dark eyes, dark thoughts, dark shadows, dark desires. Strong verbs we can't help but overuse: stalked, pounded, raced, shattered.

Some words or phrases that tend to appear too often in my own works are agape, shuddered, and instinctive. I've got one character who clenches his jaw too often, and another who cringes at every surprise. The Most Often Used award goes to "a chill raced down her spine."

It's extremely hard to find these babies, too, because they're lodged in our brains and disappear when we proof-read. That's where an excellent beta-reader comes in. If you don't have one, you need one. I found my two best at a writer's conference and an on-line forum for writers. The key is to not chose a friend or a relative for your beta reader, because they love you and don't want to hurt your feelings. My beta readers started out as strangers, but now we're close friends. They're still honest with me, so I see no need to replace them, and that's how it should be.

For what it's worth,
-Sonja

Less is More

2011-10-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

There's no need to point it out to me, I've faltered on my weekly blog postings. You'll hear no excuses from me. I just didn't do them. But I'm here now, ready to get back on schedule. Randy Ingermanson sent out his monthly writing e-zine today, and the first article is on organization. I'm an extremely organized person (let's give my husband a minute to quit laughing... breathe, David, breathe...), so I usually skim this part of the article and head to the meat about writing. But today, I stopped to take a look at the organization section.

Randy said, "less is more." He admitted it's not original to him, nor is it difficult to grasp. If you have ten project you're working on, and you cut five of them, you've doubled the amount of time you can spend on the five you kept.

What's more, if you cut the interruptions (don't look at the email program, don't answer the phone, don't respond when the kids yell the cat is on fire...) your mind has fewer things to think about and it's easier to concentrate on the task at hand.

What about the five you cut? Does that mean they'll never get done? Nope. Set them aside for later. Finish the first five, then move on to the next five. (Note: I think "five" is an arbitrary number. Fill in whatever works for you.)
Less (as in "fewer projects") means more time to focus, to pay attention to details, to get it right. Less also means less distractions, less frustration, less stress.
My project list is unique. It's a whole lot of home school and house maintenance stuff, and squeeze in fun "me" time when I can. It's especially hard this week when the kids and I are all sick. None of these projects can be set aside for "later" (who wants me to wait three weeks to do a load of laundry or cook dinner?), so I'm left with the "fun" stuff in life: church choir, fellowship with friends, conquering the world (playing Civilization, a highly addictive computer game), and writing.
This week, I'm giving up Civilization to work on my novel. It's going to be tough, but I'm certain the end product will be satisfying.
-Sonja

It's time to panic now

2011-09-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

Last July, I sent my latest manuscript to a literary agent. She responded that she enjoyed the beginning of the book, but around the middle it started to fall apart. She suggested I send it to a professional editor to see what it would take to fix the manuscript. Then, after I fixed it, I could resubmit it to her.

I followed her advice. I sent my manuscript to Andy Meisenheimer at The Editorial Department, along with a bucket of cash, and waited the requisite four weeks. (Side note: I met Andy at an ACFW conference several years ago, where he read the opening pages of my fantasy novel, and he gave me excellent advice back then. So I trusted him completely with my new romantic suspense novel.)

Andy's response came last night, just as I was headed out to my son's baseball game. I was extremely surprised to find that it was only six pages long. I figured a bucket of cash ought to get me closer to 25 pages of notes. But seeing it was only six made me think the book wasn't so bad. Maybe he couldn't find that much to comment on. Maybe all it I needed was to clean up some lagging scenes, tighten a bit of description, and flesh out a major character a bit more.

Then I read what he wrote. He thought my ideas were good, my dialogue clever, my main character well-rounded. BUT. He found a major problem in the plot. Then he went on to describe what went wrong and how to fix it. I think I went into shock, because his words quit registering in my brain somewhere around page 2 of the comments. Instead of fighting my addled thought processes, I printed the file and took it with me to the ball game.

I read Andy's comments. Twice. They weren't all sunshine and polish. My poor manuscript needs a TON of work. Not just cleaning up a few scenes. Not just removing pesky adverbs that managed to hide from the delete key during the first several read-throughs. I'm talking *major restructuring* to heighten tension, create uncertainty, and foster sympathy for the protagonist. I'm talking about altering the theme that inspired the novel in the first place. I'm talking about a fifty percent re-write. Or more.

Wow. Andy did an awesome job on his critique, but I'm thoroughly overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead of me. You know the five stages of writing: excitement, delusions of grandeur, panic, compulsive eating, and delivery. I'm deeply entrenched in panic mode. I get to have a half-hour chat with Andy as part of the services I paid for, so I need to make up a list of questions--intelligent, coherent questions--regarding his critique. I may need several days and copious amounts of chocolate and coffee before I fight my way out of panic mode.

For what it's worth, I'd send another novel to Andy for critique. Only next time, I know to brace myself more firmly.

-Sonja

Finding Your Theme

2011-09-12T08:29:00.001-07:00

Randy Ingermanson's book, Writing Fiction For Dummies, has an excellent chapter on Theme. My favorite part was the section of twenty examples. Seeing a theme statement in the book is much easier than trying to envision one myself. I offered some of those examples in my previous post. The next section I want to dwell on is called "Finding Your Theme."

If someone asks you what your book is about, and it's a romance, you could say, "My story is about the enduring power of love." If you're writing a thriller, say, "My story is about the power of ________________." Fill in the blank. Randy offers "fear" or "ambition." Or "ignorance," "knowledge," "the little guy," "multinational corporations," "religion," or "technology." Any word that's remotely related to your story will give you a quick and easy answer to that tough question. Fantasy and horror writers can say "it's the battle between good and evil." Mystery writers can say, "justice prevails." (I guess "it's the battle between good and evil" can also work for mysteries.)

Randy says it's okay if you never move past this vague platitude. "You aren't required to have a unique and dazzling theme for your story." Woo hoo! I can come up with vague platitudes and be satisfied with it. But Larry Brooks started this whole thing by saying that theme is necessary for Successful Writing. He said, "the more you value and cultivate the themes in your stories, the better those stories will be." So I can stick with a vague platitude, and hope a decent theme comes through my writing, or I can really delve into building a great theme and come up with a great book.

Randy offers hope to those, like me, who want to take it further. Once you've identified your theme, he says to read through the manuscript in one sitting, marking places where the theme could be highlighted a little. The key word is little. Subtlety reigns here. Resist the urge to explain. The reader is smart and will figure it out. "What you're looking for is places in your novel where the theme emerges naturally but it comes out fuzzy or distorted. Clarify those."

Also look for places where the theme is too blatant and trim it back. Theme that shows up in large bits of narrative summary probably have too much author intrusion. Cut these back. If the theme emerges in the protagonist's dialogue or interior monologue, then it's probably okay, especially if it advances the story. If the theme emerges in the protagonist's actions, then that's a keeper.

Then look for places in the manuscript where the theme is contradicted. Resolve this by either removing the contradiction or by having the protagonist notice the paradox and work through it. This actually makes the story stronger, because the protagonist reinforces his or her belief system this way.

That concludes my study on theme. I hope you got as much out of it as I did. Please comment if you had an epiphany--that'll really make my day!

-Sonja

Randy Ingermanson Knows Theme

2011-09-08T08:56:00.001-07:00

I'm eight posts into my study on theme. I've grasped the concept of what theme is. I cannot, yet, identify theme easily in other's works (or my own), but I understand the concept. I've studied writing books by Larry Brooks, James Scott Bell, and Donald Maass. Now I'm studying Randy Ingermanson's book, Writing Fiction For Dummies.

All these books held something of value for my study, but Randy's is the easiest to understand. (Note: I always refer to other authors by their last name out of respect, but in this case, I think I can call Randy by his first name. We're Facebook friends. We've met in person several times, too.)

As I said before I got off track, Randy's chapter on theme is easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to paraphrase in a short blog post. He says, "Theme is the deep meaning of your book. It's the central message you're trying to get across to your reader... the moral of the story." He then offers twenty examples of famous books and their themes. He reiterates (as Brooks did) that readers take away different things from novels, so there could be multiple themes identified for a single story.

I'd like to offer a few of Randy's examples, as they helped me immensely.

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon: "Love conquers all."

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold: "There is justice in this universe."

The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger: "There is a love that transcends time."

Contact, by Carl Sagan: "God is a mathematician."

Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith: "No good deed goes unpunished."

Blink, by Ted Dekker: "God is in control, whether you think so or not."

The Firm, by John Grisham: "Be careful what you wish for."

The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy: "The Evil Empire will destroy itself through its own incompetence."

The thing that struck me was how general these themes are. If I said, "Guess which book has the theme that love conquers all," nearly any romance title will be the right answer. "Justice prevails" works the same way. The theme of my latest book is, "There is great peril and price to seeking justice." (You probably already guessed, but my husband came up with that one. I'm no longer clueless about what theme IS, but identifying it and putting it into a sentence is still beyond my grasp. Maybe someday.)

In the next post, I'll offer you Randy's advice on finding your theme if you don't already know what it is.

-Sonja

Theme Through Symbol

2011-09-06T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'm examining the chapter on Theme from Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. He starts the chapter with a definition of theme, then gives a quick overview of how to build theme into your story. Then he breaks off into a discussion on symbols.

When I saw this, I shuddered. I mostly understand symbols, but I don't consciously construct them in my stories. They just sort of happen. My critique partner usually writes a note in the text about "nice use of symbolism here" and I smile and accept the praise and have no clue what she's talking about. I don't know why I struggle with symbols, since they're much more tangible than Theme or Concept or Big Idea, but the fact is, they elude me. So when Maass launched into a discussion about how symbols can enhance theme, I had doubts that this section would enhance my understanding of theme.

Maass stated, "The most effective pattern to follow is that of a single symbol that recurs." Like the ring in Lord of the Rings. It wasn't a ring, a sword, a comb, and a sack of flour. Just a ring. Then came the words that made me feel a bit better about myself. "They [symbols] are frequently present in a novel whether the author intended them to be or not... Evoking symbols is often a matter of making use of what is already there."

Randy Ingermanson identified the theme from Lord of the Rings as this: "Good ultimately conquers evil, because evil defeats itself." (I got that out of his book Writing Fiction For Dummies, which I'll be delving into in the next post, so hold your horses.)

I agree that this statement properly identifies the theme to Lord of the Rings. I agree that Frodo's ring is a symbol in the story. But I still don't understand how Frodo's ring symbolized this theme. The ring wasn't good. Nor did it defeat itself. What did it symbolize? I don't have a clue (again, understanding these things really isn't in my skills set). So I asked my husband. He said the ring symbolized universal power and the universal degradation of the soul. Oh, that's good. I agree. But, again, I don't see the connection between the symbol and the theme.

Maybe I'm doomed to never understand this concept. If you got it, please enlighten me. I'm feeling rather obtuse at the moment.

-Sonja

Donald Maass Weighs In On Theme

2011-09-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

I'm still studying theme. If you're bored, just remember that this is probably good for you. If you totally understand theme and can't figure out why I'm struggling, give me a call and straighten me out. But until the phone rings, I'm forging ahead. I've already examined the lessons from Larry Brooks and James Scott Bell. Today, I'm in Donald Maass's book Writing the Breakout Novel.

Maass starts out with a humorous analogy. You're at a party, trapped in a conversation with some who has nothing to say. You try to smoothly get away, but you can't escape. You are trapped.

When readers pick up a boring book that says nothing, they don't worry about a smooth exit. They toss the book across the room and find something better to do. According to Maass, readers are opinionated. They seek out novels that hold closely to those opinions. Military guys read techno-thrillers. Scientists read sci-fi. Women read romance. (I know, that's stereotypical. I'm a non-scientific, non-military woman, and I read sci-fi and techno-thrillers but won't touch a romance. You get his meaning, though--stereotypes exist for a reason.)

"Readers want to have their values validated," Maass continues. "They may not want to be converted, but they do want to be stretched. They want to feel that at the end of the book their views were right but that they were arrived at after a struggle... When conflicting ideals, values or morals are set against each other in a novel, it grips our imaginations because we ache to resolve that higher conflict."

Maass and Bell agree: theme has to do with the character's values, morals, and worldview. They also agree that theme isn't "added to the story at the end, like cheese baked on top of a casserole in its final twenty minutes in the oven." Theme is intrinsic to the story. It emerges from the hero's actions, thoughts, and dialogue. Theme is the character's higher motivations: "the search for truth, a thirst for justice, a need to hope, a longing for love."

Giving your protagonist the inner fire of deep motivations results in powerful theme. Don't get preachy: moderation, restraint, and understatement are crucial. But when these powerful motivators flow through the protagonist's actions, thoughts, and dialogue, you will achieve Theme.

Hallelujah! I understand! Give my heroine a strong worldview, set her up against someone with an opposite worldview, watch them interact, and a theme will emerge. I can do that. The hard part, for me, is identifying that theme. But I'm glad to know it's there.

In the next post, I'm delving into something even stickier: using symbols to enhance theme.

-Sonja

What Does James Scott Bell Have To Say About Theme?

2011-08-29T08:22:00.001-07:00

I've been studying a book by Larry Brooks called Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing. When I got to the chapter on theme, I found my eyes glazing over as I read. I didn't get it. Theme isn't tangible, like a character's hair color or a villain's choice of weaponry, and understanding intangible things isn't part of my skills set. So I went to my personal library and grabbed a couple of books that had something to say about theme. James Scott Bell's book Revision & Self-Editing had an entire chapter devoted to the subject, so I had to check it out and pass along to you my new-found wisdom.

Bell says theme is a big idea, a message that the story contains. "Look to the characters, and what they're fighting for, and you'll find the theme of your story."

