Tips on Tuesday: Food for Thought . . . AND Sustenance

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

One of the really thought‑provoking things which was brought to my attention at the LTUE (Life, the Universe and Everything) conference this month was that “Everybody must make a living.” So said the panel on “Why Economics Matter,” made up of Robison Wells, David Ferro, Eric Swedin, L. E. Modesitt, and Sandra Taylor.

I think I usually just write blithely along without thinking about the “expense” of just living. Now, I usually write fantasy, but does that make a difference? No. A character may live out in the woods, but how does he make that “living”? He may eat a thin gruel with a chunk of hefty bread‑like something . . .

But who supplied the grains and/or plant matter that went into the pot? And whence came the pot? Who brought in water, and from where? Was there any protein in the gruel? Who robbed the butcher, or butchered the squirrel, or skinned the snake? And how did that person have the knowledge of what could and should not be consumed?

Then there’s the “bread” or bread substitute: where did the ingredients come from? How good are the pickings if your MC has to depend on begging? How does he fuel his body enough to get close enough to habitations to find someone to beg from?

So many things need to be considered when creating your “world.” If your characters don’t live in the backwoods on “their own,” where is the village or city or country?  Why is a city in that specific place? Someone — perhaps years and years ago found a way to make money by setting up the village or city. What was it? What drew other people into that place? Job opportunities? Availability of food? Compatible “others”? Natural resources? Beauty?

If it’s a ghost town now, why? What killed it off? Why is it no longer extant?

No matter where people live, congregate, or whatever, there must be a flow of resources into and out of that specific place. Families need to be fed and nurtured. Even “magic” must have to follow some economic rules.

Many YA novels today seem to exist in isolation — nothing goes in, nothing comes out. How, then, do they sustain themselves? At the very least, some kind of agricultural surplus is necessary to create a societal economic system.

As you build your world, whether real or fanciful ask yourself three questions:

What does it cost?

Where did the money (or other type of sustenance) come from?

Why is the supplying entity willing to pay for it?

See you next for Thinkin’ on Thursday!

Thinkin’ on Thursday: Thinkin’ About Monstrous Creatures

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

I’m not actually all that “in” to Monsters ‑ though I understand  they’re very big with a lot of audiences right now.  I guess The Walking Dead or Zombies are popular with lots of teens and younger, not to mention all the adults who really eat them up . . . well, wait a minute.  That may be a little too much!

But I’ve always loved Fantastical Creatures, even from childhood. And  they’ve never lost their charm for me.  The trick for writers is coming up with new twists on “old” creatures.  To that end, when I went to the LTUE [Life, the Universe, and Everything] Conference last weekend, which caters to gamers, fans and writers of sci‑fi, fantasy, horror, steam punk ‑‑‑ any of the more “weird” genres ‑‑‑ I found myself drawn early on into the workshop touted as MONSTERS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF.

The panel was made up of Larry Correia, Andrea Pearson, Mikey Brooks, Robison Wells, Shirley Bahlman whose stories range from shoot ’em ups, the grotesque, the fanciful, and the creepy (and I probably haven’t nailed ALL of them down).

The biggest thing I got out of it was to try looking at other ethnic groups than your own.  I couldn’t agree more.  I lived as a young girl in Hawaii.  The myths I read were filled with the Hawaiian hero, Maui ‑‑‑ the Polynesian version of Hercules, and Pele the goddess of volcanoes.  I loved a Loki‑like imp and the adventures (and troubles!) he got into,  And how funny were the Menehune ‑ Polynesian version of Irish leprechauns.

Every year when we got our “textbooks” for the year, I whipped through all the sections which had myths or fairy tales or any type of fantasy in the first couple of days.  Then I found myself bored when we had to read the “other” parts of the text with stories about children in a town, or on a farm, or in an “ordinary” school.  Loved it, though, when we would read all the ones I’d already read, as a “class assignment.”  I read them over and over.

So what did our illustrious writers recommend for a NEW look at OLD sources?

Mermaids, nymphs, dragons, fairy tales, etc., that were not western‑based.  Look at the Finnish Kalavalla, Atlantis, Eastern European writings.  What about Syria ‑‑‑ so much in the news now ‑‑‑ or the Japanese.  (You want dragons?  The Japanese have wonderful dragons!)

