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    5Apr, 2022
    Imposter Syndrome

    I’ve been hearing a lot about Imposter Syndrome lately. It comes down to a person not believing they deserve what they’ve achieved, or that they aren’t due the accolades coming their way. They feel like they somehow haven’t earned their achievements or the praise of others or the respect people show them.

    They believe they are imposters. Instead of believing they’ve earned their position, praise, or success, they consider it good luck or chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time.

    Take a second and ask yourself if you’ve felt this way in the past, or if you’re experiencing it now in connection with your writing?

    If you’re suffering from imposter syndrome in your writing life, I’m here to encourage you to let it go! The best way to do that is to shift your mindset. Start by making a list of all your skills. Acknowledge your strengths, your accomplishments, and all the positives you bring to your writing career.

    • Redefine what it means to be a writer. Realizing that you don’t have to be published to be a writer may help you stop thinking you’re an imposter.
    • Stay focused on all of those positives rather than uncertainties, fears, or doubts.
    • Do not compare yourself to anyone else. You are on YOUR journey and no one else’s. Don’t let anyone else into your head.
    • Let go of the idea of perfection. Writing is a process. You can fix anything on the written page, so let go and just write.
    • Create a dedicated space for writing. It’s a mental thing and can help you get into your writing headspace more fully.
    • Create mini-goals, and reward yourself when you’ve achieved them. It may mean writing 500 words a day; it may mean plotting a new story; it may mean completing a lesson in a writing course you’re taking. Acknowledge the small wins. They will add up to bigger wins. 

    You ARE a writer, so don’t let imposter syndrome hinder your creativity.

    29Mar, 2022
    How to Write Great Dialogue
    ➤ Get WriterSpark’s FREE Quick Guide to Writing Dialogue!

    There are myriad essential elements in writing about how to write great dialogue. It is one of the foundations of good writing.

    Why?

    Because poorly written dialogue will make readers cringe. It is all too easy for characters to come across as flat, for verbal exchanges to be completely unrealistic. 

    Good dialogue, on the other hand, is appropriate and representative of a character. It rings true. It helps create well-rounded characters who are authentic and realistic. Good dialogue will lead to memorable characters and a book readers don’t want to put down.

     

    When Dialogue is No Good

    There have been plenty of times when I’ve started to read a book, only to stop because the dialogue didn’t ring true, because it felt contrived, or because it just didn’t sound like how real people talk.

    So…mastering dialogue is a crucial step in your writing journey.

     

    First, let’s define DIALOGUE.

    • The formal definition is: the things that are said by the characters in a story, movie, play, etc.

    In a practical sense, DIALOGUE is the direct communication between characters in our stories.  

    Let’s also define DIALECT and DICTION, as these are important words to understand.

    • DIALECT is a particular form of language distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation specific to a region or area
    • DICTION is the choice of words and phrases in speech

    Dialogue in Real Life

    In our real lives, DIALOGUE, which includes dialect and diction, tells us about the people around us. Through dialogue, we learn about their:

    • Ideas (demonstrating level of education, breadth of knowledge, interests, etc)

    and

    • Culture & Background (through dialect, language & vocabulary choices, which can tell us about the region or place from which a person comes)

    What Dialogue Does In a Story

    In our stories, DIALOGUE does the same thing. It helps the reader learn about our characters implicitly, meaning in subtle ways through word choice, and dialect, etc, and explicitly through what is actually said. We learn about people through what they choose to say, as well as what they don’t.

     

    Two Types of Dialogue

    There are two types of dialogue:

    • Verbal, in which characters speak aloud;

    and

    • Internal, in which characters speak to themselves. Internal dialogue is how Deep Point of View is achieved.

