Writing Class: Day One, Two, and Three!

So!

As you can read on the descriptions to my videos over at my Youtube Channel, I had some major technical issues, so I have three videos from the last three days for you guys!

I have now solved the problem, and we are all caught up and back to normal!

                  Writing Class: Day One!:

                  Writing Class: Day Two!:

                  Writing Class: Day Three!:

So, I'll be posting one more Video later tonight, Day Four, which is actually what is SUPPOSED to happen!

So sorry about the huge dump of videos, and thank you guys so much for hanging in there!

Thanks for reading/watching!

Character 'Types'!

Hey guys!

Sorry I've missed last Top Three Thursday--I have one written, and it will be posted this Thursday, promise!

Let's get on with it?:

Do you have a 'type'?

And by this, I mean do you have a certain kind of fictional character you are drawn to?

Just like stories, each and every character has a certain 'feel' to them--a certain theme.

This would be, of course, their personality.

Look at your favorite books. Now pick out your all-time favorite character from each. Are they anything alike?

Mine are. I love many, MANY characters, but my favorite all have the same FEEL to them.

You may be drawn to the quiet, smart, shy character. It may be the sarcastic underdog.

For me, it has to be the snarky, rebellious character that are, sadly, mostly male.

Now, before you judge too harshly, let me explain WHY.

I don't mean the kind of jerks who treat the love interest like trash and are rude for no apparent reason.

I like the characters who are so terribly flawed, I could go down a list of all their problems. But that makes them real.

And, along with that, they all have equally good qualities. Bravery, wit, depth and, most of all, passion.

Just look at all of these characters: Will Herondale, Noah Shaw, Adrian Ivashkov. These are some of my favorite characters of their series, and they all have a few smaller things in common, but overall it's that they are PASSIONATE and flawed.

My question is this: why are there not snarky, rebellious, passionate female characters that are equally as lovable and intense as the guys listed above?

Anytime I've read an author try to make a girl like this, they are over the top obnoxious, they whip out swords for no apparent reason, and they swear every other word, just to make them sound 'tough' or 'uncaring'.

But the guys above don't do that. They are the perfect amount of sadness and cleverness that creates a deep, well built character.

And, equally, why is it so hard to write a shy, timid male character? I don't believe I've ever rad one of these, not as obvious as I've read female roles like this, anyway.

I think that the reasons for this is one) readers judge harshly on characters that are 'different'. Sorry to say it, but I know tons of people that do, whether they notice it or not. Girls that are dark and mysterious, guys that are painfully shy and easily embarrassed. It's not the normal, so readers may find it unbelievable. And two) authors, in turn, are afraid to write such characters.

I believe it's a cycle, and only every once in a while will one brave author step out of it and attempt to do something that is not the usual, and I respect these authors, even if they failed.

More and more, though, I see writers taking a leap, taking a risk, and breathing life into characters that I've never read about before, and that's wonderful.

 Characters should be something new--something to experiment and bend. Again here comes the quote, "Learn all of the rules, only so that you may break them properly later."

So have fun with your characters, and make them whoever you want them to be. Brave writers make good writers, and the careful ones are easily forgotten!

What are your favorite type of characters? Do you know of any books with mysterious and rebellious females? What about shy and clumsy males? I would love it if you shared!

Thanks for reading!

Keeping It Real: Characters/Happy Birthday Kairi!

First off, today is super duper special and I'm super duper excited because today is my Lovely Kairi's Birthday!

*Explosions...Confetti Blasts...Partying Squirrels*

I have dates set for all of my characters Birthdays, and on that day I celebrate them in all the ways that I can!

Kairi here is the main character in my second ATREA Series, and in celebration of the day of her birth I'm drinking a ton of Coke (Her favorite!), drawing pictures of her, snuggling an adorable Panda I named after her (It's so fluffy!), and reading through my old books she's featured in. It's been a long time since I've opened up those documents, and it's really great to see her and the rest of the gang again! I hadn't realized how much I missed writing with them until now!

And, last December, was my other Lovely Casper's Birthday, where I celebrated with buying an old adorable copy of Puss,N,Boots, his favorite, and drank a bunch of Apple Cider! 

I love creating characters that are so real to me that I can celebrate their Birthday, or carry on hour long conversations with them in my head, or spend days stuck in their world, traveling with them and watching them tell me their story.

I love real characters, and that's exactly what I'm going to talk about in today's post!

Keeping It Real: Characters

How can we create characters that are so life-like?

Reading Harry Potter, you get to know the character as much as you do your best friend. Reading Percy Jackson you can hear the characters voices and you laugh out loud. Reading The Mortal Instruments you can imagine the characters as clearly as if you were seeing them right in front of you. 