That doesn't sound too hard. Then he says something even more comforting: "Don't worry about theme. Worry about struggle. Give your characters humanity and passionate commitment to a set of values. Set them in conflict and as they fight, the theme will take care of itself." I love that last part! It will take care of itself. I don't have to worry about...

Then I remembered that Larry Brooks said that we shouldn't let theme just happen -- we should consciously build it into our stories, or we might end up with a mess. Which is correct? Build it myself, or let it happen?

If I'm understand these men correctly, it's a bit of both. Bell says to build my hero with depth, passion, and a strong worldview. Then, when the conflict comes, the hero will react based on these beliefs. Out of that emerges theme. Theme will shine through the main character's dialogue and inner monologues. Theme will be reflected in the metaphors and symbols I choose (if they're chosen well and truly reflect the hero). Theme will resonate in the last chapter, in the last sentence. Theme will Be There. And it didn't "just happen," because I worked on building those meanings, those messages, into the hero's make-up.

Bell ends the chapter with three exercises. I couldn't actually do the first one, but something in the instructions grabbed me. It goes like this: "Many of us hated 'theme' exercises in literature class." (I totally agree with this statement -- I loathed them. I usually copied off the kid in front of me.) Then came the most important part: "Maybe this is because there's so much debate about themes. Critics often disagree about a book's meaning." What a reassuring thing to hear! If the *critics* can't nail down theme, how can I? I'm not using that as a cop-out. I'm putting extra effort into identifying the theme of my book. But it's good to know I probably won't get it wrong. The critics can disagree all they want about the theme of my book, and that won't bother me a bit.

I've got more to share, so stay tuned.

-Sonja

Implementing Theme

2011-08-22T08:53:00.001-07:00

Larry Brooks, in his book Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing, attempted to teach me about theme. Thankfully, building a theme into my story is a skill that can be taught. Unfortunately, I'm a slow learner when it comes to abstract ideas. In high school lit class, I was always the last one to figure out the theme of the story. Now that I'm writing my own stories, I'd better figure out how to do it. After all, Brooks says, "The more you value and cultivate the themes in your stories, the better those stories will be." I want my stories to be fantastic, so I've got to master this concept of theme.

I'll admit, I'm only six pages into the chapter and I'm feeling a little stupid. Brooks says theme is the meaning of the story. It reflects me. And then he says theme divides into two realms: stories where theme emerges from character, and stories in which the character experience has been crafted to focus on and communicate a specific theme.

He gives two examples. In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's point of view comes out clearly about issues of religion, the church, and the veracity of history. The plot and character arc specifically pointed to this theme, to challenge the reader's belief systems and values.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving speaks about right-to-life issues, like abortion and orphanages. Unlike Dan Brown, John Irving didn't land on one side of the issue. He explored all sides of it, allowing the reader to experience the emotions of both sides and thus decide if his or her opinion has shifted after reading the book.

Brook says, "Brown was selling us a point of view on an issue, while Irving was exploring an issue."

I clearly see the difference between these two realms. I can't identify which of them MY story fits into, but I understand them. That's a step in the right direction!

-Sonja

Theme Happens

2011-08-18T08:43:00.001-07:00

I'm continuing my study on theme in the hopes that I'll actually understand it once I'm done writing several blog posts about it. Larry Brooks started me down this path with his book Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing.

Deep in the heart of the chapter about theme, Mr. Brooks says this: "You can't write about life experience without saying something about life's experiences. When a story is strong enough, when a character is deep enough, and when the conceptual landscape is universal and accessible, theme happens."

Huh. After reading that, I figured I'm in hot water. A theme will just happen in my story if it's strong enough, if the character is deep enough, when all this other gunk is universal and accessible? How do I know if I did it right? How do I know if it's deep enough? What does accessible mean?

Thankfully, Mr. Brooks went on: "Sometimes this works, sometimes not. The more you want your story to say something specific about life and the world in which it unfolds, the more you can't rely on this organic emergence of theme."

Whew! Brooks then said it's like flying an airplane. I can understand how the plane gets off the ground, but I wouldn't be able to fly one if someone handed me the controls. I've got to learn how to create/build theme. I need "a working knowledge of theme implementation," says Brooks.

The good news: it can be learned.

The bad news: I'm not there yet.

-Sonja

Theme: By Larry Brooks

2011-08-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

A new book arrived in the mail Saturday, and I couldn't help but dive in. It's Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing by Larry Brooks. I was swimming along fantastically until I got to the third core competency, theme.

I'll admit, abstract ideas are tough for me. I'm a math/music type of person. If it's tangible, touchable, tastable, I can grasp it. But the chapter on theme was wibbly wobbly. My brain went *huh*and then shut down, refusing to try it again.

Since Mr. Brooks says theme is necessary for Successful Writing, I figured I should comprehend this nebulous monstrosity. So I went to my library, grabbed all my craft-of-writing books that had a section on theme, and started reading. Over the next several posts, I'll share what I've discovered in the hopes that in explaining it all to you, my three loyal blog readers, I might actually figure some of it out for myself.

I'll start with the definition offered by Mr. Brooks. "Theme is what our story means. How it relates to reality and life in general... Theme is the relevance of your story to life."

Sounds simple, but I didn't quite get it. My story has meaning? It relates to life in general? It's relevant? I thought it was just a great mystery with plenty of suspense, a little romance, and a lot of Greek culture. How could I NOT know my story meant something? And if it does mean something, WHAT, exactly, does it mean? I had to keep reading.

I came to this statement: "Theme is life itself, as manifested in our stories, as seen through our characters, and as experienced through our plots...Theme is how you touch your readers." So there's something of ME in the story to impart to the reader. Not just my character, my plot, my voice and style. It's got my viewpoint. My values. Me.

Heady stuff. Stay tuned for more exciting revelations into the mystery of Theme.

-Sonja

Stalking Susan Review

2011-08-08T08:19:00.001-07:00

I'm heading off for a one-week vacation today, so I need some quality reading material to take along. Somewhere on the net, I found a review by the Chicago Tribune that said, "Readers who enjoy Janet Evanovich will soon be stalking Julie Kramer." That sounded intriguing to me. I like Janet Evanovich, especially her outrageously funny Stephanie Plum series. So I went on-line to my local library, found the Julie Kramer books, and checked them all out.

Stalking Susan is the first book of the series. I jumped in fully expecting to find laugh-out-loud antics and witty dialogue. Um, not so. I guess the Evanovich novels weren't Stephanie Plum stories but rather Alex Barnaby.

I was disappointed that the Kramer novel wasn't funny. But that's where the disappointment ended. Stalking Susan was a great story. It started with Riley Spartz, a TV reporter in a major story slump. Her retired cop friend, Garnett, passed her a tip on a couple of cold cases he was never able to solve. They involved women named Susan who were raped and strangled on November 19th, one in 1991 and the other in 1992.
As a plot devise, I found this scenario engaging. Immediately, I was pulled into the investigation, hoping Riley would be able to find enough information to televise a story about it. Then, if all went well, the local police would re-open the cases and solve them. I won't give away the ending, but nothing went as planned for Riley, and her life was endangered several times (as you'd expect).

I thoroughly enjoyed Stalking Susan and have the next three books packed for my trip. If you like a good mystery, check them out.

-Sonja

Paranormal Steampunk Fun

2011-08-04T08:14:00.001-07:00

This week I'm reading the Alexia Tarabotti series by Gail Carriger. They are so much fun! Vampires, werewolves, parasols, teapots, dirigibles... what's not to love?

The books are set in Victorian London (1873), where werewolves and vampires co-exist in harmony with humans. In fact, the Queen employs one of each as advisors. Werewolves serve in the army as fighters. Vampires are tendsetters in fashion and style. Steam engines power such wonders as ascension rooms (elevators), ornithopters (helicopters), and aethographors (similar to a telegraph). Tea is always served on time.

What stands out most are the characters. You have to love Miss Ivy Hisselpenny, with her gift of engaging in mindless chatter and her love of hideous hats. Or Lord Akeldama, the vampire fop with a love of outlandish clothes, a penchant for spying, and the uncanny ability to come up with silly terms of endearment on the fly, like squash blossom and dipped biscuit. Mrs. Loontwill is prone to wearing yellow and fits of hysteria. Lord Maccon is a large, bumbling werewolf who hates wearing a cravat and sings opera, poorly, in the bathtub.

It's the protagonist, Alexia Tarabotti, who really sticks with you. She's soulless, so at her touch, supernatural folks lose their supernatural state. She's the embodiment of practicality. She finds death threats to be trifling inconveniences, and adores treacle tarts. She's a spinster with a father who's both Italian and dead. She's eccentric, pragmatic, and wants to be "useful" in a society where women of high standing are supposed to be married and expert shoppers. It's her desire to be useful and her knack for attracting trouble that lead her on wonderful adventures against mad scientists, awkward curses, pesto-serving Templars, and plots against the queen.

If you love witty dialogue, laugh-out-loud antics, and a rich fantasy world full of supernatural wonders and romance, then you'll love this series. A word of warning, the first book has a romantic element and contains quite a bit of canoodling. If sex scenes annoy you, skip the last chapter of the first book. The remaining romantic scenes are amusing and mostly tasteful.

-Sonja

To Outline or Not To Outline

2011-08-01T08:01:00.001-07:00

From what I've read, there are two kinds of writers: those who outline (outliners) and those who don't (seat-of-the-panters). I'm an outliner. I've tried writing without one, but my work tends to drift off in strange directions, then I've got to delete a ton of it, get back on track, and waste lots of writing hours going nowhere. So I've learned my lesson. I think through the story, get the basic direction written down, then dive in.

I have a feeling I've gone off the deep end this time. My newest work-in-progress is so thoroughly outlined, it's almost kind of boring when I sit down to write it out dramatically. There are no surprises--at least, there aren't at this point, and I'm 12,000 words into it. Yeah, it comes out really fast, but there's no mystery here. I don't find myself surprised by a turn of events, or thrilled when a character does something unpredictable and fun. I know I'm in charge of all these things, so there really shouldn't be any mystery or surprise or thrill... and yet, I remember, in other works, when something unexpected showed up and knocked the socks--er, flippers--off my feet. I kind of miss those moments.
How about you, fellow writers? Have you ever over-outlined and sucked all the joy out of the writing? If so, how'd you get the magic back without sacrificing the entire work?

-Sonja

Stage Three Melt-Down

2011-07-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I talked about the 5 Stage Writing Cycle, casually mentioned by Meg Gardiner at The Kill Zone a couple of days ago. Yesterday, I sat down at my computer, opened up my Work In Progress (WIP), and slid into Stage Three almost immediately.

For those who didn't read the last post, or did but don't want to go back and re-read it, Stage Three is the Panic stage, or what I like to call the It's-All-Drivel stage. This is when you read what you've already written, decide it's pure drivel, and are tempted to delete everything that comes after the title page. There are days when even my title page is in danger.

Thankfully, a wise sage once told me the secret to dealing with this problem. Unfortunately, I can't remember who that wise sage was. (James Scott Bell? Randy Ingermanson? Donald Maass? Could be.) Fortunately, I do remember the advice! It's this simple:

When you enter a Stage Three Melt-Down, don't delete anything. Yup, that's right. Leave all the drivel alone. Ignore it. Instead, go to the end of the document, get a new blank page on the screen, and add new words. It doesn't matter if the new words are drivel, also. The point is to get new words onto the page. Later, when you've moved beyond Stage Three, you can go back and edit the existing stuff to make it better. If you delete it all while in the midst of the panic, you won't have any words left to edit.

I know it's simplistic, but it works wonders. All my previous drivel--uh, words--are still in the WIP, ready to be edited. Probably today, since I find myself back in Stage Two, which is Delusions of Grandeur. It's a nice place to exist, if you can get there.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Five-Stage Writing Cycle

2011-07-21T08:16:00.003-07:00

Today over at The Kill Zone, writer Meg Gardiner is the guest blogger. One sentence jumped off the blog and got me laughing, so I have to share with you.
She casually mentioned the 5 stage writing cycle. I'd never heard of this before. I've heard of the 5 stages of grief (denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance), but not the writing cycle. Then she listed them:

1) excitement
2) delusions of grandeur
3) panic
4) compulsive eating
5) deliverance

This delighted me so much because it's so true! For me, number four is replaced with compulsive computer gaming (Sid Meier's Civ 4), but everything else is right on. I've experienced all these stages through every novel I've written, and I somehow never skip a step.

Do these ring true for you, too?

-Sonja

A Problem with Series

2011-07-21T08:16:00.001-07:00

(Note: I tried posting this last Monday, and it never appeared. So I'm re-posting it today. I apologize to my three loyal readers who looked for a post on Monday and were sorely disappointed. Now back to the regularly scheduled program.)

I just finished reading the second book of a series. In an effort to not offend the author or his fans, I won't mention his name, but I had a major problem with the ending of the second book. I'd like to preface this comment with the fact that I enjoyed the first book quite a bit. It went in a strange direction, but it worked for me, mostly because I loved the protagonist. So when I got book two from the library, I was excited to see what new adventures awaited this fabulous heroine. The second book was just as exciting as the first. The heroine was still lovable. The obstacles thrown in her path were deliciously horrific.

Then I got to the end. It was unbelievable. Unsatisfying. Illogical. And incredibly confusing. I closed the book and wondered what on earth had happened. I wasn't even sure she came out on top. Did she get what she wanted? Did she save the world? Did she actually accomplish something worthwhile?

I'm going to give this author another chance and read book three. But it got me thinking about my own novels within a series. Did I play fair with the reader? Are the endings satisfactory and understandable? Or do they leave the reader confused and frustrated?

Maybe the only way to know for certain is to ask my beta readers, as I'm entirely too close to my own novels. They work, in my mind, as I'm sure the ending in book two worked for this other author.
Does anyone out there have another solution to this problem?

