Kristen Martin's Blog
March 13, 2017
How To Write Realistic Dialogue
Hi guys, welcome back and Happy almost St. Patrick’s Day! I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently on how to write realistic dialogue, so instead of answering those emails one by one, I’m hoping that this video/post will suffice as a response. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
Hopefully you know what dialogue is, but in case you don’t, dialogue is the conversation between two or more characters in your book. Dialogue has many functions and is mainly used to reveal your characters and make them seem real, advance the plot, and hint at action that’s about to unfold. While dialogue may seem easy because, you know, we talk and converse with other people in every day life, when writers actually sit down to write the dialogue between their characters, they struggle, and for good reason. Writing realistic dialogue is difficult, and there are a number of mistakes that new, and even seasoned writers, are guilty of, so today we’re going to talk about 5 major things to consider when writing dialogue.
1. Dialogue tags should be simple· A dialogue tag is the small phrase that tells the reader who’s speaking – these are phrases like: “He asked”, “She said”, “I responded.” Many writers worry that saying he said, she said all the time will get boring, so they start using other more intricate dialogue tags like he exclaimed, she complained, I queried. Using these more intricate dialogue tags can actually detract from your writing and annoy the reader. If you’re trying to get a point across, show it through an action. For example, if someone is angry, you could say: “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe said as he slammed the door behind him. Now you could also use snarled, snapped, or barked here if you wanted to and it would still read well, but “said” works just fine. By his action of slamming the door, the reader can interpret that Joe is angry and/or upset, so using a more intricate word may seem redundant. · But if you just wrote the phrase without the action behind it, a more intricate dialogue tag will help get Joe’s mood across. “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe snapped. Without the action, using “snapped” instead of “said” can help the reader discern Joe’s tone. But, as a general rule of thumb, the simple tags are the best. Readers barely notice them, except to register who’s speaking.
2. Spread out the use of your characters’ names· In real life conversations, we don’t use people’s names all the time. “Hi John, how are you today?” “Oh, I’m good, Kristen, thanks for asking. How are you?” “Well, John, I’ve seen better days.” We normally say people’s names when we first greet them or when we’re saying goodbye, but we don’t use their name every time we say something to them. Same goes for the dialogue in your book. Inserting the less obtrusive simple dialogue tags like he said and she said help you to avoid using your character’s names more than you should.
3. Ensure your characters don’t sound the same· In real life, we’re all different and have different ways of speaking. I’ve been told I have a more formal way of speaking, whereas I’ve met people, especially living in the South, who tend to slur their words together or use phrases I’ve never heard of before. The one that sticks out the most in my mind when I first moved to Texas was “I’m fixing to . . .” which means that they’re getting ready to do something, and of course, the blending of you all to make the infamous y’all. For each character, try to think about any habitual phrases they use, what words they don’t use, and how eloquent or polite their speech is, or maybe it isn’t at all! In The Alpha Drive, Emery tends to be well-spoken and eloquent in her dialogue, whereas Torin is a little more unpolished and uses phrases like Holy Smokes and Geez. Teenagers are likely to sound less mature than adults and grandparents. Everyone should sound different, so make sure your dialogue reflects that.
4. Don’t spell everything out· Some writers worry that readers won’t fully understand the dialogue and decide to spell things out. For example: “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe said as he slammed the door behind him. He was furious with his girlfriend – she could be so unfair at times. We don’t need that last sentence. His action (slamming the door) shows that he’s angry or upset. The last line is irrelevant and may irritate readers more than anything else. Your readers are perfectly capable of understanding subtext and picking up on small cues. Trust me, they can figure out the thoughts and emotions behind what your characters are saying, so let them.
5. Find the balance between formal and realistic dialogue· I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but real people don’t speak the way textbooks read. We’re human, and, especially in America, we use slang words, we make up words, and we roll words together. Great examples of this are “I dunno” “Whatcha doin?” “How are ya?” Using words like “So hype” for being excited or “riding shotgun” which means sitting in the front passenger’s seat, or phrases like “piece of cake” which is a metaphor to describe something that is easy or effortless. These may seem like every day phrases to you, but I can assure you, in other parts of the world, they’re not so common. Should you use phrases like these in your dialogue? Sure. But overdoing it might make the reader feel as though the conversations are unrealistic and too informal. Do they speak in code all the time? So make sure you watch out for that.· By the same token, you want to make sure you’re dialogue isn’t too realistic. People tend to say um, like, so, err, wellll– you get the picture – while they’re speaking. If your character is nervous and is stammering, it’s okay to show this by having them say Um or Err. Just make sure you break it up a bit throughout your writing, otherwise your dialogue could severely impact the flow of your story and your readers may find it almost unreadable. And a book is supposed to be readable, am I right?
As with everything else, mastering the art of writing realistic dialogue will take time. I’ve written 4 books and to this day, the one thing I still adjust the most during the editing phase is dialogue. So if you finish your first draft and are reading through it, don’t be disheartened if the conversations between your characters seem a little too formal or slightly unrealistic. That’s what the editing phase is for. Remember, the first draft is just you telling yourself the story. When you edit, you can really polish the story and make it shine.
So there you have it, five things to consider when writing realistic dialogue. If you liked the content today, please thumbs up and subscribe to my channel.
Until next time,
Hopefully you know what dialogue is, but in case you don’t, dialogue is the conversation between two or more characters in your book. Dialogue has many functions and is mainly used to reveal your characters and make them seem real, advance the plot, and hint at action that’s about to unfold. While dialogue may seem easy because, you know, we talk and converse with other people in every day life, when writers actually sit down to write the dialogue between their characters, they struggle, and for good reason. Writing realistic dialogue is difficult, and there are a number of mistakes that new, and even seasoned writers, are guilty of, so today we’re going to talk about 5 major things to consider when writing dialogue.
1. Dialogue tags should be simple· A dialogue tag is the small phrase that tells the reader who’s speaking – these are phrases like: “He asked”, “She said”, “I responded.” Many writers worry that saying he said, she said all the time will get boring, so they start using other more intricate dialogue tags like he exclaimed, she complained, I queried. Using these more intricate dialogue tags can actually detract from your writing and annoy the reader. If you’re trying to get a point across, show it through an action. For example, if someone is angry, you could say: “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe said as he slammed the door behind him. Now you could also use snarled, snapped, or barked here if you wanted to and it would still read well, but “said” works just fine. By his action of slamming the door, the reader can interpret that Joe is angry and/or upset, so using a more intricate word may seem redundant. · But if you just wrote the phrase without the action behind it, a more intricate dialogue tag will help get Joe’s mood across. “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe snapped. Without the action, using “snapped” instead of “said” can help the reader discern Joe’s tone. But, as a general rule of thumb, the simple tags are the best. Readers barely notice them, except to register who’s speaking.
2. Spread out the use of your characters’ names· In real life conversations, we don’t use people’s names all the time. “Hi John, how are you today?” “Oh, I’m good, Kristen, thanks for asking. How are you?” “Well, John, I’ve seen better days.” We normally say people’s names when we first greet them or when we’re saying goodbye, but we don’t use their name every time we say something to them. Same goes for the dialogue in your book. Inserting the less obtrusive simple dialogue tags like he said and she said help you to avoid using your character’s names more than you should.
