Building Character(s)

Basic (romance) Characters

No GMC today.  Instead, we'll take a look at characters before getting into the goals, motivation and conflict of our characters.

Let's face it, characters are what make a book. If you don't have strong characters---and I don't mean the kind that lift weights---your characters and your story will fall flat.  And so will you.

Characters can have many traits.

• Physical: hair color, eye color, height, body type, etc.
• Overall physical: Handsome, beautiful, plain, scarred, etc.
• Occupation: Doctor, nurse, cowboy, spy, mother, secretary, CEO, business owner, cowgirl...

All of the above make up our basic idea of a character.  But a character isn't only what s/he looks like and does for a living.  A well-rounded character will have other character traits, just as we real people do.  These are what we call personality traits.

If you've ever taken a psychology course in school, you've learned about personality traits, those thing that make us who we are.  The term "strong characters" refers to the strong personality traits of a character.  No one wants to read about a one-dimensional character.  Even a walk-on character often has certain personality traits.  Sometimes that's why one book will branch off into a second book, a third book, or even a multi-book series.  In some books, a secondary character already has a story within the story, written as a subplot to the main plot.

Building a character means knowing a character even better than you know yourself.  Many times writers find a bit of themselves in their characters or perhaps the opposite of themselves.

If you're a new writer and don't understand about characters, there are tons of websites where you can learn about characters and personality traits.  If you're beyond the new writer stage and are struggling with creating a new character, those same websites and others can help you can jump-start your character.

• The Myers & Briggs test can teach you about basic personalities and how they affect each of us.  In addition to the Myers & Brigss website, there are other websites you can visit for more information on it.  TVtropes.com is a good one, and there are many more.
• The Enneagram Institute uses 9 different personalities.  You can take a test to try it out.
• Books for writers, such as the one I mentioned last week by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, Sue Vider.  The Complete Writer's Guide to Heros & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes has an interesting take on characters for an even different take on personalities.
• Still a little confused?  You can download character sheets to get a handle on who and why your character is.
• Don't stop there.  More information is available by doing a search online for fictional personality traits or character description in fiction.  Or think up your own!

The above could keep you busy for quite a long time.  Learn what you can, then think about it when you're working on your current or next story.  You don't have to be exact with your characters. You don't have to give your readers every, single detail about your character.  Be careful to show and not always tell who and why your character is who s/he is.  Sometimes a little pre-writing can help you get a grasp on your characters.  What does your character say?  What is your character thinking?  Is body language involved?  An excellent source for that is The Emotion Thesaurus (The Bookshelf Muse Descriptive Thesaurus Collection).  While that blog has moved to a new location, Writers Helping Writers, there is still a propensity of information about characters, especially how to show, not tell.  If you find either of these helpful, I advice getting the book at Amazon or B&N.

Choosing characters wisely is a huge part of what creates their goals, helps with understanding their motivations and builds their conflict.  And you thought writing was easy!  Most of the time it isn't difficult, but knowing the things that will help will put you on the road to stunning and memorable characters and their stories.

I'll be moving my topics to different days next week, so look for Writing Wednesday on...Wednesday next week.  Do opposites attract?  And just how opposite do they need to be?  Sort of a prerequisite to GMC. :)

The most important aspect of any story, to me, is character. ~ Nora Roberts

Creating Your Characters

WHITE RABBIT SYNDROME

Not only am I late, but I was busy with things I'd left unfinished, while racing toward a deadline.  I actually did write Wednesday's blog...late Wednesday night, then forgot to post it.  Earlier today, I worked on a blog post for Bits & Bytes, my writers group's blog.  In fact, while doing that I remembered it's Friday.  Duh!  The topic of our blog this month is "Your book is a movie!  Who’s in your dream cast?", so it was natural of me to think of characters as a topic for today.

Characters and Story

Characters can make or break your story.

Creating characters can be done in two ways:

Create the right characters for your story.
Create the right story for your characters.

One of the biggest mistakes writers make is not to make their characters real.  Or put another way, making our characters unreal.  By that, I mean they aren't believable.  Unbelievable characters may be too perfect, too imperfect, or they may be cardboard characters with no flaws.

Let's face it, we all have flaws.  Therefore, our characters should also have them.  They don't have to be huge, but they do affect the characters and how they live their lives and relate with others.  Those flaws can change by improving the flaws or can also grow more serious.  Whatever happens, character growth--changes in how the character perceives him or herself and others and reacts to those--are vitally important to them and to the story.

Characters often fall into categories known as archetypes.  You aren't sure what archetypes are?  The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders might be a good place to start.  If you like getting several different opinions or presentations on archetypes, simple do an online search for *character archetypes,* and there will be enough results to keep you busy for quite a while.  If you're more into suspense or mystery, Tami also wrote Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Archetypes of Villains (same link as above).

I don't always think of characters as archetypes, when creating them.  That doesn't mean the characters I write aren't some kind of archetypes.  They'll usually fall into one or two for each character at some time during the process.  After all, we all are archetypes of one kind or another, or we're a mix, just as our characters often are.

The Whys, Whats and Whos

Once you decide on which archetypes your characters fall under, back story takes a front row seat.

• Ask yourself (or your character) WHY he or she is a Warrior or a Seductress, or any of the other archetypes.  From the moment we're born and until we pass on, we experience millions of things in our lives.  Good or bad, those experiences mold us to become who we are at a point in time.  For characters, that point in time is the beginning of the story.
• WHAT happened in the character's life that made a difference, good or bad?  Was it loss or gain?  Raised in a big family or an orphan?  Did a death or a birth affect the character in some way?
• WHO was involved in the above WHAT?  A friend, a parent, a sibling?  Or was it a stranger?

The more we write about a character, the more we learn about him or her.  I've often discovered that even though I think I know my character, I often learn there's something I missed.  If that happens to you, don't worry about it.  A little editing later will not only fix it, but make the character more well-rounded and real.

Keep one thing in mind:  The WHAT doesn't have to be a bad thing.  Good things work just as well.  It all depends on your character.

Back story not only helps answer the WHY, WHAT and WHO, but it can also be the catalyst that will force a change in the character, making that character grow.  Without character growth, without a change, either throughout the story or caused during and after the Black Moment, a story falls flat.  Knowing your character when you sit down to write the story can make a big difference in your writing.  The more you know, the easier your writing will go.

Once you've learn your character's archetype and the WHY, WHAT and WHO, you have a lot of  the information you need to work on the character's GMC (Goal, Motivation & Conflict).  Because GMC is very important to the character's story, we'll take a look at it next week and see how to use archetypes and the 3Ws to work with GMC.