    Writing good dialogue means understanding its purpose in a story. It accomplishes a variety of things:

    1. Dialogue breaks up the chunks of narrative. People respond to how much ‘white space’ there is on the pages. The more ‘white space’, the more a story is perceived a having action. Heavy narrative chunks scare people! Dialogue can break up these larger narrative sections.
    2. Dialogue helps to create distinct characters through dialect, diction, speech patterns, and vocabulary. You want your characters to be distinct. How Hagrid speaks is very different than how Dumbledore speaks. This is accomplished through dialect, diction, speech patterns, and vocabulary.
    3. Dialogue is a means of imparting essential information, which moves the plot forward. Dialogue, by definition, is a SHOWING element of your story. When used judiciously, it can move the plot from one point to another.

    Writing Authentic Dialogue

    As writers, we want our dialogue to sound authentic. But in order to accomplish that, we need to look at dialogue through the lens of our story, not through the lens of us as regular people. 

    By that I mean that dialogue in a story MUST serve a specific purpose. Don’t include pointless chatter at the dinner table. Don’t include things like: “How was your day?” or “Let’s go to the store tomorrow.” These bits serve no purpose and equate to boring for the reader.

     

    3 Things Dialogue Does

    Dialogue must do one of the three things we just talked about. If it doesn’t…

    1. Break up the narrative

    2. Characterize

    3. Communicate backstory

    4. Move the plot forward

    …it doesn’t belong in the story.

    There is so much more to say about dialogue. WriterSpark has a breakout mini-course pulled from the 30 Days to Craft Your Novel course. If you want to learn more about dialogue, with plenty of examples and and activities to hone your dialogue-writing skill, check out the course by clicking below:

    WriterSpark’s Dialogue Mini-Course

    Are you ready for the next step in your writing process? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    23Mar, 2022
    Getting to know your Fictional Characters

    Getting to know your fictional characters, inside and out, is crucial

    I’ve decided to change up the Writing Prompt process. I’m a goal-oriented person. Writing prompts are meant to get the creative juices flowing, however, they can also become a means to an end.

    When I first started writing, I used prompts to spark ideas. Before long I had a single character I tended to write about. Then she had a family. And a town. And on and on and on…

    So what we’re going to do is to create a character first. Then from there, you’ll use this character in each prompt posted.

    You can do things your own way

    Now, of course you do not have to do it this way. You can change the character you write about. It’s your writing. You can do whatever you want!

    The purpose of this approach, though, is to help you create actual scenes using your character. 

    Before long, you’ll have scenes you can insert into the story or book you’re writing. 

    Let’s start with the protagonist

    With that in mind, create a protagonist. Use the information below to help guide you:

    📝 📓 ✍️ START WITH THE BASICS

    What is the:

    Character’s Name

    Gender

    Age

    Nationality

    Birth place

    Education

    Occupation

    Hobbies

    Other Interests

    Describe his/her:

    Family

    Siblings

    Is she/he married?

    Are their children?

    What about pets?

    🧑‍🦰👩🏾‍🦰 👀👩‍🦯 NEXT, WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

    What’s his or her (add whatever other information you’d like!):

    ✳️ eye color?

    ✳️ hair color?

    ✳️ hair style?

    ✳️ body shape?

    ✳️ body size?

    ✳️ complexion?

    What makes them unique (birthmarks, freckles, scars, tattoos, piercings, glasses, contact lenses…)?

    How do they dress?

    What habits– good or bad–do they have (smoking, nail biting, smiling all the time, never smiling, carrying a cane…)?

    How they present themselves to the world (use the examples to spark your creativity)?

    ✳️ Tidy

    ✳️ Disheveled

    ✳️ Well-dressed

    ✳️ Sloppily dressed

    ✳️ Dirty

    ✳️ Sophisticated clothing

    ✳️ Professor-like blazers

    ✳️ Granola-like (hippy, free-flowing…)

    🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏽🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏽 WHAT ARE SOME DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS?

    How do they communicate? What is their speech like (accented, slow speech, stuttering…)?

    General demeanor (joyful, always happy, angry at the world, grumbles constantly…)?

    How do they walk (stride, slow, lazy, brisk pace…)?

    How does their level of education impact how they communicate or carry themselves? 

    Do they talk with their hands?

    Do they make specific gestures?

    Do they make eye contact? If not, what do they do?

    Describe their smile.