All of these authors and more have done something incredibly hard to accomplish--they dug deep, then dug even deeper, and found the roots of their characters, and just like that: they brought them to life, and made them living, just like me and you.

Now, though I know many fabulous authors who have done this successfully, there are some I know that tried and failed, or didn't even seem to try at all!

You know those bland, flat character who really don't have any personality what-so-ever? Those that go by the title "The smart kid" or "The popular girl"? Yeah, those are one sided characters that are literally stereotypical and, basically, just ridiculously boring and annoy me like nobodies business.

I know many characters like these by many authors, but I'm not going to name names or point fingers because, who knows, you might stumble upon one of them and see something redeemable about them that I failed to understand.

All of this is interesting, but, really, how do the authors do it so perfectly, when it's a hard thing to have a double sided character? Or even a three sided character, or maybe four or five or six or.

You get the point.

Well, considering Characterization is something that I absolutely love, I'll do my best to answer:

You add layers.

Imagine a chart in your mind--or even draw it out on a bit of paper or in your notebook. In your mind/Notebook/ect, draw a small straight line going left to right, like this:

                  

                                  Front: What You Learn at First Glance

                                      -----------------------------------------

This line represents the characters front. 

This is everything that, at first glance, is apparent. Because when we meet a person in real life, we don't know every single detail about them and who they are. At first glance we only know what we see,a nd what we can guess about. It's their appearance--are they big and buff? Slender and child-like?--as well as how they speak and act around strangers. They may speak kindly to people they don't know, or maybe they don't have any respect for anyone and are rude, or maybe they're shy and don't even speak at all! Think about this--really think about it--and write it above the first line.

Next draw another line above that one, a bit bigger:

                                 Monitored Thoughts/Actions/Speech

                                 ----------------------------------------------

                                      ---------------------------------------

This is your character's ordinary personality. 

This line is all of the things they say and do in front of people they are familiar with. This line is all of the simple thoughts when they're going about their day, and, in a way, basically who they are in general, maybe a bit monitored depending on who they're around, and who your character is.

Next line above that one, even bigger now. 

                                                 Natural Thoughts

                               ---------------------------------------------------

                                    ---------------------------------------------

                                         -------------------------------------

This line represents your characters mind.

 This line is all of their raw, real thoughts that course through their own, private brain without being monitored. More than the line before, this line is who your character really is. This is them being themselves--maybe your character is openly honest or can't keep their mouth shut, and this line isn't quite so private, or perhaps your character is incredibly secretive and never says a word about themselves to others. Whatever the case may be, think hard about your characters thought process--How do they think? What do they truly like/dislike?

And now, the last line, the smallest, at the very top.

                                                         Secrets

                                                    -----------------

                           ----------------------------------------------------

                               ----------------------------------------------

                                    -----------------------------------------

This line is special to your character. 

This is the line that holds all of their secrets and dreams and desires--their motive for the story, if you will. This is the line that says they want parents, or friends, or an adventure, or a home, or love. This is the line that drives the character to act again and again--this is what they want, more than anything.

You should have something that looks a bit like this:

                                                                  

                                                               Secrets

                                                              ------------

                                                       Natural Thoughts

                                   ---------------------------------------------------

                                        Monitored Thoughts/Action/Speech

                                          -------------------------------------------

                                      Front: What You Learn at First Glance

                                                  ----------------------------

Now you've created a chart that looks a bit like a deformed triangle, but it's close enough, right? Write in little thoughts and descriptions and sentences above each line about your chosen character. 

But this is just an exercise to get to know your character a bit, and to keep them realistic. But there's still plenty more.

Another thing I want to say is to add flaws to your characters.

This part is so incredibly important, and it will bring your character to life and you'll see them sitting on the couch beside you within seconds!

What's a perfect character, in your mind? Imagine them now. Perhaps its a tall girl with curly blonde hair and big blue eyes? Maybe a guy with pale skin and dark hair?

Whatever it is, they're perfect, right? They may be kind and caring or daring and reckless--but this is just exactly how one sided characters are created. Add more to them. Add layers.

A perfect character is a boring character. 

Have that heavy metal skater boy have a weakness for adorable puppies. Have that burly truck driver have a secret dream to fall in love. Have that smart girl who everyone thinks is perfect miss her parents everyday of her life. Have that ignorant, careless rebel secretly just wants someone to pay attention to him, because his mom is in jail and his dad is a lazy drunk who lays on the couch all day.

Give flaws, give secrets, give layers.

