Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 22

What is an Emotion Amplifier?

Since compiling our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet in 2014, Angela and I have discovered so much about them. They’re way more versatile than we first imagined, and we’re stoked to share what we’ve learned with you in the soon-to-be-released 2nd edition of The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (which will be available everywhere May 13th).

But you know we can’t wait for the book to come out before we start talking your head off on this topic ;). If you’re a regular at the blog, you’re probably familiar with how these little cattle prods can get a character moving in the right direction. But for some of you, amplifiers are brand new, so I���d like to offer a quick introduction to what they are and what they can do for you and your story.

What is an Emotion Amplifier?

We all know the importance of tapping into our character���s feelings and conveying those clearly to readers. When we do this, readers connect with our characters and become invested in the story. This is how we keep them engaged beyond the first few pages or chapters.

But sometimes our characters don���t want to ���go there��� emotionally. Maybe they���re resistant to change and have a death grip on the status quo. They might be uncomfortable with certain emotions and will try to hide or repress them. Un-dealt-with trauma may cause them to avoid their feelings. There are a lot of reasons a character might need an extra push to get them out of their emotional comfort zone. And the best way to do this is with an amplifier.

EMOTION AMPLIFIERS are specific states or conditions that influence what the character feels by disrupting their equilibrium and reducing their ability to think critically.

Distraction, bereavement, and exhaustion are examples. Emotionally speaking, these states destabilize the character and nudge them toward poor judgments, bad decisions, and mistakes���all of which result in more friction and increased tension in the story.

Case Study: An Amplifier in Action

Consider Jake, a character who awakens to hot fingers of illness creeping through his body. On the cusp of a long-overdue promotion, he doesn���t dare call in sick, so he showers and heads to work. At the warehouse, he climbs into a forklift and begins his day of moving pallets and loading trucks in the pickup bay. Two guys on his crew haven���t shown up, making the shift even rougher. Everything requires more effort. Jake���s head buzzes. Noises bug him. He feels like he���s moving through molasses, but he���s got to work at double speed. As he rushes back and forth across the floor, he���s growing lightheaded. Where the heck is his foreman, who promised to pitch in?

Can you feel the strain Jake is under and how close his emotions are to the surface? How long until the weight of sickness causes him to snap at a co-worker, make a rash decision, or become so flustered he injures someone?

Amplifiers are an added condition or situational burden that must be coped with on top of everything else. They���re a challenge, conflict, and emotional destabilizer rolled into one, capable of causing physical, emotional, and psychological discomfort. The presence of an amplifier makes it harder for a character to think things through and stay in control of their emotions. And if characters become more volatile or lower their guard because they���re distracted, they���re more likely to miss something important and mess up.

Let���s say Jake���s dulled reflexes cause him to drop a pallet of product, ruining the inventory and creating a safety hazard. He���s reprimanded by his foreman, who never did come to help but has plenty of criticism to hand out. Hot with fever and frustration, Jake goes off about how he���s always the one who shows up, even when he���s sick, but never gets any appreciation. One outburst and a few ill-advised words later, Jake���s hopes for a promotion lie in ruins among the crushed cargo.

Emotion amplifiers, both large and small, are ideal for pushing a character over the edge���and sometimes, that���s exactly what the writer needs to happen. Smart, savvy characters who always make the right choices aren���t very interesting, but characters who blunder, lose control, or forget their filter? Now we���re talking!

The Ultimate Amplifier Resource

Angela and I have been studying amplifiers since we drafted the first copy of The Emotion Thesaurus. At that time, we kept running across things a character could technically feel���cold, hunger, attraction���that weren���t emotions. Eventually, we realized that these were states and conditions that intensified a character���s feelings and pushed them toward bigger reactions. Because they didn���t fit as emotions, we created an ebooklet for them: Emotion Amplifiers, a companion to The Emotion Thesaurus that highlighted 15 of these states.

But as time went on, we discovered many more amplifiers to be explored. We also realized that they do much more than just alter a character���s emotional state; they also serve as catalysts for conflict and tension, magnify internal dissonance and psychological distress, and even support story structure. Because of their versatility in strengthening both characters and stories, we knew we had to get the word out.

So we���re expanding our little ebooklet into a full-fledged book with 52 amplifiers (see the complete list here!) and a whole new front matter section that shows writers how to put them to work.

Are you curious? If so, we���ve provided a sample entry for you���a really versatile amplifier that every character will encounter at some point in the story.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few months for more blog posts, writing tips, and instructive content on amplifiers and how to put them to use. And if you’d like to be notified when the new book hits the shelves, sign up for our New Release Notification newsletter.