-Sonja

Step Seven: New Quilibrium

2011-07-14T09:18:00.001-07:00

I'm at the end of John Truby's seven steps to creating a great story structure, as detailed in his book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY. Step seven is New Equilibrium.

Everything returns to normal. All desire is gone. The hero got what he wanted (or, in a tragedy, failed miserably). There's one difference: the hero has changed, a fundamental and permanent change. Sometimes that change is for the positive and he walks away a better man. Sometimes that change is negative and he realizes that he is incapable of having a self-revelation. In this case, he falls or is destroyed.

In DIE HARD, John has defeated the criminals, saved his wife, and reaffirmed their love. In SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Clarice has brought Buffalo Bill to justice, has become an excellent FBI agent, and has conquered her nightmares. In VERTIGO, Scottie drags the woman he loves to the top of a tower to get her to confess to murder, then watches in horror as she accidentally falls to her death.

This step is clear, and I doubt you've left it out of your POV, but go check, anyway.

-Sonja

Step Six: Self-Revelation

2011-07-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

John Truby's book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY, offers seven steps to creating a great hero for a great story structure. Step six is Self-Revelation.

Step five, covered in the last post, was Battle. "The battle is an intense and painful experience for the hero," Truby says. And this battle causes the hero to have a revelation about who he is. In a psychological self-revelation, the hero sees himself honestly for the first time. This stripping away of the old facade is a painful and courageous act, the most courageous thing the hero has done in the entire story.

In BIG, John realizes he has to leave his girlfriend and his life at the toy company to go back to being a kid if he is to have a successful life as an adult. In CASABLANCA, Ricks sheds his cynicism, regains his idealism, and sacrifices his lover to become a freedom fighter.
If your hero has a moral need (which he should), his self-revelation should be moral as well. He doesn't just see himself in a new light; he has an insight about the proper way to act toward others. He realizes he's been wrong, that he's hurt others, and that he must change. Then he proves he has changed by taking new moral action.

In TOOTSIE, Michael realizes he's been a scoundrel and apologizes to the woman he loves. Note that he says it in a clever and comical manner to avoid sermonizing.
Self-revelation is most closely connected to need. Need is the beginning of the hero's character change, and self-revelation is the end-point of that change. Need marks his immaturity, what he's missing, what is holding him back. Self-revelation is the moment when he's grown as a human being. It's what he's learned, what allows him to be a better man.

This is a tough step to pull off without sounding preachy. Instead of having your hero say out loud what new thing he's learned, or what new insight he has into himself, SHOW him acting on this new-found knowledge.
-Sonja

Step Five: Battle

2011-07-07T11:32:00.001-07:00

I'm still digging all the good stuff out of John Truby's book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY, 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. The 22 steps mentioned in the subtitle have to do with building plot. But Truby begins the book by offering seven of those 22 steps that building a great story structure.

Step five is Battle. Throughout the middle of the story, the hero and his opponent engage in several confrontations as they each try to reach the goal. The conflict escalates toward a Final Battle, which finally determines who wins the goal. This final battle may be a conflict with violence or a conflict with words.

In THE ODYSSEY, Odysseus slays the suitors who have tormented his wife and destroyed his home. In CHINATOWN, a cop kills Evelyn, and Noah gets away with Evelyn's daughter while Jake walks off in despair. In THE VERDICT, Frank defeats opposing counsel by using brilliant lawyering and persuasive words in the courtroom.

This step is fairly self-explanatory, so I won't try to offer a strategy for making this work. If you have no final battle in your story, you need one.

-Sonja

Step Four: Plan

2011-07-05T10:37:00.001-07:00

THE ANATOMY OF STORY, by John Truby, contains seven steps to building a great story structure. Step four is the Plan.

The plan is the guidelines or strategies the hero will use to overcome his opponent and reach the goal. It's organically linked to both desire and the opponent. Sometimes it's vague, and the hero muddles through it. Sometimes it's so complex, the hero has to write it down (thus sharing it with the reader). Without the plan, there's no moving forward in the story.

HAMLET'S desire is to bring about justice for his father's murder. His opponent is the current king, who happens to be the murderer. Hamlet's plan is to put on a play that mimics the murder of his father by the current king. He will then prove the king's guilt by the king's reaction to the play.

In THE GODFATHER, Michael's desire is to protect his family from other mafia crime families. His opponents are the other crime families who'd like to control crime in New York. Michael's first plan is to kill Sollozzo. His second plan is to kill the heads of the other mafia families in a single strike.

This step is easy enough to understand, so there's no point in offering a technique for achieving it. Just go put a plan in your story.

-Sonja

Step Three: Opponent

2011-06-30T09:43:00.001-07:00

John Truby's THE ANATOMY OF STORY outlines seven key steps to creating a master story. Step three is Opponent.

The opponent, or antagonist, is not the character who looks evil, sounds evil, and does evil things. The opponent actually functions as a structural element in a good story. "A true opponent not only wants to prevent the hero from achieving his desire but is competing with the hero for the same goal." The opponent is organically linked to the hero's desire. When they compete for the same goal, they are forced into direct conflict over and over throughout the story. If they have two separate goals, then they can each achieve their own goal without coming into conflict, and there's no story.

Sometimes it's hard to see how the hero and opponent are competing for the same goal. For example, in detective stories, it seems like the detective is trying to catch the killer, and the killer is trying to get away with his crime. But really they are fighting over which version of reality everyone will believe. (This concept was new to me when I read it, and it took a while for that to sink in.)

To create an opponent who wants the same goal as the hero, start with the hero's specific goal. Whoever wants to keep him from getting it is the opponent.

In STAR WARS, Luke's opponent is Darth Vader. They are fighting over who will control the universe. Vader represents the Empire while Luke represents the forces of good, comprised of the Jedi Knights and the democratic Republic.

In THE GODFATHER, Michael's opponent is Barzini, who wants to bring down the Corleone family. Michael and Barzini compete over the survival of the Corleone family and who will control crime in New York.

Once you've identified your hero and his opponent, it's time to move onto step four. I'll look at it in the next post.

-Sonja

Step Two: Desire

2011-06-28T02:01:00.001-07:00

John Truby, in his book THE ANATOMY OF STORY, offers seven steps to building a great story structure. The second step is Desire.

Desire is what your hero wants. It's the driving force of the story. It's what sucks the reader in and makes him hang on with fingers and toes and teeth. Desire is intimately connected to need. "In most stories," Truby says, "when the hero accomplishes his goal, he also fulfills his need."
Here's a simple example. A lion is hungry (physical need). He sees a young antelope within the herd and wants to eat it (desire). If he can catch the antelope, he won't be hungry anymore (need fulfilled).

Don't confuse need and desire. Need has to do with overcoming a weakness within the hero. He is paralyzed somehow at the beginning of the story by this weakness. Desire is a goal outside the hero. Once he identifies his desire, his goal, he takes action to reach that goal.

Need and desire also have different functions in the story. Need lets the reader see how the hero must change to become a better person and live a better life. It is hidden, under the surface, not identified by the hero as a flaw. Desire gives the reader something to want along with the hero. It's on the surface.
In SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Hero John Miller's need is to do his duty in spite of his fear (this includes both psychological and moral needs). His desire is to find Private Ryan and bring him back alive.

In THE VERDICT, the hero must regain his self-respect (psychological) and learn to act with justice toward others (moral). His desire is to win the case.

In the next post I'll discuss Truby's third step, Opponent

-Sonja

Step One: Weakness and Need, part three

2011-06-23T15:37:00.001-07:00

I'm sucking all the goodness out of John Truby's book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY. He offers seven steps to building a successful story structure. In the last two posts, I outlined Step One, how Weakness and Need were important parts of creating a believable character. Today I'll finish up the discussion of this first step.

To recap, all characters need a psychological need, or a major flaw that hurts themselves in some way, and a moral need, which hurts others. (See the previous post if you're still confused, or if you want a couple of examples.)

But if your hero is missing that critical moral need, how do you build one? Truby offers two techniques for creating the necessary moral need. Here's the first:

1. Begin with the psychological weakness, the inner flaw that hurts only the hero.
2. Figure out what kind of immoral action might naturally come out of that weakness.
3. Identify the deep-seated moral weakness and need that are the source of this action.

The second technique is to push a strength so far that it becomes a weakness:

1. Identify a virtue in your hero. Then make him so passionate about it that it becomes oppressive.
2. Come up with a value the hero believes in. Then find the negative version of that value.

Hope that helps. In the next post I'll look at the second step in this seven-step process.

-Sonja

Step One: Weakness and Need, part two

2011-06-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

I'm dissecting John Truby's book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY. In the last post I introduced the concept of the hero having a weakness and a need at the beginning of the story. Today I want to dive deeper into this concept and look at two types of need: moral and psychological.

"In average stories," Truby says, "the hero has only a psychological need." This involves overcoming a serious flaw that is hurting the hero, but doesn't impact any other story characters.

"In better stories," Truby continues, "the hero has a moral need in addition to a psychological need." The hero needs to overcome this moral flaw and learn how to act properly toward the other characters. "A character with a moral need is always hurting others in some way at the beginning of the story." Worse, he is unaware that he's hurting others.

It's important to give the hero both of these needs because it makes the character richer. It moves the reader more powerfully. It keeps the hero from being too perfect, and therefore unbelievable, predictable, and boring.
In addition to weakness and need, the hero has a problem. It's the crisis, the trouble, that the hero finds himself in early in the story. In TOOTSIE, Michael's weakness is that he's arrogant, selfish, and a liar. His problem is that he's an excellent actor, but he's overbearing and no one will hire him.
In THE GODFATHER, Michael Corleone is young, inexperienced, untested, and overconfident (his weakness). His psychological need is that he must overcome his sense of superiority and self-righteousness. His moral need is to avoid becoming ruthless like the other Mafia bosses while still protecting his family. His problem is that rival gang members shoot his father.

In your work in progress, does your hero have a psychological need (a flaw that hurts only himself) AND a moral need (a flaw that hurts others)? If not, stay tuned. In the next post I'll offer the technique Truby offers for creating a moral need.

-Sonja

Step One: Weakness and Need

2011-06-16T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'm studying a new book, THE ANATOMY OF STORY by John Truby. The subtitle is 22 steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. This book is a Must-Buy, for me, and I'm going to spend several posts discussing bits of it. (I seriously tried to limit myself to seven, but it's not going to happen. There's too much good stuff in there to skip over.) The 22 steps he offers pertain to building a great plot. But first, you need a great structure. Truby offers seven steps to building a great story structure.

Step number one is Weakness and Need. "From the beginning of the story," Truby says, "the hero has one or more great weaknesses that are holding him back. Something profound is missing within him, and it's ruining his life. The need is what the hero must fulfill within himself in order to have a better life. It usually involves overcoming his weaknesses and changing or growing in some way."

Here are some examples. In TOOTSIE, Michael's weakness is that he's arrogant, selfish, and a liar. His need is that he must overcome his arrogance toward women and stop lying and using women to get what he wants.

In SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Clarice's weakness is her inexperience, and she's suffering from haunting childhood memories. She's also a woman in a man's world, so that doesn't help her any. Her need is to overcome the ghosts of her past and gain respect as a professional in a man's world.

"Need is the wellspring of the story and sets up every other step," Truby says. And the hero must be unaware of his need at the beginning of the story. If he already knows his need, then where's the story? He becomes aware of his need near the end of the story in the moment of self-realization (which I'll cover in a later post). The self-revelation comes only after having gone through a great deal of pain and/or struggle.

Think about your work in progress. Does your hero have a weakness and a need? Does he overcome his weakness at the end of the story? If not, brainstorm how you could make your work deeper by adding this character angst. More on Weakness and Need in the next post.

-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Techno-Thriller

2011-06-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

We're to the last post in this mini-series, Categories of Suspense, as outlined by T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER. Today's topic is Techno-Thriller.

This category is also easily explained. "Technology drives the plot," Skillman says. Think of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy. The reader didn't need to understand the submarine's caterpillar drive, but the story wouldn't have been the same without it. Most books in this category rely heavily on scientific advances in weaponry or spy gear.
Knowledge and research on the writer's part are critical in this category. Readers are unforgiving if you offer them something completely implausible. Using theoretical stuff is allowed, but "no quirky gimmicks or Star Trek-like transporter beams--unless they'll likely become reality in the very near future. Span too many years of technology and you'll wind up writing science fiction," Skillman says. So be careful, writers. You don't need a specialized education, but you do need a great imagination and some research skills.

Other titles in this category include THE TIN MAN by Dale Brown, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER by Stephen Coonts, the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell, and the P.J. Gray series by Shirley Kennett.

That wraps up this discussion on categories of suspense. Hopefully, you found something worthwhile within them. At the least, you've found a name for the genre you're writing. For what it's worth,
-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Women-in-Jeopardy

2011-06-10T16:03:00.001-07:00

This is the second to the last post in the series of categories of suspense, as given in T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER.
Women-in-Jeopardy, also called Fem-Jep or Child-Jep, is easily blurred with the category of Romantic Relationship Suspense. Both contain women characters who "face increasingly frightening series of dilemmas, decisions, and crisis." Women in jeopardy are in personal danger. Sometimes it's not the woman in danger, but her child. Villains range from family members to total strangers. As the problems escalate, these women find themselves facing it down alone, their support structure gone. No one believes they are in danger. Authorities dismiss her claims. Evidence disappears. Onlookers doubt this woman's sanity.

In this category, the protagonists motivations are critical, or the reader won't believe it. The women in these books can easily fall into the Too-Stupid-To-Live category. You've seen these women in the scary movies: the young woman babysitting late at night during a storm; the TV announces a serial killer on the loose in the neighborhood; the girl hears a noise from the attic and heads up to investigate. The audience doesn't, for a second, believe that this woman is brave. We're all screaming at her to get out and call the police. She's entirely too stupid to live through the scene. The protagonist MUST have an extremely good reason for doing the things she does in the novel, or the reader won't believe it.

