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Got characters?
So we’re getting ready for NaNo. (Well, I am. Some of you are.) Usually I get to know my characters in the process of writing. I see them act and react to get to know them best. Several people in the comments agreed.
But of course with NaNo, we’re not allowed to write Word One on our novel until November 1. How are we supposed to get to know our characters and see them in action before then? So I was thinking about a fun way for all of us to get to know our characters better.
What you have to do:
Email me at jordan at jordanmccollum.com (spelling counts!) with the following information by the end of Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
- Character’s vitals: name, gender, age, pertinent family info, etc.—as of the start of your novel
- Types of external/internal conflict your character will face in your novel
- Maybe a little about your antagonist: what are his/her good qualities? Why doesn’t s/he like your protagonist?
- Themes of your novel (if you know)
- A little info about you: would you rather collaborate on a project with a small or larger group? Do you prefer Google Docs or email? What time(s) are you typically online?
And we’ll play a little game. (NOT on the blog, or anywhere else public, don’t worry.)
Photo by Tom Olliver
Have you ever considered . . . going to the other side?
Lately I’ve been toying with an idea in a genre I’d never wanted to write. One I came close to swearing I’d never bother with. But now I’m digging into the research, writing down ideas, and trying to develop an outline for this project.
In non fiction.
Weird, huh?
While the standards of good sentences and structure still apply at a high level, non fiction is such a different ballgame. I don’t know if I’m ready for this—or if I can go through with it.
What do you think? Would you ever write non fiction? What would be the biggest challenge for you in non-fiction?
Writing Wednesday IV
Welcome back to Writing Wednesday! I let it slip a couple weeks, but now we’re back and better than ever—seriously. Check out the change—now there’s a prize!
Since so many of us are writers, I know we all must read lots of writing blogs. So let’s share some of the great things we learn about writing through a fun new linkup! It’s like a blogfest, only easier!
Last time, we had two fantastic entries:
- ? Doc: Dealing with the questions that come up while writing
- Daniel R. Marvello – Evolution of a Beat Sheet
Share your best posts on writing today!
What are the rules?
- All articles must directly relate to writing. If you see something that makes you think of a writing principle, and you want to participate, I recommend you blog about your thoughts, and then submit your blog post.
- You should use a descriptive name so we all want to click on the article: Jordan McCollum wouldn’t be very enticing, but Doing Backstory Right would.
- Articles can come from your blog or someone else’s.
- If it’s your post, PLEASE link back to Writer Wednesday in the post so your visitors can join in the fun! (You can use the badge below—the code includes a link!)
- You can submit up to three articles total.
- Posts can be old or new.
- You have until Tuesday, 6 September 2011 to submit.
- If you’d like to follow me, I certainly wouldn’t object! It’s not required, though.
Why should you participate?
- We can all benefit from this!
- Find new blogs and great writing advice—without sifting through the ENTIRE INTERNET.
- Share the articles you’ve worked so hard on with my 200+ RSS subscribers.
- It’s a great way to grow a blog!
How can I get a cool badge?
Copy the code below and paste it into a blog post or a gadget/widget in your sidebar. (It’s in HTML, so be sure you’re adding an HTML gadget, or select the Edit HTML/HTML tab above the text window on the edit post page.)
<a href="http://jordanmccollum.com/tag/writing-wednesday/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z41/MamaBlogga/th_writingwed.png" border="0" alt="Writing Wednesday" ></a>
Where do we put our links?
Right here! Please remember to link directly to your post (i.e. ihaveablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-have-a-post.html and NOT ihaveablog.blogspot.com—this makes it easier to find the article!) and use a descriptive name (i.e. How to handle backstory and NOT Yippity Skippity Blog!).
Just fill in the boxes below to get started:
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
I'm going to change two things for this link party. The first will be that the party will move from being held biweekly, to being held every Wednesday.
And change #2 is a bit more exciting: How about a prize for one contributor? One link author, chosen at random (only links entered by their authors are eligible), will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! Winner to be announced next Writing Wednesday.
Thanks for participating!
Photo: writing with my new pen by Melanie Cook
Writing Wednesday III
Welcome back to Writing Wednesday! Since so many of us are writers, I know we all must read lots of writing blogs. So let’s share some of the great things we learn about writing through a fun new linkup! It’s like a blogfest, only easier!