3. Ensure your characters don’t sound the same· In real life, we’re all different and have different ways of speaking. I’ve been told I have a more formal way of speaking, whereas I’ve met people, especially living in the South, who tend to slur their words together or use phrases I’ve never heard of before. The one that sticks out the most in my mind when I first moved to Texas was “I’m fixing to . . .” which means that they’re getting ready to do something, and of course, the blending of you all to make the infamous y’all. For each character, try to think about any habitual phrases they use, what words they don’t use, and how eloquent or polite their speech is, or maybe it isn’t at all! In The Alpha Drive, Emery tends to be well-spoken and eloquent in her dialogue, whereas Torin is a little more unpolished and uses phrases like Holy Smokes and Geez. Teenagers are likely to sound less mature than adults and grandparents. Everyone should sound different, so make sure your dialogue reflects that.
4. Don’t spell everything out· Some writers worry that readers won’t fully understand the dialogue and decide to spell things out. For example: “Fine. Have it your way then,” Joe said as he slammed the door behind him. He was furious with his girlfriend – she could be so unfair at times. We don’t need that last sentence. His action (slamming the door) shows that he’s angry or upset. The last line is irrelevant and may irritate readers more than anything else. Your readers are perfectly capable of understanding subtext and picking up on small cues. Trust me, they can figure out the thoughts and emotions behind what your characters are saying, so let them.
5. Find the balance between formal and realistic dialogue· I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but real people don’t speak the way textbooks read. We’re human, and, especially in America, we use slang words, we make up words, and we roll words together. Great examples of this are “I dunno” “Whatcha doin?” “How are ya?” Using words like “So hype” for being excited or “riding shotgun” which means sitting in the front passenger’s seat, or phrases like “piece of cake” which is a metaphor to describe something that is easy or effortless. These may seem like every day phrases to you, but I can assure you, in other parts of the world, they’re not so common. Should you use phrases like these in your dialogue? Sure. But overdoing it might make the reader feel as though the conversations are unrealistic and too informal. Do they speak in code all the time? So make sure you watch out for that.· By the same token, you want to make sure you’re dialogue isn’t too realistic. People tend to say um, like, so, err, wellll– you get the picture – while they’re speaking. If your character is nervous and is stammering, it’s okay to show this by having them say Um or Err. Just make sure you break it up a bit throughout your writing, otherwise your dialogue could severely impact the flow of your story and your readers may find it almost unreadable. And a book is supposed to be readable, am I right?
As with everything else, mastering the art of writing realistic dialogue will take time. I’ve written 4 books and to this day, the one thing I still adjust the most during the editing phase is dialogue. So if you finish your first draft and are reading through it, don’t be disheartened if the conversations between your characters seem a little too formal or slightly unrealistic. That’s what the editing phase is for. Remember, the first draft is just you telling yourself the story. When you edit, you can really polish the story and make it shine.
So there you have it, five things to consider when writing realistic dialogue. If you liked the content today, please thumbs up and subscribe to my channel.
Until next time,
February 13, 2017
How To Write A Love Scene
Hey guys, welcome back! Because it’s February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day, I thought it’d be appropriate to talk about another question I get many, many emails on and that is how to write a love scene without being an over-the-top cheeseball. I’ve come up with 7 things to keep in mind when writing an appropriate and well-balanced love scene, to get your reader to feel instead of to laugh or roll their eyes. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
Okay, let’s get to it:
1. Know your charactersa. When writing a love scene, it’s important to remember the characters’ personalities. If they’re shy, nervous, and cautious, then it’s unlikely they’d just hop into bed with anyone, no matter how cute or attractive their love interest is. Use love scenes as a way to illuminate your characters. Even little things can show something about your character to the reader that they otherwise may not have known. Maybe your hero buys his love interest flowers after the love scene, something he’s never done for anyone else. An inexperienced heroine may experience sweaty palms and may stumble over her own two feet due to nerves. You’ve made your characters who they are for a reason, so stay true to them when you’re writing your love scenes (and every other scene!)2. Establish believable reasons for them to fall in lovea. Just because two people are attracted to each other doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be a part of a spectacularly flawless love scene. Animal instincts aren’t always the primary pull for two characters getting it on or falling in love. The reason for their feelings must be credible and clear, not just because they think the other is hot or has a beautiful smile or has washboard abs. Go underneath the surface and dive into what makes your characters tick, then allow them to connect on a deeper and more intimate level.3. What is unspoken is much more powerfula. In reality, people don’t always say how they’re feeling, especially men. Trust me, I know from experience. When people feel vulnerable, they tend to shy away, keep things bottled up, and dance around the issue or their feelings. Your characters’ actions should reflect this human behavior. Think about it – some of your deepest, darkest, most intimate feelings are really hard to put into words. Almost impossible. So don’t spoil a love scene by trying to spell out everything your characters are feeling through dialogue. Try to go deeper than that by highlighting their actions and feelings. And along the same lines is…4. Nix the flowery descriptionsa. Her lips were sweet as honey, his eyes melted into mine and we became one, my heart ached for his presence with each passing of a stormy, tumultuous night. Flowery descriptions or adding too much fluff to your sentences can really kill the mood and the vibe you’re going for. It may make your readers laugh, scoff, roll their eyes, none of which you want after reading your love scene. You want your readers to feel, so don’t overdo it. In a similar sense to number three, less is more. Don’t overstate it. The simpler the better.5. Avoid clichésa. We all know the love scene clichés. We see them in movies and books all the time: kissing in the rain, an airport scene where the girl is leaving and the man comes chasing after her just as she’s about to board the plane to another country, a first date at a carnival where the guy tries to win the girl a prize and ultimately show her his love and every time she looks at that fluffy bear, she’s reminded of him… *Yawn* These have all been done to death and if I were you, I would avoid them like the plague. Did you just cringe when I said that? That’s because it’s another cliché! So stay away from them! Be unique and original and your love scene will come off as authentic and genuine.6. Delay the kissa. Okay, while I have another semi-cliché quote for you, it actually does make a good point for what I’m about to say. I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “The best things in life are worth waiting for”, right? Well, this is definitely true when it comes to writing love scenes between your characters. There needs to be a build-up, a sort of momentum to get your characters from strangers to acquaintances to possibly friends to deeper-than-physical-attraction to lovers. The disappointing love scenes are the ones where the characters are just slammed together without any warning, without any romance. The longer you delay, the more romantic that scene will become and the more fulfilled your reader will feel when they read it.7. If it doesn’t feel right, rewrite ita. As with anything else, if you write something and then read it back later on and it doesn’t sound or feel right, then rewrite it. You may not need to rewrite the whole thing – maybe there’s just a small phrase or word that needs changing. But if it doesn’t sound right, and more importantly, if it doesn’t feel right, or you feel like the message you’re trying to get across isn’t coming through, then rewrite it. It may take a couple of tries and some head-banging to get to the right place, but once you have the right scene in the right place with the right words, you’ll know, because it’ll just flow.
So there you have it, 7 things to keep in mind to help you avoid writing a cheeseball love scene.