Or take a gander at The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A‑Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic by John & Caitlin Matthews, or Wikipedia’s mythology art books.  They even said there are free eBooks available from Amazon of other countries’ fairy tales.

How about letting your imagination run wild and make up some of your own? Or think about rare monsters someone else has made up:  Larry Correia’s wife told their small children about the Store Wolves ‑‑‑ I think they were located at IKEA ‑‑‑ that ran up and down the aisles looking for small children, presumably to eat!  That reminded me of a friend of mine years ago who told her children that our in‑ground trampoline was where we kept the alligators.  THAT kept them from going out there to jump alone!  Have you heard of the Moving Rocks in Death Valley?  Maybe it would be good to examine territorial urban myths for another source!.

Whatever you come up with, have fun, use your imagination, and Write On!

See you next for Saturday’s Spellbinder!

Tips on Tuesday: Where Can I Learn to Write . . . Better?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

People who have a yen to write will often ask, how and where do I learn to write? Here are a number of viable answers. Not surprisingly, you must do all of them:

1st: Read, read, read ‑ if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write (or the necessary knowledge and skills)

2nd: Write, write, write. When you’ve written 100,000 words, you’re on your way.

3rd: Get help from knowledgeable writers. But where do you find them, how do you get to know them?

Fortunately, Utah has plenty of sources for that last one.

Join a critique group. You’ll find them in libraries, private homes and even on line. Take a writing class. Universities, high schools, continuing education programs all have them. Some even offer private classes or act as writing coaches.

Go to writers’ conferences. Most states have MANY writing conferences. And Utah has a HUGE writing community, with many of our writers on “best seller” and awards lists. And these writers are so willing to share at conferences. I’ll list some of the major ones here, but get on line and you’ll no doubt find even more.

LTUE: A conference (Life, the Universe, and Everything) of many years’ standing which is a place where fans, writers and gamers of fantasy, sci‑fi, steam punk, horror, etc., can congregate. It seems to me it’s getting even more “writerly” in its direction. It’s usually early in the year (it was just held in Provo this last weekend, Feb. 13‑15) and is one of the least expensive. “Early” sign up is already available on line for next year: $35 for all 3 days. A REAL bargain! The keynote speaker this year was Orson Scott Card and panels included Brandon Sanderson, J. Scott Savage, and many other names you might recognize. Editors and agents are available for one‑on‑one appointments for a small extra fee (this is true of most, if not all, the conferences).

LDStorymakers: Held in the later spring, this is aimed at writers with LDS background, though they do not ask for proof of “membership”. The writing they accept must meet LDS standards: clean, no blatant bad language, etc. Editors from local publishing houses and well‑known LDS writers abound. April 24‑26, 2014, their program will be held in Layton, Utah, this year. Prices, currently set at $185, will be going up on Feb. 20, so hurry and sign in if you want to attend!

Writing for Charity: As a way to “give back,” author Shannon Hale instituted this conference some years ago, where 100% of the proceeds go to helping children in need. Working in tandem with the Children’s Literature Association of Utah, the conference will distribute books to hospitals and shelters for children in crisis. This year’s event will be held March 22 at the Provo City Library.

SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators): The Utah arm of this national organization has instituted some mini‑conferences in the Utah/Idaho area in several locations. This is the “must belong” organization for children’s writers. Check them out for on‑going group activities.

WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers): This conference began years ago at BYU. It now meets at the Waterford School in Sandy, this year on June 16‑20. You can sign up for a class with a group of about a dozen writers on all five mornings, or you may sign up for all afternoons only (they are included with sign‑up for morning classes) where you will hear speakers and attend several mini‑sessions with authors, editors, and agents of your choice. Another possibility this year is to sign up for single day attendance at a variety of mini‑classes. Current basic full‑price for the all‑day, five‑day event is $495. Some advanced classes have an extra charge, the half‑day or single‑day charges are much less. Whatever you decide, you will NEVER spend money more wisely on your writing career!

LUW (League of Utah Writers) has 16 chapters throughout Utah. Once you are a member, you may freely attend any of LUW’s usual monthly meetings which may be critique meetings and/or often have speakers. They will host a regional conference at SLCC’s Larry Miller Campus on April 12, 2014. ($20 for members, $25 for non‑members, and membership is only $25/year.) They also run a fall conference for all the chapters every year — usually September — which is a full two days (information for this year’s not on line yet, but should be soon). Like other conferences, you will meet editors, agents and many member/authors from around the state.