Last time, we had six great entries:
- Jordan McCollum – Basics of plot
- John Waverly – Best Writing Advice
- John Waverly – Worst Writing Advice
- Margot Hovley – Poisoning Creativity
- Daniel R. Marvello – Politics in Fantasy
- Rebecca Blevins – How Not to Make Your Readers’ Heads Explode
Share your best posts on writing today!
What are the rules?
- All articles must directly relate to writing. If you see something that makes you think of a writing principle, and you want to participate, I recommend you blog about your thoughts, and then submit your blog post.
- You should use a descriptive name so we all want to click on the article: Jordan McCollum wouldn’t be very enticing, but Doing Backstory Right would.
- Articles can come from your blog or someone else’s.
- If it’s your post, PLEASE link back to Writer Wednesday in the post so your visitors can join in the fun! (You can use the badge below—the code includes a link!)
- You can submit up to three articles total.
- Posts can be old or new.
- You have until Tuesday, 2 August 2011 to submit.
- If you’d like to follow me, I certainly wouldn’t object! It’s not required, though.
Why should you participate?
- We can all benefit from this!
- Find new blogs and great writing advice—without sifting through the ENTIRE INTERNET.
- Share the articles you’ve worked so hard on with my 200+ RSS subscribers.
- It’s a great way to grow a blog!
How can I get a cool badge?
Copy the code below and paste it into a blog post or a gadget/widget in your sidebar. (It’s in HTML, so be sure you’re adding an HTML gadget, or select the Edit HTML/HTML tab above the text window on the edit post page.)
<a href="http://jordanmccollum.com/tag/writing-wednesday/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z41/MamaBlogga/th_writingwed.png" border="0" alt="Writing Wednesday" ></a>
Where do we put our links?
Right here! Please remember to link directly to your post (i.e. ihaveablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-have-a-post.html and NOT ihaveablog.blogspot.com—this makes it easier to find the article!) and use a descriptive name (i.e. How to handle backstory and NOT Yippity Skippity Blog!).
Just fill in the boxes below to get started:
- Daniel R. Marvello – Evolution of a Beat Sheet
- ? Doc: Dealing with the questions that come up while writing
How about a prize for one contributor? One link author, chosen at random (only links entered by their authors are eligible), will receive Next time around, I’m thinking about offering a prize for one participant chosen at random. What would you like to see as a prize?
Thanks for participating!
Photo: writing with my new pen by Melanie Cook
Independence Day Blogfest!
This entry to the blogfest is a bit late; I was traveling for the memorial service on the posting day and didn’t get the time to write like I’d hoped.
The prompt for a piece of flash fiction is: “It’s Independence Day and something unexpected happens . . .” So here we go!
You’d probably think dancing in the arms of Lord Edward Westing, Earl of Sussex (etc.) would be utterly thrilling. But you’d be wrong.
Bertie, as we all call him, is seventeen with bad teeth and worse acne. He’s a little obnoxious, but he’s a good dancer, he’s fun at parties, like tonight’s Carraresi Feast Day ball, and he’s family, if distantly.
He spins me into a dip and I glimpse the glass dance floor, and the orange sunset reflected in the sea below us. This year’s venue, an open-air gazebo over the gulf, is the best I can remember, and the evening’s just begun.
The music winds down and Bertie whips me into one more spin. “You’re getting rusty,” he says. “Hope you’re not planning to impress anyone.”
I look away. There’s someone I want to impress, but I doubt he’s here. I try to surreptitiously scan the crowd, but my eyes are drawn to the white wake cutting through the gold gulf not far away. Heading straight toward us, fast. My stomach plunges faster than it did when Bertie flipped me.
The boat speeds up. I realize my grip on Bertie’s hand is so tight he can’t even squeeze back—then the speed boat leaps out of the water onto the floating bridge, the only way on or off our little island. Two masked men clamber out of the boat, carrying assault rifles.
“Dove è la principessa?” one demands.
La principessa. The princess. Me.
They want me.
Rough and sketchy, but isn’t that always the way with flash fiction?
Photo by Alyson Hunt
Fiction and real life
Another time I’ll probably talk about how fiction needs to be like real life, and yet not. It’s fascinating, really, but it’s not what’s on my mind right now.
Sometimes real life gets in the way of writing fiction—and by real life I mean my real life. I always think of the time my cousin broke up with the girl he’d wanted to marry. He came over to my house and we talked about it. At the back of 
my mind, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Writing romantic suspense at the time, I spent so much time making up imaginary people with imaginary problems and imaginary heartache, and suddenly it almost felt like I was mocking the real pain that people endure in life and love.
