Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 18

Using Your Setting to Characterize

In storytelling, our number one job is to make readers care. We want to ensure that our fiction captivates them on many levels and that our characters seem like living, breathing people who continue to exist in readers’ minds long after the book closes.
So how do we do this?

Well, it may not seem like the obvious choice, but the setting can be one of the best tools through which to organically reveal truths about your characters. Here are two quick tips on how to use the setting to characterize your cast for readers:

Choose Emotionally Relevant Locations

As the gods of our own little universes, we have the power to choose literally everything. But when it comes to the setting, the decision is often a halfhearted one���since the setting is just a backdrop, right? Wrong.

Every character has a history of blissful interludes, toxic run-ins, embarrassing moments, and traumatic episodes. And long after these formative events have been forgotten or buried, their settings will continue to hold significance for the characters involved.

For instance, let’s say that after being out of the romance game for a while, your heroine has agreed to go on a first date, and you need to decide on a setting.
Instead of falling back on a generic location for this scene, brainstorm some possibilities that hold significance for the character. Maybe her date has asked to meet at the same caf�� where her fianc�� once dumped her. Or in the park where she was mugged. Or at the bar where the guy she’s been in love with since tenth grade works as a bouncer.

Any of these settings can work because they’re already emotionally charged for the protagonist.

A first date can be difficult in and of itself; experiencing it in one of these places is going to heighten the character’s emotions and bring back old memories when she’d rather avoid them, ensuring that she won’t be at her best. When it comes to the important scenes in your story, complicate matters for your protagonist and tap into his or her emotions by choosing settings with personal significance.

Get Personal with the Details

Showing rather than telling is the most powerful means of providing insight into the personality of your protagonist and other cast members. Rather than explaining your characters through boring chunks of narrative, hone in on the personal details within a given setting that will tell readers about the people inhabiting it:

I surveyed Rossa’s spotless kitchen. Dishes in their racks���sparkling. Wooden counters���scrubbed to a stone-like smoothness. Rossa herself���hair perfectly arranged, clothes crisp even at this hour, the frivolous fall of lace at her throat. I crossed my arms and couldn’t help wondering, again, how she and Dad could be meant for each other.

Here we have a scene that says loads about its owner. Rossa is meticulous when it comes to tidiness���both for her home and herself. You get the feeling that she values propriety and appearances. And we learn something about the narrator, too: she isn’t so concerned with all of that. She disdains it, in fact, and doesn’t seem to like her Dad’s love interest very much. All of this we’re able to infer from the simple description of a kitchen.

Personal spaces can be quite telling. Make them do more than simply set the scene by zooming in on those details that reveal something about your characters. And for those vital scenes in your story, put your cast members on edge by thoughtfully choosing the settings���ones that add an emotional component or will up the stakes. Resist the temptation to settle for a generic setting and start putting your locations to work for you and your characters.

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7 Tips to Make Your Antihero Stand Out

When it comes to story heroes, there are many kinds, from reluctant to tortured to tragic. But the one that���s getting a lot of airtime these days is the antihero.

Heroes get the moniker because of the qualities they embody: they���re honorable, courageous, selfless, and good. They���re people of high integrity. These characters make good protagonists because readers value and admire those qualities. We���re eager to walk with them on their journey, and we naturally end up rooting for them.

Antiheroes, though, lack many of the traditionally heroic traits���or they embody the opposite. As such, they really shouldn���t work, because why would we root for people who stand for things we don’t like? But many readers do get sucked into their stories and end up on this unconventional protagonist���s side, wanting what���s best for them. Authors make this happen with a few tried-and-true techniques for writing these characters:

They���re complex, with complete backstoriesThey’re well-rounded characters with a mix of positive and negative traitsThey adhere to a strong moral codeThey struggle with internal conflict

But with all the villain origin stories and other antihero offerings on the market today, we’ve got to move beyond tried-and-true if we want our stories to stand out. So let���s look at 7 additional techniques we can use to make our antiheroes more compelling and memorable.

1. Make Them a Reluctant Antihero

Getting readers to fall in love with an antihero can be tricky if, in the reader���s mind, their undesirable traits and habits outweigh the good. So start these characters out as the good guy.

Walter White (you knew we���d get there eventually, so let���s get right to it) starts out as a barely-getting-by chemistry teacher with a physically disabled son and a baby on the way. And then he���s diagnosed with terminal cancer. We like Walt straight off because he���s an honorable person in a crappy situation with a relatable goal of just wanting to provide for his family. In the beginning, he doesn���t want to resort to making meth. He doesn���t want to become a criminal. He���s just doing what he has to in a desperate situation.

The reluctant antihero works because they don’t start off bad; they start as a protagonist people can relate to, ensuring that readers are fully drawn into the story as they see the hero being pulled to the dark side.

2. Show Their Full Tragic Arc

These stories can start one of two ways: with the protagonist as a fully actualized antihero, or with a character who will become an antihero over time. Each approach has its merits, but the latter highlights the protagonist���s entire journey from start to finish. Readers will often stick with the character because they’re already invested, and by the final page, they understand why the character is who they are.

Estella Miller is the star of Cruella, a young woman who dreams of being a fashion designer and is doing her best to get along in a society where she doesn���t quite fit. Over time, her need to succeed grows, turning her into someone who is controlling and disloyal, someone who will manipulate others and be downright mean to get what she wants. Then she discovers that her mother was murdered by her mentor, and her desire for revenge turns her into the full-blown Cruella we���re all familiar with. As a kid, I never empathized with Cruella, but I do after seeing where she came from and what makes her tick.