The post What is an Emotion Amplifier? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Top Story World and Story Bible Tips

When we create a story world for readers, we are implanting images and sensory details. From which, the reader fills in the gaps. If we skew that world in any way, we pull the reader out of their base model. And ultimately, out of the story itself.

Examples of Oopsies:blue eyes turn browna limp or lisp mysteriously vanishesthe sun rises outside the west-facing windowan ocean appears in the middle of the desertthe MC���s house has hardwood floors, yet in the previous book they had wall-to-wall carpeting

Creating a fictional world requires creativity, consistency, and attention to detail.

10 Tips to Ensure a Smooth Transition from One Book to Another

Create an overarching series bible and a story bible for individual book(s). The story bible contains things like:

Description of main characters, including the correct spelling of their namesDescription and names of secondary charactersDescription of villains, including epithets (if applicable)Victim profiles (if important)Characters��� professionsKiller(s) MO and/or signature (if applicable)Pets, including deceased pets (if applicable)Tattoos or piercingsScars���emotional and physicalFavorite jewelryMarital status/relationshipsImportant dates (birthdays/anniversaries)Family tiesThemesSettingBackstoryHousingFavorite scent (cologne/perfume/shampoo/body spray/lotion)Accent (if any)Home d��cor and architectureCherished treasures/family heirloomsTimelinesMain plotsSubplotsFuture scene ideas

In the story bible for each book, focus on minute details. Did you describe the MC���s home? Include the passage. Does the MC read a lot? Include book titles, if mentioned in the novel. Did you describe the town or the MC���s favorite breakfast joint? Include the passage.

The series bible should include details about the story world and generalized descriptions of the characters.

No need to repeat the descriptions of main and secondary characters unless they���ve changed in some way i.e., MC got a small ankle tattoo in the last book. Or she now has a scarred cheek from an automobile accident. Breast implants, liposuction, collagen lips, Botox, or other plastic surgery.

Do include theme, subplot, setting, ringtones, pets, updated backstory to include previous books, new characters, new fears, or old traumas resurfacing, new or perfected skills, favorite foods, favorite cocktail(s), food allergies, jobs, etc. etc. etc.

We forget. A lot. With multiple books in a series, our recall worsens. If we write in more than one series, it���s even easier to forget minute details.

Tips to Create Story WorldsEstablish a Core Concept

What is the concept or theme? Is the book set in a post-apocalyptic world? Dystopian future? Historical time? When or where does the story take place? Even if you never include the month or year in the WIP, knowing the approximate date helps to establish weather patterns, sunrise/sunset times, etc.

Geography

Develop physical landscapes, landmarks, cultures, and traditions. What are the residents like in this town? Stepford-esque? Back-country rural? A bustling city? Beach/island community?

History

Even if you never use these details in the WIP, you should know the history of your world. Did a major event cause an upheaval? Are there lingering effects? What are the natural resources? What is the terrain and climate like? Any landmarks?

Culture and Society

Who inhabits your world? What is the culture like? How is the diversity? Does the culture and/or society cause conflict? How so? What���s the transportation like���horses, vehicles, taxis, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, or do most people drive mopeds or golf carts on the streets?

Languages

What is the predominate language of your world? Any secondary languages? Do language barriers cause conflict for the MC?

Societal Norms and Taboos

What are societal norms for your world? Is there an Amish community? Is there a robust Indigenous community? Do their traditions and culture conflict or complement the MC���s background? Any taboos?

Leave Room for Changes

Don���t describe your story world in so much detail that it doesn���t allow for deeper exploration in later books. You may love it today, but ten books later it could hamstring you.

We can either create a story bible during the writing process or after. I prefer to do it once the first draft is complete. If I stop to scrawl notes during the drafting stage, it slows me down. Do whatever works best for you. These are guidelines, not rules.

Did I miss anything? Please share.
Any other advice from your experience?

The post Top Story World and Story Bible Tips appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Psychopath

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes���”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

DESCRIPTION: This narcissistic and antisocial character lacks empathy and will cross any line to get what they want.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men), Annie Wilkes (Misery), Amy Dunne (Gone Girl), the Joker (The Dark Knight), Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adaptable, Adventurous, Charming, Confident, Focused, Observant, Private, Spontaneous

COMMON WEAKNESSES: Antisocial, Callous, Controlling, Cruel, Dishonest, Evil, Haughty, Hostile, Impatient, Impulsive, Irresponsible, Manipulative, Rebellious, Reckless, Self-Indulgent, Selfish, Uncooperative, Unethical, Vain, Violent

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Remaining cool under pressure
Acting assertively and decisively
Maintaining a singular focus on their goals
Being highly adaptable
Communicating strongly and effectively
Paying keen attention to details
Being confident
Showing resiliency in the face of setbacks
Being cruel for their own satisfaction or personal gain
Refusing to accept responsibility for their actions
Choosing relationships based on what the other person can do for them

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Having to maintain a fa��ade of emotional intimacy and normal emotional range in a long-term relationship
Their lies and manipulation being exposed
Facing legal or social repercussions for their actions

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO���
Forms a genuine connection with another person
Has an atypical trait: Hospitable, Affectionate, Wholesome, Gossipy, Responsible, etc.

