S.L. Morgan's Blog, page 14
November 20, 2013
An insider on how I write believable characters.
All writer’s are different in their approach to writing. I wanted to share how I go about writing my characters…and making them believable. Enjoy. -SL.
In my opinion, having believable characters is the heart and soul of a novel. As authors, when we create our fantasy world (or whatever you may refer to it as) we are faced with many issues; the biggest of which is making fiction feel as though it were real. Drawing a reader into our fictional novels and making them believe they are really living in this story is quite a task. I strongly believe that if the characters are well-written and believable, the reader will easily become captivated by your story.
When I read novels, it has always been the characters that have drawn me in. I either want to know more about them, be friends with them, or marry them. I think most readers are that way. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth (from Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice) lived on Mars; I am so attached to those characters and their story that I would happily accept living on Mars with them. These are the things I kept in mind when I wrote Ancient Guardians: The Legacy of the Key.
In my book, the readers are swept into an alternate dimension. The events that happen throughout this book had me wondering if my imagination had finally validated that I might very well be crazy. I felt like I was taking a big risk writing something I knew nothing about (such as inter-dimensional travel and alien species). I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never worked for NASA, and I’ve lived on Earth my entire life. This is why I needed my characters to get my back. They had to be believable, and the readers had to be drawn to them or the storyline might have been a little flat.
So, in order for me to make a character believable, I have to believe they really do exist. I have to know their personalities, what makes them happy, sad, emotional, and humorous. It may help to sit down and write an outline of your characters. Give them personality. Set their stories up, know their history, and know who they are. Once you have done this, it’s time to play their parts. This was my absolute favorite part of writing. In my book, Reece Bryant is my main character and I wrote the entire book in her point of view and I really enjoyed playing her role. She’s not over dramatic and she’s not too confident. She goes through quite a bit at the beginning of the book, and it’s fun to react as Reece would to the bizarre circumstances she is faced with. Although this book is written through Reece’s POV, it is essential that know the characters that are interacting with her as well. For example, I have a scene where my characters are all in a room together, and the tension is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. In this scene, I know how everyone is feeling. I know who’s causing the tension, who’s threatened by it, and I know who’s trying to lighten the mood. I may be writing from one person’s point of view, but if I don’t know how everybody else in the room is feeling, I wouldn’t be able to write the scene.
I would equate being an author to doing what an actor does to prepare for a role. You have to become the characters, and when you are six different characters at once, it can make you a little schizophrenic at times. However, it’s really necessary for the development of your book. You need to fully immerse yourself and know your characters as if you are them. In this way, you won’t second guess what they do, or how they will react to any given situation. I am convinced that this is what makes the characters believable.
So, when writing your novel, enjoy playing your roles and being your characters…the end result is a very believable storyline, and readers who will walk away wishing they knew your characters personally.
November 18, 2013
Reece Bryant from Ancient Guardians making an appearance today!
It’s not everyday Reece gets to head back to Earth and enjoy some technology! So here she is, stopping in to say, “Hi!” And meet everyone who is enjoying her story and are excited for the next books to come
Hey, there! For those of you who may not have read, Ancient Guardians: Legacy of the Key, allow me to introduce myself: My name is Reece Bryant. I never considered myself to be of any importance; actually, for lack of a better term, I’m “the girl next door.” I’m just like you. I wake up every morning and try my best to deal with whatever challenge I’m faced with.Then, one day, everything as I knew it changed.The events that are chronicled in this novel changed my outlook on life, on humanity, and changed my entire belief structure. There was no course in school that covered any of this, and to say I wasn’t prepared for it would be the understatement of the millennium. Here is a glimpse into my story.
Before I was transported and brought into the dimension of Pemdas (yes, you read that right, another dimension),I was faced with the biggest loss of my life; the death of my father. He was my only family, and the reality of being all alone in the world is something I wish upon nobody. I was so young, but I knew then that I was in a “make you or break you” situation. I decided to let it make me, and so I pursued my dream of becoming a pediatrician. Accomplishing that goal was the most important thing to me, in fact, nothing mattered except for that. Then from out of nowhere, I lost the only control I had, the control over my future.