3. Make Them Sympathetic

Reader sympathy is often a byproduct of a show-don���t-tell character arc���another benefit of letting the whole arc play out in your story. But even if your character is an antihero from page one, you can still engage reader empathy through the character���s vulnerability or weakness, as we see in the following examples.

Tony Soprano: the ruthless, hardcore mafia boss whose panic attacks land him in therapy, where he must look at himself honestly and analyze his actionsLisbeth Salander, whose history of extreme abuse makes her violent and antisocial nature seem almost acceptableJohn Rambo: the Green Beret war hero who is mistreated and misunderstood and finally pushed past his breaking point by a bigoted small-town sheriffMichael Scott, the neediest, most desperate-for-attention, most annoying office manager ever, who you still can���t help but feel for���

Revealing your antihero���s weakness or internal struggle is a great way to get readers empathizing with them, which will encourage them to overlook the habits and traits that would normally turn them off.

4. Make Them Unusual

When it comes to creating unforgettable characters, never underestimate the power of a unique premise. Sometimes, giving an antihero a twist or fresh idea that hasn���t been done before is enough to make them stand out. It���s Sherlock Holmes’ almost-extrasensory powers of deduction. Or Dexter Morgan, a high-functioning sociopath and serial killer who satisfies his compulsions by killing bad people. And who can forget Johnny Depp���s Keith Richard���s-inspired version of the dishonest and egocentric Jack Sparrow?

To make your antihero stand out, give them a twist via an unexpected character trait, quirk, hobby, skill, or job.

5. Give Them Good Intentions

The most questionable of methods can often be overlooked if the character���s intentions are honorable. I really like Scarlett O���Hara for this one. She���s a despicable person���manipulative, a liar, completely self-serving. She should be universally disliked, but so much of what she does is to save her home. Author Margaret Mitchell is a master of making the setting a character, and readers come to love Tara as much as they love the cast. They don���t want to see it fall into enemy hands and be destroyed. And they recognize that Scarlett���s identity is so wrapped up in her family���s land that if she loses it, she���ll lose herself. Readers almost can���t blame her for doing what she does to save it.

Give your antihero a strong goal and meaningful purpose for doing what they do, and in the reader���s eyes, the end will often justify the means.

6. Establish Limits

Writing an antihero requires us to walk a fine line between remaining authentic to who the character is while still keeping them likable. One way to maintain that balance is to set limits beyond which the character won���t go.

In Cormac McCarthy���s The Road, The Man���s purpose is to protect his son in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. It���s a noble and relatable goal, and he���s an antihero because of the things he must do to keep them both safe. But there are lines he won���t cross that many of the other survivors have already embraced���namely, kidnapping and killing people as a food source. Readers may not like a lot of what The Man does, but his adherence to certain ideals, even when doing so puts his goal in jeopardy, keeps us in his corner.��

7. Keep Readers Guessing

Let’s be honest here; it’s a lot of work, trying to make your antihero sympathetic and relatable. So maybe there’s another way. With the right circumstances, it���s possible to write a story that disguises your antihero as something else.

In the first full half of Gone Girl, we think Amy Dunne is innocent, that her husband is the horrible person and she���s his victim. But it turns out she���s as antihero-y as any antihero ever was.

Flip the scenario, and you end up with everyone���s favorite antihero, Severus Snape, whose good qualities were deliberately downplayed to make readers think he was simply a villain. When the curtain���s pulled back, he���s revealed to be one of the most awesome examples of all time.

Antiheroes aren���t new. They���ve been alive and kicking since the time of Shakespeare, Greek mythology, and the Bible. But their recent revival has created a slew of them, and you don���t want yours to get lost in the maelstrom. Use these tips to create a new���dare I say, Snape-worthy?���antihero that will top readers��� lists of favorite and most memorable characters of all time.

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Reader Empathy Begins with Compelling Character Emotion

Do you know how many books are on the market today? Neither do I. I can���t count that high. This is awesome for readers, but it creates a problem for authors looking to create a fan base. Not only do we need customers to find our books, we need them to love them���enough to finish them and go on to consume everything else we have to offer.

To make it in this crowded space, we need to attract readers who are obsessed with our work. We want them staying up late and oversleeping because they couldn���t put our book down, texting friends to tell them how awesome it is, and running to the computer when they���re done to see if there are more coming out.

Basically, we want raving fans���customers who read all our stuff and do the word-of-mouth marketing for us. But how do we get this kind of response to our books?

We do it by generating empathy.

When readers start to care about the main character, they���re going to be invested in what happens to him. And they���re going to keep reading to make sure everything turns out okay.

This means we have to get readers feeling as they read. And the best way to do that is by conveying the character���s emotion in a way that evokes emotion in the reader. Let me give you an example from the second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus.

Jason tapped on the door frame. The battle-axe didn���t look up, just kept slashing through numbers on her sales report.

���Um, Mrs. Swanson?��� No response. He shifted his weight, wondering how to proceed. He couldn���t mess this up. He couldn���t miss another of Kristina���s games.

Jason shuffled half a step into her office. ���Um ��� about this weekend? I know your email said I needed to work, but ��� Well, I kind of already have plans������

���Cancel them,��� she said in a tone that was as forgiving as her Sharpie. When he didn���t answer, she looked up.