Give them a chipped tooth, unique colored eyes, different thoughts. Every character has their personality and a secret, or maybe more than one, that pushes them through their story.

Dig deep into your character--find the roots of who they are and make it bigger, better, more flawed, more real. Make it rough and realistic.

I'll have more on characterization later, because there is so much to talk about, but for now I'll leave you with this extremely long post!

Do you celebrate your characters birthdays? Do you have any tips and tricks or thoughts on keeping your characters realistic? Share in the comments!

Thanks for reading!  

Becoming a Murderer: The Four Step Guide to Killing Off Characters

I felt this topic was appropriate considering, in my own novel, I am currently having to kill of, not one, but two main characters.

I mean, granted, one of the characters is evil and you've been wanting him dead for a long time, but even with him it's a bittersweet thing, because, through my eyes, of course, he still had redeeming qualities and he had reason's for why he taunted and teased my main characters the way he did.

Alas, he's dead now, and next chapter I get to kill off a character that is actually likable.

Oh boy...

Killing off characters is really actually a hard thing. Not only in the sense that it's hard to say goodbye, but also because there is a certain balance with it that is very fragile and intimidating.

On the one hand you can't go killing off every single character in the book right and left. You need meaning and purpose--if a character has to die, make it have impact and emotion. And, on the other hand, you can't have an entire novel without someone getting hurt or dying or suffering, because then it would be a 'Disney Ending' where everyone is happy and healthy and blah blah blah.

Now, if you're writing a MG (Middle Grade) book, this might be acceptable, but still you have to have plenty of conflict and struggles for your characters, but right now I'm talking about when writing a YA (Young Adult) book.

The Four Steps to Killing Off Characters:

• Step One: Create your character.

          Perhaps this character is kind and friendly or brave and caring or witty and obnoxious. Whatever the case may be--create the character, and make the readers feel something for this character. You need to fall in love with them yourself. Make a character that is so incredibly likable, not even you will want them to die!

  TIP: Don't create a character already knowing they're going to die! And, if you create this character and already have the plans drawn up for their death scene, don't treat them any differently than you do the characters you know are going to live. Being in the mindset of 'well, they're going to die anyway!' is a horrible thing to do, and you won't do them justice!

• Step Two: Plan Properly

          This is the step were planning comes into play. You need to consider all of the options-- do you want a quiet, peaceful death, where the character has time to say goodbye, and all loose ends are already tied up? Or do you want an abrupt, violent death that leaves everything yet to be seen? There are about a million different reasons for death; For shock value, to bring another character in the story forwards (or backwards), a sacrifice for another, a suicide, an accident, an illness. I could go on and on!

    TIP: Of course, you also need to consider exactly HOW they are going to be killed of. With a sword? A gun? A car? Off a cliff? Killer Bunnies? Get creative with it! Another question you need to ask yourself is, if it's a purposeful death, who kills this character? Why? Figure out the motives behind the death, as well. Look at it from all angles.

• Step Three: Fetch the Tissues

          If you've done steps One and Two correctly, you're going to need them.

This is the part in the process where you actually KILL the character.

I've written MANY deaths scenes, all completely their own, but one thing they all had in common?

Each and every one broke my heart in some way.

Even if it's a villain you're killing, if you've rounded him/her out properly, there should still be some sadness in you when they die, because you know the secrets deep in their souls, and you know that they have a cause, a reason, no matter what terrible things they'd done.

One of my death scenes that I finished up yesterday consisted of someone getting stabbed in the stomach by a dagger. And, as odd as it sounds, I nearly cried writing it even though some part of me hated the guy. And, the death scene I will HOPEFULLY be writing tonight, consists of someone being shot in the chest.

Now, look at them closer.

One of the deaths is up close with the character who stabbed the boy--he can see the life in his eyes fading and his pale face and watches him crumple to the floor, blood around him. This scene is very emotional for the character who stabbed him, and rightly so, to. (But, shh, spoilers!)

Then we have the other death, which is from afar. The character is running to catch up to the others, and a bullet hits her from behind. The other characters, rather than running to her and dragging her out as they would have liked, are forced to leave her body behind because if they stayed there's a risk they, too, would be shot.

So one is up close and personal, and the other is from a distance, and each one gives off a different feel. One is real and rough and heart breaking, while the other one could be perceived as a dream, where the remaining characters are shocked at the abrupt bullet hitting their friend.

Figure out the tone of your death scene--It can be emotionally crushing, victorious, feeble, or even humorous! 

• Step Four: The Aftermath

          This is the most vital step, right after the character actually dying.