Some titles from this genre include WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN? by Mary Higgins Clark, NATHAN'S RUN by John Gilstrap, BLOOD RELATIVE by Carolyn Hougan, SOMEONE'S WATCHING by Judith Kelman, and LOST ANGEL by Marilyn Wallace.

Skillman says, "Writers who tackle fem- or child-jep walk a fine line between empowerment and victimization." So tackle this category with great care, if you decide this is what you want to write. Critics of this category are brutal.

-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Romantic Relationship Suspense

2011-06-06T09:07:00.001-07:00

I'm almost finished with this min--series of suspense categories, as outlined by T. Macdonald Skillman in her book, WRITING THE THRILLER. Today's topic is Romantic Relationship Suspense.

This category usually has a bit of a gothic twist to it. The American Heritage Dictionary defines gothic as "a style of fiction that emphasizes the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate." Skillman brings up REBECCA by Daphne Du Maurier as an example of romantic suspense with a gothic twist. In these types of books, the ending is definitely in doubt: the protagonist might prevail, but then again, she might not.

The major difference between a straight romance and romantic suspense, says Skillman, is: "The relationship that exists--no matter how passionate--will not be the focus of the book," and the overwhelming majority of the protagonists are women. One exception from Hollywood is FATAL ATTRACTION. Other titles in the category include SEE JANE RUN by Joy Fielding, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE by Mary Roberts Rinehart, and HEARTBREAKER by Karen Robards.

This isn't my favorite genre, but I'll admit I loved the book REBECCA. The movie was good, too, despite the changed ending. For what it's worth,

-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Psychological Suspense

2011-06-02T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm looking at T. Macdonald Skillman's categories of suspense, as listed in her book WRITING THE THRILLER. Today's category is brought to you by the letter "aaaarrrrrrgggggghhhh!"

The psychological suspense is a broad category that spans basically anything that doesn't fit in the other categories and always packs a wallop. These babies go over the top with psychological angst for both the reader and the characters. "Not only do they keep you on the edge of your seat," Skillman says, "they make you stop breathing for a moment."

The success lies in in the characters. The protagonist and the antagonist have bared their mental states and motivations before the reader. Their pasts, strengths and weaknesses, their darkest secrets are filleted for the reader's enjoyment all for the lofty goal of sending the reader on a roller coaster ride through Hell. We're talking SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Other titles include THE POET by Michael Connelly, A MAIDEN'S GRAVE by Jeff Dever, SWF SEEKS SAME by John Lutz, and UNDER THE BEETLE'S CELLAR by Mary Willis Walker.

Emotional emphasis is the defining element that separates this category from the others. For what it's worth, I can't read these things without having nightmares for weeks. My husband conned me into seeing the movie SILENCE OF THE LAMBS year ago ("it won't be that scary"), and I still can't think about it without shuddering.

-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Political Thrillers

2011-05-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER, outlines eight categories of suspense. I'm discussing Political Thrillers today.

Again, this category is fairly easy to identify. If the subject matter is political at the heart, it falls in this category. Think treason. Spies. Murder plots against political figures. Coups to overthrow dictators and despots. Terrorist activities. Think Tom Clancy. (Oh, wait. He's techno-thriller AND political thriller--yet another example of the overlap in these categories.) Others include A COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS by Eric Ambler, THE KEY TO REBECCA by Ken Follett, and THE RUSSIA HOUSE by Jon le Carre.

"From Watergate to the Iran-Contra and Lewinsky scandals, the intrigue and behind-the-scenes shenanigans of elected or appointed officials is always fertile ground for political thrillers," Skillman says. And these stories do well in the market-place. Be wary, writers! These types of novels require extensive research in the areas of political science, world economics, and history, not to mention current affairs. Readers in this category know the political scene and expect the authors to get it right.
-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Medical Thrillers

2011-05-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

Again, I'm probing the depths of wisdom in T. Macdonald Skilman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER. Today we're looking at the definition of Medical Thrillers.

It's pretty self-explanatory. Skillman says: "Doomsday viruses, chemical weapons, research scientists run amok, terrorists in possession of anthrax and God knows what other twentieth- and twenty-first-century plagues. Other plots that fit this category might involve managed care providers who decide senior citizens should die early as a cost-cutting measure, or otherwise manipulate the system for the sake of the bottom line. Unethical medical personnel, power-huntry surgeons, nurses with vendettas, aides prematurely sending terminal patients to their final reward."

Sometimes the genres blend a little. A medical thriller dealing with politics could easily be labeled a political thriller. A medical thriller that takes place in space is science fiction. But if the primary focus is medical crisis, it's a medical thriller. A few books from this category are HARVEST and LIFE SUPPORT by Tess Gerritsen, COMA by Robin Cook, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN by Michael Crichton, and PANDORA'S CLOCK by John J. Nance.

For what it's worth,
Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Action-Adventure

2011-05-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

Due to a goof on my part, my blog posts haven't been posting. Here's last Thursday's post:

I'm pulling all the goodness from T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER, before I have to return it to the library. In the next several posts I'll be discussing the eight categories of suspense, as identified by Skillman.

Today's category is Action-Adventure. Hollywood loves these babies and spits them out at regular intervals: Armageddon, Deep Impact, Speed, Dante's Peak, Twister. You'll note the absence of aliens and space ships. Those are science fiction. You'll also note that some of these films have an element of mystery to them. But for the most part, these movies inflict a powerful emotional response on the viewer and thus fall into the suspense genre.

Action-adventure suspense novels are full of renegade cops, or military men, or cultic kidnappers, or heroic citizens desperately trying to carve out a satisfactory existence after a natural disaster. Think Indiana Jones. Jason Bourne. Rambo.

In this category, romantic entanglements are brief or non-existent. The hero just doesn't have time to court a beautiful woman when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. In the movie Speed, the hero courts the damsel WHILE he's trying to save the city. For the most part, though, readers know the female lead probably won't get very far in her quest for a man who pays adequate attention to her.

Many action-adventure heroes are recurring series characters. Think James Bond or Dirk Pitt. These guys are larger-than-life protagonists who survive the most dastardly villains and elaborate murder plots. Skillman says, "It's their exploits and the danger to other characters that have kept fans intrigued through multiple books." Other books in this category include Mark Beret's EAGLE STATION and W.E.B. Griffin's Brotherhood of War series.

That's the quick definition of Action-Adventure suspense.

-Sonja

Categories of Suspense: Legal Thrillers

2011-05-19T20:54:00.001-07:00

Due to a major goof on my part, last Monday's post never showed up. Here it is:

T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER, lists eight categories of suspense novels. Today I'll look at her discussion of Legal Thrillers.

Legal Thrillers focus on legal matters. John Grisham's book THE FIRM centers on an ambitious young lawyer and the predicament that ambition thrusts him into. Another of Grisham's books, A TIME TO KILL, deals with a beleaguered attorney and the build-up to a crucial trial.

Other scenarios that qualify as legal thrillers include jury tampering, lawyers, judges, jury members, threatened witnesses, investigations into legal ethics, and military court settings (anyone remember "You can't handle the truth!") Other books in this category include William Bernhardt's ben Kincaid series, Perri O'Shaughnessy's Nina Reilly series, and Scott Turow's PRESUMED INNOCENT.

Basically, if the story focuses on legal matters, it's a legal thriller. Seems simple enough.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 6

2011-05-19T20:52:00.001-07:00

To my three loyal readers, I apologize for the lateness of these posts. I switched blogging sites and forgot to change the address in my contacts. My bad. Now that you've had to wait for it, here's the last post about Carolyn Wheat's list of 16 differences between mystery and suspense. You can find this list in Wheat's book HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION. It's also reprinted in T. Macdonald Skillman's book WRITING THE THRILLER.
Difference number fifteen: Mystery endings must be intellectually satisfying. Suspense endings must provide emotional satisfaction.

I touched on this briefly in a previous post: readers want a chance to solve the mystery themselves. When a writer cheats and leaves out a valuable clue, there is no intellectual satisfaction at the close of the book. A good mystery always leaves the reader feeling like an intellectual giant. Or at least a pretty good detective. In addition to doling out the appropriate clues, readers like to learn something new when they read mysteries: a forensic detail, a ballistics fact, a medical term, a historical tidbit, a scientific discovery. At the end of a good mystery, I feel more knowledgable about the world than I was before I read the book.

Suspense books provide emotional satisfaction. That doesn't always mean a happy ending. (spoiler alerts) In SPHERE, several characters die and Beth betrays her comrades. In CARRIE, nearly everyone ends up dead. But wow, did we readers love to see Carrie get her revenge! Those bad guys, Chris and Billy, got what were coming to them. Happy endings are satisfying, too. in Michael Crichton's TIMELINE, Chris, Kate, and the professor make it back to modern times. The historian who wanted to stay in the past, Andre, got his wish. The end of the book provided the appropriate closure for the characters I cared about the most.
That wraps up my discussion on the differences between mysteries and suspense stories. Stay tuned for an exploration of the categories of suspense novels.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 5

2011-05-09T08:36:00.001-07:00

Again, I'm looking at Carolyn Wheat's list of 16 differences between mystery and suspense. You can find this list in Wheat's book HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION. It's also reprinted in T. Macdonald Skillman's book WRITING THE THRILLER.

Difference number nine: In a mystery, information is withheld. In suspense novels, information is provided.

Mysteries always involve clues. Given all at once, the fun's over. So the good mystery writer withholds the clues and dispenses them one by one over a period of time. Suspects lie. Witnesses flee. Crime labs take time to analyze clues and spit out results. Some clues turn out to be non-clues, or red herrings. Other clues are hidden in plain sight. Eventually, enough clues have been parceled out so the reader and the protagonist can solve the crime.

In suspense, the information is provided to elicit an emotional response. Think of JAWS. The viewer knows the shark is in the water. The viewer knows the young swimmer is clueless about the shark's presence. Providing this information leaves the viewer feeling anxious for the health and well-being of the swimmer.

Another example is the book CARRIE by Stephen King. The reader knows Carrie has the power to avenge her humiliation. We also know that antagonists Chris and Billy are planning to humiliate Carrie at the prom. The information about Carrie's powers, the events leading up to the prom, the prom, and the aftermath are all provided to give the reader a powerful emotional response. That's suspense.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 4

2011-05-05T07:11:00.001-07:00

Once again, I'm copying from Carolyn Wheat's list of 16 differences between mystery and suspense. You can find this list in Wheat's book HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION. It's also reprinted in T. Macdonald Skillman's book WRITING THE THRILLER. But no matter where you read it from, the list is an excellent resource.

Difference number eight is this: Readers of mysteries are looking for clues. Readers of suspense are expecting surprises.

In a mystery, part of the thrill for the reader is trying to figure out whodunit before the final reveal. Nothing beats the elation of thinking I've solved the crime before the protagonist has. Or the "a-ha" moment when I realize I was cleverly lead astray but have now uncovered the truth. Nothing's worse than getting to the end of a mystery and realizing the author cheated by leaving out a vital clue, and I had absolutely no chance of solving it on my own. The best mystery writers embed all the vital clues into the story so carefully that sometimes they don't look like actual clues. The old hiding-in-plain-sight trick. But no matter how they do it, the reader feels like an amateur detective for that short period of time.

Suspense books might or might not have a mystery involved, but the clues aren't the important part of the journey. It's the surprise. The unexpected. The gibberish-inducing fear. The nervous giggle. The nausea-inspiring, sleep-with-the-light-on-for-three-days terror. The white-knuckled grip on the book and you can't relax enough to put the book down even though it's three a.m. and the kids will demand breakfast at seven. It's the emotional roller coaster you go through every time you pick up a Stephen King or a Michael Crichton or a Robert Ludlum book.

In suspense, it's all in the emotions.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 3

2011-05-02T09:03:00.001-07:00

I'm discussing the differences between mystery and suspense, blatantly stealing content from Carolyn Wheat, as presented in T. Macdonald Skillman's book WRITING THE THRILLER. (Side note: Carolyn Wheat also put her list of 16 differences in her book HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION. It's a great resource for anyone's resource library. I just don't have it in front of me at the moment, so I'm copying it out of Skillman's book. Before I get started on today's post, I want to say that I won't be covering all 16 differences in these posts--check out one or both of these books from your local library if you'd like the entire list.)

Number six on Wheat's list is this: The most important action in a mystery takes place offstage. In suspense, the important action happens onstage.

In a mystery, the inciting crime almost never occurs on the pages for the reader to experience first-hand. The crime usually happens before the protagonist steps in to solve it. (Note: In those instances where the reader gets to witness the crime first-hand, we don't know the identity of the killer. That's the puzzle the reader--and the protagonist--are trying to figure out.) In J.D. Robb's mystery NAKED IN DEATH, homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas is called to the scene of the crime. We see it through her eyes: the dead woman shot in her own bed. As the book progresses, we learn (with Dallas) all the details of the crime that took place offstage, before the book began: who, what, where, how, and most importantly, why.

In suspense, the scary stuff happens to the protagonist, and the reader gets to experience all the anticipation, confusion, terror, and nerve-wracking tensions as the protagonist experiences them. In Michael Crichton's book SPHERE, we experience the scientist's terror as they struggle to stay alive in a hostile environment against a powerful and temperamental entity they call Jerry. Our heart races as Beth and Norman try to figure out how to neutralize Jerry and get safely home. (spoiler alert) All our spit dries up when the book ends with Beth's creepy smile.