His gaze dropped to the rug.

In this example, it���s easy to see what the character is feeling without it having to be stated. The body language cues (the tentative tap on the door, his shuffling steps) combined with his speech hesitations and unsettled thoughts convey uncertainty and nervousness. This is an example of emotion that has been shown rather than told, and it works for building character empathy for a few reasons.

It Makes the Reader an Active Participant

Showing emotion is effective because it pulls the reader in close to what���s happening. When readers are simply told what the character���s feeling (Jason was nervous), they���re not involved; they���re put at a distance, just sitting back and listening to someone tell them what���s going on.

But when the character���s emotions are shown through body language, vocal cues, thoughts, and dialogue, readers are able to infer what���s happening for themselves.

This process of figuring things out is part of what makes reading such a satisfying experience. We don���t want everything explained to us; it���s rewarding to be able to follow the clues and put the pieces together, even if we don���t know that���s what we���re doing. Showing emotion gives readers that opportunity.

It Engages the Reader���s Emotions

Emotions are universal���meaning, whatever your character is feeling, the reader has most likely felt it too. When we���re able to show that emotion in an evocative way, it can evoke a hint of that same feeling for the reader, because they���ve experienced what the character is going through.

Readers who feel a sense of doubt or fear or elation are going to be far more engaged than ones who sit back and watch other people feeling those emotions.

Showing Emotion Creates a Sense of Shared Experience

When readers recognize the character���s emotional state as one they���ve experienced in the past, it creates a sense of shared experience. Readers will connect with the character, even on a subconscious level, because of this thing they have in common. This is a common way for empathy to begin.

When we master the art of showing emotion, readers become active participants in the story, their emotions are engaged, and they feel a sense of kinship with the character. All of this can lead to increased empathy and the reader being invested enough in the character to keep reading. If we can accomplish this in all of our books, it just might result in customers who keep coming back for more.

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What’s Your Character Hiding?

Being able to write realistic, consistent, multi-dimensional characters is vital to gaining reader interest. Doing so first requires we know a lot about who our characters are���you know, the obvious stuff: positive and negative traits, behavioral habits, desires, goals, and the like. But it���s not always the obvious parts of characterization that create the most intrigue. What about the things your character is hiding?

Everyone hides. We hide the goals we know are wrong for us, opinions that may turn others against us, or feelings and desires that make us feel vulnerable���basically anything with the potential for rejection or shame.

The same should be true for our characters. When characters are cagey out of a need to protect themselves from emotional harm, readers understand that. It makes the characters more authentic and can pique your readers��� interest as they try to figure out the secret or worry over what will happen when it comes to light.

7 Things Your Character Is Hiding

To add this layer of depth to your characters, you first need to know what���s taboo in their minds���not only what they���re hiding, but why. Here are some common things your character may feel compelled to conceal from others.

1. Desires

Desires are an important part of who your characters are. These desires drive their actions and decisions in the story. While these wants are often transparent, there are situations in which the character may not feel comfortable sharing them.

Maybe she���s secretly pining for her sister���s ex, or she longs for a career forbidden by her parents, or she wants to fight her boss���s unethical behavior but is afraid of losing her job.

Forbidden or dangerous desires can add an element of risk, upping the stakes for the character and making things more interesting for readers.

2. Fears

Everyone has fears. Many of those fears are perfectly acceptable, which makes it safe for us to share them. It���s the ones that make us feel weak or lessen us in the eyes of others that we keep in the dark.

Think about uncommon fears, such as being afraid of a certain people group, physical intimacy, or of leaving one���s house.

Unusual fears like these should always come from somewhere���maybe from a wounding event or negative past influencers. Make sure there���s a good reason for whatever your character is afraid of.

3. Negative Past Events

Speaking of wounding events, we each have defining moments from the past that we���re reluctant to share with others or even acknowledge ourselves.

What���s something that could have happened to your characters that they���ll go to great lengths to keep hidden? What failures or humiliating moments might they alter in their own memories to keep from facing them?

Wounds are formative on many levels, so it���s important to figure out what those are and how they may impact the character.

4. Flaws and Insecurities

Being flawed is part of the human experience. There are things about ourselves we don���t want to examine too closely and which we definitely don���t want others to know about.

For characters, these flaws often manifest as insecurities or negative traits (such as being weak-willed, unintelligent, or vain). Whether these weaknesses are real or only perceived, characters will try to downplay them.

But part of their journey to fulfillment includes facing the truth and acknowledging the part their flaws play in holding them back. To write their complete journeys, your need to know what weaknesses they���re keeping under wraps.

5. Unhealthy Behaviors

Sometimes characters exhibit behaviors or habits they know aren���t good for them. Maybe these behaviors stem from a wounding event or an unhealthy desire. Maybe they really want to change, but they don���t know how.

Whether it���s a promiscuous lifestyle, a gambling addiction, or a compulsion to self-harm, they���ll expend a lot of energy to keep these behaviors hidden.

Revealing these behaviors to readers, while hiding them from other characters, is a great way to remain true to the human experience while also building reader interest.

6. Uncomfortable Emotions

While it���s healthy to embrace and express a range of emotions, characters are not always comfortable with all the feelings. This may occur with emotions that are tied to a negative event from the past. It may be an emotion that makes the character feel vulnerable or is culturally unacceptable.