Have a wonderous weekend and get ready to welcome in Spring!

When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. ~ Ernest Hemingway

♪♫ Let's Get Together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah ♫♪

Yes, I'm old enough to remember the original Parent Trap movie.  I loved anything with Hayley Mills in it.  But this blog post isn't about Hayley or her movies or the cute song, Let's Get Together, that Hayley and, uh, Hayley sang in the movie, although it keeps running through my brain.  I decided to share about this past Saturday, when my writers group got together for our Fall Mini-Retreat.

Nothing can be beat a group of females talking about writing and stories and characters and cake--  Oops!  We ate the cake, baked and decorated by one of our members.  (Thanks T!)

Ten of us gathered in the large, comfy and peaceful clubhouse of a large apartment complex at ten in the morning, ready to kick back, relax, and talk writing.  And, boy, did we talk!  We shared information about our current WIPs (Works In Progress), then really got down to the best part:  Brainstorming.

I. Love. Brainstorming.  When I'm stuck or not sure of something in my WIP, I have a couple of friends who I can turn to, and they put me on the right track.  But I love brainstorming other writers "stuff" just as much.  Maybe even more!  It gets the brain working and puts it in creative mode.  After a brainstorming session, I often have lightbulb moments about my own story and characters.

If you've never had the chance to brainstorm with other writers, you've missed one of the best things about writing.  Each of us at the retreat took a turn presenting what our story is about, while everyone else asked questions and gave suggestions, especially if the author had hit a bump in the road of her story.  When that bump happens, there are ways to smooth out the road.  It takes asking questions, whether asked by you or by a fellow writer.  What kind of questions? Why questions.

Why

One of the biggest things that writers need to learn along the way is understanding and using character motivation.  If a character isn't motivated by something or someone, that character will fall flat, leading readers to close the book and toss it aside.  Motivation is what drives a character to think what he thinks and do what she does.  When first deciding on a character, ask yourself a few questions.  What does your character fear and why?  What happened in the character's past made him/her way?  What kind of family did your character come from?  What was the character's childhood like?  Without knowing these things, it's difficult to motivate a character's reason for doing whatever it is she or he is doing throughout the story.  Without motivation, there's no strong goal, and the stronger, the better.  Why does the hero want to be a police officer?  Why is the heroine so negative about marriage and relationships?  Why can't these two people, who are obviously made for each other, get together for a happily-ever-after?  (Aha!  Conflict!)

If you can't answer the why questions, dig a little deeper. Motivation is in the character's backstory.  It's the character's life history.  What would make someone do or not do something?  Want or not want something?  Was the hero's father a police officer?  Had the hero, as a child, run away, faced danger, and was rescued by a police officer?  Did the heroine grow up in a broken home, never getting the chance to get to know her father?  What about her mother?  What kind of person raised this girl?  Or maybe it's something more recent.  Was the heroine dumped at the altar at her wedding?  What was it that makes your character who he or she is at the beginning of the book?

Creating a character that will tug at the hearts of readers or make them laugh, isn't easy.  Knowing your characters is the key to writing a great book.  Do whatever it takes to make your characters come alive.  Getting to know them is the first step.

People don't suddenly appear at the age of twenty-four or thirty-two or whatever age in real life.  Neither should your character, even in the beginning of a book.  A character, just like each of us, is the sum of his life.  You need to know that character and what's happened to him, up to the point of where you begin to tell the story.  That motivation or backstory will help drive your character and your plot.

There are as many ways to "flesh out" a character--get to know them--as there are writers.  Some writers choose to create a character profile of each of the main characters, right down to what books they read and the color of their socks.  Some writers start by writing some dialogue between characters.  Or they might let the characters, one at a time, tell the writer about themselves.  (Yes, we're a crazy bunch, who hear voices in our heads.)  Some writers do a character interview, asking the character simple questions that can become more complex as the interview goes on.  This can often lead to surprises for the writer!  He had a sister who disappeared?!

I've used each of those methods at one time or another, but usually by the time I'm ready to start plotting or writing, those characters have spent enough time in my head that I know them pretty well.  There are lots of times when I wish they'd be quiet!  Practicing some of the techniques above will eventually lead you to what works best for you...and your characters.  But whatever method you use, it never hurts to try something new, when your usual way doesn't work.

That's where brainstorming with a group or even one writer friend can help.  Be sure to keep an open mind, while brainstorm.  Others don't see your characters as you do.  They haven't experienced the same things that you have--or your characters have.  Sometimes we might think the ideas of others don't "fit" our idea of our character, but if we listen, something suggested might turn us down another road in the life of a character and lead to the perfect answer to why.  And that's what makes brainstorming so great.

GMC.  Goal.  Motivation.  Conflict.  (Thanks, Deb Dixon!)  There's no required order to think of it at the beginning of an idea.  Maybe you know your character's conflict first.  Maybe it will be the character's goal.  And maybe you'll have an idea of the character's motivation.  Just keep in mind that it takes all three to make well-rounded, interesting, and believable character that readers will love.  Or hate, because, yes, even the villain should have all three.

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. ~ Mark Twain

The Perks of Writing a Series

Why would a writer consider writing a series?

I've already blogged about what a series involves and how to keep track of the information involved in writing that series.  Now let's see why a series can be a plus for a writer.

Throughout the ages, series have been written, read, and reread.  Many of them have been written for children.  The most popular include Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter, Little House on the Prairie, The Babysitters Club, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden.  Adult series include Sherlock Holmes, A Song of Fire and Ice, and too many in-between to list.  Everybody has their favorite. :)

What is a series?  According to Dictionary.com, a series is a set of successive volumes or issues of a periodical published in like form with similarity of subject or purpose.

CONNECTIONS MAKE IT EASIER

The "similarity of subject or purpose" can also be called "connections."  It only takes one book or idea to spawn more.  In that one book or idea, a writer has a variety of connections from which to create a series.  If you're looking for one, the following are a start.

Theme
Because series books already contain some type of connection, there's a huge chance you have a theme.  Whether it's family, a town/city/area, shared backgrounds, fighting the bad guys, weddings, saving a marriage, sheikhs, cowboys and ranchers, babies, good vs. evil, and more, there's a basic theme or thread that runs through all of books.