I hope I’ve more than scratched the surface for writers conferences — if you hear about another one, let me know the particulars and I will post that as well.

Now . . . go READ!

See you next for Thinkin’ on Thursday!

Spellbinder Saturday: When in the presence of greatness, etc.

Spellbinder ramblings from HA

Sorry for being late with this, but we’ve been tied up at LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything) writing seminar for the last three days. Orson Scott Card was the keynote speaker and sat on a couple of discussion panels. Needless to say, the days were long, but it was a good gathering. Go online to http://www.ltue.org to get tickets for next year.

Now, on to the review … sort of.

I would love to do a review of Divergent, but I can’t, in good conscience, do that; we have a rule: no bad reviews. The first two books in the series, Divergent and Insurgent were awesome, spellbinding, and exciting. I could write a very positive review on them. I wouldn’t want you to get your hopes up and have you decide to read all three books in the series. Then you’d blame me because the third book, Allegiant, doesn’t deliver the goods. So… no review of the Divergent trilogy.

Unfortunately, everything I’ve been reading lately have been series, or, if not series, then books of the same characters, but stand alone (Kinsey Millhone and Phryne Fisher mysteries for example).

I have done reviews on the stand alones, but have only done the series when they’re completed—for the most part. There have been a couple of exceptions. Primarily when the series has not been completed and have done the review on each of the books as they came out.

I wish I’d done this in the case of the Divergent trilogy. Unfortunately, I had never heard of the series until the movie Divergent was being touted and, by then, all three books had been published. I got the three-volume e-book edition so I could read all of them at once. Big mistake, but I have to live with it. You don’t.

So, for the next few weeks, I’ll be doing single books and not series until I can find a trilogy (or whatever) that maintains the momentum and enjoyment of all of the volumes.

Until then, we’ll see you for Tips for Tuesday

TUESDAY’S TUTOR: Hungry for the Hunger Games?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

Last February, one of the panels at Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE) took on an interesting question: why the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins had become so popular.  Patricia Castelli, Bree Despain, Allison Hymas, Diann T. Read, and J. Scott Savage all had interesting opinions.

Have you read the series?  Actually read all three?  Personally, I couldn’t put it down—which was amazing, as I was pretty traumatized at the time, having just found out I had cancer . . . again.  After 25 years of being clean.  I handled it well on the outside: teaching, participating in my life, taking care of business.  But on the inside I was apparently a bowl of quivering jelly.  And that gripping series got me through the biopsy, the surgery, the beginnings of radiation, along with the Holidays—Thanksgiving on into Christmas/New Year’s.  Well, they didn’t take me that long to read, but they stayed with me.

As writers, we can learn something from that.

The panel in question opined that YA is usually about HOPE.  One reason for popularity within dystopian literature is that in a dysfunctional, broken world, the reader can HOPE for even the little people to effect a change.  The Hero/Heroine will have the strength/skill, etc., to change his or her world.

The Hunger Games series offers several lessons:

— Katniss was sympathetic, volunteering in order to save her little sister

— The role “reversal” made it interesting: the girl with the bow and arrows; the boy with the bread

— Even with the female author and heroine, boys still liked it because fighting, etc., were so strong; while the “romance” became less and less important

— The “triangle” was handled believably

— Damage to survivor characters was realistic: after such traumatic incidents, they would be damaged

— Katniss is broken down in a different way in each book because of the difference in her trials

Spoiler alerts: (I’ll be a non-specific as I can.  READ them!)

— an Assassination was well done

— when one major character dies saving another, the motivation was brilliant

Which of the points above can we writers emulate today, without being derivative?  Appeal to male and female readers with sympathetic characters; keep the story riveting; handle human relationships in realistic, believable ways; be sure characters’ reactions synchronize with the events happening to them; give your major characters a variety of challenges throughout the story; keep your characters motivated in a consistent way.

There was some opinion that the series was modeled after Spartacus.  As a teen, I think, I read the book before the movie starring Kirk Douglas was made—yikes, I’m old!  I kept waiting for something to “happen” in the book, which I hated.  But I remember the film as being one of the few ever that was better than the book—so I had a rather visceral reaction to that opinion, though I might change my mind now if I either read or saw them again.  Well, I’m not going to.  But they recommended a few other books which might serve as models: the “early” dystopian, The Giver, by Lois Lowry (though the sequels weren’t considered as good); The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; and Suzanne Collins Overlander series.  Happy Reading, Happy Learning, followed by Happy Writing!