Real quick, I wanted to mention that I’d said in a previous newsletter that I would be sending out a sneak peek of the first chapter in my dark fantasy book and I am so sorry, but I’m going to have to delay this a little while longer! With everything I have going on and preparing for the launch of the final installment in THE ALPHA DRIVE trilogy, RESTITUTION, it’s just not possible to get this chapter all prettied up by the time my newsletter will go out, which is tomorrow by the way. But I am aiming to send it out in my May newsletter, after RESTITUTION is released and hopefully when things calm down a bit. So make sure you’re signed up so you don’t miss that! You can sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.kristenmartinbooks.com
Okay, let’s get to it:
1. Know your charactersa. When writing a love scene, it’s important to remember the characters’ personalities. If they’re shy, nervous, and cautious, then it’s unlikely they’d just hop into bed with anyone, no matter how cute or attractive their love interest is. Use love scenes as a way to illuminate your characters. Even little things can show something about your character to the reader that they otherwise may not have known. Maybe your hero buys his love interest flowers after the love scene, something he’s never done for anyone else. An inexperienced heroine may experience sweaty palms and may stumble over her own two feet due to nerves. You’ve made your characters who they are for a reason, so stay true to them when you’re writing your love scenes (and every other scene!)2. Establish believable reasons for them to fall in lovea. Just because two people are attracted to each other doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be a part of a spectacularly flawless love scene. Animal instincts aren’t always the primary pull for two characters getting it on or falling in love. The reason for their feelings must be credible and clear, not just because they think the other is hot or has a beautiful smile or has washboard abs. Go underneath the surface and dive into what makes your characters tick, then allow them to connect on a deeper and more intimate level.3. What is unspoken is much more powerfula. In reality, people don’t always say how they’re feeling, especially men. Trust me, I know from experience. When people feel vulnerable, they tend to shy away, keep things bottled up, and dance around the issue or their feelings. Your characters’ actions should reflect this human behavior. Think about it – some of your deepest, darkest, most intimate feelings are really hard to put into words. Almost impossible. So don’t spoil a love scene by trying to spell out everything your characters are feeling through dialogue. Try to go deeper than that by highlighting their actions and feelings. And along the same lines is…4. Nix the flowery descriptionsa. Her lips were sweet as honey, his eyes melted into mine and we became one, my heart ached for his presence with each passing of a stormy, tumultuous night. Flowery descriptions or adding too much fluff to your sentences can really kill the mood and the vibe you’re going for. It may make your readers laugh, scoff, roll their eyes, none of which you want after reading your love scene. You want your readers to feel, so don’t overdo it. In a similar sense to number three, less is more. Don’t overstate it. The simpler the better.5. Avoid clichésa. We all know the love scene clichés. We see them in movies and books all the time: kissing in the rain, an airport scene where the girl is leaving and the man comes chasing after her just as she’s about to board the plane to another country, a first date at a carnival where the guy tries to win the girl a prize and ultimately show her his love and every time she looks at that fluffy bear, she’s reminded of him… *Yawn* These have all been done to death and if I were you, I would avoid them like the plague. Did you just cringe when I said that? That’s because it’s another cliché! So stay away from them! Be unique and original and your love scene will come off as authentic and genuine.6. Delay the kissa. Okay, while I have another semi-cliché quote for you, it actually does make a good point for what I’m about to say. I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “The best things in life are worth waiting for”, right? Well, this is definitely true when it comes to writing love scenes between your characters. There needs to be a build-up, a sort of momentum to get your characters from strangers to acquaintances to possibly friends to deeper-than-physical-attraction to lovers. The disappointing love scenes are the ones where the characters are just slammed together without any warning, without any romance. The longer you delay, the more romantic that scene will become and the more fulfilled your reader will feel when they read it.7. If it doesn’t feel right, rewrite ita. As with anything else, if you write something and then read it back later on and it doesn’t sound or feel right, then rewrite it. You may not need to rewrite the whole thing – maybe there’s just a small phrase or word that needs changing. But if it doesn’t sound right, and more importantly, if it doesn’t feel right, or you feel like the message you’re trying to get across isn’t coming through, then rewrite it. It may take a couple of tries and some head-banging to get to the right place, but once you have the right scene in the right place with the right words, you’ll know, because it’ll just flow.
So there you have it, 7 things to keep in mind to help you avoid writing a cheeseball love scene.
Real quick, I wanted to mention that I’d said in a previous newsletter that I would be sending out a sneak peek of the first chapter in my dark fantasy book and I am so sorry, but I’m going to have to delay this a little while longer! With everything I have going on and preparing for the launch of the final installment in THE ALPHA DRIVE trilogy, RESTITUTION, it’s just not possible to get this chapter all prettied up by the time my newsletter will go out, which is tomorrow by the way. But I am aiming to send it out in my May newsletter, after RESTITUTION is released and hopefully when things calm down a bit. So make sure you’re signed up so you don’t miss that! You can sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.kristenmartinbooks.com
January 31, 2017
World-building 101
Hey guys, welcome back! Today’s post is going to be on a highly requested topic, one that I receive many, many emails on, and that is: world-building. Hopefully I answer your guys’ questions about world-building in one fell swoop with this post. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
Before we dive into how to build the world in your story, it’s crucial to understand what world-building is. World-building is more than the clothing your characters wear, the languages they speak, and the shape and size of the terrain surrounding them. It even goes beyond magic and political systems. World-building means you, as the author, have the sense of a bigger universe, and that you portray that in your writing. The sense of a bigger universe? Well, what does that mean? It means there’s a sense of more , that you’ve diligently thought through the entire world you’ve created and refined it as much as possible. World-building encompasses every assumption and belief your characters hold, spoken and unspoken, and that means it ultimately determines both their decisions, actions, and reactions.
World-building is a crucial step for any genre. It’s easy to tell when an author doesn’t bother with world-building because the story doesn’t feel authentic. It doesn’t feel genuine. It doesn’t feel real – like it could actually happen. Your readers need to be able to step into the story and live there. A bonus of world-building is that you open up the possibilities for a series, because you have a whole world you’ve created and can play with, so you really have endless stories.
Because world-building has many different components, this video could go on for hours and hours, so this is really going to be an overarching view, and in my opinion, a very practical way, to start the world-building process. There are really two ways in which you can world-build: from the outside in, or from the inside out. From the outside in means tackling the history, geography, politics, gender delineations, etc. first. This means considering economic weirdness like bees migrated four years ago so how would that affect the price of honey, or the distance between countries and the travel time required. Once you’ve created the world, then you have an idea what kind of people can live in it, even if they don’t fit into the world or understand it fully. Or you can world-build From the inside out meaning you start with the characters themselves, paying attention to the tiny, weird ways they live their lives, and you let that tell you piece by piece the way their world HAS to work. From the inside out is my favorite method, and it’s the one I used to build my dark fantasy world.
So, now let’s talk about 5 major things to consider when world-building. These will work no matter which route you choose (outside in or inside out), but you may have to switch these steps around a little bit to fit your process. Okay, let’s get to it:
1. Target Audience and Genrea. This may seem obvious, but it’s something that does get overlooked when writers begin to build their world. If you’re writing a middle grade novel and your political system is inexplicably detailed to the point where it’s going to cause confusion for an adult, you can bet that a 9 year-old is probably going to slam your book shut after the first few pages and fling it across the room. Along the same lines is genre. If you’re writing a scifi novel, then most likely, your world is going to have gadgets and other technological items that don’t exist in the present day. In a fantasy world, you’re likely to have mythical creatures or magic systems. Even in historical novels, whether you’re writing a setting similar to the Wild Wild West or the Prohibition Era, you’re world-building. Contemporary novels also have an element of world-building, although they may not require as much creativity as scifi or fantasy worlds, you still have to determine what technology is relevant, how the characters will speak to one another, how they will behave, how they’re being governed, and so on.
2. Your Charactersa. Hopefully you’ve already created your character profiles, but even if you haven’t, that’s okay. Sometimes it’s easier to build your world based on the characters you’ve created. For my dark fantasy series, I actually had all of my characters fleshed out before I truly focused on world-building. The neat thing here is that since I had my characters mapped out, I already knew what their backgrounds and history were, so that helped me create the village or town they came from and what types of animals and creatures existed. It also helped me determine how many regions needed to be in my world, the types of climates, transportation, and a load of other things. By understanding who my characters are and their relationships with one another, I was already world-building without even trying!