The character will want to mask any uncomfortable emotions, often disguising them as something else: embarrassment is replaced with self-deprecation, or fear manifests as anger. This duality of emotion is important because it humanizes characters for readers and adds a layer of authenticity that might otherwise be missing.

7. Opinions and Ideas

Everyone wants to be liked. To gain the respect of others, we often go so far as to sacrifice honesty.

If an opinion isn���t popular, your characters may keep it to themselves. If they have good ideas others won���t appreciate, they won���t share them���or they���ll get the ideas  out there in a way that allows them to avoid taking ownership.

Peer acceptance is important to everyone; that need, and the secrets that accompany it, is something that every reader will be able to relate to.

***

Deception���whether deliberate or subconscious���is part of the human experience. When your characters hide things from others, they become deeper and more layered and avoid turning into clich��s. They���ll come across as more authentic to readers, who will be able to relate to them. It also can build empathy as readers see the character headed the wrong direction. A lot of good can result from taking the time to discover what your characters are hiding. So put on your Nosy Pants and get to work!

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Five Vehicles for Adding Subtext to Dialogue

Realistic, evocative dialogue is an important part of any successful story. We need our characters��� interactions to be authentic, consistent, and engaging to draw readers in to what���s happening. So when we���re learning to write, we spend a lot of time on mechanics���learning all the grammar and punctuation rules. But proper form is just the first step.

When writing strong dialogue, we often forget that real-life conversations are rarely straightforward. On the surface, it may seem we���re engaging in simple back-and-forth, but if you look deeper, to some degree our conversations are carefully constructed. We hide our emotions, withhold information, dance around what we really mean, avoid certain topics, downplay shortcomings, or emphasize strengths���all of which leads to exchanges that aren���t totally honest.

Completely candid dialogue scenes fall flat because that���s not the way people converse. Subtext plays a huge role in conversation. It���s often tied to how characters are feeling, which can trigger readers��� emotions and increase their engagement. So we need to include this crucial element in our dialogue scenes.

Simply, subtext is the underlying meaning. Hidden elements the character isn���t comfortable sharing���their true opinions, what they really want, what they���re afraid of, and emotions that make them feel vulnerable���constitute the subtext. They���re important because the character wants them hidden. This results in contradictory words and actions.

A Subtext Example

Consider this exchange between a teen-aged daughter and her dad.

���So how���d the party go?���

Dionne plastered on a smile and buried herself in Instagram. ���Great.���

���See, I knew you���d have a good time. Who was there?���

Her mouth went dry, but she didn���t dare swallow. Despite the hour, Dad���s eyes shone and searched, spotlights carving her mocha-infused fog.

���The usual. Sarah, Allegra, Jordan.��� She shrugged. Nothing to see here. Move along.

���What about Trey? I ran into his mom at the office yesterday and she said he was going.���

���Um, yeah. I think he was there.��� She scrolled, images blurring.

���He sounds like a good kid. Maybe we could have him and his mom over for dinner.���

Her stomach lurched. ���Oh, I don���t know.��� Her fingers trembled, so she abandoned the phone and sat on her hands to keep them still. ���We don���t really hang with the same crowd.���

���Well, think about it. Couldn���t hurt to branch out and get to know some new people.���

Dionne blew out a shaky breath. How could her dad be so smart at work and so stupid about people?

Something happened at the party involving a boy Dionne���s now avoiding, and she clearly doesn���t want her father to know about it. While Dad is kept in the dark, the reader becomes privy to Dionne���s true emotions: nervousness, fear, and possibly guilt.

This is the beauty of subtext in dialogue. It allows the character to carry on whatever subterfuge she deems necessary while revealing her true emotions and motivations to the reader. It���s also a great way to add tension and conflict. Without subtext, this scene is boring, just two people chatting. With it, we see Dionne desperately trying to keep her secrets while it becomes increasingly difficult���even unhealthy���to do so.

So how do we write subtext into our characters��� conversations without confusing the reader? It just requires combining five common vehicles for showing emotion. Let���s look at how these were used in the example.

1. Dialogue

We all go a little Pinocchio when we start talking, and Dionne is no exception. Her words scream status quo: nothing happened at the party and she doesn���t feel anything in particular. But the reader can clearly see this isn���t the case.

2. Body Language

Nonverbal communication often reveals to readers the truth beneath a character���s words. Notice Dionne���s body language: the plastered-on smile, frantic social media scrolling, and trembling hands. Readers hear what she���s saying, but her body language clues them in that something else is going on.

3. Visceral Reactions

These are the internal physical responses to high emotion. They���re not visible, but the point-of-view character will likely reference them, since they���re so strong. Here, Dionne���s dry mouth and lurching stomach contradict her claims that everything went swimmingly at the party.

4. Thoughts

Because they���re private, thoughts are honest. Dionne���s mental musings (nothing to see here; move along) show that she desperately wants her father to drop this line of questioning. And her final bit of internal dialogue reinforces that she knows something he doesn���t. Because there���s no reason for characters to disguise their thoughts, this can be the best vehicle for showing readers the truth behind the words.

5. Vocal Cues

We choose our words carefully when we���re hiding something; we may even do certain things with our body to fool others. But when emotions are in flux, the voice often changes, and at first, there���s nothing we can do to stop it. Shifts in volume, pitch, timbre, and speed of speech happen before the character can force the voice back into submission. So variations in vocal cues can show readers that not all is as it seems.