Characters
Most books don't involve only one, main character.  In fiction there are two: the protagonist and the antagonist.  In romance, there are also two:  the Hero and the heroine (H/h).  These second two may switch roles as protag and antag.  Whatever type of book you're writing, each of these two characters has:

• Background - Friends or a acquaintances, occupation, hobbies/interests, training, school(s), life experiences, and more.
• Family - Bothers, sisters, cousins, parents...
• Conflict - What keeps them from getting whatever it is they want

Setting

• City, small town, apartment complex, neighborhood, office, armed forces, jungle, desert, distant planet, the future, the past, alternate reality
• Seasons or weather related.  For instance, three books could be three different stories about surviving the same natural disaster.

MINOR CHARACTERS

The role of a minor character can lead to the role of a major character (protag/antag) in the next book.  This could be a friend, relative, or any other character that appears or is mentioned (introduced) in the first book. The latter can be used especially for longer series that isn't necessarily based on a family.  At least that's what I discovered when 2 related books became an 8 book series.

Summary aka let me confuse you:  After the line I first published with closed, I sold a book to Harlequin American.  I needed more and wondered if anything I'd considered writing in the past would work for this new-to-me line that focused on Home and Family.  I had two stories that were interrelated by the two heroes being friends (1st connection-friends).  These were stories and characters I'd always liked and had hoped that some day they would be published.  They were originally set in two different areas, so to help tie them together a little more, I decided to move the second book to the same setting as the first.  Desperation, Oklahoma (2nd connection-town) was born.   The heroes were both rodeo cowboys (3rd connection-occupation), although they didn't compete in the same events.  One was a bronc rider, the other a bull rider.

So now I had two heroes, Hero1 and Hero2.  While working on those, I discovered some old notes on a story about Hero1's younger brother, who had run away and vanished when he was in high school.  Their father had died, their mother had deserted them, and little brother had picked up and left, early on.  My editor, however, wanted to see a story about the sister of Heroine2 (1st connection for bk3) .  Okay, that was doable.  Enter Heroine3.  Add Hero3, the town's sheriff, and there was the story's 2nd connection: the town.  I adjusted Book 2 to add in a mention of a secret relationship between what would become Hero3 and Heroine3, and decided not to go with the younger brother quite yet.  I had an idea.  Why had the mother of Hero1 deserted her husband and two sons?  Answer:  She was pregnant and too young to be the mother of three.  Of Native American heritage, she wanted to join the rodeo and did.  Aha!  A secret sister!  Heroine4 was created, the unknown sister of Hero1 (1st connection-family, and a new character).  Heroine4 knew who her brothers were and she arrived at her brother's ranch, looking for a job as a wrangler for Heroine1's boys' ranch.  (H/h1 were, by this time, married with a young son).  A revisit to the setting in the first book created the 2nd connection of both ranch & town.  Hero4 was the head wrangler, and of course the two butted heads.  And he was a new character.

Still with me?  Yes, it can be confusing. 

PIotting for future books, if there might be chance there might be some, I'd added a new female doctor to the town.  Hero5, Hero1's younger brother, (1st connection-family) arrived at the ranch in the epilogue of Book 4 (2nd connection-ranch & town).  Yes, his story was next.  Because of a debilitating injury, Hero5 was tended to by the female doctor (Heroine5).  As it turned out, the doctor had a brother, who had moved to town to become the city attorney a few years earlier and was introduced briefly in Book 5.  We're on to Book 6 with the brother (Hero6) of Heroine5.  Confused?  I am.  Heroine6 had appeared briefly in several of the books, so now she had her own story.  Several tries later, a new set of old characters never mentioned before, stepped forward for the telling of their stories.  Hero7 and Hero8 were brothers (1st connection-family), and another duo of old stories begun, but never told.  The location of their setting was moved within the state, so they could now friends with earlier heroes and heroines (2nd connection-town), they fit well in Desperation.  Heroine7 and Heroine8 were both new characters.

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it took some thinking and brainstorming to keep the series going.  But I'll also admit that it was fun.  Books 1 and 2 led to books 3 and 4, which led to 5 and 6, and now 7 and 8-- with a bit of new, yet staying with the town, family and friends...and even occupations as ranchers, it worked.

Why did it work?

REVISITING FORMER CHARACTERS

One of the things I enjoy reading the most in a series or connected stories is learning what's been going on with former main characters or simply seeing the mention of former minor characters.  Having those minor characters or even briefly introduced characters take on a major role is just as good, if not better.  That's also why I've enjoyed writing a series.  People grow, their families grow, and so should fictional characters, whenever possible.  Stephen King, even when not writing a "series," will mention a place or name from previous novels.  It always brings a smile to my face.


PERK SUMMARY AND THE BIGGEST PERK

Readers Love Series

With the Desperation series (Hearts of Desperation, if you like), the connections are many.  Theme is much the same as Harlequin American Romance.  Home and Family.  Setting?  A small town.  Characters are connected in many ways, including friends, family, and occupations.  One grows out of the first and so on.  But first and foremost, I'm a reader.  I enjoy seeing "old friends" in a series, meeting new ones, and knowing that in a series I will have my favorites, whether reading OR writing.  That's the biggest perk of all.

As a writer, are you a reader?  Do you enjoy reading books in a series?  If you do, why aren't you writing one?  Yes, it takes work, and sometimes it might seem that there's nothing more to tell.  But in fiction, as in life, there's always more.  Give it a try.  The first book lays the groundwork, the second and subsequent books build the series.  Just remember to have fun!

I'll be a guest blogger at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs on Monday, June 24th.  I'll be delving into the setting of small towns, so stop in and say HI.  There may be some free books available for lucky visitors, too!

The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination. – Elizabeth Hardwick

Hearts of Desperation Main Characters and their Connections 
THE RODEO RIDER, Book 1 - Tanner O'Brien and Jules Vandeveer
 BACHELOR DAD, Book 2 - Dusty McPherson (friend of Tanner) and Kate Clayborne
 THE LAWMAN'S LITTLE SURPRISE, Book 3 - Morgan Rule (town sheriff) and Trish Clayborne (Kate's sister)
 THE RELUCTANT WRANGLER, Book 4 - Mac MacGregor and Nikki Johannson (Tanner's sister)
 THE MAVERICK'S REWARD, Book 5 - Tucker O'Brien (Tanner's brother) and Paige Miles (new doctor in town)
 BACHELOR DAD, Book 6 - Garrett Miles (Paige's brother and city attorney) and Libby Carter (works in the  local tavern, where Kate Clayborne McPherson provides her famous barbecued beef sandwiches)
 A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY - Luke Walker (friend to many in and around Desperation) and Hayley Brooks
 DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY - Dylan Walker (Luke's brother) and Glory Andrews

Serious About Series?