There will always be overlap in these genres. SPHERE had a mystery to solve. The IN DEATH series almost always puts Lieutenant Eve Dallas in a dangerous situation. But this definition holds: if the main crime took place offstage and there's a puzzle to solve, it's a mystery. If the reader gets to experience the protagonist's emotional state (usually involving terror and dread), it's a suspense.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 2

2011-04-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

I'm picking apart the differences between mystery and suspense with the help of T. Macdonald Skillman's book, WRITING THE THRILLER . Today's post will also be aided by Carolyn Wheat, who came up with sixteen differences between the two closely related genres.

Last week I covered the number one difference: mystery is a puzzle, suspense is a nightmare.

Number two, according to Wheat, is this: "Mystery is a power fantasy; we identify with the detective. Suspense is a victim fantasy; we identify with someone at the mercy of others."

This is fairly straight forward, but I'll illustrate it with well-known authors to drive the point home. I'm reading a Harlan Coben mystery right now called BACK SPIN. The protagonist is sports agent Myron Bolitar, who also happens to solve mysteries when they drop in his lap. The book contains elements of suspense--scary things happen to Myron as he's investigating. Bad guys try to beat him up or otherwise scare him off the case. But he sticks with it until he achieves his goal. In this book, the goal is to find the missing teen-ager. I know, for certain, that Myron will survive because there are six more books in this series. The reader identifies with Myron as he follows the clues, interviews people, and talks through the possible scenarios with his friends. We sympathize with Myron as he gains the upper hand and overcomes the bad guys.

Suspense often contain elements of mystery and horror, so it's hard to separate them sometimes, but usually in a suspense, the reader knows whodunit and get to see at least a few scenes from the antagonist's perspective. The bad guy knows that the good guy is closing in, and plans to stop the good guy. Then the reader gets to anticipate the moment when the protagonist walks into the trap.

Or the reader is privvy to some other danger lurking nearby that's unrelated to the antagonist's plans. Sometimes the antagonist has no plan. Think of the movie JAWS. The shark hasn't set out to have bikini-clad girl for lunch. She just showed up at the right time. The viewers know of the danger. The girl does not. The viewers identify with the girl, shouting at the screen, "Get out of the water!"

Consider SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, when the young woman gets dumped into the antagonist's pit. The basket of skin lotion is lowered down to her. She's frightened out of her mind, but she doesn't have a clue (yet) what's in store for her. We do. And we're terrified for her. We feel sympathy for the victim and hope she makes it out okay.

More about mystery and suspense coming next week. Same bat time, same bat channel.

-Sonja

Mystery vs. Suspense Part 1

2011-04-18T08:42:00.001-07:00

I checked out a book from the library last week called WRITING THE THRILLER by T. Macdonald Skillman. She started off the book in an interesting place: defining suspense fiction. Suspense (or thriller) fiction is different from a mystery. Sure, some mysteries contains suspense, and some suspense stories contain a mystery. But there are significant differences in the contents, presentation, and overall structure in the two genres. For the next several posts I'd like to explore some of these differences. Today I'll start with the biggest difference.

Skillman says, "The focus of a mystery novel is the puzzle. A crime has been committed. Whodunit? Howdunit? Whydunit?"

As the protagonist (detective, private investigator, amateur) goes about solving the crime, there's usually a strong element of suspense. There are various sorts of danger, both for the protagonist and the other major characters. But Skillman points out that most mysteries today are series books, and in a series, the protagonist rarely dies. Because of this, readers aren't too concerned about the fate of the protagonist. He's bound to live through the book. He might get a good scare, he might get hurt, someone close to him might get hurt, but he's going to make it through to the end of the book alive and ready to take on the next mystery.

Agatha Christie killed off Hercule Poirot, but her publisher refused to release the book until the end of Christie's career. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was force to resurrect Sherlock Holmes after he was killed. But these are exceptions. Fans of Kinsey Milhone, Eve Dallas, and Myron Bolitar expect that the heroes of these books will be solving crimes until the authors themselves are no longer around to write stories. (Rest in peace, Robert Parker ~ We'll all miss Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall.)

If mystery is a puzzle, then suspense is emotional. "It's surprise and confusion and fear and anticipation," says Skillman. "It's danger. Immediate danger. It's worrying about what's going to happen, not about the action taking place at the moment." Skillman goes on to say, "A true suspense novel is a book about characters who find themselves trapped in a series of increasingly frightening incidents that force them to take extraordinary steps to survive."

Mystery engages our mind. Suspense engages our emotions. More on this in the next post. For what it's worth.

-Sonja

I've been publicly critiqued

2011-04-15T11:35:00.001-07:00

A group of 14 published mystery/suspense authors run a blog site called The Kill Zone. Last month, they asked readers to submit the first page of their novel for critique by one of the 14. I submitted the first page of my WIP, Cassandra's Curse. Check it out! It's the April 13th post. The reviewer brought up some great points, but the comments left by other authors just tripled the fun for me.

Here's the address: http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/

-Sonja

Weakest Scenes

2011-04-04T09:21:00.001-07:00

In my never-ending study of the craft of writing, I came across this tidbit I need to share. I found it in James Scott Bell's book, Revision & Self-Editing. He challenges writers to identify the ten weakest scenes in our current WIP, then follow these instructions:

1. List the scenes in order, making the weakest scene number one, the next weakest number two, and so on.

2. Cut scene number one from the manuscript.

3. Move to scene number two and fix it. Do that by:
a. Identifying the objective in the scene and who holds it
b. Identify the obstacle to that objective
c. Identify the outcome of the scene
d. Intensify the objective, obstacle, and/or outcome somehow (note: he offers ideas on how to do this in the book)

4. Rinse and repeat for the next eight weak scenes.

I'm having a tough time implementing this exercise. How do I identify my weakest scenes? They're all fabulous! Hah. Just kidding. They're aren't all fabulous, but that perfectly illustrates my point: I'm too biased about my work. There are days when ALL the scenes stink. Other days, they're all glorious.

So for identification purposes, I'll need to rely on my critique partners.

Once they've laid it all out for me, on to number 2, cutting the weakest scene. Again, I'm not sure I'll be able to, but I can always save it in another file just in case I figure out a way to fix it or decide I can't live without it.

Since I haven't progressed past number 1 above, I won't be able to comment on how number 3 is going for me, but I challenge YOU, faithful readers/writers, to take this Bell challenge and see how it impacts your WIP. Leave me a comment and let me how it works.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja

What'd You Say Your Name Was?

2011-03-28T07:36:00.001-07:00

My current WIP contains a character named Michael Dogan. On a whim, I typed that name into a Google search engine and found seven pages of results to wade through. Then I plugged my character into Facebook and found over 20 people with the same name.

With the population of the world as it now stands, it seems impossible for authors to create a truly unique name for a character. Throckmorton Cumberbun isn't currently in use by another human on the face of the planet. Neither is Fontleroy Woodenbottom. Or Hortence Pickle. But those are terrible names for any character, let alone a protagonist. (Unless the conflict in their life centers completely around their horrific name.)

Challenge: Can you come up with a wholly unique character name that won't result in regular beatings on the school playground for said character? Post your name offerings in the comments section, please! I'd love to see what you come up with.

-Sonja

Of all the stupid things...

2011-03-21T07:55:00.001-07:00

I want to take a brief moment away from my study of dialogue to discuss a peeve of mine. I recently read a mystery novel with a female FBI protagonist. Naming the book will only offend the author, and I don't like doing that, so I won't. But I can't read anything else by her for this reason: the FBI agent/protagonist did something profoundly stupid, based on an unbelievable motivation.

You've all seen this before in the movies. The Too-Stupid-To-Live teen-age girl is home alone on a dark and stormy night. The news program just announced that a crazed killer is on the loose--in her neighborhood. Then a creepy noise comes from the attic. For some reason, the movie-maker wants her up in that attic. So she's sent up, for whatever reason. Bravely, she tiptoes up the stairs, listening hard, determined to investigate. Viewers are all screaming at her "GET OUT AND CALL THE POLICE!" But this female continues up the stairs, thinking herself a brave young thing. And viewers wonder how she managed to stay alive until this point in her life, because foolish acts like this can only lead to one thing, and it ain't a Medal of Valor.

The problem is her motivation. If the baby she's in charge of watching is currently sleeping in a crib in the attic, THEN she's got the proper motivation to investigate strange noises coming from the attic (and the fact that she put the child in the attic gives the reader a neat look into the sitter's psyche). If she's got martial arts training, a nine-millimeter handgun in her right hand, and a cell phone preprogrammed with 9-1-1 in her left hand, THEN she's got a decent motivation for heading up the stairs. If she's taking a dare from her boyfriend, who accuses her of being a wimp, that probably won't work.

Character motivations HAVE to be sufficient cause for doing something that would normally be down-right stupid. Even with a gun in one hand, what kind of FBI agent walks into a dangerous situation, KNOWING it's dangerous, without calling for back-up first? What kind of agent sees her partner injured, unconscious, and bleeding to death, but instead of rendering immediate aid, decides to trap the killer first? What kind of agent plans to trap the killer in his own house, but then hides in a closet when she realizes he took the bait and he's inside the house with her? What kind of agent, upon confronting the murderer who's just attacked and possibly killed her partner, instead of shooting first and asking questions later, tries to have a cogent conversation with said killer? It defies logic.

The author offered motivations for all the points I brought up, but I found them weak. Yeah, I can buy bad cell coverage as the reason for not seeking back-up, but the hiding in the closet and the ask-questions-first plot points left me frustrated. Granted, the author is published and she's crafted something that a publisher wanted, but I found the story unbelievable.

If you need your character to do something that's potentially dangerous, back it up with proper motivation! Or at least make the only alternative a more stupid move. Nothing kills the story faster than bad reasoning.

-Sonja

Dialogue #6

2011-03-14T09:09:00.001-07:00

Chris Roerden's book, Don't Murder Your Mystery, has a fabulous chapter on dialogue, and I've been picking it apart and sharing it with you, my three loyal blog readers, for the past several posts. This is the last post regarding information from her book.

Roerden says, "Rapid-fire dialogue that goes on for more than two pages might lose it's punch." By altering the pacing of long passages of dialogue, writers can ensure their readers won't get tired too quickly. To reduce the pace of a fast-moving scene, use one of these methods (note: I didn't include all of the methods Roerden did - pick up the book if you want to know them all):

1. Break up dialogue with exposition.
2. Make sentences and paragraphs longer.
3. Add description.
4. Change the setting. (For example: a couple talking on a porch swing in the moonlight vs. a couple shouting the identical words over the roar of city traffic.)

To increase the pace of a slow-moving scene, try these methods:

1. Eliminate words, sentences, and gestures that are non-essential and offer no conflict, characterization, or plot advancement.
2. Revise, striving for rapid-fire confrontation.

By alternating the pace of long passages of dialogue, you have the potential to increase tension and keep the reader turning pages.

-Sonja

Dialogue Episode 5

2011-03-07T08:52:00.001-08:00

I'm still on the topic of fantastic dialogue, and still sucking wisdom out of Chris Roerden's book, Don't Murder Your Mystery. Today I'd like to discuss what Roerden calls Informational Dialogue. In genres that rely on intelligence gathering, writers can't toss in scenes where data is the primary reason for dialogue. Data dispersal contains no conflict.

Roerden says, "Confirm that each scene has been built around opposing agendas... Put your characters in situations that produce anxiety. Making two characters focus on different priorities lets you write bypass dialogue: two people talking but not communicating." Roerden goes on to say that transforming allies into adversaries also builds reader empathy for the protagonist. Remember to establish motive for the opposition, though, or you won't pull it off. The reader needs to understand why the miscommunication exists, or they won't believe it.

Another way to add tension to informational dialogue is to use unmet goals. Your protagonist needs to gather information to solve the crime. Any time he goes digging for information and comes up with nothing, that adds tension. You can't play this every time, though, or you'll never get the mystery solved, but used judiciously at a point where the stakes are high, this can create tons of conflict and mess with the reader's nerves.

A third method is what Roerden calls "other business." The protagonist is digging for information from a witness who is focused on something else: "other business." Maybe they're watching a football game on tv. Or trying to keep an eye on a rambunctious child. Or worried about how their spouse will react when he comes home and finds that dinner isn't ready. Then, when the protagonist asks a question, the witness says something that could refer to either context: the protagonist's question, or the "other business." If you can fool the reader into believing the answer was directed at the protagonist, even for a few seconds, when it was actually directed at the "other business," so much the better.

Finally, Roerden admits that not every development merits a scene of it's own. She says, "Instead of inventing a situation solely to bring tension to an information exchange, try paring the information to its essentials and merging those essentials into another scene." In other words, blurt it out quickly and move on to something more important or tension-filled. For example, if the protagonist needs a bit of information from a secretary, instead of outlining the entire phone call, go for something like this:

He called her.

"Sure, I've got that. Hang on." A few seconds later, she came back. "The address is 1660 New Vines Road."

Short, simple, tension-free, and on to better, more interesting things.

Challenge: use one or more of these methods to inject some tension into your informational dialogue.

-Sonja

Dialogue Part 4

2011-02-28T08:31:00.001-08:00

In the last post, I wrote about question-and-answer sessions within mysteries. I'd like to continue that discussion. All the wisdom contained in this post is from Chris Roerden's book, Don't Murder Your Mystery.

Roerden identifies symmetrical dialogue like this: "Every question receives an answer." Symmetry suggests cooperation, and cooperation doesn't contain conflict or tension, one of the most important parts of dialogue. Roerden challenges writers to use asymmetrical dialogue, instead, or to begin with symmetrical dialogue and then jump to asymmetrical.

When the interviewer asks a question, in symmetrical dialogue, the interviewee would answer the question as fully as possible. In asymmetrical dialogue, the interviewee changes the subject, asks a different questions, maybe even a rhetorical one, or remains silent, refusing to answer at all. Here's an example from my thriller, Cassandra's Curse. The protagonist, Cassie, is speaking with a police officer after a traumatic event:

"Do you need a medic?" the female officer asked.