Nonverbal vehicles are like annoying little brothers and sisters, tattling on the dialogue and revealing true emotion. Put them all together and they fill out the character���s narrative and paint a complete picture for readers. And you���ll end up with nuanced and emotionally layered dialogue that can intrigue readers and pull them deeper into your story.

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Phenomenal First Pages Contest

Hey, wonderful
writerly people!

It���s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need a bit of help with your first page, today’s the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback!

Entering is easy. All you need to do is leave your contact information on this entry form (or click the graphic below). If you are a winner, we’ll notify you and explain how to send us your first page.

Contest DetailsThis is a 24-hour contest, so enter ASAP.Make sure your contact information on the entry form is correct. Three winners will be drawn. We will email you if you win and let you know how to submit your first page. Please have your first page ready in case your name is selected. Format it with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, and 12pt Times New Roman font. All genres are welcome except erotica.Sign Up for Notifications!

If you���d like to be notified about our monthly Phenomenal First Pages contest, subscribe to blog notifications in this sidebar. 

Good luck, everyone. We can’t wait to see who wins!

PS: To amp up your first page, grab our  First Pages checklist from One Stop for Writers. For more help with story opening elements, visit this Mother Lode of First Page Resources.

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Need to Get a Stubborn Character Moving? Use an Amplifier

If you���ve researched story structure at all, you know there are many models out there, and they���re all slightly different. The most popular forms tend to follow the three-act structure, which resonates with many readers regardless of genre or format.

Act 1 sets things up for readers by establishing the protagonist, their story goal, the setting, and all the basics.Act 2 builds on that information, introducing escalating conflicts (both internal and external) that block the character from their objective.Act 3 resolves the story conflict in a showdown that determines whether the protagonist succeeds or fails at achieving their goal.

Within this simple framework, certain events need to happen not only to progress the plot, but also to encourage the character to become more self-aware, make positive internal progress, overcome setbacks, and so on. This journey is essential if your character is to progress realistically from Once upon a time to The End. It���s not an easy path, though, and sometimes characters balk; they���d rather stay where it���s comfortable and safe, thank you very much. The status quo may be stagnant or even unhealthy, but it���s what they know.

But a stalled character means a stalled story���which is death for reader engagement. At times like these, your protagonist needs a nudge (or a full-fledged shove) to reach the next important story event. This is where amplifiers come in.

An emotion amplifier is a specific state or condition that influences what the character feels by disrupting their equilibrium and reducing their ability to think critically.

Distraction, bereavement, illness, and exhaustion are examples of amplifiers that create friction.

To illustrate how amplifiers get characters moving while also supporting story structure, let���s examine a popular (and my favorite) model: Michael Hauge���s Six-Stage Plot Structure, which is beautifully explored in his book Writing Screenplays that Sell. In the right order and at the right places, these points move the character through the story in a logical fashion without sacrificing pace.

Six-Stage Plot Structure Model

Setup: The protagonist is living in their everyday world, but they���re emotionally stuck or dissatisfied in some way.

Opportunity (Turning Point 1): Called the catalyst in other models, this point consists of a challenge, crisis, or opportunity that pushes the protagonist into pursuing a certain story goal. That decision sets them on a journey that sweeps them out of their ordinary world and into a new one.

New Situation: The protagonist is adjusting to their new world, figuring out the rules and their role while dealing with obstacles that crop up. At this point, the character is largely unaware of their own faults and how they contribute to a lack of fulfillment.

Change of Plans (Turning Point 2): Something happens that creates an awakening for the protagonist, clarifying what they need to do to achieve their goal. They begin moving purposefully in that direction.

Progress: Fully conscious of their goal and their new plan, the protagonist takes steps toward success by gaining knowledge, honing skills, or gathering resources and allies. Although they may be growing in self-awareness, they���re not yet able to fully comprehend the depth of internal change that needs to occur.

Point of No Return (Turning Point 3): The protagonist���s situation becomes more difficult than ever as a death or significant loss pushes their goal seemingly out of reach. Forced to face what���s holding them back (their flaws, fears, lies they���ve embraced, and so on), they commit to changing their dysfunctional methods and evolving in the pursuit of their goal.

Complications and Higher Stakes: Though dedicated to personal change and healthier methods, the protagonist is assailed by escalating conflicts and increased stakes that make it more important than ever to reach their objective.

Major Setback (Turning Point 4): The protagonist experiences a devastating setback or failure that makes them doubt everything. Their plan forward will no longer work, and all seems lost. Finally rejecting any beliefs, biases, or doubts that were holding them back, they adapt their plan.

And so on���

Amplifiers in Story Structure

The flow of a story seems logical when seen through the lens of plot structure, but guess who really dictates this little road trip? Your characters���who don���t always cooperate.

Characters tend to resist change, especially the internal kind. An emotion amplifier pushes them from one point to the next with opportunities for decisions that add volatility, increase vulnerability, and make the situation worse. As the story progresses, particularly in the second half, amplifiers can also begin revealing growth as the characters adapt to new challenges and make better choices.

Look at how amplifiers have been used to this effect in some popular movies and books:

Inebriation: In Sweet Home Alabama, Melanie, who has spent years creating a new life for herself in Manhattan, returns to her hometown to get a divorce, which her estranged husband is reluctant to grant. Frustrated by her lack of success, she gets drunk during the Progress stage, turns nasty, and outs her best friend. This leads directly to the Point of No Return, when she awakens in a hungover stupor and realizes that her horrible behavior has caused her husband to finally sign the divorce papers. She should be excited to be able to put her past behind her and fully recreate herself, but she realizes she���s been pursuing the wrong goal all along.