    Describe their laugh.

    Describe what they’re like when they’re angry.

    Check out more writing prompts!

     

    Struggling with character development? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    15Mar, 2022
    Writer’s Life: ‘Self-Care’ and Refilling the Creative Well

    A lot of people adhere to the idea that you MUST write every single day. If you don’t, you’re not committed enough!

    In the 17 years I’ve been writing professionally, I’ve heard that advice more than any other tidbit. Too many times to count, really.

    I used to believe it. I would write Every. Single. Day–No. Matter. What.

    I wrote even if I was dead tired.

    I wrote even if it meant I was more focused on the page instead of my daughter’s soccer game, or my son’s band performance.

    I wrote even if my well was dry and I had nothing to say.

    Because if I didn’t make time for writing, then I wasn’t fully dedicated to my writing path. 

    And doing things other than writing would only take away from my precious writing time.

    What I didn’t realize then—and what I still struggle with at times—is that giving myself time to do real life activities—and just unwinding—is crucial to my continued mental health as a writer.

    I no longer believe I have to write every day. I don’t, because at some point along the way, I realized that sometimes I need time to recharge. Sometimes I need to forget all about my writing life and focus on the life I’m living in real time. And sometimes sleep is more important. 

    When I take time for myself in whatever manner that works for me, my writing time is far more productive.

    In the writing and publishing world, the idea of ‘recharging’ or ‘refilling the well’ is recognized as very necessary. ‘Butt in chair’ is another maxim. So how to you reconcile ‘self-care’ with the idea that you must write daily?

    Developing habits that support your mental health is a place to start. What that looks like is different for each of us. I like walking my dogs, spending time with my kids and husband, hiking, yoga, baking, soaking the tub, art journaling, and reading. 

    As you can see, ‘self-care’ isn’t some woo-woo, ultra touchy concept. It is whatever you make it. It is whatever you need it to be in order to let yourself recharge and breathe.

    Your ‘self-care’ may look really different than mine.

    No matter what your ‘self-care’ looks like, I believe it’s fair to say that taking care of your creative mind is absolutely essential. 

    Here are 7 ways to take care of yourself on the regular. The WriterSpark Self Care and Refilling the Creative Well Infographic

    Get Enough Sleep. To keep your writing mind healthy, then, make sure you get enough sleep. How much sleep you need depends on you. Conventional wisdom says 7-9 hours is best for most adults. Getting good sleep helps keep your heart healthy, helps decrease stress, can make you feel more energetic the next day, and can help with your memory.

    Meditate. There are so many health benefits to mediation. A regular meditation practice can help manage stress, improve memory, help you sleep, lower blood pressure, and decrease anxiety and depression. All these benefits make mediation a pretty good return on investment. There are many meditation apps, YouTube channels, and books to get you started. 

    Take a Walk. Writing begets a sedentary life. This makes getting up and walking all the more important. Getting outside is even better. There are plenty of studies showing the benefits of spending time outdoors. It ups our intake of vitamin D, it increases energy, it can lower blood pressure, it can help keep the weight off, it can help combat anxiety and depression, and can increase clarity by letting us clear our minds. That’s all pretty good!

    Read a Good Book. If you are on any type of writing journey, chances are you are a reader. Don’t let the fact that you are writing a book take away from enjoying the books other people have written. Escape into new worlds with books. 

    Practice Yoga. I earned my 200 hour yoga teacher training certificate a few years ago. Doing yoga multiple times a week really allowed me to focus on my body in conjunction with my mind. I practice yoga regularly and it’s one of the best ‘self-care’ activities I do.

    Hit the Gym. If you’re the type of person who enjoys your gym membership, use it! I really love Zumba and I (sort of) like—but mostly think it’s really hard—Body Pump. My commitment to the gym ebbs and flows, and I give myself permission for that to be okay. I go when I can and when inspiration strikes. That’s good enough for me.

    Do Something Fun. This could be anything! I art journal, bake, tend to my plants, paint, and peruse cookbooks. These are just a few hobbies and activities I enjoy. Whether you start a new activity or revisit one that has slipped away, take some time to enjoy it. 

