I Wanna Hear Yours: How Do You Plan Characters?

So right now I'm in the planning stage for my next WIP. It involves a lot of plotting, a lot of research, and a lot of character development.

For me, characters are probably the best and worst part of writing any story. Without lively and sympathetic characters, a beautifully written plot, world building and conflict has no meaning. If your characters are flat and uninteresting, who's going to want to spend any time getting to know them?

Unfortunately, characters are my worst subject. Developing characters, figuring out who they are, making them likeable... it's always been a challenge for me. And along my writing career I've developed a few tricks that I use whenever I have to start a book.

First, usually, I have to figure out where the character fits into the story. I'll use examples from my current planning stage. Most of them are pretty easy. Charlotte? Simple. She's my main character. Vern? Well, I know he'll end up as my love interest. Gaspar slides into the spot of her sponsor, and we have Aunt Cyn sliding in as a guardian.

Most of the time this is very easy, but every so often I'll get an image of a character, and have no idea how they'll fit into the story, only that they will play some part. Right now, that character for my untitled WIP is Dusty Dayton. Dusty is a very mysterious character. I have no idea how he's going to play out in the story, but I do know that he's necessary. I am a bit of an outliner, but not enough that I can see how his part will play out. So I don't know how he's going to fit in, but it will be interesting to see.

Now, I have my characters (And usually in this part I would name them.) And then I move onto developing them. How do I do this? Simple. Fill out this bad boy:


Name:
Sex:
Birthdate:
Birthplace:
Height:
Age:
Eyes:
Hair:
Ethnic Background:
Nickname:
Religion/Religious Background:
Health/Physical Condition/Disabilities:
Educational Background:
Morals:
Ambitions, Aspirations, Desires:
Major Traits:
Minor Traits:
Character Flaws/Weaknesses:
Character Strengths:
Habitual/Favorite Expressions:
Habitual Mannerisms:
Fears, Anxieties, Hangups:
Frustrations:
Complexes:
Temperament:
Emotions:
Attitude Toward Life:
Attitude Toward Death:.
Leader/Follower/Dropout:
Most Cherished Beliefs/Values:
Worst Habit:
Highest Hope:
Preoccupations, Worries:
Biggest Source Of Pride:
Biggest Source Of Shame Or Defeat:
How They Talk/Speech Patterns (Diction, Tone, Speed, Pitch):
Body Language/Posture:
Gestures:
Perception Of Others:
Reactions To Others:
Involvement With Objects:
Attitude Toward Opposite Sex:
How They Handle Crisis:
Memories, Dreams:
How They Protect Themselves--Fight/Flight/Freeze:
Public Persona:
Daily Habits:
Motivational Patterns/What Gets Them Going:
How They'd Describe Themselves:
Do They See Themselves As Happy/Satisfied?:
Do They See Themselves As A Hero?:
Sense Of Humor:
Feelings Toward Family:
Feelings Toward Friends:
Feelings Toward Enemies:
Philosophy Of Life (In A Phrase):

I LOVE this thing. I wouldn't know where I'd be without it. I didn't create it, I found it on a website, but it helps exponentially. This really helps me get into the characters's heads. I also do a little extra sketch work on the side, like their motivations, add in a bit of internal conflict, and how I think they should change over the course of the book.

It's a long process to go through it, but without it I know my characters come out flat, unchanging, and really unsympathetic.

So you've heard my process, now I wanna hear yours: How do you develop your characters? Do you have a process or do you just see how things go? Maybe your tips can help me find better ways to plan out my characters. ;)

Peace,

-Katie

I Wanna Hear Yours: Do You Lend Out Books?

Quick update on my pub status if any of you are still interested: We're going on submission any day now, and I just recieved an email last night asking me to revise my synopsis.

Kill me now.

I keep telling myself that this is good-- I really need to practice my synopsis writing skills. I can master this! I mastered query writing, didn't I?

God, kill me now.

Anyway, I wanna know your thoughts on lending out books. I think we've all done it, once or twice, and we've all been burned by having our books ruined or lost. A dear friend of mine is an obsessive book collector. She'll even buy books from a series she doesn't like because she has to have the whole series. She loves reading and I love her for it. But she 100% refuses to lend out books. She's been burned a few times in the past, and now she won't let anyone touch her books. Not even me. Yes, I know. Gasp.

I'm a little different. I'm a book collector. (Not to her extent) I lend out books all the time, but only the books I love love love. I want to share that love, and have someone else I can talk about it with. So I lend out my books. And... then sometimes they don't come back. But since I'm a book collector, I will go out and rebuy the books that other people have lost, because I love them so very much. I don't worry about the money I'm spending-- for me to love it enough to lend it out, I really don't mind suporting the author twice over. Though I have limited who I lend my books out to people who I know will return them.

So, you've heard my ramblings. I wanna hear yours.

Do you lend out books?