The idea had never been to write a series, much less an 8-book series.  It started long ago with two books that were related only by the two heroes who knew each other and shared a common profession:  both were rodeo cowboys.  Neither had ever been submitted to a publisher, although they had been entered in a contest or two.  Then along came the need for a new proposal, and because I'd always liked the characters and stories, I dusted off the old manuscripts, made massive revisions, especially in the settings, and sent them off to my editor.  To my surprise and joy, she liked them!

Desperation, Oklahoma was born.

Tucked away in my manuscript folder was the start of another story about the long lost brother of the hero in the first book, but it received a thumbs-down from my editor, who wanted to see a story about the sister of the heroine in book two.  Okay.  Book three.  Then I realized the first hero had a sister he'd never known about.  Enter book four.  When I finally found a story for that long lost brother of hero one, book five took life.  Still with me?  The heroine of book five had a brother, and he became the hero of book six.  Having run out of family connections, I pulled out two more old stories about two brothers of a heroine from my second Silhouette Romance.  Neither had seen the light of day for years, for no reason other than I'd never gotten back to them or even knew what to do with them.  Originally set on a fictional ranch near Tulsa, Oklahoma, I moved their stories to a ranch near Desperation and made changes to the two rancher-brothers' names, backstories and more.  Books seven and eight.  A Nanny for the Cowboy was released in March this year, and Designs on the Cowboy hit bookshelves (print and digital) this week.

Two books at a time, often with no idea who or what might be next, until I started to know the characters well.  No planning ahead.  There isn't even what's called a flash on the covers to designate that the books are part of a series.  But readers have picked them up, sometimes in odd order, and decided they like the people in Desperation, Oklahoma.  I do, too.

What's needed to create a series?
A common thread.  Whether it's family or setting, professions or friendships, there needs to be something that connects each of the books.  The connection for Hearts of Desperation is the town, even though some of the characters are related.  It's all about a group of something, whether it's Navy Seals, brothers, cowboys, shared paranormal gifts, you name it.

How many books are needed for a series?
Obviously more than one. ☺ Three is often good to start with.  But, like mine, that can grow...and grow.  New characters appear that sometimes need their own stories told.  Threads sometimes continue through a series, not necessarily about major characters, but sometimes minor characters.

Why do readers like books in a series?
For me, it's revisiting former main characters, and I believe other people feel the same.  Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars series is one of my favorites.  Of course I have favorites within the series, but I loved how the mention of a character later became a book about that same character.  Did she plan them that way?  You'd have to ask her. :)  But the common bond of the story characters revolves around a professional football team.  Wynette, Texas, is another series, connected by both setting and a variety of characters that appear or are mentioned in earlier books.

When it comes to Stephen King, anyone who's read some (or all) will recognize the names of the two towns where many of his stories are set...or are mentioned.  According to Wikipedia, nine of Mr. King's works (novels and novellas) are set in Castle Rock, Maine.  Twenty-two of his works refer to Castle Rock.  Then there's Derry, Maine, which appears in twenty of his works.  It doesn't hurt that he lives in Bangor, Maine, and knows the region well.

How does a writer start a series?
Sometimes by accident, as I did.  Sometimes the connection of a series comes first.  Some are planned from the start, some grow from one or two books.  Choose wisely and always keep those connections in mind.

Why do writers like to write series?
For the same reasons readers like to read them.  Then there's the plus of good sales if the books are well-liked.  A series can keep a writer going for several years.  Yes, new stories must be created, but because many books are character driven, finding a new character isn't as difficult as created a new one from scratch.


Do you think you might like to give writing a series a try?  Great!  There's an abundance of information online, although reading series by other writers is a good start.  Take care, though, that the introduction of minor characters doesn't take over the main story!  Focus on the main characters, their conflicts and resolutions, and leave the next major characters for a new book.

Next week I'll be back to share how to handle the hardest thing about writing a series: Keeping track of characters and details.  I'll explain my own method and links to those of others, so if you're interested, stop by!

"The easiest thing to do on earth is not write." ~ William Goldman

Do Opposites Attract?

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Spring Break came two days early for us, and yesterday involved keeping five children from driving us over the cliff of insanity.  Writing anything--even my name--was nearly impossible with an interruption every five or less minutes.  This morning they're keeping themselves busy with other things.  Yes, I'm grateful. ☺

 My writing group has been discussing plotting on our email loop, which brought us around to GMC (Goal, Motivation and Conflict), a method offered by author Debra Dixon.  For me, it's a starting place.

GMC is a quick telling of what the character wants, why the character wants it, and what is getting in the way of not getting it.

Does that mean that the two main characters need to be opposites?  No.  But they must have opposing goals, somewhere along the line.

A few weeks ago I posted the following opposite traits.

Disciplined/Free Spirit
Homebody/Nomad
Driven & Determined/Lives for the Moment
Cheerful/Angry
Courageous/Fearful
Rigid/Adaptable  

In the above, any could be negative traits or positive traits.  And, yes, they are a bit cut and dried.  We, as well as our characters, don't have only one trait.  We're a mixture of many, both positive and negative, weak and strong.  Our characters should be this way, too.

If you've chosen to have one character  who is disciplined, follows a strict path in life and never waivers from it, while the other is a free spirit, spontaneous and loves to do things on the spur of the moment, you've already set up a conflict, simply in personality types.

But what if you have two characters who are both Driven & Determined?  Where's the conflict?

Within a relationship, whether it's family, romantic, or even business, no two people will be exactly alike, even if they share the same major traits.  Two driven or even rigid people can have conflict with the other character, especially where their goals are concerned.  Neither is willing to give an inch, when it comes to what they want and what they'll do to get it.  Two cheerful people won't always agree.  Somewhere they will differ.  That's where knowing your characters comes in.

And that's when GMC steps up to the plate.  On the surface, these two seem perfectly compatible, but somewhere they'll differ.

• Two sisters are close to each other, they share a room, they share their life, they share secrets.  But one sister loves red, while the other loves green.  It's never been a problem between them, until they have an opportunity to make changes in their personal environments.  Their goal is to paint their room.  Suddenly, this goal is going to raise some conflict.
• A woman and a man are driven to be successful in business.  But what if they're vying for the same job?  Or have competing businesses?
• A couple planning their future together want to buy a home, expecting a happily ever after.  They share many of the same likes and dislikes, whether it's music, movies, dancing or no dancing, TV and reading, and things to do in their spare time.  Her dream is to live in the city, while his is to live in the country.

These are simple, basic things that set each of us apart.  A courageous person can become fearful, while a fearful person can be forced to become courageous.  Rigid people can adapt, when needed.  A homebody may find that he/she enjoys a bit of traveling.  Those sisters above may find a perfect way to mix their favorite colors.