Cassie looked at the officer. Her name tag read Phelps. Or Phipps. Hard to tell. Tears clouded Cassie's vision, making reading difficult. Her hands shook from the adrenaline overload, but other than the pain of her scalp, she was unharmed. "No, I'm fine."

"Tell me what happened," Phelps/Phipps asked.

"I want to go home," Cassie said, clutching her coat more tightly around her body.

Granted, it's not the most tension-filled dialogue in the book, but it illustrates the point. Instead of telling the officer what happened, Cassie ignored the question completely and said what was on her mind. It also reveals a bit about Cassie's character, and mirrors another conversation that comes up later in the story between Cassie and a police detective.

Challenge: find a question-and-answer session in your WIP and identify the symmetrical bits, where every question is answered truthfully and fully. Then add some tension by inserting asymmetry.

-Sonja

Dialogue III

2011-02-24T14:04:00.001-08:00

Mysteries always involve question-and-answer sessions, usually between the person trying to solve the mystery and any suspects or witnesses that come along. In my on-going study of writing excellent dialogue, I discovered that even these question-and-answer sessions should include tension.

Chris Roerden, in her book Don't Murder Your Mystery, says, "Any ordinary, amiable question-and-answer sequence can be given an adversarial flavor by having characters interrupt each other, answer a question with a question, give an unexpected response, and change the subject. Kill the words "yes," "okay," and "I agree," even when no disagreement exists. Merely the sound of an affirmative can breed a congenial, agreeable tone that takes the steam out of any encounter."

When the sap being questioned is a shady character, then the reader expects some tension in any conversation with the police (or PI, or amateur sleuth). But when the interviewee is a friendly witness, an upstanding member of the community, an innocent bystander, how do you incorporate tension?

Roerden says, "create disagreement and suspicion among your characters. Invent misunderstanding. Encourage misinterpretation. Add distraction."

Maybe something in the witness' past causes her to mistrust police officers. Her answers might be ambiguous or down-right misleading because of this mistrust.

Maybe she's romantically interested in the questioner, and will incorporate flirtation into her answers, making them not quite so truthful.

Maybe she'll completely misunderstand the question and give an incorrect answer based on that misunderstanding.

Maybe she needs to be somewhere in ten minutes. She'll try to hurry things along, offering curt answers, thinking of this appointment instead of concentrating on the questions.

I could play this game for hours, but you get the drift. Give the witness a motivation, and her personality will shine through her answers and lend conflict to an otherwise simple scene which needs to disseminate information or a lack of information.

More on this in the next post. For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Purposeful Dialogue

2011-02-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

Continuing my study of the art of dialogue, I turn again to Chris Roerden and her book, Don't Murder Your Mystery. She's got a single chapter on dialogue, and it's loaded with good stuff. Here's a tasty morsel from the first page:

"Effective dialogue is purposeful--the means by which characters strive to realize their objectives, act on their strategies, and incite reactions from others."

The first thing I noticed is that "Hi, how are you," "fine, thanks," and "how's your day" do not fulfill the purpose of dialogue. Removing these unimportant bits of dialogue immediately sharpen the text.

That leaves me with the rest of the dialogue text. This gets especially tricky when the character speaking is a minor character, or worse yet, a throw-away character, like the waitress taking an order, or the guy in the ticket booth selling movie passes. How can minor characters strive to realize their objectives, or act on strategies, or incite reactions? Maybe by having them want something other than what the protagonist wants. Or they want to push the protagonist in an opposite direction. Or they want to hide something from the protagonist.

The key is conflict. Throwing conflict into any piece of dialogue automatically adds interest and tension. More about that in later posts.

Challenge: go through a section of dialogue in your WIP that you feel is weak, and analyze every speaker. Do her words reveal her objectives, her motives, her strategies? Is she trying to incite a reaction from the other speaker? Is there any tension between the two speakers, or are they getting along beautifully? Shake them up, and see if it doesn't improve the passage.

-Sonja

She said what?

2011-01-22T12:28:00.001-08:00

I've been working on improving my dialogue and came across a chapter in the book Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden. I thought I'd share a few things I learned in the next several posts.

The first thing that struck me was the sentence "Dialogue is a form of action, a potent technique for expressing conflict." Silly me, I thought dialogue was what people said to one another. Chris went on to say, "It's the mightiest power tool on the writer's workbench for making characters come alive."

It's all about having the characters reveal themselves, their feelings, their attitudes, and their personalities through their words. But I think the key word is "conflict." Emotions and attitudes are revealed much more clearly in a heated discussion, a disagreement, even a full-blown argument than what's revealed in a dull, non-confrontational conversation.

For example, in my current work-in-progress, two friends are speaking. These ladies have been friends their entire lives, and know each others' greatest weaknesses, strength, and, of course, their secrets. In one of the first scenes in the book, the protagonist, Cassie, has had a particularly nasty nightmare that's affected her morning mood. Her friend, Talia, recognizes that something is wrong and wants to know the reason for her friend's funk. Here's how I could have written the scene (FYI, it takes place in a bakery while they're baking bread):

Tala buttoned a white smock over her clothing and grabbed a sack of flour from the pantry shelves. "Want to talk about it?"

"I had a nightmare and it really upset me," Cassie answered.

BORING! No conflict, no tension, no reason to continue reading. So I revised it to add some conflict:

Tala buttoned a white smock over her clothing and grabbed a sack of flour from the pantry shelves. "Want to talk about it?"

"No." Cassie dumped the required sugar and salt into the mixer.

"Spill it."

"I don't want to."

"You have to. We can't have secrets."

Cassie grinned. "Some secrets can be good. Like that time you ducked behind the bleachers with Chad--"

"You know about that?" Talia looked horrified. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"Of course not."

Talia set her jaw. "Tell me what's wrong and forget all about Chad Barlow."

Granted, it's not an Earth-shattering argument, but it's much more interesting than the original, and it reveals something about these women and their friendship. It reveals their attitudes and personalities while they have this seemingly inconsequential argument. In just a few lines, the reader discovers that this argument is actually the key to something much bigger, but I won't spoil the surprise for you now.

So I challenge you to go through your dialogue and find the boring, non-confrontational conversations and jazz them up a bit. Add some misunderstanding, or innuendos, or misdirections. Add some anger, or disbelief, or jealousy. Pit best friends and lovers against each other, at least verbally, and see if it doesn't improve the scene.

-Sonja

Resolutions vs. Habits

2011-01-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged, and with the new year comes the idea of the resolution. Last year, I resolved to blog more. Oops. Failure accomplished. Experience now tells me NOT to make the same mistake this year. I will not resolve to blog more.

Instead, I resolve to change my habits. If I can institute a few new habits, maybe blogging will become second nature and I'll actually do it.

Sounds easy, but I know it won't be. To work properly, I can't pick a whole bunch of stuff I'd like to work into habits. The key is to pick one, work on it, focus on it for four to six weeks. After that habit's been formed, I can work on another.

In my writing life, I've decided to work on my dialogue techniques. Hopefully, by pairing my study of dialogue with blogging, I'll accomplish my goal of making blogging a habit.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

NaNoWriMo, oh my!

2010-10-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

Only 2 days left until NaNoWriMo!

If you don't know what that is, I'd be happy to explain. Twelve years ago, some writers declared November National Novel Writing Month. All you have to do is write a 50,000 word work of fiction, from scratch, during the month of November. That's 30 days to bang out the first draft of a completely new, original work. Not something you've worked on in the past, but brand-spanking new.

My friends at the NOVEL Writing Site.com said this: "The idea is to conquer fear, hesitation, overthinking, writer's block, analysis paralysis, or anything else that's holding you back and JUST WRITE!" Easier said than done, but a bold and daring challenge none-the-less.

Since I just finished the first rough draft of my newest thriller, NaNo comes at a fabulous time. I'll pull out an old idea that's been stewing but hasn't gotten any screen time, and I'll see where it takes me. Then, when November is over and I've had some distance, and I can pull out the old thriller and edit.

Accept the challenge, writer friends, and participate in NaNo this year.

-Sonja

It's a Personal Record

2010-09-21T08:03:00.001-07:00

My current Work-In-Progress is flying out of my head and onto the page at an astounding rate. I'm averaging 3,000 words every writing session.

Yesterday, I wrote 7,000 new words in a four-hour session. That has to be a new record for me! At this rate, the book will be finished by October 1, taking a mere 1.5 months to complete. Of course, that doesn't include the months of stewing in my brain before I sat down to write anything. . .

Question for you, faithful reader: what's your personal record for the most words written at one sitting?

-Sonja

Nothing Better

2010-08-26T11:51:00.001-07:00

A new story idea came to me a while back, but I shelved it because my latest WIP needed attention. But the new idea kept simmering in the back of my mind, waiting for the right moment. Now I'm in the midst of the dreaded waiting game with the publisher--who received my latest WIP last month--and that new idea's time has come.

Last Thursday, I wrote 4,000 words. I took a few days off from writing to brainstorm a bit and create a simple outline. Yesterday I wrote 6,000 words. Today I've logged another 6,000.

I gotta say: nothing beats the frenzy of a new writing project! At this rate, I'll have this novel knocked out in record-breaking time.

Question: have you experienced this euphoric frenzy, where the words just spill out so fast your fingers can hardly keep up?

-Sonja

That's What Brandilyn Said

2010-07-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

Back in May, I promised to pass on the wisdom I soaked up at the Christian Writers Renewal Conference. Here's the second part of Brandilyn Collins' lecture on creating dynamic suspense: CHARACTER EMOTION.

I'll start with the blurb that described the lecture: Human emotions are interconnected and multi-layered. They force action, which in turn produces more emotion. Often authors don't go far enough in creating character passions. The result is a ho-hum story. I want you to leave this hour understanding more about emotion than you ever have before.

So here's what Brandilyn said:

Passions are multi-layered. The greater the passion, the more diverse the layers that comprise it. Find those layers and portray them in the story to give the reader a stronger emotional response. Here are two ways to do that:

1) Find the passion's components. What are they? What do they look like? How do they show in char's life?

Example: Anger is a secondary emotion and arises from other emotions. What fuels it? Frustration? Jealousy? Greed? DON'T focus on the anger. Explore all the emotions that lead to that anger, then reader will understand the anger when it shows.

2) Find the passion's opposite. Contrast makes the emotion pop.

Example 1: Cross-walk attendant adores children. As she's helping a small child cross the street, a truck comes right at them; the driver isn't paying attention, doesn't see the attendant and child. Attendant is terrified, willing to sacrifice her own life to save the child. The truck stops at the last second, and her emotion turns to immense relief. Then it turns to anger and she lays into the truck's driver. After she's spent that, she turns to see if the child is okay, hugs him in relief, then yells at him that he's supposed to RUN when there's a truck coming toward him! Love is shown in through all these other emotions.

Example 2: Wife thinks husband is having an affair. She wants to win him back, so she asks him to be home by 6. He promises he'll be there. She puts on a tight red dress and high heels, fixes a fabulous meal, lights the candles, and waits. At 6:00 she's excited. At 6:05 she's disappointed. At 6:30 she's worried that he's been in an accident. She's getting cold, so she puts on a sweater. At 6:45, she's getting depressed. He's out seeing his lover. Her feet hurt so she kicks off the shoes. Dinner's ruined. At 7:00, she decides she doesn't need him after all – he's hurt her so much, so doesn't care anymore. At 7:15, she's in full-blown hatred. When he walks in the door with a dozen roses, she rips them from his hands and stomps them on the floor. The hatred at the end came about because of her love for her husband, and the reader went along for the ride so she can FEEL all that hate and love.

-Sonja

More from Brandilyn

2010-06-10T14:58:00.001-07:00

Last month at the Christian Writers Renewal, I sat under the teaching of Brandilyn Collins. I promised some highlights from her class on Getting into Character.

The first class was Character Desire. As an author, I need to know my character's insides first. Why is he the way he is? What drives him? What's his Super Objective? What does the character WANT more than anything? This drives his thoughts and actions, especially in moments of high stress. Conflict is opposition against desire, so conflict is necessary to contrast with the character's desires.

1) The objective is an action verb. Not "I want to be rich" but "I want to raise to the top of the structure in my law firm."

2) The objective must be very specific. "I want to build trust in my marriage by never lying again to my husband so that..." Make sure the "so that" creates conflict. It's gotta be strong!

Answering End: What the character gets if he achieves his desire, or gets close to his desire. Sometimes it costs too much and he realizes he doesn't want it, after all. "I want to build trust in my marriage by never lying again to my husband so that he won't leave me for a younger woman and I'll be all alone."

3) The objective must be absolutely correct for the character and the story. "I wish to build trust in my marriage by never getting caught lying to my husband" says something completely different about the char than the original version. Find out characters inner values and core beliefs. Make sure they fit. Then use them to thwart the objective.

Example: Steinbeck's "The Pearl" - father finds a magnificent pearl. His objective is to sell the pearl for it's full value so that his son will have a better life and won't live in poverty. If the father didn't already live in poverty, this wouldn't fit. If the son hadn't been endangered by a scorpion in the first bit of the book, it wouldn't fit. If father was willing to sell pearl for significantly less than it's full value, then it wouldn't fit.

4) Desire arises partly from the inciting incident and partly from the character's personality. Put the character in a problem before the inciting incident happens. Then his desire conflicts with the previous problems. In The Pearl, the son is stung by a scorpion and almost dies. This builds in the father a fear for his son's life. Then when he finds the pearl, he sees a way past this fear that's built up within him.