CLICH��S TO BE AWARE OF
The sadistic serial killer who enjoys causing pain and chaos and who is evil for evil���s sake
The unemotional, superhuman genius who is an unstoppable force with no regard for the consequences of their actions
The psycho who uses his tendencies for the greater good and becomes an unconventional hero or antihero (�� la Dexter Morgan)

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Psychopath appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy

Three years ago, I never would have guessed I���d be writing a blog post on this topic.

Back then, I was focused on pure fantasy stories. My first novel was an epic fantasy, while my second and third were paranormal fantasy.

I thought I had ���found my voice��� in paranormal fantasy, but then a friend of mine asked me a question:

���Would you like to write a book about the King Midas myth?���

That question, and my answer to it������Sure, I could give it a try������opened up a whole new world for me in terms of fantasy writing.

Why?

Because when I started researching the King Midas myth, I discovered something very interesting: King Midas was a real person.

It���s Fun to Find History in Myth

King Midas, according to the latest research by the University of Pennsylvania, ruled the kingdom of Phrygia back in the later 600s and early 700s BC.

As far as the records show, this is the same Midas the Greeks were talking about when they created the King Midas myth���you know, the one about him asking the god Dionysus for the touch of gold. When I found this in my research, I was super excited. Not only did I have the myth to play with in my story, now I had the real life of King Midas, too. Combining them both in a new narrative opened up creative avenues I would have never explored before.

Writing the story was a lot of fun, and though I didn���t plan it that way, ���The Curse of King Midas��� has now spawned a series called The Midas Legacy. I���m knee-deep in book two at the time of this writing.

What I���d like to share with other writers is the fun that can be had when you try this type of setup for your story. If you���d like to explore something new or get out of a rut, I urge you to give it a try!

It���s Up to You How Much You Use of Either One

The main question I had getting into the story���and the one I still find myself asking as I look ahead to books two and three���is how much to pull from the real history and how much to use of the myth.

With this story, it made the most sense to rely heavily on the myth. This is what most people are familiar with when it comes to Midas. I���ve read other authors like Gregory Maguire (Wicked) and Madeline Miller (Circe) and I could recognize the main story (The Wizard of Oz and The Odyssey, respectively) within their novels. It was important to me to have the same recognition in my book about Midas, as readers attracted to the title will be looking for that.

I did change some things, though. The main one was Midas��� motivation. In the myth, he���s motivated strictly by greed. I couldn���t relate to that. Nor could I imagine a father as devoted to his daughter as Midas was risking it all for gold coins. So I shifted his motivation to something I felt was more relatable and greatly increased the stakes of the story: revenge.

I also played with some of the main characters, and here is where the real history helped me a lot. I needed a rival for Midas, and history gave it to me. According to the records that survived that time, King Sargon II���who ruled Assyria���found King Midas to be a pain in his behind. He often had to face him in battles and didn���t like that he was trying to squelch his expansion plans.

My research on King Sargon II helped me form his character in the story, and he turned out to be the perfect antagonist. He added a lot more drama and action to the story, which was just what the myth needed.

History Can Supply the Time and Setting

The other thing that I pulled from the history of King Midas was the time and setting. Whereas the myth is set in a general time in the past, the real King Midas��� life spanned a limited number of years in a very specific time. This helped create guardrails for my novel in terms of how people lived then and what sort of tools they had.

I was also delighted to discover that archaeologists were in the process of excavating the city of Gordion as I was writing! This is the capital city from where King Midas ruled. It was an amazing coincidence, and I���ve stayed as true as I could to the location of the city at that time.

The geography and the climate were already decided for me���I didn���t have to make them up. It also made creating the map that sits at the front of the book a lot easier!

A Basis for a Series

The last thing history gave me was a way to carry on with the story past the original myth. I didn���t expect that Midas would spawn a series, initially. Book one has a satisfying ending, but it does leave some questions unanswered, particularly concerning a couple of key characters. When my beta readers started asking me if there was going to be a sequel, I knew I had more in this world to explore.

I���ve returned to what really happened during that time as the basis for the second book. It���s presented some challenges for me, in terms of how it has to end. But I like a challenge and have enjoyed tackling a type of story I might not have tried otherwise. And I think it will naturally lead into the third and final book, though what will happen then I don���t know yet!