As people, we learn to compromise, and that's what our characters will also learn to do.  Even if they share basic traits, each will have something that is different than the other.  If they don't, if there is no conflict, we'll become bored with them.  Each character is different in some way.  Find it and run with it.  Create memorable characters and you'll end up with a memorable story.

If you're writing about a character, if he's a powerful character, unless you give him vulnerability I don't think he'll be as interesting to the reader. - Stan Lee

Emotions: Mix it Up

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

In romance, we want to see the characters reach their happily-ever-after, just as we want to see the puzzle solved in a mystery.

It's the mix of emotions in a story that keep us reading.  Two people meet.  There's an emotional element to that meeting.  Sometimes it's an attraction, sometimes it's instant dislike, and quite often it's a mix of both of those.

Let's face it.  Nobody wants to read a story of two perfect people, leading perfectly happy lives, where everything goes perfectly well.  Ugh!  What fun would that be?  And just how real is it?

The very best writers know the truth.

 Lysander:

Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;

But either it was different in blood—

~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1, scene 1

Even Shakespeare knew to mix it up and take the characters through a romp of emotions.  It's the emotions of the characters and how they react to them that makes the story.

The path of romance can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, starting at a high, low, or even medium, then taking each character up an down emotionally throughout the story, yet ending at that happily ever after.

We each have emotions fighting for recognition within.  Something makes us happy, but when something else happens, we can be sad or angry.  We want our characters to feel the same, thus taking readers through that ride of emotions.  Without those emotions, characters and readers become apathetic.  Who wants to cheer for an emotionless hero or heroine?

But happy, sad, and angry aren't the only emotions humans feel.  Countless studies have been done on emotions.  One in particular, by psychologist Robert Plutchik, gives an excellent view of emotions and the depths of them in his Plutchick's Wheel of Emotion.

Larger image

The wheel shows the progression of simple emotions to deeper emotions and could be used to help set up your characters emotions from beginning to end.  But they won't stay with one emotion, because in the end, they both (hero and heroine) must reach that ecstacy or at least joy stage to be at that happily-ever-after ending.

Simple Example:

• When the heroine first meets the hero, she might be annoyed with him or something about him.  Maybe she becomes or is angry at something he said or did.
• For the hero at first meet, there could be boredom or even disapproval.

Switch those two around, and there are two different characters meeting for the first time.  Change one of the emotions--perhaps annoyance to apprehension, and there's another set.  Or one might have some interest in the other.  Keep them at odds.  Even if both are attracted, there needs to be an opposition to the other, even if only slight.

The characters must grow.  They need to have a wide range of emotions throughout the story.  There can be surprise, sadness, anticipation, fear (of own feelings or of what might come), and more.  They'll need some trust, both in themselves and the other.  There can be opposing emotions within a character--The I want but I can't have element.  They can feel the same emotions at the same time, but each emotion will move into another, different emotion with a different reaction.  Each character can have layered emotions, too.  A character could feel happiness, but there may be a sadness buried beneath it.

Dig deep.  While the wheel above gives us 32 emotions, there are many, many more that we, as humans, have.  Sometimes having a list can help, so below are three lists that might help, when trying to build your characters.

Philosophy 101: List of Emotions

The Work of Byron Katie - Emotions and Reactions

Your Relationship Matters - List of Human Emotions

Emotions work both ways.  Your characters' emotions can help build their GMCs.  Turn that around and discover that GMC can help build emotions.  Emotions from instances in the past are connected to the present and the future.  GOAL is the future.  MOTIVATION is the past.  CONFLICT is the present.

Make your story emotional by giving characters a wide range of emotions.  Your readers will love you!

"All literature shows us the power of emotion, It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature." ~ Duff Brenna

Let Your Readers Love Your Characters

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

How does a writer make the reader shout for joy or weep with sorrow?  Through the characters.

There's something about falling in love with a fictional character that sometimes makes the reader wonder why.  Is it because he's so sexy?  Because she's so sweet?   Or is it because the author let us get to know the characters so well that readers almost believed they were real?

The secret to creating the best characters is letting the reader get to know them intimately.  That's done by using POV. Point Of View.

What is POV and How is It Used?

POV is being in a character's head.  This is done not only through dialogue and action, but through thoughts and emotions.  Only that character can think, feel, and describe through his or her eyes and ears what the other character is saying and doing.

Through our POV character we can show the physical reaction of the other character and hear words spoken, then reach a conclusion of that other character's emotions.  Expressions and body language for the non-POV character can tell a lot.  A frown tells us the other is unhappy, sad or angry.  A smile (seemingly real) can show acceptance, assurance or happiness.  But it's only the POV character who gives us not only a glimpse, but the full deal character.

We use internal thoughts, feelings and physical reaction to show the heart and mind of a character beneath the outer shell.  While the POV character may be saying one thing, an internal thought shows the reader why it's being said, how he/she feels about it, and how it affects physically by things like increased heart rate, an internal wave of heat or cold, butterflies in the midsection and many more.

Let's take FEAR for an example.  (I'm using The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angel Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, available in digital form at online bookstores and in PDF at the Bookshelf Muse blog.  I highly recommend this book!)

What are the sensations a character feels internally, when gripped by fear?  Most often, we can't speak.  There's that racing heart, a knot in the stomach, dizziness and more.  If the POV character is watching someone experience fear, he/she might see signs of these things (face growing pale, white knuckles, stuttering or hesitant speech), but not feel the emotions.  The POV character can't know what the other person is thinking and can even be confused by outward signs.  Only the POV character can feel these things.

The mistake that happens the most often with a new writer is when a character describes her physical self.  Some use the mirror trick, but just how many of us are really honest about our appearance?  *My long, raven hair bounces when I walk.  My bright blue eyes are mesmerizing.*  But, really, is that how we think of ourselves?  Is that how we would describe ourselves to someone?  Instead, we'll say something common, such as "I have dark, almost black hair, and my eyes are blue."  Then comes the clothing that we sneak in to dress the character, but we'll tackle description a a later time.

I've used the POV character's clothing, usually sparingly, to do different things beyond a simple description.  In the instance below, it was brief and helped show the character's state-of-mind.

The sheriff approached, casting a shadow into the car.  Slowly, wishing she could disappear, Trish pushed the button to roll down her window.  But instead of greeting the sheriff with a smile, she continued to stare at the misty scene before her, hoping the knitted cap she wore would hide her blonde hair and her identity until she could stop her heart from racing. (The Lawman's Little Surprise) 

After that, the only thing we know about the other character (the sheriff) is what is seen through Trish's eyes.