    Download the Infographic

    The bottom line is that writing isn’t everything. Or maybe it is, but it’s still important to take care of your mind and body! 

    Here’s to your health. 

    9Mar, 2022
    Writers are always learning. Are you?

    When I first started writing, it was just for me. I met a friend on Monday nights twice a month. We used a book of writing prompts to tap into our creativity.

    We had no idea what we were doing. 

    We just wrote.

    Some of what I did with my writing in those early days was intuitive. That was good!

    Some things, however, were lacking from my writing because I didn’t understand specific writing techniques. I was in want of certain skills. I lacked finesse. 28 books later, I’m still learning. I always will be. But I’ve also got a pretty full toolbox holding a whole lot of information I didn’t know back then. I didn’t even realize how much I knew until I started creating my first online writing course. And then I was, like, WOW!, I know a lot! 

     
    When you know stuff, you take it for granted. You (wrongly) think that everyone has the same depth of knowledge you do.
     
    If I had spent the last twenty years as an electrician, I’d know a whole lot more than what I learned earning my certification for the job. Trial and error, tricks of the trade, and plain experience would have broadened my knowledge of my trade.
     
    My husband and I just started watching The Resident on Hulu. It has a great cast. I’ve loved Matt Czuchry since his time on The Gilmore Girls and The Good Wife. He’s great as Dr. Conrad Hawkins on this show. Anyway, I digress…
     
     
    In the first episode, Matt Czuchry’s character, Conrad, tells Manish Dayal’s character, Devon (also so great), to basically forget everything he learned in medical school. In med school, he says later, they teach you all the ways you can help people. What they don’t teach you is all the ways you can hurt people.
     
    You have to learn that along the way. Trial and error, tricks of the trade, and experience all teach you so much more than you can imagine.
     
    Thankfully in writing, we don’t accidentally kill people because we’re learning on the job. But we do learn along the way.
     
    The more I fell in love with writing, the more I wanted to learn.
     

    Eventually I began to collect books about the craft of writing. 

    I scoured these book. I collected bits of advice on story structure, character development, and general writing techniques. I learned about the importance of dialogue and how it can literally make or break a story. I learned about mood, tone, and voice.

    All this information was swimming around in my head. What I didn’t have, though, was an actual roadmap. How did I take all that information and put it together in a manner that would help me write a compelling story?

    It’s taken me seventeen years to do just that, and it has manifested in the form of WriterSpark Academy. This online academy for new and aspiring writers reflects what I’ve learned through the process of writing 26 novels (and counting). I’ve winnowed down the key information and presented it in a way that is both clear and accessible. 

    The content on this website and the writing courses offered on the WriterSpark Teachable account are ways for me to share much of what I’ve learned. Oh how I wish I’d had something so straightforward like WriterSpark when I first started!

    Today I’m sharing with you the checklist for 30 Days to Craft Your Novel Checklist. The course isn’t about finishing a novel in 30 days. Rather it provides you with the tools you need in order to forge ahead with confidence and write that book. Even if you don’t take the course, you can use this checklist as a way to keep you on track and aware of all the facets of novel writing.

    One of the things I learned early on in my teaching career was to value feedback. How do we grow if we don’t ask for feedback?

    I DO ask for honest feedback, and students give it willingly. One bit of feedback was: Wouldn’t it be great to have all the downloadables in one book? I took that to heart and created the Ready, Set, WRITE! Companion Workbook. I am SO crazy about it! And again, even if you aren’t or haven’t taken the course, the workbook offers great tools to help you on your novel writing journey.

    Here are a few comments from the online course evaluation. It makes my heart so happy to provide a resource other new writers find valuable.

    “Bourbon’s class 30 Days to Craft Your Novel covers about 20 lessons with bonus material. I’ve learned more writing basics from her than I did on my college campus. She’s so very detail oriented and practical. This class is highly useful. It’s easy to understand because the examples she uses for each topic are not only plentiful, but they are also examples from books many readers have read. It’s so easy to connect with the direction Bourbon is trying to move you in. I’ve found every lesson of hers invaluable. 