Unbeknownst to me, I had been under the protection of two Guardians from Pemdas. I suppose I would have never known they existed, nor would I have been brought into Pemdas, had my life not been in imminent danger.It was imperative that they take me into their dimension for my own protection, and I had to make a split-second decision to trust two complete strangers. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I know better than to accept candy from strangers. Not exactly the most desirable situation, when your only options are to get in a car with two men, or be attacked by two other men…I’ll take the car, thank you.
When I was introduced to the Emperor of Pemdas it was made clear to me that my being in Pemdas was not only for my safety, but the safety of Earth and all other dimensions in existence. From the moment I came into Pemdas, Levi – one of my guardians, and also the Emperor’s son – helped to me to become acclimated with my new surroundings, and he explained the details of what my new reality was. With his help, I opened my mind to all that Pemdas is…the magical land, their people, and their sole directive; to protect earth. I must say that my first evening in this enchanted land was nothing short of hypnotic. This dimension is mesmerizing. I would love to describe it to you, but I don’t have enough time to do it justice. Besides, I think the author does a pretty thorough job of it in the book.
As you can imagine, life in Pemdas is quite different from life on Earth. They are not distracted by the technology that we on Earth are so dependent upon.At first it was very difficult for me to adjust, but it didn’t take me long to realize that this way of life was superior in a “quality of life” kind of way. I knew that when I returned to Earth, I would get caught up in the hustle and bustle again, and I wouldn’t have time to enjoy my life. I realized that it’s the simple things that bring the most to our lives.
Being in Pemdas was life changing in every way possible. Not only was my entire world flipped upside down, but my emotions were all over the place. I knew this new world was not my home, but to be honest, I didn’t feel like I had much of a home on Earth, either. I grew to love Pemdas, to love the people there; and what scared me the most was the possibility that I was beginning to fall in love, also. Going back to Earth broken-hearted wasn’t something I was willing to do, and trying to come to grips with all of these things was with no small amount of effort.
In closing, I can say that the journey of my life has changed my heart and soul forever. I see things differently now.Never again will I take for granted what matters most in life, and I know that whatever path I am on, I will go forth with confidence; and I will always know that Pemdas is forever in my heart, whether or not I’m there. After you read this book, I hope you’ll feel the same.
November 17, 2013
I love editing!!
Can’t you tell??? Over used words, cutting whole paragraphs and thinking is the entire world going to tear this book apart if we don’t find every mistake once it’s published? I couldn’t be more thankful for editors! Time to press on and be fearless!!!
November 16, 2013
November 14, 2013
Fun Fact: Ancient Guardians Book 1
As we are editing Book 2, I thought it would be fun to share my first experiences with writing, editing and publishing Book 1 of the Ancient Guardians series. (Only 3 more books to edit and publish once book 2 is published 
Fun Fact: Book 1, The Legacy of the KeyThis is the first time I printed Ancient Guardians: The Legacy of the Key! I was so excited, I couldn’t stop hugging the folder, ha ha! It was officially 175,000 words long (about a 500 page novel) Then, I had my first experience with a professional editor…and the final published edition wound up being only 108,000 words!!! A lot of work went into editing that book as you can tell
November 9, 2013
Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited (Book 2 Black series cover reveal)
FINALLY!!!!!! Book 2 is officially titled and the “Black ‘cover’ Series” has it’s new cover! Here’s the reveal! Hope you like it! We are considering a December 2013 release for Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited(Book 2: Anciemt Guardians series) by SL Morgan
November 8, 2013
Ancient Guardians: Book 2
As a writer, I’m always trying to find images that could come close to what I am envisioning in my mind as I write. In Book 2 we leave Pasidian Palace for a short amount of time and experience a lovely estate! This is as close as it gets….
November 7, 2013
Ancient Guardians Book 2 is coming along…
Starting to format the interior for publishing!!! I love this part!!! 
August 12, 2013
It’s been too long…
I have just recently stumbled across this wordpress blog that I created before I published the first book in my series. YIKES! I have to admit, I forgot I had this blog site. After the website for the book was created, I simply directed all of my online attention there. So, with that said, I wanted to just write a quick memo, stating that currently all of the up to date information for the Ancient Guardians novel series is over here… http://www.slmorganauthor.com
Until I can work out some more time between editing and getting my second book to publish, this poor blog site will probably be very quiet. Until then, I hope you’ll visit the website!!
SL Morgan