See you day-after-tomorrow for Thursday’s Thirteen!

Thursday’s 13: How Does Your Story Mean?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

 Last spring at the Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE) conference, a panel composed of Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury, David Farland, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Peter Orullian, Scott R. Parkin, and J. Scott Savage contemplated the question “How does your story mean?”  In other words, what is the author’s message or deep meaning.  For contemplation of this idea, they needed to set up a framework:                                                           

1.  Writing isn’t linear process: this, then this, finally that

2.  It’s actually more like a mosaic—look at all pieces to see the whole picture

3.  Think of Orson Scott Card’s MICE, but don’t become a slave to it

4.  M for Milieu (setting)—Dune books emphasis

5.  I for Idea—Magic system/technology: some of today’s Steam Punk

6.  C for Character—Forrest Gump

7.  E for Event (war/disaster)—It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

8.  Every book needs a beginning . . .

9.  . . . . a middle . . .

10. . . . an end.

11.  You don’t have to write it that way, in that order.

12.  The part/parts of MICE you emphasize will reveal what you value.

13.  If something isn’t working, try changing one part of MICE.

Their answer is most embodied in item #12 above.

See you day-after-tomorrow for “Saturday’s Softcover”!

TUESDAY’S TUTOR: Is my book MG? Or YA?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

Last February, at the Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE) writers’ conference in Provo, Utah, a panel discussion tried to answer the question.  Interesting writers all, the panel was made up of Bree Despain, Judith Engracia, Kristen Landon, Dene Low, Chad Morris, and Michelle Witte.

Although I’ve heard numerous times “look at the age of your main character(s).” Your interested readers will be about two years younger.  After all, 12-year-olds already know what 12-year-olds think and do.  But 10-year-olds will want to know.

A good guess, but the panel suggested age is not the only indicator.  Rather, they recommended:

Middle-grade (MG) readers are trying to “fit in.”

Young-adult (YA) readers are trying to “stand out.”

My question, now, is what about the “new” genre, NA?

New-adult (NA) readers are those from age 18 to 27 (or even 24).  Are these post-high-school adults, like MG students, trying to “fit in” to their new world: college, the work-a-day world, marriage, etc?  Or are they, like YA students, trying to “stand out:” in their classes, new jobs, burgeoning relationships, and so on?

What are your main characters trying to do?  And, therefore, in which genre do they belong?

See you day-after-tomorrow for Thursday’s 13!

THURSDAY’S 13: 13 Thoughts on HE-roes and SHE-roes

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

These thoughts on writers’ “Damsels in Distress” were purloined from a panel at the Light, the Universe and Everything [LTUE] Conference of 2013, comprised of Rachelle Christensen, Robert J. Defendi, Danyelle Leafty, and Robison Wells.

1.  The old trope of a girl to be rescued [i.e., Guenevere, etc.] goes way back: a young regal/ noble/gentile woman who needed protection from the Bad Guy who threatens the woman (or a child) early in the story.

2.  In today’s writing world the Damsel in Distress needs to be twisted: it’s not what you’re thinking! (Well, it could be, but . . . )

3. . . in the new trope, sometimes SHE should “save” the HE-ro, because SHE now has increased education and/or strength.

4.  But has SHE become too feisty now?  Maybe SHE’s too independent?

5.  SHE, the woman, should be competent and working for her own salvation in some way, even though SHE may need help.

The Difference between Jane & James Bond

6.  We can kill a lot of men with little effect on population growth (yet we may empathize with the male more if he is young).

7.  But we still connect with a need to protect the woman—as “Mother” of the country.

8.  This culturally significant fact should be used; for instance, Israeli’s orders to military units would be ignored if their women warriors were in danger; a mother will do the same if her child is in trouble.

9.  Your Damsel and/or Hero needs to grow organically from the story.

10.  Women can be confident within their own realm (see Gail Carson’s books).  Create situations, regardless of gender, where we care about characters; even (or especially?) if they are children (also see Kim Hudson’s The Virgin’s Promise).

