Naylene Rondon's Blog: More Than Scribbles, page 6

Poetry – Variants

Cool Feathers How is this relevant? You will never know… until 2016.

I think I’ve told you about my work in progress about variants. If you’re on my twitter you’ve probably have seen #claudeshotel,  #variants, and #2016book.  We’ll I’m halfway done with draft two and out of a sprint of inspiration, I have written a poem about the story.

It was originally going to be a balled, but it turned into some distorted song. I don’t know anymore.  Who knows I’ll probably edit it and add it as a bonus in the story.

Welp, here it is Variants (Poem Edition)

Born to live in exile

Wrapped up behind these bars

Forcing the world to avoid us

Because we’re living projectiles.

Tossed away

Where the shadows play

Forced into a corner

Broken down

Til our face hits the ground

Do you think we can take this torture?

People refuse to look our way

In there eyes there’s fear

As if we’re monsters

Why does everyone look away?

Tossed away

Where the shadows play

We must push ourselves forward

Broken down

Til our face hits the ground

I’ll do what it takes to get stronger

Don’t you dare

And try to tell me this is fair

I see you live

Our lives cannot compare

We’re tossed away

To where the shadows play

We’re broken down

Until our face hits the ground

All we want is to be the same

So why do you treat us this way

We are not so different from you

So stop treating us like we’re lame

Running away

From the shadows’ games

Standing up

We won’t be tamed

Hold our heads up with pride

There is no escaping

There is no denying.

We must close the divide

Also, don’t forget to subscribe by clicking these words!

Click the feathers for my pinterest board about Claude’s Hotel…Wait was that the title? Yes, yes it was.

Also check out my twitter! You can see one to two line stories, updates, and just stuff that I like to retweet. 160+ people thought it was cool, so maybe you will too.

Finally, do not forget about Native Foreigners! It’s a fast paced sci adventure available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other places. Click the cover below to go to its Amazon Page.

Written by Naylene Rondon

Character Sheet

For my fellow writers out there, I have came up with the 20 most important questions when writing your characters. These are the questions I always ask myself to ensure I have well rounded characters.

Many characters sheets are like this. Though it isn’t a bad sheet. Actually a lot of these questions are good add-on questions, depending on your genre. However for a basis of your character it is too much. A lot of these questions won’t have an answer until your first draft is complete.

For example in my novel Native Foreigners, here’s all the questions that was on that guide that was never brought up in the story.

Offical Birthdates
Religion
Daily routines
Exact income
Education level
Previous romantic partners
Parents names and occupation
Favorite books, songs, film, sport, ect…

As I said though it all depends on your story and its genre. The epiguide chart is better saved for after your first draft.

However, before your first draft, you should know who you are writing and how far they are willing to go. So for that first time creating a character, these are the most important questions to ask.

Name:

Gender:

Basic Physical Description:

What is their general personality:

Do they have any habits:

Are they Selfish or Selfless:

What do they fear:

What are they willing to sacrifice:

Who will they give everything for:

Do they believe in redemption:

Are they forgiving:

What is unforgivable:

How was their childhood:

Do they let their past hold them back:

If the love of their life and a dozen lives of innocent people were in danger,

Who would they choose(only one):

Do they have a secret:

How far would they go to keep it:

What are their priorities:

What are their beliefs(Are they right?):

You can download a printable version of the questions below:

The Character Sheet

Personal Author Interview with Rick Schiver

I did an interview with Rick Schiver back in August on his blog Written in Blood: Friday’s 5.

You can see it here: http://www.richardschiver.com/2015/08/fridays-5-with-naylene-rondon.html

Check out his blog here: http://www.richardschiver.com/ for more awesome stuff including his novels and short stories.

Does Physical Description Matter?

That was probably a bad way to put it. Does physical description matter to like a character? Then no. Would your readers like a physical description? Yes.

When creating a character, the physical desciption should be the last thing on your mind. If there was no description, the readers should still be able to love (or hate) your character. Okay. Your readers shouldn’t love your male protogonist just because he has abs or your female hero because she had large breasts. Those things do not matter.

Shoutout to Trisidael on DeviantArt.

If you don’t believe me, check out the night vale fandom. We have no idea what cecil looks like, yet we love him anyways.

We’re fine with almost any possible description. Some people even draw him as an animal.

As mentioned, readers would like a physical description. (Night Vale fandom gets excited over the fact Cecil wears sponge clogs.)

Though our minds can easily come up with its own physical description, readers like an idea on what to imagine. That’s why I like to come up with descriptions that match my characters personality or gives off hints of future events.

To get more on descriptions check back next week, where I’ll give guide to physical descriptions.

Also subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

Author Interview – Lindsay

Another interview with Lindsay Marie Miller. Lindsay Marie Miller graduated from Florida State University Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.Lindsay currently resides in her hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, where she enjoys summers under the sun, in the company of beloved family and friends.

Her debut novel, Emerald Green, is the first installment in a four-part series of young-adult romantic thrillers.