Peace,

-Katie

I Wanna Hear Yours: Killing Characters-- Is There a Line?

If you want to be a writer, then you have to read a lot of books, and since we're all well read here, we have all come across a book in which an important character is killed off.

Death is a part of life, and since literature in all forms is really just analyzing life through the lens of fiction, death is a common occurrence in novels. But is there a point in which the writer should back off and let the damn characters have a happily ever after?

I've noticed an interesting trend. Sadists Writers tend to be a little more lenient towards character death. If they're reading a book in which an important character dies, even if they love that character, they're more willing to forgive the author if the death is justified and fits the story. Strictly readers, on the other hand, tend to protest to character death a bit more. Even if it is justified and fits the story, more often than not readers want their favorite character to live, have a happily ever after and die old in a bed somewhere surrounded by loved ones.

Now, my speculation is that writers have a subconscious distance from the books they read. It's much easier to pull a writer out of a story if they stumble across a tiny plot hole or badly shaped sentences. We spend all our time grooming ourselves to become aware of these things so that when we encounter them in other people's fiction, we're sensitive to it. We're able to step away from books and look at the craft.

So does that include character death? We can tell when a character's death fits the story, so is that why we're less sensitive and much better at being happy with a character killed off? We're able to take ourselves out of the story and say, "Yes, my favorite character died, but it really worked for the book."

Readers, I believe, don't have this kind of distance. They let themselves fall completely into the story, not worrying about craft or looking at how an author is trying to make them sympathize with the MC. They just get so involved in it that when their favorite character dies tragically, even if it is a beautiful death, they want to mail the book back to the author with big red pen scribbled across the page saying, "BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE, DAMNIT."

But, is that a good thing? Is it a good thing that the readers feel so much for our characters that they can't stand to see them go? And if it is a good thing, do we push the envelope a little too much?

Of course, there are readers who love character death and writers who want to hold onto their babies. Every person and every novel is different.

Which brings me to my next question: can we overdo death, or is that simply a tool we can use as often as we please? What's wrong if we kill off fifteen side characters, if that helps us build tension? Or should we not kill anyone off and find different ways to build tension?

I really think this comes down to what genre you're writing. If you're writing a mystery, then I think it's a little hard not to kill somebody off. If it's a teenage contemporary romance, then gratuitous amounts of death may be out of place. And of course, every novel is different. The Child Thief had so much gore and death which I thought was well-worth it while Three Days to Dead had significantly fewer deaths but I still felt there were too many. Both of these are adult fantasy, but they do have slightly different markets. Does that make the difference then? Do your readers define how much death you should include?

And here’s one I would really like to know, straight from you guys: How do you know where to draw the line? When do you stop and say, "I don't/do need to kill off more characters?"

You've heard my ramblings, now I Wanna Hear Yours!

Fire away my fast-fingered friends.

Peace,

-Katie

I Wanna Hear Yours: Why Do You Read/Write YA?

Weeeeeeelcome back for another fabulous round of Katie's infamous: I Wanna Hear Yours! In which you listen to my insane ramblings and I listen to yours.

Today's question on the board: Why do you read/write YA?

I especially want to hear from those of you who are no longer in the 12-18 catagory. Why do we still read YA? Why do we put up with bosses/friends/coworkers/family/estranged neighbours looking down their noses at us for reading the latest teen romance when we're so clearly (oh so very clearly) no longer in high school?

So what is it about this tantalizing (genre? Age group?) that keeps you coming back for more, more, more?

Personally, the reason I love YA so much is because of two main reasons:


1) Pacing


and


2) Firsts.


First, the pacing. (Haha!) Sometimes, (albiet, I will admit, not always) I find myself reading an adult book and I want to beat my head against the table because it's going SO GODDAMN SLOW. (Disclaimer: Katie is not stating that all adult books have slow pacing, or that all YA books have good pacing. Please refrain from throwing tomatoes as it will ruin my nice clean shirt.) So I'm drawn to the quick pacing, the quick wit and the inevitable: "WHY IS EVERYTHING HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE OMIGAWDZOMIBIES AND ISN'T THAT BOY SO CUTE AND OMIGAWDZOMBIES!"

2) Firsts. This is kind of a big one for me. The romance in YA is always so fresh because it's from the perspective of someone who has never experienced romance before. Everything is so raw and sharp because teenagers are experiencing these emotions for the first time. Of course, it doesn't always lead to a happy ending, but I just like how none of the teenagers have yet put up emotional walls like adults do. They don't know how to handle and so sometimes they react without considering the consequences, which makes for great conflict.

And this doesn't just apply to romance. First time having sex, first high school experience, first real world problems, first encounter with drugs and so on and so forth.

Those two catagories can be placed in any sub-genre of YA: fantasy, paranormal, historical, whatever. They almost always have a swift pace (which makes it usually shorter, which, what can you do?) and a series of firsts.