    I highly recommend this class. I had tears well up in my eyes when I completed the last lesson. I don’t want to part with learning from her.” ~Trace Hartman

    “Through WriterSpark Writing Academy’s 30 Days to Craft Your Novel Course, I see the writing process less daunting and my personal goals more attainable.  By the end of Week 4, I was ready to start achieving my dream of writing my first novel!  Melissa Bourbon is a natural teacher, exciting motivator, and knowledgeable guide.  Her own experience as a writer is shared fully with her students in a delightful and easy-to-follow format.  The instruction, support, feedback, and encouragement she offers is of the highest quality, and I am excited to be a part of her future WriterSpark Academy Courses!” ~Annette Cutler

    Whether it’s through the content offered here on this website, or through the WriterSpark courses, my hope is that you take away something valuable that will help you on your writing journey.

    *This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a few pennies if you purchase something linked from here. 🙂

    2Mar, 2022
    Grammar 101: What’s an Appositive?

    Funny story. I didn’t learn what an appositive was until I had to teach it, year after year, to classrooms full of 7th and 8th graders.

    I just used an appositive in the above sentence. Can you spot it?

    The answer: year after year (set off by commas)

    I like grammar, so I thought I’d give a mini lesson on appositives, because why not?

    An appositive is a noun, pronoun, or noun with modifiers directly next to another noun or pronoun, which gives more information.

    It’s easiest to understand by seeing.

    Let’s take the above sentence first:

    I didn’t learn what an appositive was until I had to teach it, year after year, to classrooms full of 7th and 8th graders.

    The noun the phrase ‘year after year’ is modifying is ‘it’ (referring to an appositive).

    Here are some other examples. The noun is bold-faced; the appositive is italicized.

    • My sister Julie won the spelling bee!
    • The teacher, a friendly woman in her fifties, loves to teach math.
    • My dogs, Bean, Dobby, and Pippin, light up my life.

    The appositive can also come before the noun:

    • A plant-lover, Shannon has a green thumb.
    • A fascinating place to visit, the Graveyard of the Atlantic museum is on the Outer Banks.

    And there you have it—appositives! In case you were wondering…

    2Mar, 2022
    Grammar 101: Descriptive Adjectives

    I was an English major in college, and I taught English/Language Arts for a lot of years. One thing I realized early on is that, although I had to take a linguistics class, I have absolutely no need to understand how to diagram a sentence. 

    Likewise, I have no need to understand interrogative adjectives, or demonstrative adjectives, or a distributive, quantitative, or possessive adjectives.

    Truly, none whatsoever.

    I appreciate grammar, and I cringe when it’s not used properly. I applaud those who love grammar.

    At the date of this post, I’ve written and published 26 books. And do you know what? I didn’t know what an appositive was until I had to teach it in my 7th grade Language Arts class. 

    There are many parts of grammar we just don’t need to know on a conscious level.

    But—because there is always a but—there are some that we do. 

    Understanding and using descriptive adjectives is something we, as writers, should understand. This is a part of speech that truly helps us elevate our writing. Descriptive adjectives help us show instead of tell.

    Simply put, they can help make our writing so much stronger.

    First let’s define ADJECTIVE. What does it do in a sentence?

    An adjective has one purpose. It modifies the noun. That means it gives deeper meaning to the noun by adding information to it.

    Did you know there are actually eight types of adjectives?

    There are.

    Eight.

    They are:

    • Descriptive

    • Demonstrative

    • Distributive

    • Interrogative

    • Numeral

    • Possessive

    • Proper

    • Quantitative

    Now that you know what they are, my guess is you want a quick explanation. Maybe not, but I did when I first learned about them so here we go:

    Descriptive: modifies the noun by describing something about it. 

    Ex: The gritty sand is rough on my feet.

    The word ‘gritty’ modifies the noun ‘sand’. ‘Rough’ modifies the noun ‘feet’. They give the nouns deeper meaning.