Protagonist has conscious and unconscious desires. Throughout the story, the unconscious desires come into play and character must choose. In the moment of greatest stress, the character realizes what he REALLY wants: the unconscious desire. (Note: the conscious and unconscious desires should be diametrically opposed.) Note: Show glimpses of the unconscious desire at the beginning of the book so the reader doesn't feel cheated.

In Gone with the Wind, Scarlett's conscious desire is to marry Ashley. Unconsciously, she wants a manly man to tame her. That would be Rhett. When she finally gets her shot at Ashley, she realizes she doesn't want him because he's a wimp. She really wants Rhett – and it's too late.

Next time I'll highlight Brandilyn's discussion on Character Emotions.

-Sonja

It's a Contest!

2010-05-14T12:24:00.001-07:00

I usually don't post twice in one day, but it's your lucky day. Or mine. There's a writing contest called "Dear Lucky Agent" for fantasy or sci-fi book-length novels. I found it at Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog (www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog). Submit the first 150-200 words of a completed novel and keep your fingers crossed! Because the Top 3 Winners get a critique of the first 10 pages of the work AND a free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

The contest runs until May 26, so get your submission ready and head on over to Chuck's site for all the rules and regs. It's easy, and someone gets to win.

-Sonja

Shameless Name-Dropping

2010-05-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

It's time for my favorite post-conference blog entry, when I shamelessly name all the famous, near-famous, or infamous people I actually met. These aren't listed in any particular order, other than they came out of my head this way. Here we go:

1.) Brandilyn Collins, who proved to be an excellent keynote speaker, engaging teacher, and down-right gracious lady. At the beginning of her class, she personally greeted each student with a hand-shake and a word of encouragement. Classy. On a completely unrelated note, her hand and facial gestures reminded me of the actress Patricia Heaton. She's famous, too.

2.) Jesse Florea is the editor of a Focus on the Family children's magazine and a published author. He was sitting all by himself at lunch the first day, so I asked if I could join him. We were soon discussing the future of speculative fiction in the CBA and out popped Jeff Gerke's name (you CAN'T talk about spec fic without Jeff showing up in some fashion). Jesse is so passionate about his magazine, he almost talked me into writing a short story for kids. I still don't know how I resisted.

3.) Jim Rubart joined Jesse and I at the lunch table. Jim is most noted, in my mind, as the author of the spec fic novel ROOMS, the MC for the Reality Panel of Publishing Experts (held after lunch on the second day), and most importantly, a runner-up in Chip MacGregor's Bad Poetry Contest 2010. Jim proved he can pen utter tripe while showing true deepfulness and reflectivosity. He's also a really great luncheon conversationalist.

4.) Holley Gerth also joined the lunch table. She's an editor at Dayspring Cards, but what made her famous (to me) was her name tag. It said she was from Arkansas. When I told her my husband's family was from a tiny town in Arkansas, she proved to me, yet again, that this is a small, small world. She's from the same small town as all my husband's relatives. And she knows them. I don't know if I should be proud or take pity on her. . .

5.) Sandra Bishop is an agent at Chip MacGregor Literary Agency and blogs periodically. She shredded my pitch, told me how to fix it, then sent me off to conquer the next editor. Who was. . .

6.) Nick Harrison. He works at Harvest House, writes a great blog, has published several books, and taught an excellent course about selling fiction in hard economic times (see previous post). He patiently listened to my pitch and politely said, "No, thank you." I chalked it up as another learning experience.

7.) Clint Kelly was the MC for both evening sessions with Brandilyn. He's a funny guy with tons of published books to his credit and a great singing voice. He also works with my second cousin, Ray, proving that this is a REALLY small world.

8.) Chris Miller, the genius behind the Hunter Brown series, sat with me for the evening meal on the second night. His brother, Allan (the other half of the writing dynamic duo), couldn't make it to the conference (wedding anniversary, or some such nonsense) so Chris held down the fort on his own. We had some intriguing discussions about spec fic (Jeff Gerke showed up again) and the fabulous books we'd both read recently. Then we entered a highly controversial debate over the correct term for "a series of four books." We finally turned to Brandilyn, at the next table, and she gave us the correct term: quadrilogy. Now you know.

I could also bring up Luke Hinrichs, fiction editor for Bethany House (he liked my pitch!); Greg Johnson, who works with Rachelle Gardner (her blog was rated one of the Top Ten in the Publishing Industry); Les Stobbe, agent-extraordinairre, whom I didn't actually meet so much as run into in an elevator (didn't have my elevator pitch ready, so the opportunity slipped by. Plus the fact that cornering an agent in an elevator is almost as rude as cornering him in the restroom, which I would probably never do); Athena Dean of Winepress Publishing, who's got such a cool name I may have to steal it and put it in a novel; and Shannon Woodward, a published author and master conversationalist.

That concludes my trip down the star-studded conference line-up. For what it's worth.

-Sonja

What Nick Harrison Said

2010-05-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

Nick Harrison, senior editor from Harvest House Publishers, taught a class entitled "How to sell Your Fiction in Tough Economic Times" at the writer's conference last week. If I may be so bold, I'll share with you ALL the ideas he shared with us:

1. Look toward future events and write books that WILL BE WANTED in two or three years. Example: in 2012, the Mayan calendar ends. It's also the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Two different authors pitched books based on these two upcoming events, and both books will be published in late 2011 or early 2012.

2. Be willing to enthusiastically jump on trends. If you can write a great Amish Romance, you will be published!

3. Use Writer's Edge (an on-line listing) to get your fiction noticed. (Note: Nick said he looks at this site--and others like it--all the time. But other editors don't bother with it. This one's a stretch, in my opinion.)

4. Once you finish writing a novel, send out queries and diligently work on getting it noticed. Then start writing your NEXT novel. Keep a healthy career plan, and have plenty of books in your arsenal. Maybe your writing style will catch an editor's eye, but he doesn't like the story you sent him. You'll have a lot of others to pitch to him.

5. Self-publish your excellent book, sell 10,000 copies, then approach a royalty publisher. Numbers like that catch their attention.

6. DO NOT WRITE message-driven novels or memoirs. They don't sell. (There are exceptions, like "The Shack" and "In His Steps," but they are few and far between.)

7. Next huge wave in the CBA: Southern Historical Romance. Write one of these and you'll have a good chance of getting published.

Some of these tips, like #1 and #4, are valuable to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't write an Amish romance or a southern historical romance if my children's lives depended on it, so I won't get to take advantage of tip #2 or tip #7. Hopefully you'll find something in here to help your career!

For what it's worth,
-Sonja

Words of Wisdom from the Seatbelt Suspense Lady

2010-05-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

I attended the Northwest Christian Writers Renewal Conference in Seattle last weekend where Brandilyn Collins gave the keynote address and taught three classes on creating dynamic suspense. My next couple of blog entries will be devoted to passing along some of the wisdom I soaked up, who I met, what happened, and why these conferences are worth deserting your family for two days.

To quote the conference brochure, Brandilyn is a leading force in Christian mystery fiction. She's the Seatbelt Suspense Lady (as in, "put on your seatbelt before you pick up the book, otherwise you'll jump right out of your chair") and the founder of the Big Honkin' Chicken's Club (a club for wussies who don't think they can read the scary books Brandilyn writes but want to take the chance, anyway). She also blogs (Forensics and Faith), Twitters, Facebooks, and hostesses great Fourth of July parties. In other words, she's a stick of dynamite in a petite package who successfully does absolutely everything.

During her keynote address, Brandilyn talked about her ten-year struggle to break into print and the lessons she learned along her journey. Two points really stuck out to me:

1. People don't read your books to learn about God, they read them to be entertained. In other words, tell a really great story! If it happens to contain truths about God, that's fantastic, but it's the remarkable story that will stick with people and prompt them to pick up more of your books in the future.

2. The pre-published days in an author's life are a true gift, and Brandilyn encouraged us to find joy in them. It's okay to quit writing during this period, because if it's a true calling from God, you'll pick it up sometime in the future and keep going. Once you're a published author and under contract, there's no option to quit or take a break or get lazy. So cherish the pre-published phase of the journey and use the time to truly learn the craft of writing. Because when the inspiration deserts you and you're under contract, your knowledge of the craft will carry you through the deadlines until you re-discover your creativity.

Tomorrow I'll share content from the three classes Brandilyn taught.

-Sonja

You're Reading WHAT?!?

2010-04-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

Here's what's in my reading stack this week:

-Void Moon, City of Bones, A Darkness More than Night, The Poet, and Trunk Music by Michael Connelly books (the Harry Bosch series)
-The Bourne Sanctum by Eric Van Lustbader
-Night Shift, Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher, and Danse Macabre by Stephen King
-Fantasy in Death by JD Robb

Normally, I don't read Stephen King. I LOVE his writing, but he scares me out of my daylights (words of wisdom from a four year old). However, I need to add an element of fear/mystery to my latest WIP, so I'm studying the master. How does King make something scary? How does he get my heart racing? What words does he use to make me turn on all the lights, lock the doors, and huddle under a comforter while I turn pages? I need to know, so I'm being brave--just this week--to study how it's done.

-Sonja

Flawed Heroes

2010-04-03T12:01:00.001-07:00

I've been studying Donald Maass' book The Fire in Fiction and came across an exercise that I thought I'd share regarding the protagonist.

My protagonist should be someone strong, but that can't be enough. The exercise challenges me to find in him something conflicted, fallible, humbling, or human. (I like that last category!). It can't be fatal or overwhelming, but should be a personal problem, a bad habit, a hot button, or a blind spot.

Once I've discovered this flaw, I need to demonstrate that flaw within the first five pages of my story. The last comment on the exercise is the key: Be sure to soften the flaw with self-awareness or self-deprecating humor. This helps the protagonist from being overwhelmed by the flaw.

I found this helpful. Hope you do, too.

-Sonja

Don't Play with Toothy Cows

2010-02-22T16:19:00.001-08:00

In my last post, I said I'd discovered two fabulous books. The first was The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. The second is On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. I really can't sing enough praises for this delightful young adult fantasy. Peterson spins a wonderful tale of the Igiby children, Janner, Tink, and Leeli (and their trusty dog, Nugget), in their many harrowing escapes from the Fangs of Dang. The Fangs seek the lost jewels of Anniera and believe the children have them.

The humor is fantastic. It's set in the world of Aerwiar (sounds like "here we are") and contains toothy cows (which are quite vicious), cheesy chowder, Thwaps (think of the little critters that infest Ron's garden in the Harry Potter series), Anklejelly manor, and the ghost of Brimney Stupe. And, of course, the Dark Sea of Darkness, which is really quite dark, for a sea.

There are quirky characters. Peet the Sock Man has a penchant for picking--and losing--fights with street signs. The unseen antagonist is an evil wizard named Gnag the Nameless. The more visible antagonist is the head honcho in charge of making people's lives miserable, the fattest and meanest Fang in Glipwood Forest, Commander Gnorm (say it out loud, it's funnier that way). The proprietor of Books and Crannies is Oskar Reteep, who has a penchant for quoting bad literature every time he opens his mouth. I found his bookstore's organization especially amusing--who wouldn't like to browse in the "Blacksmithing and/or Pie" section, or the "Pointless Poems" area?

The book has beautiful maps in the front, silly footnotes scattered throughout that explain history or other tidbits not really necessary for the story, lyrics to sad, sad songs, a copy of the "Permission to Hoe Garden" form, a recipe for maggotloaf, and a realistic diagram of a toothy cow. What more could a reader want?

The only down-side to the book is the slow beginning. It's a cute and clever beginning, but the plot really doesn't get going for awhile, so you've got to be patient. Still, it's hard not to fall in love with the main characters, especially little Leeli with her crippled leg, fiery spirit, and disdain for pity.

Bottom line: Buy this book! The sequel just came out, so pick it up, too. It's called North! Or Be Eaten.

For what it's worth,

Sonja

Just What I've Always Wanted

2010-02-18T14:01:00.001-08:00

I found TWO fabulous books this week that I have to share with anyone who'll listen. The first is The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose, and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great by Donald Maass. I picked up up on a whim at the bookstore, figuring it had to be good (because, let's face it, everything Mr. Maass writes is good). Big pat on the back for me; I was right.

Mr. Maass runs a literary agency. Not only does he serve as an agent, but he's written boatloads of novels and non-fiction books on the writing craft. He's undeniably an expert in his field, which is identifying fantastic works of fiction. In this new book, he says that writing a great novel involves a passion for storytelling, and he shares some practical methods to master the craft.

The lessons in the book aren't difficult to understand. He gives plenty of examples from other published works and his explanations are concise. By far the best part, for me, are the exercises at the end of each chapter. I usually groan when I see a list of exercises, because they have nothing to do with my work in progress. All of the exercises in this book, however, applied to my current project and opened my eyes to all the wonderful ways to make my story better. Now I'm anxious to quit blogging so I can open the manuscript.

Next time, I'll blog on the other fabulous book I found. For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Sucking The Wisdom Out Of James Scott Bell

2010-02-06T11:43:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, I bought myself James Scott Bell's book The Art of War for Writers, and I keep going back to it. I thought I'd share tip #30, which has stuck in my brain for a day or two, mostly because I wonder if I did it correctly in my newest novel.

Tip #30 says: "The key to reader bonding is falling in love with the lead." It's pretty basic. If my reader doesn't love the protagonist, why would he/she/it want to know what happens next? What's the motivation for turning the page? After all, there's bound to be something decent on tv...

Bell offers four tips that should lead to readers loving the Lead. Get ready to take notes:

1. "Great Leads have grit, wit, and it." He either has guts, courage, and inner strength from the beginning of the story, or he develops them as the story progresses. He's humorous. And he's got sex appeal, an inner something that makes him attractive.