11.  Today’s writers can also have alternatives to someone needing “rescue”:

12.  i.e., Personal Stakes, applied to more than just the Main Character [MC]—think Katniss, in The Hunger Games, as “Damsel in Distress” who can kick a**, but is still vulnerable.

13.  What do your characters of each gender have as “different” priorities?  Learn to use those priorities as weapons and as vulnerabilities.

See you day-after-tomorrow for Saturday’s Softcover!

Tuesday’s Tutor: As Promised—Three Days of Noveling Crazy (Crazy Like a Fox!)

EASY AS A, B, C . . . from BB

Last Friday’s Friend, Lesli Muir, was kind enough to regale our readers with her take on writing a book—yes, a whole 60,000 word book—in only 3 days, after having led an LTUE (Life, the Universe and Everything) workshop on the subject.  Having been one of her excited participants, I looked up further information on the sources for her ideas:  Michael Moorcock and Lester Dent.  While she’d made a bit of a mash-up of the two, I’d like to give you a little more detail on them.

The following Michael Moorcock material was culled from Tim Dedopulos’ interesting site www.Ghostwoods.com

1.  Set-up or prepare everything you’ll need beforehand, 1-2 days [or more!]

2.  Model your Basic Plot on Dashielle Hammett’s Maltese Falcon (or any other Quest story, like Tolkien’s ring, Mort D’Arthur’s Holy Grail, El Dorado’s gold) where many people seek the same thing

3. Design the Formula: the human (or other) protagonist is fallible against a super-human force—Big Business, supernatural evil, politics, etc.  He’s always ready to give up, but something involves him personally

4.  Make lists of things you’ll use—when I tried this the first time, I made lists in categories: characters, appropriate place, tribal, and character names (many unassigned); agriculture, architecture, history, clothing, crafts within my focus area;  religious and cultural mores; family life, food, housing; travel, war and peace; etc.  Include a list of images, fantastic, paradoxical or whatever, which will fit within your genre.  This imagery will come before action (which is the less important part, as opposed to the object to be obtained and the limited time to obtain it).  Refer to lists whenever you’re stumped during your Three-Day Novel.

5.  Assign the essential element: Time.  Action/adventure will come from your Time frame: “We have only 12 hours to find _____!”  The ticking clock or time bomb will set up your structure.

These plans will help you during the Three-Day because when you’re stuck you’ve got something within your lists/plans which will tell you what to do.

Now you’re ready for the Three-Day adventure to begin:

Turn off the phone, internet, etc.

Lock everyone out (or go to a cheap motel out-of-town—no human contact for 3 days!)

Start writing:

Reveal your “mystery” a bit at a time

At every reveal, do something to increase the problem/mystery: “Ah, so that’s why the upstairs maid said . . . ”

Look at your lists for mysteries you haven’t explained to yourself yet

Divide your 60K into four sections of 15K each

Divide each 15K into 6 chapters at no more than 2.5K each

Hero: “There’s no way I can save the day within 12 hours, unless I . . . ”

(find the sidekick I need, reach a special place, get the (first of several objects). etc.  This gives you an immediate goal, immediate time element, and the over-riding 12-hour deadline.  BTW, sidekicks are great at making responses the hero can’t because he’s so driven.  Driven people can’t have common sense.  Think Lord of the Rings with Sam deciding to carry Frodo to the conclusion.  In ancient times, they used the Greek chorus.

Note than when you’re stuck, and your lists aren’t helping, or are played out, how about using one of your minor characters to keep the narrative moving?

Each of the six chapters must contain something which moves action forward and contributes to the immediate goal.  Thus every chapter and/or event will give the reader information, with all contributing to the narrative function.  Caution: never reveal something that isn’t already established, like revealing a murderer at the end whom we haven’t met earlier.

* * *

Lester Dent’s Master Plot Formula, around for years and years and in many places, is found at this uncluttered source: http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html

Start with

1.  A different murder method for the villain to use

2.  A different thing for the villain to be seeking (see the connection to Moorcock?)

3.  A different locale

4.  A menace which is to hang like a cloud over hero

[When he says “different,” you may think odd, peculiar, outlandish, etc.—what-ever fits your genre.  Could do all the above within Moorcock’s “lists”]

5.  Divide the 60K into four 15K parts

1^st 15K

A.  1^st line (or close to) intro hero and swat him with fistful of trouble.  Hint at mystery, menace, problem to be solved—something hero must deal with

B.  Hero pitches in to cope with fisful of trouble (fathom mystery, defeat menace, solve problem, etc.)

C Intro all other characters ASAP – bring them on in action.