Now on with the interview:

What are your favorite authors?

Nicholas Sparks, Stephenie Meyer, S.E. Hinton, Paulo Coehlo, Maggie Stiefvater, Veronica Roth, Anna Godbersen

What are your favorite genres to write?

Romance, Young Adult, New Adult, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

What are your favorite aspects of writing? (plot, characters, dialogue, setting,etc.)

I am very involved with the plot. Oftentimes, I can see in my mind exactly what is in store for my characters, but the way every scene unfolds is something that I pay particular attention to. You can ruin a great story by not allowing the plot to unfold in the right way. Tension, timing, and what you choose to reveal to the reader are all extremely crucial.

What time do you usually do most of your writing?

My mind comes alive between 10 PM – 2 AM with stories, characters, and ideas. I can write twice as many words in that time frame as I can in an eight-hour day. I still write when the sun’s up, but the words certainly don’t come as quickly or as smoothly.

Do you have any writing habits? If so, what are they?

Yes, I generally write the same scene at least three times before I’m even to the first draft stage. Once in a short-hand styled outline, second in a free-flowing manner, where I don’t hold any word back, and third in a very refined, polished structure, which serves as the prototype for the first draft. As they say, writing is re-writing.

Do you usually type or write your first draft?

I would much rather handwrite my story out first, and then type each chapter as I go along. It makes the editing/polishing process a whole lot easier for me. I guess there’s just something about having a pen in my hand and inking the words on a page. It’s more organic, more natural.

How long does it take you to write a first draft?

I can complete a first draft in about 2-3 months. It depends on the word count of course, but that’s the amount of time it typically takes when the draft is 70,000-80,000 words.

Are you a self-publisher? If yes, what made you decide to self-publish?If no, how was the process of finding a publisher?

I self-published my debut novel, Emerald Green, because Amazon and Smashwords have both developed tremendous platforms for indie authors to “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps,” so to speak. There’s a lot of work involved for a self-published author, but you retain so much creative control, as far as editing, cover art, and release dates are concerned, among other things, that the tradeoff is definitely worth it. I feel much wiser too, in terms of understanding how the publishing world works. Sometimes, experience is the best teacher.

What’s your most recent book?

My most recent book is also my first, entitled, Emerald Green. The novel is a young-adult romantic thriller and the first in a four-part series.

On your recent book, what inspired you to write it?

The idea for Emerald Green came to me about 7 years ago, when I was sixteen. I was reflecting on a short story that I had written for an English class about 2 years earlier. The story was about a mysterious new student on the first day of high school, and the first girl that he talked to. Tom became the new student, and Addie became the female protagonist. The entire novel expanded from that one scene, eventually transforming into the recently released Emerald Green.

If your interested in her book check out her Twitter or Smashwords profile.

If you want to keep updated on authors like Lindsay, Subscribe here to More than Scribbles Monthly Newsletter.

Sent Out My First Newsletter

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Author Interview – Maria R.

Here’s an interview with Maria R. Riegger. Her debut novel, Miscalculated Risks is coming out this Fall. Miscalculated Risks is also the first novel in the series Law School Heretics. The second novel is going to Acceptable Misconduct, which will be released in 2016.

Maria is based at Wahsington DC, which is also her hometown, but she has spent time over seas. She’s a banking/corporate attorney by day and enjoys writing fiction in her spare time.

She’s also a gemini whose head has always been in the clouds, making up stories. She’s been caught air-guitaring in public, and always does her own thing. In true Gemini fashion, she indulge both her logical attorney personality as well as her creative author personality.

Now, on with the interview.

1. What are your favorite authors?

I love thrillers. When I was younger, I read a ton of Agatha Christie. I love Ken Follett. Eye of the Needle is a classic spy novel, and Pillars of the Earth is an epic. Follett writes a fast-paced thriller, but also has the ability to write in different genres. His novels always include strong female leads. I also enjoy reading Neil Gaiman; he is a great storyteller. His novel American Gods is incredible.

2. What are your favorite genres to write?

I write women’s fiction, with a brash, independent edge. I’m also currently working on a political fiction novel. I like to include humor and sarcasm in my writing.

3. What are your favorite aspects of writing? (plot, characters, dialogue, setting,etc.)

I really enjoy getting into the characters’ heads. I prefer characters who have a mix of positive and negative traits, who have some redeeming qualities but also (sometimes major) flaws. I also enjoy writing witty, sarcastic exchanges between characters.

4. What time do you usually do most of your writing?

I usually write between 8pm and 1am, when everything is calm and quiet. I get distracted easily, so this schedule works best for me. But I’m also constantly taking notes when ideas strike me, wherever I am.

5. Do you have any writing habits? If so, what are they?

I love to read, so I will write a couple of scenes and then read over them several times. I usually spend more time re-reading what I write than actually writing it. Sometimes I listen to music when I write, classical or something similar.

6. Do you usually type or write your first draft?

I type, because it’s faster and easier to back up in case my computer crashes.