Instability: The Nostromo vessel is floating in outer space, light years away from help, when an alien makes its way onboard (Alien). In the Complications and Higher Stakes phase of this classic movie, as crew members are picked off one by one, the captain is forced to pursue the alien into the air ducts to try to kill it. He fails, leaving protagonist Ripley as the senior officer with an enhanced security level that enables her to discover the Nostromo���s true mission, which has rendered her and her crew expendable (Major Setback).

Hunger: In Cormac McCarthy���s The Road, a father and son travel to the coast in a hard, post-apocalyptic world. During the Progress stage of the story, the father���s hunger drives him to enter a building he otherwise would have avoided. What they find there sends them running for their lives, questioning humanity���s right to survive. They stick to the woods, wet, cold, and hungrier than ever. A quote explains the father���s mindset at this point: ���He was beginning to think that death was finally upon them.��� Their foray into the house of horrors, driven by extreme hunger, has propelled them to their Point of No Return.

In each of these examples, an amplifier is used to drive the character from one turning point to the next, a technique that could work just as effectively for you. Once you���ve created a basic outline for your project, explore amplifiers that could be placed strategically to propel the character into the various stages of their story.

Choosing the Right Amplifier

Your story���s theme can deliver the perfect amplifier for informing a character���s choices and actions. It may be the same one employed repeatedly (as isolation is used in the movie While You Were Sleeping), or a variety of amplifiers that circle the overall message. If you know the theme for your story, consider options that reinforce it while also steering the plot events.

Genre can also provide ideas. A bleak, post-apocalyptic story like The Road is a natural setting for hunger, cold, and exhaustion. Likewise, attraction and arousal are common amplifiers in romance plots and subplots. Thrillers and action stories often include multiple instances of danger, stress, and mortal peril.

Additional Research

Looking for more information on amplifiers? Check out The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. With it’s easy-to-use list format and comprehensive how-to front matter, this resource can show you how to use amplifiers to motivate your characters, add meaningful conflict, and further your story.

You can see all the entries in this book here.

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Unlock Your Funny Bone: Writing Humor Is Easier Than You Think!

I���ve rarely attempted to be funny in my writing.

There are a couple of reasons for that. One, my stories tend to lean toward the serious side. The characters deal with difficult situations. There is tension, action, and mystery. Humor didn’t seem to fit.

Two, I thought I wouldn���t be any good at it. I tend to be more serious overall. I do have a wry sense of humor that my friends and family seem to appreciate. But I never thought I could translate that onto the page.

Until my most recent historical fantasy, The Curse of King Midas.

This time, I added humor, and I got a lot of positive feedback on it from readers. Plus, it made the writing a lot of fun!

If you, too, may think you���re not ���good��� at writing humor, but in your heart of hearts, you���d like to try it, I have some tips that may help.

1. Approach Your Story Differently

There���s one reason that humor was on my mind when I started writing this story: ultimately, it was going to be a musical.

At least, that’s how it started. A talented friend who is also a music composer asked me if I’d consider writing the story of the mythical King Midas. He was toying with the idea of making a musical out of it but told me that the best musicals are based on books.

Would I write the book?

I was between books and needed a new project, so I researched the idea. I was delighted to discover that King Midas was a real person. (More about that in this post on how to combine myth with history to create historical fantasy.)

That bit of knowledge gave me the inspiration I needed for the main story, but there was one more piece I felt I needed to have: humor.

Most musicals have humorous scenes in them. I should know���I’m a horn player and have played in the pit orchestra for countless productions.

When you���re in the pit, you see the musical performed numerous times. It���s easy to get bored, but I always look forward to the funny scenes. There is often some character or group of characters that lighten the mood at various times during the show.

I needed something like that in my story. Considering how it was usually done in musicals helped me come up with a way that worked perfectly for my writing style.

Thought: If you want to add humor to your story, imagine how you may approach it differently. What if it were to form the basis for a musical, play, or movie script? How might that change the way you write it?

2. Use Your Characters

Authors use humor in many different ways. They may play with word choice to arouse humor through sound. They may use asides (in parentheses) to state the obvious, allow the narrator to make fun of themselves, or make a witty remark. They may use irony or exaggeration.

So far, I haven���t found that any of these methods come easily to me. But I knew from experience that in most musicals, it���s certain characters that create the humor.

With that in mind, I chose King Midas��� three advisors. Since I���m a ���pantser��� or discovery writer, I didn’t create them beforehand. I just started imagining these three advisors standing near the king and what they might be like.

One of my Goodreads reviews may describe them best:

���The characters and plot are skillfully introduced with some interesting supporting characters including the king’s three advisors who are deliberately quirky and come across as a blend of the three wise men and the three stooges. One of them talks at cross purposes, always saying the opposite of what he means which takes a bit of getting used to and is surprisingly fun.���

Thanks, Gavin!

Once I had these characters in mind, I was good to go. Whenever they entered a scene, the humor seemed to flow naturally.

My serious nature still comes through in the story. The plot deals with hefty themes of loss and revenge. But I now know how effective it can be to have a few humorous characters lend a little comic relief now and then.