“Having car trouble, miss?”

She turned slowly, wishing she could be anyplace but where she was.

“You’re back,” Morgan Rule said, his voice flat and matter-of-fact.  

She tried her best to ignore his frown and the lack of emotion in his voice.  “You knew I’d be home before Kate’s wedding and Christmas.”

Later, in the same scene...

Placing his hands on the window opening, he leaned down, his dark gaze connecting with hers.  “Our wedding was cancelled.  You had other things to do.  I don’t see a reason to be friends.”

“I postponed our wedding,” she pointed out, while attempting to remain calm.  “You were the one who cancelled it.”

A flicker of emotion crossed his face, something she couldn’t recognize, and was gone.  His eyes betrayed nothing.  

All of the above is in one character's POV.  In fact, the entire scene is from Trish's point of view.  The next scene is in Morgan's POV and shows his reaction to what had happened.  This is often called a sequel to to the previous scene, where we get to know just how he'd felt and reacted.

It had taken every bit of control Sheriff Morgan Rule had to keep from going after Trish and retracting everything he’d said to her.  But he wouldn’t do it.  Not now, not ever.  

He’d been so proud of her when her children’s book had been bought by a well-known publisher, and he’d thought he’d finally found peace and happiness.  He should have known better.  Instead of peace, one incident with the town drunk had brought back the memories he’d thought he’d buried and reminded him that he could never have a life like most men.  He hadn’t meant to hurt Trish, but to save her.  And now, because he didn’t trust his heart, he had to say and do things he knew were hurtful—to both of them.

Now we have a hint as to why the sheriff reacted to Trish the way he did in the first scene, as the second scene opens. 

Head-hopping vs. POV Purist

I admit it.  I'm a POV purist.  Which is not to say that several best-selling authors aren't able to pull off what's known as head-hopping.  It can happen, but head-hopping from one character's POV to another can also be confusing if not done very, very well.  Why torture yourself (and maybe even a reader) by trying to show too much at once, when you can do it with practice and ease?

It's true that we hear the conversations or our characters in our heads.  At least I do.  I want to know what each character is thinking, what each character is feeling.  But if I'm having to jump back and forth, from one person's thoughts and feelings to another's thoughts and feelings, I don't get to know them as well as I would if I'd been able to stay in one character's head for a decent amount of time.  Sure, we want to know what each character is feeling, but when those feelings are bouncing around like a ping-pong ball, from the head of one character to the head of the other, we never really get to know them as well as we might.

Being a POV Purist means taking a character to the deepest level and staying there long enough to show those emotions that the reader needs and wants to see.  It's also a great way to keep a reader turning the pages at the end of a scene or chapter, instead of putting the book down and turning off the light.  At the end of the scene, the reader should want to know what's going on with the other character.

As a purist, I keep to one POV per scene, and usually--not always--move back and forth with a change of POV for each scene.  It keeps me honest. :)  Still, I'll admit that a handful of times, I've switched mid-scene in the last of the book.  It can be done, but it takes practice and knowing how to do it without confusing the reader.  Because I'm not solidly confident, I keep it to a rare minimum.  One of my best writer friends sometimes changes POV mid-way through scenes throughout her books, but once out of one head and into the other, she stays with the second.  It works well for her, and she knows how to do it seamlessly. The reader knows instantly that she's now in the other character's POV and will stay there.

It's the switching POV every few lines or paragraphs that can be confusing.

Anyone who has read older romances can attest to the fact that things have changed.  Forty years ago, romance stories were written in only the heroine's POV.  Now we have the luxury of reading how the hero is feeling and thinking, and it's much more fun, not only for the reader, but for the writer.  Just be sure your hero's inner thoughts and feelings are those of a male, not a female.  Yes, there is a difference!  And vive la différence!


POV is one of the many things we need to keep in mind as we're writing.  I've caught myself switching and not realizing it, then having to go back and change it.  Becoming the mind of your characters can help.  Use POV as an aid to deepening the emotion in your story, and you'll soon be writing stories that make your readers fall in love with your books.

Study the rules so that you won't beat yourself by not knowing something. — Babe Didricksen Zaharias 

Make Your Characters Real

 THE CREATIVE PROCESS

It's easy to fall into the trap of not fully "fleshing out" our characters.  Even with strong GMCs, our characters can still be flat and uninteresting.  And boring characters will have readers closing the book.

What does "fleshing out" mean?

Fleshing out means to expand or become more substantial.  For writers it means making characters more human.  There's nothing worse than a perfect person...or a perfect character.  And that's as if there really was a perfect person.  We do try, but we're human...and that's what the characters in our stories should be.

Each character must have, well, character.  After all, that's why they're called characters. ;)  Character is made up of different things.  Because no one (especially our characters!) is perfect, there are both positive and negative traits within our personalities, just as we have strengths and weaknesses.

• Human Traits
• Strengths
• Weaknesses

When thinking of main characters in a romance (hero and heroine), having different and sometime opposing traits, strengths and weaknesses, is ideal.  Here's a short list for some ideas:

Disciplined/Free Spirit
Homebody/Nomad
Driven & Determined/Lives for the Moment
Cheerful/Angry
Courageous/Fearful
Rigid/Adaptable

Don't shy away from putting them at odds from the very beginning.  Do be sure each trait is motivated (think backstory of character).  What has happened to the character in the past?  Or is happening now that will keep them apart?  (Remember that Push/Pull thing.)  For some reason, these characters should not come together and have a happily ever after.  Read the back covers of your favorite books for ideas, but mix them up, don't steal. ;)  It doesn't matter if the hero and heroine have a past together or not.  Don't always stay in the safe zone.  Mix it up.  The only thing to keep in mind is that motivation.

Give your characters weaknesses.  That's what makes them interesting and real.  Fear works well as a conflict.  It builds conflict.  Connect that fear to the the character's backstory and well-motivated goal that are counter to the other character's, and you're building the conflict between them.

Make them human.  Give your characters a personal habit or small mannerism that sets him/her apart.  I recently turned in a book with a hero who answers "Right," instead of "Yes" or "Okay."  I didn't intend it to happen, but that was a part of him.  Does the heroine cross her legs and nervously wave one foot when seated?  Does she slap her hands on her hips and jut out her chin when angry?  Be a people-watcher for mannerisms to use.