7. How long does it take you to write a first draft?

I write on the side, in addition to my full-time day job as an attorney, so the answer really depends. If I’m concentrating and set aside time, I can write a first draft in a matter of weeks. However, the novel I’m publishing this Fall 2015 took two years to complete because life got in the way.

8. Are you a self-publisher? If yes, what made you decide to self-publish? If no, how was the process of finding a publisher?

Yes, I am currently a self-publisher. I am terribly impatient, and had no patience for shopping my novel around to publishers. It is possible to self-publish and keep your budget fairly low.

9. What’s your most recent book?

My first novel, Miscalculated Risks, will be published this Fall 2015.

10. On your recent book, what inspired you to write it?

The storyline came to me all at once. I had some ideas for scenes, and then everything coalesced one day. I wanted to write a book with Washington, DC, my hometown, as a setting, and also wanted to write about what it was like to go to law school there as a young professional.

I also wanted to experiment with characters who didn’t act the way people expect. The main character, Isabel, doesn’t always act as you would expect a woman to act; however, there are reasons for that. Isabel also applies her own stereotypes to people, which end up turning out to be untrue. This novel was a lot of fun to write.

As mentioned above Miscalculated Risks will be released this Fall. If your interested, add it to your to read shelf on Goodreads. Or Subscribe to the new monthly newsletter to receive update on its release.

Is my Villain likeable?

Is my Villain likeable?

Now that must sound weird. We don’t want the readers to like the villain, do we? Yes, yes you do. Just not in the way you like the hero.

You love the hero for their effort, courage, and persistance.

You love the villain for their beliefs, determination, and (ahem) darkness. Yes, I said it. Darkness. Why? Because we all have darkness within us. Then again, villains are known to have the qualities of the hero and hero the qualities of the villain.

However, we’re not here to dicuss qualities. We here to know if your villain is likeable. Villains are the people you can sympathize with or people you just love to hate. Which ever one it is, you like them. If you didn’t then they are missing something.

Let us begin with sympathy

Most cases, a villain isn’t just some evil person running around making a muck. Something led to these actions. To explain this, I’m going to use Light from Death Note because I feel like he fits into both categories quite well, also as a point that the villain doesn’t have to be the antoganist. (Warning: SPOILERS BELOW)

In that first moment we meet Light, we can sympathize with him. We have all seen the news and have all thought what if there was a better justice system out there. When he finds that book, he used it to help the good people. He believed he found a better justice system.

A villain should have a quality that makes his actions understandable, not reedemable, but understandable. It has to be something that many people can relate to.

Love to hate

Of course, we have our characters that we love to hate. I’m looking at you Joker. As I said before though, we’ll stick to Light here. After you sympathize with Light, you start to hate him. Why?

Well, let’s start off when he starts killing the innocent. The moment when he so desperately tries to kill (decoy)L in the beginning. Then Raye Penber, the FBI agents, Naomi, and L. L was the final straw. After him, you wanted to burn Light alive. 

But, that’s okay. We hate him with every ounce of our gut and we enjoy every minute of it. As I said, you have to understand, but that doesn’t mean your villain is redemable. Light Yagami was miles from being redeemable. A villains actions can be unforgivable. (Why else have a villain?) 

So, when your writing ask youself:

Will people understand my villain?

What will his or her actions make the reader feel?

Starting a newsletter

Do you love this blog? Probably not.

Do you like this blog? If your reading this, you probably do.

It must get tiresome having to come back each day to see if there is anything new. It would be much better if you just got a bit of everything once a month right in your email. That does sound better.

So, I have begun a newsletter. I’ll send it out the first week of every month just to let you know what you miss. I promise, I won’t spam you. It’s just an easy way to learn about new authors and their books, my upcoming work, and of course whatever I ended up blogging about during the month.

JUST CLICK HERE to subscribe. I’ll add a subscription link at the end of all my posts for now on.

ARe you an author?

Well, you will love this. If your trying to promote a book, let me know. You can find my contact in the author interview tab above. If there’s space, I’ll add your book in so everyone can see.

Future Book Plans

Are you ready for 2016?

Probably not because we still have four more months of 2015.

Though personally, I can and cannot wait. Why? Because in the fall of 2016, my second novel will be released. I can wait because the final draft isn’t done yet, though I can’t wait to see the finished product. I wished I could type faster. 

Now, what will this new story unveil?

I cannot say exactly, but I can tell you it is science fiction and involves Variants. What’s a Variant? That’s what you’ll find out.

If you follow my twitter, you might actually know a bit about this. I’ve been putting #Variants everywhere. Along with #Claudeshotel. As the year profress, I keep you updates on my progress.

Also, I’m thinking about writing a couple of short stories. I’ll let you know as well, if I do.

Also, to get more ideas on what the future book is going to be about, check out my pinterest board, where I pin ideas and inspirations for my new characters.

https://www.pinterest.com/naylenr/writing-reference-for-claudes-hotel/