Might You Like to Combine Myth with History?

If you���re considering this type of approach to a story, here are some advantages I���ve found:

The myth and the history together will present a ready-made plot, or at least the foundation of it. That can give you a jumpstart on plotting, making it a little easier.The history can give you time and place���making the setting simpler to create. (The research is fun too.)The myth can provide fun fantasy elements to include. (I used the gods and their magic to plant the story firmly in fantasy territory.)

Overall, this was a fun story to write. As a writing exercise, you may want to try combining one of your favorite myths or fairy tales with a certain time in history, just to see what you might come up with.

Note: To get a glimpse of Colleen���s new book, The Curse of King Midas, click here!

The post How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling

A writer���s job is to do one thing well: pull the reader in. Our words should act like a tractor beam, sucking them into our story���s world. We tap into the reader’s emotions, seize their attention, and suddenly they forget to mow the lawn, eat cereal for dinner, and postpone bedtime yet again.

It’s glorious. So…how do we do it? Psychology.

People are hardwired for stories. For one, they contain experiences that the primal part of the brain likes to mine for information to help with survival. But there are other reasons, too, like the chance to experience certain emotions that act as a release, and the sense of connection a person gets from discovering common ground with others…in this case, the characters.

This is psychology at work.

Certain psychological processes steer us, even though we may not realize it. They shape how we respond to life���s ups and downs, our behavior toward others and ourselves, influence the goals we seek, and more.

Psychology is the study of mental processes and behavior to understand why people think and behave as they do.

Most of us aren’t experts in psychology. We may not even think much about the WHY behind our attitudes and behaviors. Nonetheless, psychological patterns and processes are whirring in the background, drawing from our personal beliefs, emotions, values, identity, and experiences to determine how we think, act, and behave.

Applying human psychology to characters makes them authentic and relatable to readers.

Psychology is part of what it is to be human. Whether it’s a character’s struggles, choices, values, needs, or mistakes, readers can’t help but see a piece of themselves reflected in the character. A bond forms, and if we wish it, we can make that character important to them, someone whose hopes, desires, and goals are meaningful and worth cheering for.

We don’t need to be experts to use psychology, either. We may not always know the terminology or reasoning behind certain processes, but we know what they are like to experience. We can show a character struggling to mentally or emotionally process something and readers will relate���they���ve had to process challenging things, too. This familiarity creates connection and empathy, which is exactly what we want to happen.

Let’s look at a common psychological process: cognitive dissonance.

The best way to explain what this is will be to ask you a question: Have you ever experienced internal tension from an unsettling situation, like seeing a neighbor chain his dog up day after day?

Or maybe this tension crops up when you���re doing something you don���t feel 100% good about, like pulling into the McDonald’s drive-thru when you committed to making better choices and eating healthier.

If so, this tension is called cognitive dissonance, the psychological discomfort caused by contradicting thoughts, perceptions, values, or beliefs. It���s quite common ��� we all experience it. A few examples:

We discover information that challenges our current beliefs and sense of right and wrongWe must choose between competing values/beliefs because, in our current situation, we can’t live by bothWe are behaving in a way that doesn’t match with what we believe in

Cognitive dissonance causes uncomfortable emotions like confusion, worry, guilt, regret, or shame.

To illustrate, let’s go back to the McDonald���s example. Despite your plan to stick to healthy options, it’s been a hellish week, and you pull into the drive-thru. You feel guilty as you order, but when the food arrives, you park the car and indulge���it���s so good! Unfortunately, your Big Mac euphoria lasts only as long as the burger does, and now you���re regretting the decision to cave to your craving. Worse, you���re mentally beating yourself up for not having the willpower to resist.

Cognitive dissonance is powering this discord because you (a) like eating Big Macs but (b) want to lose weight and be healthy. You resolved inner tension briefly by choosing Team Big Mac, but because this behavior didn���t line up with that internal commitment you made to yourself, guilt and regret followed.

This is a psychological process so common readers will pick up on it in the story. The best part? Even if a character experiences dissonance and makes a choice that the reader would not, they still empathize with the character’s experience of internal strain.

Another form of internal contradiction is emotional dissonance. This happens when a person fakes an emotion that they don’t feel.

Can I use you as an example again? Let���s imagine at work you find yourself faking enthusiasm about your boss���s terrible marketing strategy. After all, you know from experience that he won���t listen to contrary opinions, and because you���re a team player, you put on your rah-rah face like everyone else in the meeting.

In this case, your dissonance is mild. You���ve weathered his bad ideas before and aren���t invested enough to state how you really feel.