As you read above, there needs to be a reason for this characters death. They need to be important to someone in the story, and that someone (or multiple someone's), needs to feel whatever emotion that is proper, and you need to make sure to touch on that. The emotional part of every death, real or not real, is mostly in those surrounding the dying person, and not within the dying person themselves. Now, there are some cases where that is different, but the majority that I've seen are more tragic within those who knew them.

It's like Funerals. Funerals are not meant for the person who is dead (Because they're already dead.), but instead for those loved ones and family and friends who knew the person, and come to grieve over their lose. I've always believed that Funerals are pretty selfish things, meant for the people left behind and not as much for the person leaving.

Not that there's anything wrong with this--characters feel things just as real people do, and they need to be effected by the death of their friend, sibling, parent, ect.

Make it messy or clean, sweet or tragic, bloody or peaceful--make it however you want, make it your own, but the single golden rule is:

Make it have impact.

Impact on the story, on the surrounding cast of characters, on the reader, on you. Write something so sad and so touching you make yourself cry, or write something to horrible and shocking that even you have to gasp.

Surprise yourself and let what happens happens. Killing off characters is a very hard thing to do, but sometimes it simply must be done, and you are the only one brave enough to follow through.

Have YOU ever killed off a character? How did you make it carry impact? Do you have any strategies you'd like to share? 

Thank you for reading, and good luck on becoming a murderer!

Let's Talk About Villains

VILLAINS EVERYWHERE!
*Lightning Blast, Explosions, Evil Laughter*

Hey guys! I'm back from my Book Coma, finally. For realz tho, I never wanted a book to not end so badly.
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile? Buy it, read it, love it, then join me in the fangirling.

But anyway, I'm here to talk about Villains today.

Ahh, Villains. Those cruel, plotting little characters that we use to torture and ruin our Protagonists life.

Villains are the conflict in the story; all obstacles we throw at them are somehow caused by the Villain in the story.

I read something on one of the blogs I stalk follow, that, contrary to what we may think, a Villain doesn't necessarily have to be a PERSON, which I found very interesting. I'd never thought of it like that before. The 'Villain', AKA the conflict, the trouble, the evil in the story could be an illness, it could be something that isn't even tangible. A Villain is not a wicked person, but, more so, a Wicked Cause.

Something or someone that taunts the Protagonist and does all in it's power to stop their happiness.

Sometimes the Protagonist gets caught in the cross fire of this rampaging Villain, or sometimes the Villain's evil is directed straight towards the Protagonist.

Now, I'm going to focus on Villainous BEINGS for a minute.

You can't just throw a black cloak on a random guy who cackles a lot and call it your 'Villain'.

Villains are characters too. You should always have TWO main characters: Your Protagonist and your Villain. Both should be just as well developed and as much thought put into one as the other. They are equals, in a way.

A Villain has his/her own likes, dislikes, meanings, causes, story motivation, lost ones, happy memories. A Villain is just a destroyed Hero. A Villain should represent your Protagonist--but instead of still standing strong in the end through all of the trials and heartbreaks like the Protagonist does; the Villain broke.

Every Villain needs a cause--They can't just be evil because they feel like it.

They need a deep rooted jealousy, a burning hatred. They need revenge or they need to belong.

Every Villain should have a heartbreaking story to tell, but they hide it with the anger/wickedness within.

Personally, I love creating Villains. They are such deep, meaningful, sad characters that are so lost and so tortured in their mind that they turn more monster than human in their soul.

I love this.

Your Protagonist and Villain should share similar qualities.

Now--That may sound weird, but let me explain.

It's great in books, where you realize the horrible Villain is not so different from our hero. Whether this is sharing something obvious as the same power, the same love interest, ect. or something more hidden like the same determination in their cause, whether right or wrong. The same ability to love endlessly.

The Protagonist should posses the same darkness, the same evil spirit as the Villain, but hides it through what he/she knows is right.

Like I said before, the Villain is simply the Hero that broke. The one that could have possessed great qualities, but chose to ignore them and use instead the darkness that is inside all of us.

So, WAY deep down, somewhere, the Villain and the Protagonist ARE the same, they just chose to hide their similarities in different ways; one cloaked in light and the other dark.

A Villain is the reflection of the Protagonist; All that he/she COULD have been, still COULD be. All that they fear inside themselves and the darkness they try so hard to hide fights against them.

Can I just say again? I love Villains!

From fire breathing dragons to illness, from long lost childhood friend to a raging madman; Villains are in the story to taunt and try to destroy the Protagonist, and remind them of what they themselves COULD BE.

What is your opinion on Villains? What is your Villain like?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!