Thought: Could your story use a quirky character or two (or three) that might add humor where needed? What characters might they be? How would their interaction create a laugh for your reader?

3. Ask Yourself: Am I Laughing?

I am producing the audiobook version of The Curse of King Midas at the time of this writing, so I’m listening to each scene to check for errors. I’ve edited the draft so many times I have each scene nearly memorized. Yet I still chuckle when the advisors come in.

If you���re laughing when you���re writing your humorous scene, there���s a good chance readers will laugh too. It���s even better if you���re still laughing after multiple drafts.

4. Listen To Your Beta Readers

The final test is to see if others get your sense of humor.

This is tricky because humor is just as subjective as everything else���perhaps more so. The humor in my story is wry and sarcastic. That’s a style many people enjoy, but some just don���t get it.

A few of my beta readers were confused instead of amused at my advisors. But they were in the minority. Most readers loved them and made a point to say so in their feedback. (Another reason why it���s a good idea to have several beta readers!)

Just as not everyone will love your story, not everyone will get your sense of humor. It���s when most readers talk enthusiastically about your humorous scenes that you know you���ve aced this facet of storytelling.

Give It A Try!

I never thought I’d write humorous scenes in my stories, but I’m so glad I did. It���s always rewarding when readers enjoy our stories, but I think it���s even better when they get a laugh or two out of them.

If you have a story that you think would benefit from a little humor, I encourage you to give it a try!

Note: Get your free sample of The Curse of King Midas along with insider news about Colleen’s writing life here!

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Could a Raptor Play the Protagonist Role?

Raptors are some of the most successful predators on the planet. From owls, eagles, and vultures to hawks, falcons, and other birds of prey, raptors are skilled hunters with incredible senses, like binocular vision, that help them detect prey at far distances. The secretary bird even carries mouthfuls of water back to the nest for her young ��� one of the few avian species to quench a chicks��� thirst.

If a raptor was a character in a book, they seem like the perfect villain on the surface. After all, they kill and consume adorable critters like chipmunks, squirrels, mice, monkeys, birds, fish, and old or injured animals. As readers, we���d fear the moment their shadow darkened the soil.

What we may not consider right away is how tender raptors are with their young, or that they only take what they need to feed their family and keep the landscape free of disease from rotting meat and sick animals, or what majestic fliers they are. Raptors have many awe-inspiring abilities.

Take, for example, the Andean condor, the largest flying land bird in the western hemisphere. In the highest peaks of the majestic Andes, the largest raptor in the world hovers high in the sky in search of its next meal ��� a carcass or old/injured animal to hunt. Andean condors have a wingspan of over ten feet. If one flew sideways through an average living room with eight-foot ceilings, the wings would drag on the floor!

How could we turn a massive predator like the Andean condor into a hero? It���s difficult to offset their hunting abilities and diet with the innocence of their prey, but not impossible.

A layered characterization holds the key. It doesn���t matter who your protagonist is or what they do. With proper characterization, a raptor or killer can play any role.

Go Deeper than the Three Dimensions of Character

1st dimension: The face they show to the world; a public persona
2nd dimension: The person they are at home and with close friends
3rd dimension: Their true character. If a fire broke out in a cinema, would they help others get out safely or elbow their way through the crowd?

A raptor-type character needs layers, each one peeled little by little over time to reveal the full picture of who they are and what they stand for. We also need to justify their actions so readers can root for them.

A perfect example is Dexter Morgan, vigilante serial killer and forensic blood spatter analyst for Miami Dade Police. Why did the world fall in love with Dexter?

What makes Dexter so fascinatingly different is that he lives by a code when choosing his victims ��� they must, without a doubt, be murderers likely to strike again. But he didn���t always have this code. In the beginning, he killed to satisfy the sick impulses from his ���dark passenger.��� If it weren���t for Dexter���s adoptive father and police officer, Harry Morgan, who educated his son to control his need to kill and established tight guidelines for Dexter to follow (the code), he would have been the villain.

Readers accept his ���dark passenger��� because he���s ridding the world of other serial killers who could harm innocent people in the community. And that���s enough justification for us to root for him. We���re willing to overlook the fact that he revels in each kill and keeps trophies. We even join him in celebrating his murders ��� and never want him caught.

Jeffrey Deaver couldn���t have pulled this off if he showed all Dexter���s sides at the very beginning. It worked because he showed us each layer to the character of Dexter Morgan over time.

The Characterization for Vigilante Killers Cannot be Rushed

When I created this type of character, he started as the villain for two and half novels while I dropped hints and pieces of truth like breadcrumbs. It wasn���t until halfway through book four that the full picture of who he really was and what motivated him became evident.

So, go ahead and craft a raptor as the protagonist of your story (as an antihero). When characters are richly detailed psychologically, readers connect to them. Perhaps a part of us wishes we could enact justice like they do.

If crafted with forethought and understanding, your raptor may become your most memorable character to date. Just go slow and really think about how much of their mind to reveal and when. Who knows? You may create a protagonist readers will analyze for years to come!

*It���s unfair to draw a parallel between raptors and vigilante killers, but the idea came to me while watching a nature documentary. Make no mistake, I adore raptors.

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Using Clothes to Characterize

���Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality.���

This quote by Karl Lagerfeld is pretty heady. I���m still chewing on it, but what I gather is that clothing and other appearance choices are one way we interpret and reflect reality���the reality of who we are, of our passions. Sometimes, it���s the reality we want to project (as opposed to what���s actually real).