But emotional dissonance isn���t always minor. Sometimes the emotion you���d have to fake is so far from what you feel that it clashes with your values or personal identity. Acting in alignment with an untrue emotion can mean sacrificing your belief system and going against who you are.

Let���s up the ante. You discover this marketing strategy is driven by a closely guarded secret: the company needs to dump a supply of expired baby formula that they’ve repackaged with fresh dates. When you confront your sales manager she explains that the product is fine, this happens all the time, so keep quiet and get out there and sell, sell, sell.

Can you, knowing the formula could be contaminated? Will you be able to fake confidence as you hit up those neonatal units and pharmacies to convince people to buy your product? Or is this something you can���t do because it crosses a line and violates your core values, regardless of how badly you need the bonus for meeting your sales quota?

Here, the divide between your true feelings (contempt and shock) and the emotion you���d need to fake (confidence) is much wider. Whichever you express reveals your identity: Are you the sort of person who does what���s right or what makes money?

Everyone protects their self-perceptions���things they believe to be true about themselves. Emotional dissonance in a story raises the stakes by challenging the character���s view of themselves, creating confusion, uncertainty, or regret. These difficult emotions are another point of common ground with readers because at one time or another, everyone has reflected on their own identity and whether they are being true to themselves.

Internal dissonance is the heart of inner conflict.

Showing a character wrestle with clashing beliefs, values, or other inconsistencies, no matter what they are, will resonate with readers. The character’s situation may be new to the reader, but the internal tug of war is something they have experience with.

In short, psychology is awesome. Use it!

If you’d like to know more (and discover the best way to encourage internal tension), watch for our upcoming guide, The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer���s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility.

This companion to The Emotion Thesaurus releases May 13th.

The post Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Jock

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes���”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

DESCRIPTION: Athletically gifted, jocks live for their sport and are often popular because of their talents and accomplishments. A staple of Young Adult stories, these characters are often cast as heroes, antagonists, and love interests. As supporting or minor characters, they���re frequently portrayed in a negative light, as unintelligent, one-dimensional, cruel, or predatory.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Cedric Diggory (the Harry Potter series), Andrew Clark (The Breakfast Club), AC Slater (Saved by the Bell), Oz (American Pie)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Alert, Ambitious, Confident, Decisive, Disciplined, Enthusiastic, Extroverted, Focused, Friendly, Inspirational, Passionate, Persistent, Playful, Protective, Simple, Spontaneous, Talented

COMMON WEAKNESSES: ��Cocky, Confrontational, Fanatical, Impatient, Impulsive, Irresponsible, Macho, Obsessive, Pushy, Reckless, Rowdy, Self-Indulgent, Superstitious, Unintelligent, Vain, Volatile

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Being gifted in one or more sports
Being confident in social situations
Working out and exercising religiously
Working well on a team
Listening to their coach (but not necessarily to other authority figures)
Being disciplined
Watching their diet
Their identity being tied to their athletic ability and accomplishments
Being susceptible to peer pressure
Using athletic accomplishments to compensate for a perceived weakness

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Being stuck on a losing team
No longer being able to perform due to an injury, disease, the natural effects of aging, etc.
Moving to a location where their preferred sport isn���t offered
Being pressured by an authority figure to perform well

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO���
Is multi-dimensional in their personality
Is an adult (not a teen)
Has an atypical trait: Humble, Philosophical, Studious, Whiny, Worrywart, etc.

CLICH��S TO BE AWARE OF
Dumb, muscle-bound jocks
The bullying jock who rules the roost and picks on weaker people

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Jock appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!

By Julie Artz

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After nearly ten years working with writers, I���ve decided the only inviolable rule in writing is that a romance must have either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending. And yet blog posts like these are full of writing ���rules.��� I loved Jami Gold���s post on rule breaking in fiction right here on Writers Helping Writers. Today I���d like to talk about one of the first rules she mentioned: Avoid Prologues.

Most writers recognize one of the most famous prologues in English-language literature, William Shakespeare���s sonnet opener in Romeo and Juliet that begins ���Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene…���

But at the same time, you���ve probably been told in a blog post, a conference talk, or writing course to avoid prologues at all costs. I���ve certainly cautioned many a writer against including a prologue. And 75% of the time it���s good advice, because prologues are often catch-all repositories for info-dump, world-building deep-dives, and spoilers. When a prologue works, though, it adds so much to your story. Here���s a checklist you can use to make sure your prologue is strong enough to break the ���no prologue��� rule:

Does it Pass the Prologue Test?