Make them different, even when it's different from the "real" them.
I'm a huge Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan.  Her books are funny and wildly emotional.  I have three that are my favorites.  The first is IT HAD TO BE YOU (Chicago Stars Series).  The heroine, Phoebe Sommerville, is my all-time favorite heroine, so when I had the good fortune to attend a writers' workshop given by SEP, I was thrilled when she talked about building characters using Phoebe as a example.  If you haven't read IT HAD TO BE YOU, Phoebe is a buxom, curvaceous woman and always dresses to show it off, who happens to wear pristine, white underclothing.  Nope, no thongs or bikini undies for her.  She uses her seemingly sexual appearance (through clothing, swiveling hips and pouty lips) as a shield to hide the real her.  There are reasons, meaning she is well-motivated.  What I remember most of that workshop was SEP sharing that she started with a very private heroine, who wore white, common-sense undies and bras.  That was the skeleton of the character.  As SEP built the rest of the character from the inside out,  Phoebe became a "sexpot" on the outside.  People saw one type of woman, but inside there was an insecure girl.  So even within one character, there was conflict, and that's what it's all about. Of course there's always Push/Pull within a character.  It's the I want but I can't have conundrum.  Let's face it, we all have a secret self.

The above is a reminder that our characters should reveal their true selves to the reader, long before revealing it to the other character.  Do it slow and easy.  Don't dump it immediately.  And when you do bring it out, little by little, show it, don't tell it.

Make your characters three-dimensional by using:

• Internal thoughts
• Emotions
• Actions

While your character may say and act one way, what that character is thinking (internal thoughts) and feeling may be quite the opposite.  Be certain you don't forget that or leave it out.  A character may be hard and unforgiving, but when it's shown that it isn't so by using internal thoughts along with clear motivation, that character has dimension.  As for actions, we all know the old saying that actions speak louder than words. Tears welling in the eyes, tone of voice, teeth or hand clenching, and more can be felt by the character and seen by the other.

Make them unforgettable.

When readers close your book at the end, you want them to feel an emotion.  A good emotion.  A smile, a happy sigh or even a tear will endear a reader to your characters and your book.  Make those characters touch the heart by becoming "real."

“I will go to my grave in a state of abject endless fascination that we all have the capacity to become emotionally involved with a personality that doesn't exist.” 

― Berkeley Breathed

Building the Story: Characters

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

As I work on making changes on a proposal, I'm given pause to think about how important characters are to the plot of a book.  It's characters and our love of them that make a great story.  And, yes, even a mountain or a whale can become characters that change another character.

In romance, our characters are sometimes both two protagonists, while also being the antagonists.  If the two solve their differences--of which there should be one tough one and other smaller ones--and the conflict is resolved too early, the story dies.  While it's nice to see two people get together, it's even better when there are problems to deal with and eventually solve to get to that happily ever after.

I'll freely admit that I'm constantly learning, and I appreciate that I have an editor who is willing to teach me, in a asking-the-right-questions way.  I truly appreciate that she makes me dig deeper to build better characters, GMC and, in the end, stories.  If that means reworking a project, so be it.  One more lesson learned by redoing.

Making mistakes (by not fleshing out the character and their emotional conflict, as was my recent case) does teach us, if we let them.  Throwing up our hands and giving up is the stuff of people who refuse to try, to learn, and to redo, if necessary.  And we all make mistakes, whether in our writing or our lives.  It's making the most of them--learning from them--that makes us better writers and people.

So how do characters help build our story?  Much of it comes back to good, ol' GMC, but if the Conflict isn't strong enough, the story is weakened.  That's what I was facing last week.  Yes, there was conflict between my H/H, but as my editor pointed out, it wasn't strong enough.  It needed to be something other than their conflict in the past.  It could stem from the past, but it had to be an emotional NOW not THEN.

Once I gave some thought to what she said--and added the brainstorming genius of a writer friend (Thanks, Kristi! And Kathie for the ranching info!)--I was on the road to a better, more emotional story.  The basis was there, but the push-pull of the romance and the conflict needed to be pumped up.

The characters themselves was the answer, and it had been there from the beginning.  I just hadn't dug deep enough to reach it.  Once it was pointed out to me that the two characters were a lot alike, that their biggest strength was also their greatest weakness, that push-pull emerged.  Two people, who had always insisted on having complete control of their lives and everything involved, would always be at odds, often about nearly everything.  Add in the past they shared that had often found them not only at loggerheads, but as adversaries, in spite of their secret attraction to each other, and that conflict is going to grow larger when they meet again.  Not to mention that night, fifteen years ago...

Just what is push-pull and how does a writer use it?  Take two people who might not normally be even friends, much less lovers, throw them into something that will push them together and make them grow.  But don't forget to throw in something that will pull them apart, not once, but several times.  Think turning points.  Yes, those things that change the course of the characters and/or their journey to their goal, and sometimes even their goal.  Keep their motivation in mind, too, since it's the reason for those goals.

Turning points can be both negative and positive.  Growing closer is a positive (push), whether it's a first kiss or a realization or acknowledgement of love that brings them emotionally closer.  But it's those negative ones (pull)--the overheard conversation, the words or actions of one, the knowledge of something previously unknown and not particularly welcome--that keep the story rolling and the reader reading.  When it comes to characters, bring them up, then smack them down.  Torture them, but don't forget to reward them.

Digging deeper isn't always easy, but it's well worth the time and effort.  In the end, it will make for a better, emotional book.

Shameless Promotion
The story that spawned this blog post is still in the submission stage, but it's the story of the sister of two brothers who are the heroes in two books coming out this year.  This new sister/heroine does make an appearance in both, so it's become close to my heart.  Only time will tell if Erin's story will hit the stands. Until then, I hope you'll give her brothers' books a read.

Especially for fans of cowboy heroes...singing ones...

Don't miss Kristi Gold's THE CLOSER YOU GET, available NOW!

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. ~ Elbert Hubbard 

The Creative Process

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

The Key to Inspiration

A few days ago, I received an email from a reader via the contact form on my website.  She was reading my very first book, a Silhouette Romance titled RACHEL'S RESCUER.  No way was I not smiling when I read that she liked the book, although she hadn't finished it yet.  I hope the end doesn't disappoint her.  It's one of those endings that made me smile as I wrote it.

It's been almost thirteen years since I sold that first book, even longer since I first idea of it creaped into my mind.  It also doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  Not only has Silhouette Romance been a thing of the past, but I've added a few years to my age.  Even so, writing a book is always a new and exciting process.

After some thought and missing several Mondays and Wednesdays here, I decided that instead of my usual days and topics, I'd change things around a little and share what I've learned about writing in the past 15+ years on Thursdays.  When the mood strikes, I might stop in on a Monday, Wednesday, or maybe a Friday or weekend to share something different, but I'm hoping Thursdays won't find me as Mondays--and Wednesdays--have lately, wondering how I managed to forget what day it was and have allowed the it to pass without blogging. For those who stop by more frequently, I apologize and hope the change will help.