    Demonstrative: modifies the noun by demonstrating something about it, specifically the position of the noun.

    Ex: This book is awesome. 

    Those cookies are overbooked.

    These shoes are too small.

    Distributive: modifies a group as represented by a singular noun. In the examples below, ‘book’, ‘cookie’, and ‘shoe’ are plural, referring to more than one.

    Ex: Each book is a page-turner.

    Every cookie is over-baked.

    Either shoe fits.

    Interrogative: These adjectives form questions; the adjective itself is directly correlated to the noun.

    Ex: What bookstore do you want to visit?

    Whose car shall we take?

    Which of the magazines will you buy?

    Numeral: modifies the noun numerically. It states how many of the nouns from the sentence are in play.

    Ex: There are three bookstores in town.

    Take the third exit to get to the bookstore.

    All my money will go to books.

    Possessive: Shows possession of the noun; it is also a possessive pronoun.

    Ex: my, mine, our/s, your/s, his, hers, its, their 

    Come with me in my car to the bookstore.

    Is it true your book is on sale right now?

    Their cookies are baked perfectly.

    Proper: Part of a proper noun. It needs to be capitalized because of this.

    American people speak English.

    I love French movies.

    Indian and Thai curries are my favorites. 

    Quantitative: Like the numeral adjective, the quantitative explains the noun by quantity. Quantitative overlaps with numeral when using numbers. Quantitative, however, also includes words like:

    Little, more, much, few, all, large, small, tall…

    And there you have it. The eight types of adjectives.

    Now that you are an adjective expert (don’t worry if you promptly forget all the different types the second you close this page–I will), the truth is, all you really need to think about is the descriptive adjective. So let’s go a little deeper into that. 

    As mentioned above, a descriptive adjective modifies a noun through…you guessed it…description.

    Ex: Her new car is red.

    Here we have both a possessive adjective and two descriptive adjectives. 

    Ex: I love soft, gooey, warm chocolate chip cookies.

    Three adjectives in a row!

    So, adjectives are describing words. They show us something, which is why, when I talk about showing versus telling, I place emphasis on descriptive adjectives. As a writer, they are your best friend. They help you paint a picture for the reader. 

    Think about these two sentences:

    The moon is bright in the sky.

    The crescent moon glimmers in the inky sky.

    The second sentence gives more detail so the reader can see it in their mind. Those descriptive adjectives create imagery. 

    I love the epic poem, The Highway Man,  by Alfred Noyes. I’ve taught it a million times. It is a great poem to use when discussing adjectives and figurative language.

    ‘The moon was a ghostly galleon…’

    This is a metaphor, which in itself creates wonderful imagery. The moon compared to a galleon is evocative. Adding the adjective ‘ghostly’ creates tone and mood.

    Here’s the first stanza with the adjectives italicized:

    The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.   

    The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.   

    The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,   

    And the highwayman came riding—

             Riding—riding—

    The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

    Five adjectives pull some heavy weight in these lines. They, along with the metaphors, create a haunting scene.

    Look at this stanza from The Highwayman:

    And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked

    Where Tim the ostler listened. His face was white and peaked.   

    His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,   

    But he loved the landlord’s daughter,

             The landlord’s red-lipped daughter.

    Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

    Look what happens if we change remove the adjectives:

    And in the inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked

    Where Tim the ostler listened.   

    His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like hay,   

    But he loved the landlord’s daughter,

             The landlord’s daughter.

    Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

    It’s lacking the power, the mood, and the haunting tone of the actual stanza. The adjectives give SO much to the few lines. 

    Now let’s change the adjectives:

    And bright in the bright new inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked

    Where Tim the ostler listened. His face was blushed and streaked.   

    His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like yellow hay,   

    But he loved the landlord’s daughter,

             The landlord’s pink-lipped daughter.

    Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

    Changing the adjectives alters the entire tone of the stanza. A few things keep it on the dark side (‘his eyes were hollows of madness’), but the adjectives zap the power from the lines.

    Adjectives matter. They matter a lot!