Does the prologue you have planned:

Provide a hook that will leave the reader wanting more? This can be a mystery, a unique speculative element, a shocking/cliffhanger event, foreshadowing, or a gripping voice. See ���The Importance of a Great Opening��� by Lucy V. Hay for more on the hook.Foreshadow something that you couldn���t achieve via the main character���s point of view? See ���No, Don���t Tell Me��� by Jami Gold for more on foreshadowing.Introduce speculative elements in a story that starts in an otherwise contemporary or historical world? This can help you ensure you���re making the right promise to your reader.Introduce a mystery element or a question that the main character(s) might not be able to convey to the reader? Set up questions the reader will have to puzzle out as they read and you���ll have them turning pages into the wee hours of the night.Avoid cliche openings? Even in a prologue, you can���t start with a dream, a character looking in the mirror, or the classic dark and stormy night.Keep it short? No info-dump or onerous world-building. You don���t want the reader to be disappointed to learn the first voice they encounter in the story goes away after a short opening chapter, so give them just enough and move on to the main POV character in Chapter One.Prove itself absolutely essential to your story? If you can cut it and the story still holds water, you probably should. Make an agent/editor/reader feel that the prologue is crucial and they���ll love it as much as you do.

If your prologue doesn���t tick any of the boxes above, don���t just rename your prologue ���Chapter One��� and assume you don���t have to worry about it. If it���s a different POV character, a vastly different time, or sometimes even a different setting, it���s probably still a prologue. And that���s OK, as long as you avoid the pitfalls discussed here. Now that you know the elements of a strong prologue, you know what to do to make yours better. And if you���re still struggling, I���ve included some great examples below for further study.

Three Examples of Prologues that Work

Learning to read like a writer is one of the cheapest, most self-directed ways to improve your writing. Examining these three prologues with a writer���s eye will help you peek behind the curtain and think about what makes them work. Then you can go apply what you���ve learned to your own prologue. For more exercises to learn how to read like a writer, get my free workbook here.

Spoiler Alert: The prologue examples I���ve provided below are, by definition, only the opening few pages of lengthy novels, but there are some spoilers below. Understanding why a prologue works includes not only thinking about the opening of the story, but the prologue���s function in relation to the later events of the book. If you have not read one of these stories and don���t want spoilers, skip to the other two examples.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

A Pinnocchio retelling set in a post-apocalyptic future, In the Lives of Puppets tells the story of young Vic and the mystery he kicks off when he brings a new robotic friend home from the junk heap. The prologue is from Vic���s father���s point of view and shows both how they ended up living alone in an isolated set of tree houses in the forest and how he came to adopt Vic. It immediately establishes the lonely father���s deep love of his new charge, which creates reader sympathy, and the fact that someone very bad is after Vic, which creates tension and mystery. But, and here���s the kicker, it also contains a lie that is the lynch pin of the mystery. Neither Vic nor the reader discovers the lie until the end of the book and that tension packs an extra gut-punch into an already wonderful story.

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

I don���t know this for sure, but I bet at least one person told NK Jemisin to cut not only her prologue, but the entire 2nd person point of view the prologue sets up in the first book in her stunning Broken Earth trilogy, The Fifth Season. Talk about a rule-breaker!

Jemisin���s world-building is second to none, but it���s also extremely complex. The prologue draws the reader in by beginning with the personal���the story of a mother losing her young child. Then she brilliantly addresses the reader with ���You need context��� and goes on to deftly, but briefly, paint a picture of the fantasy world. She continues to be the exception that proves the rule as she zooms out and takes on a more omniscient POV, introducing the reader to several important characters, the concept of ���stone eaters,��� which is central to the conflict, and ends with the apocryphal ���This is the way the world ends. For the last time.��� Chills! This rule-breaking prologue works because of the tension, mystery, and voice.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Like In the Lives of Puppets, this prologue includes a misdirection that isn���t revealed to the reader (or the POV character, Konstance) until late in this mind-bending, multi-timeline, multi-POV novel by Anthony Doerr. This prologue is shorter than the other two examples, but makes excellent use of introducing mystery elements. It introduces some of the key threads that will be explored in the story���the Diogenes, the siege of Constantinople, and also poses a question���why is this 14 year old girl alone in a spaceship? The reader doesn���t know how all these pieces come together, but they���re curious enough to read on, even though the ultimate mystery of Konstance���s story isn���t revealed until the very end.

For more information on a Prologue Done Right, check out Becca Puglisi���s post by that name, which deep dives into the prologue of Ruta Sepetys���s Between Shades of Gray.

Do you have a favorite prologue? I���d love to hear about it in the comments.