So here we go!

From Idea to Book

The question most asked of writers is, "Where do you get your ideas?"

I haven't discovered a single writer who has been able to answer that question in less than ten words.  Unless the answer is, "Everywhere," that is, and that's an honest answer.  Ideas spring from TV, movies, songs, books, overheard conversations, photos, the evening news, and much, much more.

A lack of ideas isn't usually a problem.  It's what to do with them.  Many a writer has had an inspiring idea for a story, only to discover, once begun, that it lacked something vital and eventually found its way to the bottom desk drawer.  Some ideas work.  Others don't work, no matter how long or hard we work on them or how badly we want them to.

An idea is only the beginning.  That sliver of inspiration goes through a long, arduous process to become a full story.  It involves characters, back stories, settings, goals, dialogue, and conflict, just to name a few.  The process can involve hours spent in front of a blank screen and even more hours, days, months and sometimes years putting letters and words together that become the story on that screen.

Example

RACHEL'S RESCUER was far from the first book I wrote and obviously not my first idea, nor the first book I wrote.  But it was a viable idea and it began as a silent reply to yet another rejection.  That reply was, "They want babies, brides and cowboys?  I'll give them babies, brides and cowboys."

Yes, my inspiration was a rejection.

It didn't take long to create the characters.  The "cowboy" was a rancher in Montana.  The "bride" was a mother, and the "baby" was her six-year-old son.

Then came the questions.

• What is one thing all mothers fear?  Answer: The loss of a child. After thinking of all the ways a child could be lost, I finally found the answer.  Aha!  Ex-in-laws (mother was a widow) were trying to take the child because...?  They had made an assumption about her and considered her (unfairly) to be a bad mother.  Conflict and Motivation for the mother.  She was on the run from them.
• What is the rancher/hero's conflict?  Answer: He didn't believe in love and marriage and didn't want a family.  Simple, right?  But why did he feel that way?  What was his Motivation?  He'd been in a bad marriage, and his wife (an absolute opposite of the rancher) had miscarried their baby.  One important thing.  He loved kids, but didn't know or accept it.
• Where to set the story?  Answer:  Montana.  It was a long way from where the heroine and her in-laws lived.
• How do the H/H meet? Answer: The heroine arrives at the hero's ranch with a sheriff following.  She thinks her ex-in-laws have found her. (They haven't.) Thinking the drive leading to the ranch is a road, she dead-ends at the ranch...with a flat tire.
• How to increase the conflict and keep the heroine there?  Answer:  A snowstorm.

That was how the story was born.

The tagline on the back cover reads: A sheriff, a snowstorm and suspicious ex-in-laws were hot on Rachel's heels...  I wish I could say I wrote that, but I didn't. ☺

 Of course more conflict arose, and the H/H could only fall in love.  It is a romance, after all. :)   But that's for another day.

Rachel's Rescuer
working title was
The Rancher and the Runaway Mom

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. - Steve Jobs

Goals are Set. Now What?

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Today marks the official last day of the first week of the new year.  Our goals should be made.  In theory, we should be moving forward on them.

Reaching our goal is like climbing a staircase.  We start at the bottom by deciding what it is we want to accomplish, then step by step, we move toward it.  That takes motivation.  The key is knowing what each step involves so we can more easily get to the top aka Our Goal.  That's where a little planning comes in.  My goals won't be the same as another's, but there are a few steps that we all can take to make the trip easier.

As it was last year, my goal this year is a specific word count.  Because of that, I have a good idea of what I can do in that amount of time.  I set last year's goal at 120,000 words.  I included both blogging and book word count and ended up nearly doubling my goal. This year I'm sticking totally with main writing word count, which I've increased to just over last year's total.  A quick look on the right will show that I haven't made any progress yet.

Why no progress?  For nearly two weeks before Christmas and after New Year's Day, there have been five grandkids, ages 3-11, here from morning until evening.  By the time they leave, I do well to know my name.  Now that they're back in school, I can relax and work some during the day.  (3-year-old will still be here during the day.)  What I realized last night is that I've been waffling, not knowing for sure what I specifically want to work on this year.  I gave it some thought yesterday and last night, and I now have a clear idea of what I'm going to do.  Of course it can change, but I can look up that long stairway and see the top.  I know how to work my goal.

Stuck with no idea of where to start?  If you're working on a specific book/manuscript or more than one, it doesn't matter whether you've set your goal to write to the finish or if you'll use page count or word count as your goal.  By now you should have broken that big goal into smaller ones.  You should also know what you want to work on.  That puts you one step up.  Forward motion!  What's left is each of the rest of the steps aka mini-goals.  It's like losing weight.  We do it day by day, pound by pound, whether dieting or exercising or both.  Writing goals work the same way.

There are a few things that can help make the journey easier.

1. Know what kind of story you'll be writing.  Whether it's romance, suspense, paranormal, inspirational or other, have an idea of 
2. Know your characters.  Not just their names, but who they are, what they do, and especially where they came from.  This is where GMC comes in.  This doesn't have to be done in a day, and quite often when the writing is moving along, we often discover things about characters that we didn't know when we wrote the first words or even chapters.  Or even more often, we've had these characters in our mind for some time, growing little by little.
3. Know where your story is going.  This doesn't mean your book must be completely plotted or even a little plotting, but if you know where it needs to start, what the main turning point will be, and some kind of an idea of how it will end, you can go from point to point more quickly and smoothly, without a major panic attack.
4. Know when your best writing time is and write on a regular schedule.  I'm guilty of not doing this as much as I should, so it's something I need to work on.  Remember, the more often you write, the easier it becomes.  You might even get lucky and make it a habit.  If you know on Monday that you're going to be writing the second scene of chapter four on Wednesday, you can be thinking about how that scene will play out.
5. Know in your heart that if you get behind on your mini-goals, you can still make progress and quite possibly still make your goal.  You missed a day writing on your 3-page-a-day goal?  Write one extra page for each of the next 3 days, and you're back on track.  Or give up an evening of television to make some progress.  Your goal isn't over until the time is up.

If you've found some ways to keep yourself motivated through the year-long goal, share them!  We learn not only from what we do, but from others do, too.  

Let's make 2013 the year we meet and maybe even exceed our goals.  I'm willing to try.  How about you?

Everyone has inside himself a piece of good news! The good news is that you really don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is! - Anne Frank