So, contestants, step right up to the mic and SHOW YOUR STUFF. Why are you reading YA? Why are you writing it? Is what you like about it something that applies to all genres of YA or just a few?

You heard my ramblings, now I WANNA HEAR YOURS!

I should get some cheesy theme music to go along with this.

Peace,

-Katie

I Wanna Hear Yours: What Words Do You Hate?

Blog. I hate that word. Honestly. BUH-Looo-GUH. It's nasty. To say it out loud, for me, is just gross. I don't hate what it represents, of course. I love blogging, reading blogs or writing them, but the word itself just grosses me out. Seriously, right now, turn off your TV or music, sit back in your chair and say it a few times out loud.

Blog.

bLOg.

BlOG.

It's a really ugly word, isn't it?

When I was younger, I always used to hate the word "power." It left a bad taste in my mouth every time I would use it, so, naturally, I avoided using it in my writing. (I think too many bad kid's TV shows with sayings like "I have the power!" made it a hard word for me.) I also hated the word goal. But that's because I had too many pushy adults trying to make me plan out my life when all I wanted to do was play with dolls and jump in mudpuddles.

One of my favorite rants was by Ariel Gore, who wrote the book How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead--

(PssssZZZZT-- We interupt this blog post to annouce that Ariel's book is on sale now. Go out and buy it! Seriously, right now. What are you waiting for? Do you want to be published? Well go get the damn book! Seriously, if you're still reading this, you'd better own the book. Now, go out and buy it. I can wait.

...

Do you own it now? Good. You can resume your regularly schduled reading.)

--Where Ariel went on a rant about the word "plethora" and how it's just a fancy way of saying "a lot of" and how she despises this word.

So, I was wondering: are there are any words there that you just hate? (Talking, of course, of real words. No lols or omgs or the like, please.) Do you purposefully avoid this word while writing? Do you cringe when you see it in a book you're reading?

You heard my ramblings, now I wanna hear yours: What words do you hate?

Peace

-Katie

I Wanna Hear Yours: Why Are We Underestimated?

Hey guys, I know I haven't ben around much recently. Things have been crazy, and I jut haven't been able to come up with anything half-decent to write about. But thankfully, I have a boring lovely receptionist job now, in which I can devote much of my free time to writing, and pondering the madness of it all.

And speaking, of madness, how about some crazy queriers? Like Janet Reid's 3D Query , Or how about some good ol' fashion weirdies? But wait! There's more!

Why do these querying blunders keep happening? Are people trying to piss off agents? Are they really that stupid? Were they possessed by aliens and forced to do these things to ruin their careers?

Honestly, I know many of you believe in option b, (and a few of you might vote for option c) but I have a different theory.

These blunders keep happening because the publishing industry is underestimated.

Even the most intelligent of us think that publishing can't be that hard. I mean, honestly, when I first started I was afraid it was going to be too easy. I thought there was no way people wouldn't love my book as much as I did. A year and one hundred rejections later, I've wised up.

Of course, I didn't start querying like mad because I thought I was better than everyone else. I did my research, learned I wasn't such hot stuff, and got in line with the rest of the aspiring writers.

But many people on a daily basis underestimate us, don't do their homework, and think they're going to succeed. Because of this, we see wackos who think they're going above and beyound, but are really just scaring the pants off agents. I met a writer not long ago, good guy, smart guy. He finished his manuscript and decided to shop it around. After a while, he was getting angry because he wasn't selling anything. After a while he went out to golf with a friend of his who was an editor at a publishing house. He brought his manuscript, asked the guy to look it over.

Our little editor friend turned to him and said, "What would you say if I came onto this golf course, without ever having played a game, and said I was better than you and could beat you in a game?"

And that's when my friend learned its not as easy as it looks.

But I'm not here to talk about occasions in which we're underestimated. I came here to ask why.

What about writers, editors, publishers, book sellers-- what about the whole damn process makes people think its easy?

Is it because writing is an art form? Do people think it's this easy to paint and sell a painting?

Or it is because... it's just writing. Anyone who speaks English (or any other language, for that matter) can write a story. They just need to think up a good plot, some characters, and make it to THE END. However, it's a different story (ha! Pun.) when it comes to writing a GOOD story. And many first-time authors haven't learned to distance themselves from their pieces (hey, another thing I could blog about) and really scrutinize. Many people forget to mention that part of writing a novel.

I, myself, write young adult fiction. I've come under scrutiny many times because writing children's fiction is sometimes seen as a "lesser" form of writing. Often people see it as easier too. But, of course, no writing is any lesser than any other. So, will people look at children's fiction as an easy gateway into the publishing world? Is this another example of how our society looks on its younger citizens has "inferior"?

You've heard my ramblings, now I wanna hear yours. Why do people underestimate authors, YA, and publishing?

Peace,

-Katie