Julie Artz spent her���young life sneaking into wardrobes searching for Narnia. When people started to think that was too weird, she went in search of other ways to go on magical adventures. Now she finds those long-sought doors to mystical story worlds in her work as an author, editor, and book coach. She helps social and environmental justice minded writers slay their doubt demons so they can send their work out into the world with confidence. Her clients have published with the Big Five, with small and university presses, and indie/hybrid as well. An active member of the writing community, she has volunteered for SCBWI, TeenPit, and Pitch Wars and is a member of the EFA, the Authors Guild, and AWP. A consummate story geek and wyrdo, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington. Julie���s stories have been published in Crow Toes Weekly, the Sirens Benefit Anthology Villains & Vengeance, and the speculative anthology Beyond the Latch and Lever. Subscribe to Julie���s weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, or connect with her below:

Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Substack | Bluesky

The post Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character

Whenever we write a protagonist who lost someone important within their backstory, we have some heavy lifting ahead of us. That ���unseen��� character���a character who has died or who is simply away for one reason or another���is going to need to be developed and brought to the page somehow to deepen the emotion beneath the protagonist���s loss.

It won���t be enough that we tell the reader our character misses that person, or how that we label how the unseen character used to make the protagonist feel���good or bad. That sort of writing reduces the relationship down to what we call ���emotional abstraction������outright naming the way someone feels, rather than letting the reader experience the emotion in a firsthand way.

If the loss or separation is truly crucial to the story of your protagonist, you���ll want to create the illusion of the unseen character so it���s as if we���ve actually met them.

To better understand why developing an unseen character is worth the work, let���s look at an example based on emotional abstraction. The protagonist (Lila) has recently lost her father, and is reflecting on a memory:

Lila was happy every time she and Dad rode in his truck together.

In this example, the writer tells us Lila was happy in an outright way. Though you���d think this would be enough for us to know what she���s lost in losing her dad, it winds up falling flat. The reader knows how they should feel, but the head and the heart don���t quite connect. The difficulty with naming emotions���or emotional abstraction���is that reader doesn���t actually feel the emotion with any precision or depth. The word happy means different things to all of us, and so it���s a missed opportunity for the reader to know exactly how happy Dad made Lila. The happiness in this example isn���t Lila-shaped, or precisely Dad-induced.

Now, consider this example that seeks to avoid emotional abstraction by creating the illusion of Dad:

Lila couldn���t explain why she always preferred to sit right beside Dad whenever she rode with him in his truck. Maybe it was his warm shoulder swaying side to side alongside hers over each and every bump in the road. She never minded sitting on the big tear in the worn leather of the bench seat as long as she was next to Dad. He always gave Lila complete control of the radio, even if the music she chose made his face wrinkle up like he���d eaten a lemon. He kept a pair of drumsticks in the glove compartment so she could practice drumming on the dashboard as they made their way around town for their usual Saturday errands.

���Louder, Lils.��� He���d say every time they drove past the town library. She���d grin and he���d wink back.

Dad never learned how to play the drums. But Lila would focus on his rhythm as he thumped his palms the steering wheel, and try to sync her own beats with his.

Notice how in the second example, we accomplish so much more than the first example. We have a sensory-based memory with dialogue and body language that we can picture within our own minds. We feel how it feels for Lila to sit near Dad. We hear that cringey music Dad endures because Lila loves it, or the sounds made drumming along to the music. We can imagine the emotions they likely each feel with far more precision. We can better gauge his love for her, and who he was for her based on his actions. We can even judge the way she loves him back based on the way she tries to cover up his lack of rhythm by adjusting her own rhythm.

All of these details evoke an illusion that allows us to better comprehend and feel what it must be like for Lila to have lost Dad. We have unpacked ���happy,��� and we���ve given it precision and depth. We���ve made it Lila-shaped and Dad-induced.

In letting us indirectly meet an unseen character, we better understand both who they were as an individual and what their relationship with your front-story character/protagonist was like. As such, we better understand the emotions the protagonist is experiencing due to whatever has put distance between them and the unseen character.

If you have a character who isn���t technically in your front story but who is crucial to your protagonist���s backstory, you���ll want to consider creating the illusion of them on the page.

Let���s pull out our writerly magic wands and talk strategies for bringing an unseen character to life:

Backstory/Flashback: As with the second example above, crafting vivid, punchy flashbacks that let us glimpse the relationship your protagonist had with the unseen character can be a powerful tool. Flashbacks are especially effective because they give you the chance to bring an unseen character onto the page despite their absence in your front story.Front-Story Objects: You can use objects to bring an unseen character to life. If we were to step into spaces they inhabited, or to go through their belongings, what would we learn about who they were? What objects does your protagonist hold onto that they were given from the unseen character? What mementos from time spent with that lost character does your protagonist keep? What can���t your protagonist bring themselves to get rid of? Which objects���wherever the protagonist goes���evoke memories?Front-Story Dialogue: What do other characters say about who the unseen character was? What do they not say about the unseen character? What does your protagonist say or not say about them? Are there characters your protagonist avoids ever since they lost the unseen character?Front-Story Locations: Where does your character avoid going because it���s a painful reminder of the lost character? Where does your character linger because they can���t let go of the unseen character?Front-Story Activities: What hobbies or activities does your character avoid because of losing the unseen character? Are there activities they���re especially fixated on since losing the unseen character? What are they losing out on in life because of the loss?