    Coming up we’ll take a look at adjectives in the wild. I’ll pull short excerpts from books and will highlight the wonderful way great authors use adjectives to make their writing come alive.

    Download the WriterSpark list of 361 Descriptive Adjectives from WriterSpark and use them to help make your writing come alive on the page.

    16Feb, 2022
    Types of Fictional Characters

    Types of Fictional Characters

    Teaching middle and high school language arts taught me a lot about the types of characters in fiction. I learned as much teaching as I did when I was in high school myself–and as an English major in college.

    Understanding the different types of characters and the roles they play in a story allows you to create a cast that supports the protagonist and enhances your story. 

     

    The Major Characters:

    These folks are the key players. Without them, the story doesn’t exist. They are:

    • The Protagonist: This is the hero of the story. They will be your main point of view character. The protagonist is on a journey (a hero’s journey) and has an arc, which is completed by the end of the story.
    • The Antagonist: This is the villain of the story. He or she is often seen as a shadow character of the hero’s. The antagonist presents conflicts for the hero.
    •  

    The Minor Characters:

    These people support the protagonist, or conversely, they present further obstacles for the hero. They could be the mentor, allies or enemies, the trickster, the sidekick, or anyone else who has a less important role than the major players, but who is still integral to the story. They have names and without them, there is a gap in the story.

     

    The Dynamic Characters:

    These are both major and minor characters who experience growth in the story. They may learn a lesson or deal with some internal conflict they’ve been carrying around. The key element of a dynamic character is that they undergo change from who they are at the beginning in some form or fashion. They have an arc of some sort.

     

    The Static Characters:

    On the scale of importance, these folks fall below the minor characters.They simply exist int he story for background and flavor, but they don’t play an important part and don’t have a character arc. They generally don’t change.

     

    The Stereotypes:

    These people are archetypes we all recognize. They are part of our collective unconscious. They are clichés. Within a story, they serve as flavor, but they shouldn’t do more than that because we want our significant characters to be much more than stereotypes. 

    As you create your characters, consider which category they fall into. Your protagonist doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so creating a well-rounded cast makes your hero’s world so much more interesting. Have fun!

     

    Check out more about characters HERE

    10Feb, 2022
    Characters are the Heart of the Story

    Characters are at the Heart of the Story

    Characters are at the heart of every story. Without a strong hero, a book is often forgettable. This is why series are so popular. People come back not for whatever mystery or crime Stephanie Plum will be tackling, but because they love Stephanie herself. And Lula. And Grandma Mazur. And Joe. And Ranger. These characters become so familiar, it’s like they are our friends.

    Jack Reacher. Scrooge. Andy Carpenter. Atticus Finch. Sherlock Holmes. Willy Wonka. Miss Havisham. Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf. Harry Potter. These larger-than-life characters stick with us because they’re so brilliantly drawn. They have clear and strong personality traits and goals.

    Creating Larger-that-Life Characters

    Creating a larger-than-life character of your own. Start by making a few key decisions:

    • Gender Identity
    • Age
    • One word to describe temperament (shy, boisterous, angry, compliant…)
    • What does this character want more than anything? Make the stakes high!
     
    Prompt:
    • Write a scene which SHOWS what your character wants without stating it directly. 
     
     
    How do your characters react? Read more HERE.
     
    31Jan, 2022
    Writing Prompt #5: Connecting Plot and Character

    We’re wrapping up our Writing Prompt series on SETTING by looking at the connection between character and setting.

    Setting gives the reader a world to visualize. It’s grounding. It creates mood and tone.

    In Gone With the Wind, for example, Atlanta is almost a character. So it Tara. These locations provide much more than just the name of a city or property. They provide context for what’s happening in the story, and they provide an emotional connection between the character and place.

    It’s a true relationship. As such, settings can give insight into a character. Scarlett’s connection to Tara and her desire–nay, determination–to save it shows quite a lot about her stubbornness, here doggedness, her resilience, and her grit.

     

    Prompt: 

    Write a scene which shows an emotional connection between your character and a specific setting in their world.