3. Create a preliminary mind map of your worlda. For a lot of writers, this means mapping out everything in the realm of possibility in their world. Maybe everyone travels on hovercrafts instead of cars because their was an oil and gas crisis in the past; maybe there are strange species of birds flying in the air due to a new strain of bird flu. Maybe your world is underwater and somehow your characters have developed a way to breathe, if they’re human, or maybe not if they’re a different species. By mapping out your world, you subconsciously setting limits on it, which is a good thing. In a sense, you’re teaching yourself what can happen and what can’t in the world you’ve conjured up. I like to draw out a map of my world and fill in the oceans, lakes, mountains, villages, caves, etc. Mapping our your world, both geographically and in a more abstract way, is incredibly helpful when it comes to writing your story. I can’t even tell you how many times I had to refer to my map to make sure my characters could get from one place to another by ship, or if they had to use another form of transportation. Writing down all the facets of your world can help keep you in line when writing your story. And don’t think it’s set in stone. If you need to change something, you can, as long as it makes sense and doesn’t contradict another part of your world. Or maybe it can contradict another part of your world because that’s our conflict! Isn’t mind-mapping great?!
4. Fill in the missing piecesa. As you start writing your story, there are undoubtedly going to be things that pop up that maybe you hadn’t considered during your mind mapping phase. And that’s perfectly normal. Some examples are: i. Planet selection1. Hopefully you thought about the planet your world exists on, but perhaps it slipped your mind. If your planet is a lot like Earth, then you’re probably okay. But if you’re writing about different galaxies, you may want to revisit the planets (or create new ones) and types of life each one has. ii. Histories and Lore; Legends and Myths1. The history of your political or magic system may be something you’ve overlooked. Are there any legends and myths that tie in? Certain pieces of background information may be really important for the reader to be aware of in order for your world to make sense. iii. Magic System1. If you decided to have magic in your world, hopefully you’ve mapped out exactly what that magic system is. What is plausible and implausible? And if you haven’t, it’s probably a good time to figure it out. iv. Political/Governance System1. Are you writing a dystopia? Is there a dictator? Is it a democracy? Are there kings and queens? What are the laws? Is anything forbidden, and if so, why? Your characters have to have something to follow when it comes to rules, otherwise the “conflict” you create may not be seen that way. v. Society Structure (Language, Industry, Agriculture, and Trade)1. Are there upper, middle, and lower classes? Is it a socialist structure? Or is it a free-wheelin’ free-ballin’ every-man-for himself type of society? What industries are present? How do the people eat? Do they grow their own crops, do they trade? What languages do they speak? Understanding the inner workings of your society will make the world feel that much more real for the reader. vi. Warfare and technology1. What types of weapons exist? Is technology nonexistent? Are there armies and militaries? Who are their allies and where does the loyalty lie? Or does everyone fend for themselves? In many scifi and fantasy stories, we tend to reach a sort of “epic battle” near the end, so understanding warfare and technology is critical for the reader.
I’m sure there are many more things we can consider in our worlds, but this is a short list to get you started. Some things may even come up for some writers that won’t come up for others. Our stories are all unique, so my advice is to just roll with it and map it out anyway, even if it doesn’t fully make sense yet.
5. Know what information to leave outa. A good writer will give the reader just enough information to leave them satisfied, but still allow them to use their imagination. For example, let’s say that in the past, one of the regions in your world disappeared into the black hole that is the Bermuda triangle. Crazy! But if this has no effect on your characters now—if it doesn’t touch their daily lives or change the way their systems work or change anything at all—then your readers don’t really need to know. You can know. Your readers don’t need to, at least not in that book. You don’t want to overload your reader with information about your world. Don’t do an info-dump or a prologue where you give the entire background of your world. Instead, find ways to discreetly weave it into your story. It will make it more believable, and your reader will feel as though they’re experiencing these facets of the world along with your character, which is exactly what you want.
So there you have it, an overarching view and practical guide to world-building. I hope you enjoyed the post today.
Don't forget to check out both of my book on your way out. I'll see you guys in the next post!
January 24, 2017
How to Overcome Doubt in your Writing
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mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1979532226; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1242698510 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level2 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level3 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level4 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level5 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level6 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level7 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level8 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level9 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} </style>First of all, I want to say thank you to those of you who left video ideas and topics in the comments section of my last video. I have tons of fresh ideas, thanks to you, and I’m really excited to start getting the content together and filming those. One of the topics that really stuck out to me, and one that subsequently got the most likes, was how to overcome doubt in your writing. So that’s what I want to talk about today. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EMLLKmC..." width="560"></iframe><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">First, I want to preface this by saying that doubt, especially as a writer, is completely normal. Feelings of doubt and uncertainty are just a part of being human. And instead of shying away from doubt, I would actually suggest the opposite: to embrace it. Without doubt, we can’t grow. Doubt forces us to reveal flaws and learning opportunities that we otherwise wouldn’t. If you’re doubting something about your writing, it’s probably because you feel like something isn’t quite right, like maybe one of your characters seems too “cookie-cutter”, your plot feels overdone, your dialogue isn’t sparking interest, and so on. This is okay. Like I said, it’s completely normal. It’s part of being a writer (and a human being). If you can look at doubt as providing growth and learning in your writing process, it won’t feel so ominous. And while I don’t think you can get rid of doubt completely, nor would you really want to, there are ways in which you can temporarily shake it off and get back to writing. Because really, that’s the end goal, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">From personal experience, there are 7 steps I take when doubt comes creeping in. Feelings of doubt and writer’s block have very similar facets, so I think these steps can pertain to both overcoming doubt <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">and </b>writer’s block. BAM! Double whammy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The steps you’re about to hear certainly pertain to writing, but can be applied to almost every other situation in life where you’re experiencing doubt. These may not work for everyone, but even if this video helps only one person, it’ll have been worth the time. And even if you don’t think they’ll work for you, I recommend giving them a shot. You may be pleasantly surprised.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Step away from your manuscript</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Usually when you’re doubting your writing and/or writing project, it’s because you’re really close to it and have been for a long time without taking a break. So step away from it for a little while. I’ve found that when doubt creeps in, it’s usually because there’s some task that I haven’t completed that’s lingering in my subconscious, and I can’t seem to focus. Whether it’s guilt from not exercising in the morning when I had a spare 40 minutes, feeling like I should take the dogs for a walk, needing to run to the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner, or putting away the laundry, I’ve found that my not being able to focus on my writing equals a visit from the Doubt Fairy. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The first step to understanding your doubt is to try to determine the root cause of the doubt, and it’s best to do this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">away </i>from your manuscript if possible. Do something for an hour: go for a run, clean a part of the house, take the dogs for a walk, unload the dishwasher. Then come back to your writing space. If you’re still doubting your writing, then move on to #2.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Look for inspiration</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Writing inspiration can come in many different forms. It can spark from people-watching, having a thought-provoking conversation, reading a book by your favorite author, scrolling through Pinterest, taking a walk in nature, performing a mundane task like folding laundry or blow-drying your hair. Inspiration can strike at any moment, but you have to make room for it to land. For me, inspiration usually strikes when I’m performing a mundane task, like straightening my hair. It’s something I’ve done so many times and so often that it requires very little thought. This allows my mind to wander and for the plot bunnies to attack (in a good way). </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Driving long distances (which is everywhere in Texas) can also help spark inspiration. If I’m struggling with a certain scene, I’ll put on some mood music (if it’s a darker scene, I’ll normally throw on some Lana Del Rey, for a lighter scene, I like ODESZA or Mitis & Mahi) and listen to that during the car ride. Again, my mind is free to wander and I’m able to make room for any ideas that may pop up.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Seek positive reinforcement</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Sometimes doubt may creep in because somebody said something negative about your writing, left you a bad review, or otherwise did something that left a sour taste in your mouth. In this case, it’s best to seek out positive reinforcements. If you already have a book published, read the 5 and 4 star reviews it received. If you have a public platform, make sure you make a folder on your computer with positive emails from fans, readers, subscribers, and the like. Whenever I’m doubting myself, I click on a specific folder in my inbox and read the really nice messages you all have sent me over the years. My doubt quickly fades away. If you don’t have a public platform or a book published yet, then try reaching out to a close friend, family member, mentor, teacher, or anyone who supports your writing and your passion. By surrounding yourself with positivity and people who lift you up and support you, you’ll quickly discover there’s no room for doubt and you can show it to the door.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Write a celebration list</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I talked about celebration lists in my vlogmas videos this past year. I got the idea from Cara Alwill Leyba at The Champagne Diet. The concept here is: Instead of writing to-do lists and focusing on allll the things we have yet to do, try writing a celebration list and focus on allll the things you’ve already accomplished. Bonus points if you can write a detailed celebration list for your writing life. Your list can be for a day, a week, a month, a year – pick a timeframe and write down all the things you’ve accomplished. This is a great way to boost your own morale and self-esteem and crush any doubt you may be experiencing.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Write in a gratitude journal</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Similar to celebration lists are gratitude journals. I also talked about this in one of my vlogmas videos. Writing down 3-5 things you’re grateful for every day can really put things into perspective. You may be worried about one of your character’s relationships falling flat, or that your magic system doesn’t make a whole lot of sense yet, or that your villain actually seems really nice and maybe should be the sidekick and not the villain but WAIT AH SO MANY REWRITES PSSHHHWWW BRAIN EXPLODES. This is normal. The problem is that we think our problems are a) ginormous and so much bigger than they actually are and b) that we’re the first ones to ever experience anything like it. And we’re sorely mistaken. On both accounts. This is where the gratitude journal comes in. By writing down the things you’re grateful for, you’re automatically transporting yourself to a more positive and tranquil place. Your problems won’t seem so huge, you’ll realize that your writing qualms are indeed fixable, and you’ll realize that your doubts are all in your head!