Creating the illusion of the unseen character is only part of the heavy-lifting, though. We have to consider why we���ve chosen to include this lost character in your protagonist���s life in the first place, and how it relates to the journey ahead.

So much of what makes an off-the-page character work is what they do to challenge the protagonist in your front story.

Consider the following questions:

What didn���t your character know about the lost character that your front story might reveal to them? How is losing that character holding your character back when we first meet them? What events might occur to provide your character aha moments about letting go? What plot points might reveal the truth about something the protagonist couldn���t see back when the other character was around?

How did losing that unseen character turn out to help your protagonist figure out what they needed all along? What is it about who your unseen character was that reveals your protagonist to us at each flashback point? What are we learning not just about the unseen character in a flashback, but about your protagonist? How do those flashbacks show us change in your protagonist? Does each flashback reveal something slightly different? Is there a truth that needs to be revealed?

Consider why this specific loss of another character in your protagonist���s backstory matters and how it relates to their needs in your front story. Why, in other words, is losing that unseen character a starting point in what your protagonist needs to do externally and how they need to grow internally? How might the unseen presence of a character slowly draw your protagonist in toward some sort of journey of discovery? How do the memories of the unseen character or new discoveries about who they were shift your protagonist? How do the memories ask them to face some sort of fear or inner truth they’ve been incapable of seeing���likely something about themselves���when the dust settles?

What type of unseen character is part of your protagonist���s backstory? How does the loss of that character give rise to the journey you have planned for your own book? Do you have favorite examples of books, movies, or films that feature an unseen character?

Happy writing!
Marissa

The post Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Reluctant Hero

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes���”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

DESCRIPTION: This protagonist doesn’t want to be a hero and actively works to avoid becoming one. Throughout the course of their arc, they eventually embrace and grow into their role as the hero of the story.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games trilogy), Vianne Mauriac (The Nightingale), Han Solo (Star Wars: A New Hope), Sarah Connor (The Terminator)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adaptable, Alert, Cautious, Courageous, Empathetic, Generous, Honorable, Humble, Independent, Introverted, Just, Loyal, Pensive, Resourceful, Responsible, Sensible, Talented

COMMON WEAKNESSES: Apathetic, Cowardly, Cynical, Evasive, Hostile, Indecisive, Nervous, Paranoid, Selfish, Stubborn, Suspicious, Timid, Uncooperative, Worrywart

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Being self-reliant
Having high moral standards
Disliking being the center of attention
Enjoying solitude
Preferring to be seen as ordinary
Being self-serving or self-centered (initially)
Having a strong sense of justice
Tending toward skepticism
Having commitment issues
Underachieving

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Having to decide to engage in a difficult situation or do nothing
A loved one facing mortal peril
The stakes becoming personal, making it harder for the character not to act
Others acknowledging the character’s weakness and pushing them to change

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO���
Has a good reason for their reluctance that goes beyond insecurity or selfishness
Has skeletons in their closet
Has an atypical trait: Flamboyant, Playful, Vindictive, Whiny, Witty, etc.

CLICH��S TO BE AWARE OF
The character making an abrupt reversal from reluctant to fully committed hero
The reluctant hero who takes on the hero mantle after their mentor or other key character is killed

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

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Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition

Hey, wonderful
writerly people!

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

Six winners will receive feedback on their first five pages!

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. Six winners will be drawn. We will email you if you win and let you know how to submit. Please have your first five pages 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 overtly religious books The editor you’ll be working with:Erica Converso

I���m Erica Converso, author of the Five Stones Pentalogy (affiliate link). I love chocolate, animals, anime, musicals, and lots and lots of books ��� though not necessarily in that order. In addition to my work as an author, I have been an intern at Marvel Comics, a college essay tutor, and a database and emerging technologies librarian. Between helping adult patrons in the reference section and mentoring teens in the evening reading programs, I was also the resident research expert for anyone requiring more in-depth information for a project.

As an editor, I aim to improve and polish your work to a professional level, while also teaching you to hone your craft and learn from previous mistakes. With every piece I edit, I see the author as both client and student. I believe that every manuscript presents an opportunity to grow as a writer, and a good editor should teach you about your strengths and weaknesses so that you can return to your writing more confident in your skills. Visit my website astrioncreative.com for more information on my books and editing and coaching services.

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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