Side note from me: sex appeal doesn't have to mean he's bedding every woman in sight. I hate it when I find a powerful character I love, then in chapter 3 he's hooked woman #1, and in chapter 5 he's with woman #2, then woman #3 steps in a bit later... Men (and women) can be attractive, sexy, AND morally pure. I know lots of people would disagree with me on that one, but I admire a sexy protagonist who's also faithful to his spouse. Now I'll hop off my soap box and get back to Bell's stuff:

2. "Character is revealed in crisis." The tests and trials of the story build up the protagonist and show the reader what he's made of.

Side note from me: it should be good stuff! No one likes a whiner.

3. "You should know your Lead's deepest thoughts, yearnings, secrets, and fears." The author MUST know their character inside and out; know what said character will do in a crisis situation; know what he fears, what he loves, what he longs for, what he eats for lunch on Thursdays. If the author doesn't know, how can she pass it on to the reader?

4. "Emotionally bond the reader to the Lead character." Bell offers three tips for this one:

A. "Make the Lead care about someone other than himself."
B. "Have the Lead do things to help those weaker than he is."
C. "Put the Lead in a situation of jeopardy, hardship, or vulnerability."

I found this last tip to be the most helpful. If I do this early in the book (first five to ten pages), then I'm bound to have a character readers will love. (I wonder if I could do all three at once...)

Bell concludes Tip #30 by saying that, if you do these things, you'll be "at least 75 percent of the way toward a novel readers won't want to put down." That's where I want to be!

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Upcoming Writers Renewal

2010-01-28T15:57:00.001-08:00

The Northwest Christian Writers Renewal Conference is coming up May 7 and 8, and I'm looking forward to attending. Brandilyn Collins, a "leading force in Christian mystery fiction" is the keynote speaker. I met her at another conference a few years back, and she's a great teacher. She'll be talking about creating dynamic suspense through character desire, emotion, conflict, and twists, among other things. I'm hoping to learn new ways of creating suspense for my own mysteries.

I'm also looking forward to meeting Sandra Bishop from the MacGregor Literary Agency and Nick Harrison from Harvest House, who's teaching a course on Selling Your Fiction in Tough Economic Times. I imagine he'll say something about how writing a spectacular novel is the best way to do this, but we'll see.

When it's over, I'll blog all the highlights, so stay tuned.

-Sonja

What I Learned from Sun Tzu

2009-12-19T12:46:00.001-08:00

I bought myself a Christmas present last week. "The Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell. I read about it on Steve Laube's blog and just had to have it. Now I'm glad I splurged.

Sun Tzu presented orderly principles to his generals for battle planning. Bell ran with the idea and offers a collection of principles for writing that will help authors "write stronger books and win the battle to get and stay published." The book's divided into three sections: Reconnaissance, Tactics, and Strategy.

My favorite part was Tactics, which has 33 techniques regarding the craft of writing, and contains all sorts of delicious tidbits. I can't share them all, but I'll share a favorite or two.

Tactic #45 says "Progressive Revelation Keeps Readers Turning Pages." The first couple sentences sum it up nicely: "Reveal your plot incrementally. That means leaving mystery inherent and unfolding things progressively." This isn't the first time I've heard this advice, but it bears repeating. I find myself setting up a beautiful mystery, then feeling compelled to dump an explanation immediately thereafter. Instead, I should dole out the revelations in tiny bits to keep the reader involved. After all, I don't want my precious reader stuffing in a bookmark and reaching for the tv remote!

Tactic #50 was a hard one for me. It says, "Success may be found in three great scenes, and no weak ones." Basically, my book has to have three fabulous scenes that stand out from the rest, "packed with conflict, emotion, and surprise." The hardest part, for me, was the "no weak ones" - there can't be a single weak scene in the entire book. Bell identifies a weak scene as one that feels "like fluff or filler. No one is really going after anything. There's a lot of sitting around, small talk, waiting, reacting." Identifying weak scenes in my own writing is tough, so I'll have to rely on my critique partners to point them out to me.

This book is packed with gems like these. It's definitely worth the price, and it's the right size to stuff in a stocking. Go ahead and get one for yourself!

-Sonja

Look What I Got For Christmas!

2009-12-10T11:19:00.001-08:00

John B. Olson, a writer I admire and study, put a fun thing on sale:
an audio lecture called "Writing in the Shadows." Randy Ingermanson
praised it on his blog and e-zine and even made a special sale out of
it last week. When I purchased Olson's book, Powers, and I got the
audio lecture for free! And a comic book! And a coupon for more sales! It couldn't get any better, so I dove in.

I listened to the lecture the moment it finished downloading, all in
one shot, even chasing the kids out of the room when they complained
about wanting lunch. And it was worth it. Though compelled to share
everything I learned, I can't do that to Mr. Olson. You'll have to buy
the lecture if you want to absorb all his wisdom. But I will share the
concept I found the most helpful in my own writing.

Every scene should give the reader an emotional response. The words I chose, the mood I create, the character's emotional reactions, all
should enhance the central tension, the emotional response I want the
reader to have.

Olson used an example from his book Shade. He wanted the reader to
feel fear for the protagonist, Hailey. She believed she was being
followed, and made her away through a building to a place of safety.
Olson used phrases like "aftertaste of decay and wet rat" and
"fighting the urge to break into a run." He used verbs like "lunged"
and "escaped." He used visuals like "the door closed behind her with a
sigh" and "the floor was quiet as a tomb." These word choices all
worked along with the action of the scene to set the mood of fear for
the reader.

I chose a scene from my current WIP and identified what I wanted the
reader to feel as he read. Then I went through and re-worked the
scene, adding phrases, changing verbs, intensifying the character's
emotional responses, all with the goal of stimulating the reader's
emotions in the direction I wanted them to go. What a power rush! It
was fun, too. I can't wait to move on to the next scene and manipulate
the reader's emotional responses some more.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja

That's what he said...

2009-12-03T09:31:00.001-08:00

Michael Hyatt blogged recently on blogging, and one of his posts
caught my eye: Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog?

Mistake number one, according to Mr. Hyatt, is: You Don't Post Enough.

I immediately noticed that I am guilty of this mistake. Not only am I
guilty, but I've been aware of this mistake for quite a while now and
have managed to NOT fix it.

Here's the deal. I like to blog. I like to post pithy comments and
pass on creative ideas and paste in remarkable quotes. So why don't I?

After pondering a good six minutes, I came to this conclusion: I don't
post often enough because I feel I don't have anything to say that's
worth reading.

Ain't that a hoot? I, who routinely overshoot my projected word count
by a good 20,000 words, can't think of anything to write in a blog. Or
I think of something, then wonder if anyone will be interested in
reading about it. The funniest part of this whole conundrum is that
when I DO finally post something, I usually get good feedback from my three loyal readers. They don't always post comments, but I hear from them in emails or in person.

The fix for this problem is pretty easy. Post More Often. I should be
able to do, for what it's worth. I shall try harder this next year.
Promise.

-Sonja

Story CPR

2009-09-25T16:11:00.001-07:00

Janet Lee Carey teaches a class at Writer's Workshops called Story
CPR. I won't give away all her secrets, but here are some of the
highlights. The CPR stands for:

Character
Premise, Plot, Pacing
Reader Satisfaction, Renewal, Revision

If your story is sinking, delving into these concepts can help pull
the story back out.

First, take a look at your main character. He has a conflict, a
problem to solve, an obstacle to overcome. As he moves through the
story, how is he dealing with this problem? Are the obstacles too
easy? Or so hard he can't get past them? Does he make mistakes, or
simply skate through them without a backward glance? Finding a balance here could help resuscitate your story and get it moving again.

Stories lose momentum when the plot strays too far from the central
conflict, and too many subplots may confuse the reader. Focus
carefully on the main plot. Is it too predictable? Can the reader 'see
what's coming' long before you get there? Is your character intimately
involved with the conflict, or is it too far removed from him? The
closer the character is to the conflict, the more sympathy the reader
feels, and the better the story moves along. If your story isn't
moving along, maybe your plot needs to be adjusted.

Lastly, revise any weak writing in the story. Look for redundancy: is
your narrative repeating what your characters are already saying and
doing? Look for exposition overkill: do your action scenes droop with
too much description? Look for style predictability: do you have too
many long sentences? Do your dialogue tags disappear? Do you rely too heavily on adverbs? Alter your patterns and see if that helps.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

The Big Book Stack

2009-08-17T15:29:00.001-07:00

My stack of "books to read" changes week to week as I hit the
libraries. This week, the pile is a strange conglomeration of young
adult fantasy, mystery, suspense, speculative, and how-to. Check this
out:

Hunter brown and the Secret of the Shadow by the Miller Brothers
Getting the Words Right by Theodore Rees Cheney
Several Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich
Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
Several VI Warshawski books by Sara Paretsky
Several Robert Crais novels (two stand-alone and an Elvis Cole)
How to Write a Mystery by Larry Beinhart
Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters
Welcome to the Jungle, a Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher

So many books, so little time... (sigh)

-Sonja

100 Speculative Fiction Books

2009-08-12T16:26:00.001-07:00

FaceBook people have been circulating a BBC-selected list of books,
and we're supposed to put an x next to the ones we've read. I found it
a strange list. Why did they list "Narnia" then add an individual
title? Same with Shakespeare's works. Why did they include Harry
Potter on the same list as Les Miserables? I was disappointed to find
I'd only read 29 of the 100 books.

Becky Miller, a giant in the world of speculative Christian fiction,
made her own list (only 70 on hers). I thought it'd be fun to play
her game and see how many of the books on her list I'd read. An X
indicates I've read the book.

Til We Have Faces – C.S. Lewis X
The Good Earth – Pearl S. Buck
Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis X
Perelandra – C.S. Lewis X
That Hideous Strength – C.S. Lewis X
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Orczy
Christy – Catherine Marshall X
The Black Stallion – Walter Farley
Fathers and Sons – Ivan Turgenev
Treasure Island – Robert Lewis Stevenson X
Lord Foul's Bane – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Illearth War – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Power that Preserves – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Assassin's Apprentice – Robin Hobb X
The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander
The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
The Castle of Llyr – Lloyd Alexander
Taran Wanderer – Lloyd Alexander
The High King – Lloyd Alexander
Magicin: Apprentice – Raymond E. Feist
Chocolate Beach – Julie Carobini
Truffles by the Sea – Julie Carobini
The Secret Life of Becky Miller – Sharon Hinck X
Renovating Becky Miller – Sharon Hinck
A Promise to Remember – Kathryn Cushman
Waiting for Daybreak – Kathryn Cushman
The Feast of St. Bertie – Kathleen Popa
To Dance in the Desert – Kathleen Popa
Every Good and Perfect Gift – Sharon Sousa
When the Shofar Blew – Francine Rivers
Raising Dragons – Bryan Davis
Isle of Swords – Wayne Thomas Batson
The Year the Swallows Came Early – Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Something Wicked – Alan Gratz
Savvy – Ingrid Law
The Bark of the Bog Owl – Jonathan Rogers
The Book of Names – D. Barkley Briggs
Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle – R. K. Mortenson
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness – Andrew Peterson
DragonFire – Donita Paul X
Winter Haven – Athol Dickson
Heaven's Wager – Ted Dekker
The Hidden – Kathryn Mackel X
Scarlet – Stephen Lawhead
Tuck – Stephen Lawhead
Autumn Dreams – Gayle Roper
Tiger Lily – Lisa Samson
My Name is Russell Fink – Michael Snyder
Forgiving Solomon Long – Chris Well
Demon: A Memoir – Tosca Lee
Gideon's Dawn – Michale Warden
The Restorer – Sharon Hinck X
Arena – Karen Hancock X
The Light of Eidon – Karen Hancock X
The Legend of the Firefish – George Bryan Polivka X
Blaggard's Moon – George Bryan Polivka
Auralia's Colors – Jeffrey Overstreet X
Beyond Summerland – L. B. Graham
Guardian of the Veil – Gregory Spencer X
Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow – Christoper and Allan Miller
The Mill on the Floss – George Eliot
The Return of the Native – Thomas Hardy
Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan X
Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls X
The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Diamond of Darkhold – Jeanne DuPrau
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott X
Canterbury Tales – Chaucer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain X
Sir Gibbie – George MacDonald

If I counted right, I've read 19 of the 70 - not so great. Becky did
the same thing as the BBC, though - listed only a few books by an
author, instead of all of them. And why is Little Women in a list of
speculative Christian fiction? (For that matter, Robin Hobb isn't
Christian, although her books had some fantastic moral lessons to
teach). I think Becky's list should be expanded to 100. How about
adding these?

The Shadow Within – Karen Hancock X
Shadow of Kiriath – Karen Hancock X
Return of the Guardian King – Karen Hancock X
Dream Thief – Steven R. Lawhead X
Emperion – Steven R. Lawhead X
Siege of Fiera – Steven R. Lawhead X
In the Hall of the Dragon King – Steven R. Lawhead X
The Warlords of Nin – Steven R. Lawhead X
The Sword and the Flame – Steven R. Lawhead X
Taliesin – Steven R. Lawhead X
Merlin – Steven R. Lawhead X
Arthur – Steven R. Lawhead X
Pendragon – Steven R. Lawhead X
Grail – Steven R. Lawhead
Byzantium – Steven R. Lawhead X
Royal Assassin – Robin Hobb X
Assassin's Quest – Robin Hobb X
Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb X
The Mad Ship – Robin Hobb X
Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb X
Fool's Errand – Robin Hobb X
Golden Fool – Robin Hobb X
Fool's Fate – Robin Hobb X
Lillith – George McDonald X
Three – Ted Dekker X
Boneman's Daughter – Ted Dekker
House – Ted Dekker X
Shade – John B. Olson X
Adrenaline – John B. Olson X
Dragon's Keep – Janet Lee Carey X

Now my count is 47 out of 100. Not too bad. Don't get me started on a
list of mysteries... For what it's worth.

-Sonja