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Find your “feel-good”</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Doubt is normally associated with negativity, so in order to outweigh the negative, you have to do something positive. I cannot stress enough how important it is to identify your “feel-good” and incorporate it into your daily routine. I have two “feel-goods” that I can easily make time for every day. The first is buying myself a fresh bouquet of flowers, and the second is drawing myself a bubble bath with candles, a big glass of lemon water, and my essential oil diffuser. These things make me feel good-they make me feel refreshed, revived, and ready to take on anything. Find things that boost your mood and do them daily. You’ll quickly discover that doubt is just an abstract concept.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Daily self-love reminders</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You may be worried that your writing isn’t good enough, that your voice could stand out more, that your story may not be unique enough, but amidst all of that doubt, you’re forgetting one insanely important thing: There is only ONE YOU. You are unique. You are different. No one else has your voice. No one else can tell your story exactly the way you tell it. And the world needs your story. So stop doubting yourself, sit down, and write it already!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And if none of these 7 steps help you to overcome doubt, then try repeating this quote to yourself until it sticks: “You can fix a poorly written page, but you can’t fix a blank one.” Because it’s true!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So there you have it, 7 ways to help you overcome doubt and get back to writing that amazing story of yours. I hope you enjoyed the post today. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Goodreads is hosting a giveaway for one signed paperback copy of THE ALPHA DRIVE from January 24th-31st (valid for the U.S. only). Enter here to win: </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://goo.gl/f2A8W5 </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Don't forget to check out both of my book on your way out. I'll see you guys in the next post!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/..." target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/..." border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8eHN3-HNon..." width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span> </div>
January 17, 2017
How to Write Physical Descriptions of your Characters
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mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level8 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level9 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} </style> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey guys, welcome back! It’s hard to believe we’re already midway through January. I don’t know about you guys, but 2017 already seems to be flying by. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other day, I was looking through my emails and FAQs from my readers and subscribers to try to find writing-related topics for my upcoming YouTube videos; and I’m not gonna lie, I’m sort of coming up dry. I have some ideas for quite a few videos, but I’m not sure whether or not they’re things you want to see. Mostly because no one’s asked about them yet. With that being said, if there’s something you’d like to see on my channel or for me to do a video on (writing-related, please), then leave a comment down below, shoot me an email, or reach out to me via social media. I want to make sure I’m delivering content that you guys are interested in and that is helpful, so your input here is incredibly important </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, so not too long ago, we talked about creating character profiles. If you missed that video, I will leave it linked down below for you to check out. A common question I received after making that video was, “Okay Kristen, so I have my physical descriptions of my characters, but how do I sneak them into my story without rattling off a laundry list of adjectives?” Sound familiar? If so, don’t fear! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today we’re going to talk about six physical descriptions of your characters you can sneak into your story without sounding like a thesaurus. And I do want to give credit where credit is due – a large majority of these concepts and examples were originally found on betternovelproject.com. If you would rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sEAw1sq..." width="560"></iframe></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let’s get started.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Age</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>It’s crucial for your readers to know how old your hero is. But instead of saying, “Larry is nineteen years old,” we, as writers, should try to include the hero’s age through the vehicle of other description or backstory. Maybe you can even make your reader do some math to figure it out. Let’s look at some examples:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>In <i>Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone</i>, we know that Harry Potter has been living with the Dursleys for ten years, ever since he was a baby. We confirm his age with his birthday: “…tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry’s eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon’s old socks.” (HP Ch.3).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>In <i>Twilight</i>, we learn that Bella must be seventeen years old: “It was in this town that I’d been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.” (TW Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>iii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>In <i>The Hunger Games</i>, we learn Katniss’s age because it is relevant to her entries in the reaping: “So now, at the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times.” (HG Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Body Type</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The best and sneakiest way to include a character’s body type is to mention it while also revealing something more meaningful about said character. For example:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Harry Potter’s body type shows that he has been neglected: “Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.” (HP Ch.2). </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Bella’s description of her body type shows that she is not very confident: “I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete…” (TW Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>iii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Katniss’s description of her body type shows that she does not consider herself attractive: “When we met, I was a skinny twelve-year-old, and although he was only two years older, he already looked like a man.” (HG Ch. 1)</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Skin Tone</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Before we dive into this one, it’s important I mention that if you haven’t checked out the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign to please do so. Normally, we only get one lousy sentence describing the character’s skin color or tone. Here are some great examples on how to do this and do it well:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Harry’s skin is scarred, which goes with him being the “chosen one”: “The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.” (HP Ch.2).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Bella is very pale, which suits her damsel-in-distress style: “My skin could be pretty — it was very clear, almost translucent-looking —” (TW Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>iii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Katniss is olive-toned, which fits her outdoorsy nature: “I watch as Gale pulls out his knife and slices the bread. He could be my brother. Straight black hair, olive skin…” (HG Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Eye color</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Although you may want to break out the flowery descriptions for eye color, I would say to hold off. Instead of directly telling the reader what color your hero’s eyes are, maybe wait until you’re writing from the love interest’s point-of-view where they can notice the hero’s eye color. Great examples of this done indirectly are in The Hunger Games and Twilight.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Katniss has gray eyes, which she tells the reader through her description of Gale: “…we even have the same gray eyes. But we’re not related, at least not closely.” (HG Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Bella most likely has brown eyes: “Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine.” (TW Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Hair</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Similarly, you may want to get really detailed with your descriptions of your characters’ hair. But perhaps it’s best to do this more indirectly:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Harry has dark, messy hair: “Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.” (HP Ch.2).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>We know that Bella does not have blonde or red hair: “I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp hair.” (TW CH.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>iii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Katniss has her famous braid: “I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my bag.” (HG Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Clothing</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>If you can, it’s a great idea to describe clothing while making another point. For example:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>i.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Harry’s glasses show us that he has a hard home life: “He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.” (HP Ch.2).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>ii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Bella’s warm-weather outfit shows us that she is about to experience a big change: “I was wearing my favorite shirt — sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture.” (TW Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>iii.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Katniss’s outfit shows us that she is no stranger to hunting: “I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet.” (HG Ch.1).</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just remember, the reader needs just enough description to get his/her imagination started — you don’t have to fill in every single detail. Most importantly, most of your physical descriptions should do double-duty by explaining another aspect of the hero’s personality or background. Since the details are tucked in with the rest of the story, this gives the reader no reason to skip ahead to the good stuff. By sneaking descriptions in and revealing more about your characters, the reader will feel as though they have depth and will connect with them on a deeper level, which is exactly what you want. </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So there you have it, 6 physical descriptions you can covertly sneak into your story. I hope you enjoyed the content today. Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/..." target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/..." border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8eHN3-HNon..." width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.betternovelproject.com/blo..." target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">source </span></a></span> </div>
December 20, 2016
How To Create A Great Book Cover
Hi guys, welcome back! It’s hard to believe it’s already December 20th. We’re only 5 days away from Christmas and 12 days away from the New Year! In case you missed last week’s video, I mentioned that I will be revealing the cover for the final book in THE ALPHA DRIVE trilogy, RESTITUTION. But before we do that, I want to talk about what makes a good book cover and give some advice before paying a cover designer to round up your first draft. If you’d rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
1. The first tip is to remember the theme of your book or series. Is it good versus evil? Individual vs. society? Love vs. hate? No matter what the theme is, you need to make sure it’s reflected in the cover of your book, otherwise when a reader goes to pick it up, they may be disheartened or confused because what’s written on the inside doesn’t match what’s portrayed on the outside.