In this way, a character���s clothes can say a lot about them as individuals. As writers, we should always be looking for characterization opportunities that allow us to reveal truths about our characters in natural ways. And clothing choices, as mundane as they may seem, can be a great way to do this. Just zero in on a few details about your character���s clothes, and BAM! You���ve revealed crucial information without having to state it outright.

So, what can fashion choices tell us about a character?

Jobs and Careers

Does your protagonist have a job that requires a uniform? Have them head into the coffee shop wearing their hospital scrubs, stained mechanic���s coveralls, three-piece suit, or steel-toed boots and work belt. By referencing their work clothes, you won���t have to mention their profession overtly.

Temporal and Geographic Markers

If the story takes place in a different time or location, your character���s fashion choices can clue readers in to the where and when. Show your protagonist in crinolines and a corset, a tartan kilt and clan badges, or bellbottoms and a halter top. Use context clues to introduce futuristic, paranormal, or otherworldly wardrobe items. Let a few carefully chosen clothing details show readers where and when your character is living.

Personality

Because clothing choices are deeply personal, they can reflect certain aspects of personality. Looking at the main cast of Stranger Things, you wouldn���t define them as haute couture; they���re self-defined nerds with little fashion sense, and their clothes reflect this. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Cruella from the movie of the same name. Antisocial is her defining trait, and her fashion choices consistently fly in the face of what���s popular, traditional, and accepted.

A character who is flamboyant will dress differently than someone who is simple or traditional or lazy. Our personality absolutely influences how we dress, so know your character���s dominant traits, and outfit them accordingly. 

Identity

In specific cases, clothing can quickly establish certain aspects of identity. Traditional cultural garb, like a sari, kimono, or yarmulke, can point to the character���s heritage. The same is true if their dress associates them with a certain group of people, such as the LGBTQ+ community.

Interests and Hobbies

Want to show your character���s interests? Put them in fan merch from a favorite band or a t-shirt sporting a social justice slogan. Reveal their K-Pop obsession by having them show up to a block party looking like a member of BTS. One of the things that makes us each unique is our individual passions. Show those off for your character through their wardrobe.

Individuality

You can���t learn much from someone who looks just like everyone else. But if they take pains to individualize their appearance, it says something about them. Wearing colorful knee socks with a school uniform, only wearing certain colors, or making their own uniquely styled clothes are all ways to show that a character is swimming against the current. More information is needed for readers to know exactly how or why they���re different, but clothing is a good starting point for revealing this desire to break from the pack.

Financial Status

As we all know, clothes come with a variety of price tags. Some are cheap while others are wildly expensive. A character who dresses in name brands, wears only natural fibers, or shops at trendy boutiques is likely to have a bigger bank account than someone wearing hand-me-downs or generic clothes from Target.

Of course, the expensive clothes could be a smokescreen meant to convey the image of wealth. We see this with Coriolanus Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

This book, like the original Hunger Games, opens on the day of a reaping, when Snow will learn which tribute he���ll be mentoring. Assignments reflect prestige and status, which is especially important for Snow because his family has secretly fallen into poverty. He���s got to maintain appearances, and we see this in the opening pages as he meticulously picks out his clothes for the big announcement. He has splurged on a black-market pair of pants, and his tired shirt is transformed with dyes, extra purloined cloth, and a fashion-savvy cousin���s needle and thread. He shows up to his meeting looking like any wealthy Capitol citizen, but it���s all a ruse that is carried off by his clothing.

This is something to keep in mind���that looks can be deceiving, and some fashion choices are meant to portray an image that isn���t real. Those false choices, in and of themselves, can be very telling to readers.

Secrets

So, while clothing can reveal truths about a character, it can also be used to conceal those truths. Fashion choices could be deliberately made to hide things, such as

Scars or skin conditionsSigns of physical abuseA pregnancyTheir financial standingAn aspect of their identity or heritage that they���re rejectingBeliefs that would make them unpopularInsecurity and self-doubtTheir emotional state

Does your character have something to hide? How could you show that through their clothing?

Mental/Emotional State

Sometimes, a person���s fashion choices can hint at how they���re doing mentally or emotionally���namely, when their clothes change unexpectedly and no longer match their personality. If a fashion-conscious or fastidious character starts living in threadbare leggings and stained shirts, that���s a clue that something is going on with them. Likewise, when an emo character suddenly starts wearing bright colors and clothing with cheery slogans, readers will sit up and take notice because it doesn���t fit with what they know about them.

Final Thoughts

It���s clear that clothing can be used to reveal certain truths. But the clothes themselves don���t always allow for a complete interpretation because they can mean different things. Rumpled sweats and mismatched socks may be a sign of emotional distress, but it also could just mean the character is a slob. Or their washing machine is broken. For clarity about the why, pair clothing choices with dialogue, thoughts, body language, and environmental factors to provide context.

And lay the foundation early for readers about what���s normal for the character. Know their personality, preferences, interests, and personal identity well. Identify what they embrace about themselves and what they���ll downplay. Once you���ve really gotten to know your character, you can write them clearly and consistently for readers. Then, when their appearance changes, readers will know something is going on, and the meaning behind the shift will be more obvious.

I hope this post gives you some ideas about how to make your character���s clothes do double-duty. But, of course, it doesn���t cover everything. Can you think of other truths wardrobe choices can reveal about a character?

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