D.  Hero’s attempts land him in physical conflict near end of 1^st 15K

E.  Near end of first 15K, create complete surprise twist in plot development

CHECK: Is there SUSPENSE?  MENACE to hero?  Happening logically?

HINTS: Action should do something besides “advance the hero over the scenery”“ He should accomplish something in his tearing around

2^nd 15K

A.  Shovel more grief on hero

B.  Being heroic, he struggles; his struggles lead up to:

C.  Another physical conflict

D.  Surprising plot twist eo end the 15K

CHECK: SUSPENSE?  MENACE…GROWING?  HERO struggling?  LOGIC?

HINTS: Include one minor surprise to printed page (keeps reader reading).  Some can be misleading.  Then what made that happen = more mystery.  Characterize story actors by tagging them with something: an odd scar, way of speaking, personality flaw, etc.

3^rd 15K

A.  Shovel the grief onto hero

B.  S/he makes some headway; corners villain or somebody in—

C.  A physical conflict

D.  Surprising plot twist where hero gets it in the neck, bad! to end 15K

CHECK: Still have SUSPENSE?  MENACE? Hero in h*** of a fix?  LOGIC?

HINTS: Physical conflicts in each part should be different: fist fight, poison gas, swords, etc.  If quirky, something might be used more than once.

SHOULD BE’s: ACTION: vivid, swift, no words wasted, create suspense

READER should see, feel action.  ATMOSPHERE: hear, smell, see, feel, taste.

DESCRIPTION: trees, wind, scenery, water, weather, etc.

4^th 15K

A.  Shovel difficulties more thickly upon hero

B.  Get hero almost buried in troubles (Figuratively, villain has his prisoner, framed for murder; girl presumably dead, everything is lost, different murder method/threat about to dispose of suffering Hero)

C.  Hero extricates himself using HIS OWN SKILL, training, or brawn

D.  Mysteries remaining—one big one held over to this point will help grip interest—are cleared up in final conflict as hero takes situation in hand.  YAY!

E.  Final twist, big surprise (villain is unexpected person, “treasure” a dud, etc.)

F.  The snapper: punch line to end the adventure

CHECK: SUSPENSE held out to last line?  MENACE too?  Everything is explained?  All happened logically.  Punch Line leaves reader with warm feelings?  Did “God” kill villain . . . or did the Hero???

WOW!  That’s a lot to do in a Three-Day Novel . . . but now you know!  I’ll be trying it again in November, and the beginning of the National Novel Writing Month (see http://www.NaNoWriMo.com) and MAYBE in August for Camp NaNoWriMo, a slightly lesser version of the same thing.

PLEASE join me, if you’d like to give it a shot—send me your name and/or NaNo Code name in a comment below and we can sign up as “Writing Buddies”—or you can “friend” (Writing Buddy) me on NaNo!  See you soon?  Oh, yeah, I’ll . . . (see below)

See you day-after-tomorrow for “Thursday’s 13″

Have questions about writing (grammar, punctuation, getting published, etc.)?  Brenda Bensch, M.A., a teacher of multiple decades’ experience in Utah’s university/high school/community ed. classrooms (English, fiction/non-fiction writing, study skills, drama, humanities, debate, etc.), invites you to “Ask The Teacher” at  http://BenschWensch.wordpress.com

Thursday’s 13: Over-wrought, Uneven Characterization & How to Avoid It

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

 

1.  An LTUE panel (if you don’t know what LTUE is, see last Tuesday’s blog)

2.  Paul Genesse, Tristi Pinkston, Deren Hansen, J. Scott Savage (thnx all!)

3.  Definition of over-wrought acting: actors who over-act (Think Capt. Kirk)

4.  Definition of over-wrought characters in a novel (characters whose authors put too much into their characters)

5.  Authors don’t need to share EVERY little detail

6.  However, every detail must add to plot. Or story-line. Or character. Or etc.

7.  Keep a Character Bible

8.  In it, keep lists of everything

9.  Decisions

10.  Details of what characters are doing

11.  Personality and/or physical quirks

12.  Weird issues

13.  Remember: Strong Characters Make Strong Decisions

See you day-after-tomorrow for Saturday’s Softcover!