2. In conjunction with the first tip, consider the tone or mood of your story. Is your book a mystery? A horror novel? A comedy? Erotica? I think we can agree that these genres are all very different from one another, and would likely have very different book covers. Just like a movie poster, your cover must set the mood or tone for what you’re trying to sell the reader. Color can also play a key role in the tone or mood of your cover. For example, if you’re writing a contemporary romance novel, then you’ll probably stick with lighter, pastel colors, and the images on your book might be more abstract and “flowery” in a sense – whereas if you’re writing sci-fi, you may use darker, sharper colors and the images may be more specific to the events that occur in the book.
3. Consider focus. A cover should have a focal point. This is something you may be trying to draw attention to or something that you want to highlight to the reader. For example, on the cover of my second book, the focal point is clearly the two figures entering what appears to be a city, but it’s encased in an omega symbol. These are all hints and clues as to what’s going to happen in this book, as well as gives some indication as to what’s happening overall in the series.
4. Consider legibility and clarity. This is especially true if you’re going the ebook route. There are so many ebooks out there that don’t have clear or legible covers. And if someone is scrolling on Amazon, the cover images are small enough as it is, and they’re not going to take the time to click on it to get a better view, so you want to make sure your images are legible and clear in a small Amazon-ebook-sized photo. Here are some examples of photos that ARE NOT legible nor clear.
5. Consider image selection. This is where a lot of authors mess up. I would highly recommend hiring a cover designer to create your book cover for you. It’s an investment and expensive, but it’s well worth it. Your cover needs to be appealing which involves having the right images, proper fonts, and correct placing of it all in order to get your book to sell. Your job is to write the book, not to create the cover for it. So take the time to research cover designers and find one that fits the look you’re going for. If you’re in a rut, I highly recommend DamonZa. I’ve used them for all three of my covers for THE ALPHA DRIVE series, and I plan to use them for my dark fantasy series as well.
6. The last tip is to be consistent, and this especially goes for those of you writing a series. Consistency helps your branding. Think about how you’ve probably been able to spot certain authors’ books from 15 feet away – Stephen King? James Patterson? I can spot their covers immediately because they’ve branded themselves properly. They are consistent with their book covers, you should be too!
So there you have it, 6 tips to help you create a great cover for your book. If you enjoyed the content today, please thumbs up and subscribe to my channel.
As promised, it’s time for the big reveal. In just a few moments, I will be revealing the cover for the final installment in THE ALPHA DRIVE trilogy, RESTITUTION, as well as announcing the release date.
Drumroll please…
There it is! I am so happy with this cover because it truly encompasses everything I wanted this series to be and more. Make sure to mark your calendars because RESTITUTION will be released in just a few short months on April 4, 2017.
Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!!
source
December 13, 2016
How to Foreshadow
Today, I want to talk about a highly requested topic, and that is: how to use foreshadowing in your book. This is a topic that many writers struggle to wrap their heads around, so I wanted to do a deep-dive to hopefully provide some clarity and inspiration to use foreshadowing in your current WIP or a future project.
First and foremost, we need to understand what foreshadowing is. In its simplest form, foreshadowing prepares readers for what will happen later in the story. Notice I didn’t say that foreshadowing tells readers what will happen later in the story, it just prepares them.
So how can you prepare your readers? When foreshadowing is used effectively and in just the right dosage, it will create a cohesive and plausible story. This means that readers will still be surprised by said foreshadowed event, but won’t feel totally jarred when it happens. They should also feel that the event that just occurred is realistic and could actually happen based on the clues and hints (foreshadowing!) that you cleverly placed throughout the story. If your reader feels cheated, lied to, or tricked, then you didn’t foreshadow correctly. So how can we effectively use foreshadowing in our stories and leave our readers feeling satisfied? Let’s find out.
Foreshadowing can really be broken out into two parts: The tipoff and the payoff.
1. Let’s start with the tipoffa. This is the part where you hint to readers that something surprising and/or important is going to happen later in the book. Depending on what you’re foreshadowing, the tipoff can be blatant or subtle, but subtle is almost always better. You don’t want to give away your plot twists! At the same time, though, your hints have to be obvious enough that readers will remember them later on. For example, if your antagonist is going to kidnap your protagonist’s son, the tipoff might be when your protagonist notices a creeper hanging around the playground.b. The trick to good foreshadowing is preparing your readers on a subconscious level for what’s coming without allowing them to guess the exact details of your plot twist. You don’t want your hints to be so obvious that they remove all suspense.c. Usually, the earlier you can foreshadow an event, the stronger and more cohesive an effect you will create. The bigger the event, the more important it is to foreshadow it early on. The more clues and hints you can cleverly place throughout the story, the better.
2. Next we have the payoffa. Once you’ve got the tipoff in place, it’s time for the payoff. If you’ve tipped off hints about kidnapping, a robbery, or a murder, this is the part where you now get to let these important scenes play out. As long as you’ve done your job right with the tipoff, you probably won’t even need to reference your hints from earlier. Actually, letting the readers put the pieces together themselves will be more satisfying for them.b. The most important thing to remember about the payoff is that it always needs to happen. If you plant hints, pay them off. Just as readers will be confused by an unforeshadowed plot twist, they’ll also be frustrated by foreshadowing that excites them and then leads nowhere.
Okay, so if everything I just said seems too vague, then I’d like to share 7 tips to help you use foreshadowing effectively in your story:
1. Make sure an incident needs foreshadowing. Foreshadowing should be reserved for significant events in your novel because overuse can have an unintentionally comic effect since you’ll give too much significance to even the most minor events. Save it for the major events throughout your novel.
2. Understand the device’s purpose. Foreshadowing is used to build suspense or prepare the reader for an event that would otherwise seem to come out of nowhere. If you are building suspense, you will want the foreshadowing to be more obvious since it is key to the suspense. If you are setting up a situation for later, you may want the foreshadowing to be almost invisible to the reader. This will enable you to plant clues the reader can go back and revisit later without giving away the event they are pointing to.