Recently this has hit home again as a member of my extended family passed away very suddenly, leaving his wife and six children. It’s very hard to bring yourself to solve an imaginary murder when you’re dealing with the real death of a loved one—especially an accidental death that has left us with a lot of questions, and we won’t get a neat little tied-with-a-bow, with-justice-for-all ending.
Obviously, during difficult times, it’s definitely okay to give yourself a break from writing. I’m not one of those “1000 words every single day” types anyway. But despite all that, I sometimes feel guilty for not writing. I feel like writing would help me work through these things, but mostly the things I think about writing are waaay too close to reality, and I don’t think I’m ready for that.
Do you jump in and write the emotional while your feelings are still raw? Or do your own emotions and experiences get in the way too much?
Posted in Works
5 Comments
Lovin the Language blogfest
The winner of the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook giveaway is . . . Lisa! Contact me with your shipping info to get your prize!
Also, keep on gathering up your favorite posts for Writing Wednesday tomorrow!
I’m on a sharing roll… you know, sort of, so why not share more?
Jolene Perry of Been Writing is hosting the Lovin the Language blogfest today, and we can share five lines or five passages from our WIPs. I’ve been back to editing a little over the weekend, so I’m sharing the latest iteration of my opening paragraph (this is NOT in Frank‘s POV, btw).
In war, there are two enemies: the ones you’re fighting against and the ones you’re fighting alongside. The enemies on your side are always trickier. Although the war was over, I was still defending multiple fronts, as a Soviet diplomat, living in Paris, a woman. Despite my vigilance, the most devastating attack would come from a quarter I’d never anticipated. I would remember everything except the blast.
(This is five lines in my WIP, though it might be more or less as you’re reading it.)
Still agonizing over them, and probably will forever.
What lines would you share from your writing?
Three questions to ask your characters (MC blogfest)
Keep collecting your favorite posts on writing for Writing Wednesday next week!
When I saw Jeannie’s guest post on author Elizabeth Mueller’s blog (another friend!), I knew I had to play along. Normally I’m reluctant to post much about my works (aside from excerpts that have done well in contests), but I’m making an exception today. It’s just three questions, right? And since I’m still working on falling back in love with my story, this seems like a fun opportunity. Plus it’s just three questions.
The character I’m playing with today is Frank Walters. He served in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II and when the story takes place, just after the war, he’s with the Central Intelligence Group (predecessor of the CIA). Physically, he’s based loosely on my husband’s grandfather Walter, who was in the Navy in WWII, pictured here. (Somehow we ended up with his WWII scrapbook. He traveled the whole world during the war, with pictures and postcards from Hawaii, Scotland, Iceland, Morocco, the South Pacific, and I know he served in Japan, too.)
And over to Frank:
What is your greatest fear?
Losing myself to the job. The peace might not be as assured as the general public would like to believe, but I’m here to keep things from falling apart again. At the same time, I need to prove something to myself—that we’ll prevail. That I’m on the right side. That we’re the right side because of our principles, and we don’t have to undermine those principles to do it.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
I don’t know. Standing up for someone who’s weak. Doing the right thing when it’s hard. It takes a lot of those little things like that to make it worth it—and just one failure to wipe it all out.
What is your biggest regret?
After the war, we had custody of a bunch of the Nazis’ POWs, including some Soviets. Some secret deal at one of the Big Three conferences included one little stipulation that we must’ve bowed to: all Soviets would be returned to the USSR.
Some of these men said they’d never even been to the Soviet Union. Some of them had come from there, and they couldn’t bear the thought of going back to the constant terror. After surviving a Nazi concentration camp, they’d be labeled as traitors and German spies. Maybe sent to Soviet labor camps. Maybe executed.
They begged us not to return them, to shoot them instead. Some of them even killed themselves before we handed them over.
But I followed orders. I sent grown men—and boys—begging, screaming and crying for mercy . . . to the slaughter.
Aaand back to me. Of these, question #3 was the only one I’d really worked on in depth before. #1 was there but this helped me refine and crystallize it a little. #2 was by far the most challenging. Isn’t that odd? Shouldn’t it be easier to think of something we’re proud of?
What do you think? What would your characters say? Which question would be hardest for you?
Posted in Technique, Works
Tagged Backstory, blogfest, character therapist, characterization, characters, mc blogfest
14 Comments