3. Don’t foreshadow without paying off. Anton Chekhov once said, “If a gun is introduced in a story, it must be fired at some point.” Readers may feel cheated if you don’t develop the coming incidents you’ve foreshadowed. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be there at all.
4. Plan with structure. During the outlining phase, identify significant events so that you can go back and make sure you drop hints into your outline. I’ve said it before in some previous videos – if you’re going to use foreshadowing, it is crucial to have an outline. Otherwise, your clues are likely to be placed sporadically throughout your story and won’t make sense, which will leave the reader feeling confused.
5. Introduce foreshadowing with the right amount of emphasis. By this, I mean the reader should be able to go back and realize that there were plot clues without his or her knowing it.
6. Make sure the payoff suits the foreshadowing. If you think back to movies you’ve seen or books you’ve read, you can probably remember examples where you’ve been let down by this. The story has built throughout so that you are expecting something spectacular: a conspiracy unmasked, a great love revealed, a criminal brought to justice, an enormous secret finally told. When what happens does not live up to the expectations put into place by the foreshadowing, the disappointment can be crushing for the reader and can in fact ruin the entire novel even if it has been satisfying up to that point.
7. Incorporate revisions. If you’ve revised large portions of your story, make sure you revise your foreshadowing as well so that the narrative is not accidentally disjointed by new developments.
So there you have it, 7 tips to help you use foreshadowing in your story. I’d like to give credit to NowNovel.Com and HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com because their articles were instrumental in putting the content for this article together. Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!
November 29, 2016
How To Write A Chapter | FAQs
Happy Tuesday everyone! Today, we're going to talk about what makes a chapter. And more specifically, I'm going to answer some frequently asked questions about writing chapters for your book. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
Let's get right into it, shall we?
1. The first most common question newbie writers ask is, “How many chapters should a novel have?”
· You’re probably not going to like this answer, but it should be as many or as few as you like. Some novels have 50+ chapters and some actually have none, although this is rare.
2. How long should each chapter be?
· Again, it depends. Chapters can vary in length between just a couple pages to 20 or 30.
3. When should one chapter end and another begin?
· Usually, you’ll insert a chapter break when a scene ends and an interlude begins, but determining when to end a chapter is actually pretty subjective, meaning that there’s no one right way to do it. You may need to split a lengthy scene into two chapters. But the best advice is simply to end a chapter where your instincts tell you to end it. By this, I mean at a place where a break feels natural, where the questions the readers had at the beginning of the chapter have been resolved and new question have been raised for the next chapter.
4. Should chapters have titles?
· Some writers give their chapters a title; others don’t. It’s completely up to you. Some ways you can title your chapters are:
i. 1
ii. One
iii. Chapter 1
iv. Chapter One
v. The Insecure Assassin
vi. Chapter 1: The Insecure Assassin
vii. Chapter One: The Insecure Assassin
viii. (Name of Character) if it’s from their POVAdding titles can certainly add another small element of interest to your story. The individual titles help the reader gear up and get excited for what’s to come. In my dark fantasy novel, I write in varying points of view, so I label each chapter with the first and last name of the character whose POV the chapter is written in.
5. How do “parts” work in novels?
· The purpose of splitting a novel into parts is really a method of separating radically different sections of the novel. Examples includes a difference in time, where Part 1 takes place in 1920 and Part 2 takes place in 1955; a difference in place, where Part 1 is set in New York and Part 2 is set in London; or a difference in narrators, where the first part of the book could be narrated by Susan and the second part by Andrew. This works especially well for romance novels and love stories.
6. What about prologues?
· First things first, a prologue is a kind of pre-story, where you inform the reader of some event from the past that is necessary in order to understand the present. If you have no good reason to include a prologue in your novel, then don’t. The opening of your story is all about hooking the reader and keeping them reading. Prologues, however crucial to the story, tend to be a barrier that the reader has to overcome before the story actually begins.But, if you feel that a prologue is necessary, try to keep it as brief as possible. If you have some crucial backstory to get across, but think you can somehow weave it into the main body of the story, maybe in the form of a flashback, do that instead. That's all I have for today! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!
source
Let's get right into it, shall we?
1. The first most common question newbie writers ask is, “How many chapters should a novel have?”
· You’re probably not going to like this answer, but it should be as many or as few as you like. Some novels have 50+ chapters and some actually have none, although this is rare.
2. How long should each chapter be?
· Again, it depends. Chapters can vary in length between just a couple pages to 20 or 30.
3. When should one chapter end and another begin?
· Usually, you’ll insert a chapter break when a scene ends and an interlude begins, but determining when to end a chapter is actually pretty subjective, meaning that there’s no one right way to do it. You may need to split a lengthy scene into two chapters. But the best advice is simply to end a chapter where your instincts tell you to end it. By this, I mean at a place where a break feels natural, where the questions the readers had at the beginning of the chapter have been resolved and new question have been raised for the next chapter.
4. Should chapters have titles?
· Some writers give their chapters a title; others don’t. It’s completely up to you. Some ways you can title your chapters are:
i. 1
ii. One
iii. Chapter 1
iv. Chapter One
v. The Insecure Assassin
vi. Chapter 1: The Insecure Assassin
vii. Chapter One: The Insecure Assassin
viii. (Name of Character) if it’s from their POVAdding titles can certainly add another small element of interest to your story. The individual titles help the reader gear up and get excited for what’s to come. In my dark fantasy novel, I write in varying points of view, so I label each chapter with the first and last name of the character whose POV the chapter is written in.
5. How do “parts” work in novels?
· The purpose of splitting a novel into parts is really a method of separating radically different sections of the novel. Examples includes a difference in time, where Part 1 takes place in 1920 and Part 2 takes place in 1955; a difference in place, where Part 1 is set in New York and Part 2 is set in London; or a difference in narrators, where the first part of the book could be narrated by Susan and the second part by Andrew. This works especially well for romance novels and love stories.
6. What about prologues?
· First things first, a prologue is a kind of pre-story, where you inform the reader of some event from the past that is necessary in order to understand the present. If you have no good reason to include a prologue in your novel, then don’t. The opening of your story is all about hooking the reader and keeping them reading. Prologues, however crucial to the story, tend to be a barrier that the reader has to overcome before the story actually begins.But, if you feel that a prologue is necessary, try to keep it as brief as possible. If you have some crucial backstory to get across, but think you can somehow weave it into the main body of the story, maybe in the form of a flashback, do that instead. That's all I have for today! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!
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November 22, 2016
How To Name Your Characters
I had such an amazing response to my Creating Character Profiles video that I wanted to keep talking about characters. While plot is what essentially holds the story together, characters are equally as important. Honestly, mapping out your characters isn’t as difficult as it seems. Normally, you already have an idea in your head as to what that character is going to be like and how they’re going to behave throughout your story. I actually think that picking names for my characters is harder than mapping out their traits. So today, I’m going to provide you with 8 tips to help you name your characters.
If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
1. Complete your character profilea. If you’ve watched my previous video on Creating Character Profiles, then you’ll know how important it is to map out your characters and all their traits before naming them. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it and will leave the link in the description box below. It’s important that you know who your character is, what their flaws are, what makes them tick, and what their background story is. Just picking any good ol’ name doesn’t always work. Map your characters our first. It’ll be much easier to pick a name that suits them.
2. Get your era righta. If you need a name for a 20-year old flapper in the 1920s, you probably wouldn’t name her Chloe or Jessica. You’d go with something from that era, like Margaret, Helen, Ruth, or Anna. Browse for names in the era you’re writing. This is incredibly simple to do on Google. You can search “Popular girl’s/boy’s names for ___” and type in the year.
3. Mind the genrea. Similarly to number 2, you must mind the genre you’re writing in. Say you’re writing historical fiction set in Victoria era England. Names like George, John, Rose, Charles, Samuel, and Edith might come to mind. Now let’s imagine you’re writing science fiction set in colonized Mars circa 2095, much further in the future. Names might be a little harder to come up with, but I’m assuming no “Edith’s” made the list. But names like Ambrose, Kel, Stone, or Caris might sound more realistic. Since it’s set in a future that no one knows, you have more wiggle room to predict trends in names.
4. Check root meaningsa. It’s better to call a character Caleb, which means “faithful” than to overkill it by naming him Loyal or Goodman, unless you want to do that for ironic/comedic purposes. Even the readers who don’t know the name’s root meaning will probably sense it as they’re reading your story.
5. Utilize different languagesa. If you find yourself getting stuck, or using the same couple of last names, try taking certain qualities of your character and converting those qualities to different languages. My favorite language to do this is Latin. For example, if your character is a firefighter, then look up the Latin word for fire. Jason Smith just became Jason Ignis. This doesn’t work all the time, but if you’re really stuck, I would recommend it.
6. Think of your favorite wordsa. Your favorite words can also be used to help you discover character names. Does your character love astronomy? Maybe name him or her Orion, like Orion’s belt. Think of the adorable, rambunctious teacup named Chip in Beauty and The Beast. Chip can also be used as a name for a cute and talkative little girl. Sometimes the words you really like can be used as character names, or you can make a variation of them work as well. For example, for my female protagonist in THE ALPHA DRIVE, I’ve always thought the word “emerald” sounded really pretty (not to mention it’s my birthstone). At the same time though, it sounded a little too elegant, especially for the badass heroine I was trying to create. So I used a variation and named her Emery.
7. Create a themea. Sometimes, creating a theme for your character’s names can help. Think about Suzanne Collins when she wrote The Hunger Games: Katniss, Primrose, Rue, Gale. It seems that she had a theme based on plants and flowers when naming her characters. If your characters are Italian, maybe you can focus on Italian foods and seasonings like Olive, Rosemary, Pepper, and Basil. Okay, that might be a terrible example, but you get the point.
8. Be dissimiliara. Whether you’ve got three characters or 30, give each one a uniquely different sounding name. That means no Bob and Ben. No Laurie and Lauren. No Adam and Aden. Why? Readers don’t actually read the entire word. They’ll stop at L, for example, understanding it to be Laurie. But, if you introduce a new character, Lauren, now the reader must read the entire word and then take time to remember the differences between the two characters. This can be tiring and can take away from the pleasure of reading your book.
So there you have it, 8 tips to help you name your characters. That’s all that I have for you guys today. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!
Until next time,
November 14, 2016
The Order of Omega Release + How To Write A Series
It’s finally here! Tuesday, November 8th – The release day for the second book in THE ALPHA DRIVE trilogy, THE ORDER OF OMEGA!
I’ve been waiting for awhile for this book to be released into the world and now it finally is! The journey in writing this book was very different from writing the first one, but it was just as enjoyable to write. I love seeing my characters develop and grow, and my goal was to make this book have a story that could stand on its own. And based on the feedback from my beta and ARC readers, it did just that! So that makes me really happy. If you haven’t already you can order both THE ALPHA DRIVE as well as THE ORDER OF OMEGA on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, and Books-A-Million. You can also order signed copies of both books here.In honor of the second book in my series coming out today, I thought a video topic on How To Write A Book Series would be wildly appropriate. So that is what we’re going to talk about today. If you’re lucky enough to have a bunch of ideas bouncing around in your head where you know exactly how each book in your series will end and begin, then hats off to you! You are much further ahead than most writers. But what about those of us who want to write a series, but have no idea where to start? Fear not, my friends. Here are 7 tips to help get you started in writing your book series. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK SERIES
11. Brainstorma. I know I say this in a lot of my videos, but training yourself to brainstorm to eventually become an idea machine is pretty darn important as a writer. In order to write fresh and original stories, we constantly have to be brainstorming our next big ideas. I prefer taking an oversized sheet of paper and writing the theme of my story, the genre, and target audience in the center. From there, I’ll brainstorm and write down any scenes or ideas that come to me for that book or series, no matter how silly or unrelated or bad the ideas may seem. The great thing about brainstorming is that ALL ideas matter. Get them down on paper. This is how I mapped out my new dark fantasy series. It took me about 3 hours because I had to sift through a ridiculous amount of ideas, but you know what? I now have an idea for each book in that series. So it was totally worth it!
12. Choose a story concept that can stretch across multiple booksa. If you’re having a hard time brainstorming things that can happen beyond just one book, then most likely that main idea or plot you had in mind unfortunately isn’t broad enough. The idea may be too limited where it can’t be applied to multiple books. Try pulling back on some of the restrictions for that original idea, whether it’s in the world itself, the character’s goals, or even the overarching theme of the story. If you can make it broader, you’ll find that there’s a lot more wiggle room to be able to write multiple stories and create a series.
13. Outline the main ideas for each book before you start writing the first drafta. All you pantsers are going to hate this, but writing a series DEMANDS that you plan and outline ahead of time. There really is no way around this one. Crafting multiple stories that are going to be interconnected and woven together takes diligent planning. You’ll have to drop certain hints and clues and foreshadow in each one of the books in order to make the series tie together. If you don’t plan ahead and make an outline for each book, it’s likely that you’ll have loose ends, forget about one of your subplots, and leave your readers feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. I’ll say it again: Writing a series DEMANDS that you plan ahead and outline ahead of time.
14. Consider the passage of timea. By this, I mean it’s important to make sure that your characters are going to age appropriately AND that your target audience will still be interested in your story as the series continues over time. If you’re starting your characters off at age 21 and you plan on writing 10 books and releasing one a year, then by the time your series closes, your characters will be 31. Normally, fans that have been with you since the beginning will stick with you, but it’s still critical that your characters and your writing grow and develop in this timeline in order to keep your audience’s attention and ensure it’s still realistic.
15. Each book should stand on its owna. This might be a personal preference, but if there’s one thing I hate more than anything, it’s reading a series where half of the books are “bridge books”. Bridge books are those that can’t stand alone. They are merely a bridge between the prior book in the series to the next book in the series. It drives me absolutely insane and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. When writing a series, you need to make sure each book has its own plots and subplots. Continue to foreshadow and drop hints and clues to lead your reader to the end of the series, but make it so that each time your reader finishes your book, they feel satisfied, like they just read a story that came full circle and not one that droned on and on and on with little to no point.
16. Foreshadowing is your frienda. I know I just kind of talked about this in #5, but foreshadowing is UBER important when writing a series. In order to have all the books tie together, you have to cleverly place clues and hints throughout each book and then reveal why you placed those clues and hints in there and have it lead up to the big reveal.
17. You’re allowed to change your minda. Just because you’ve outlined each of the books in your series doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stick with those ideas. Along our writing journeys, we grow and develop as writers, which means our characters and our writing grows. So an idea you had four years ago for one of the books in your series may not be the right fit once you actually get to writing that particular book. And that’s okay! You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to change your ideas. Actually, if you don’t change your ideas and keep everything exactly the same, that’s probably more troublesome.
So there you have it, 7 tips to help you write your book series! That’s all that I have for you guys today. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out both THE ALPHA DRIVE and THE ORDER OF OMEGA on your way out. As always, I will see you in the next post!
Until next time,
