Rick Jantz's Blog, page 7

If I Didn’t Have To Guess About Life

I wouldn’t have to guess if I’m loved

I wouldn’t have to guess if there’s a God…or a Source…or a Living Universe

Or whatever is out there, that I want in here

If I didn’t have to guess about life

I wouldn’t have to wander the streets alone

I wouldn’t have to guess if others knew I was alive

And knew that they passed me by

If I didn’t have to guess – but just knew

   I could cast away my doubts

   I could be more

   I could achieve more

   I could have more

   I could love, because I wasn’t so busy guessing

But I’m left guessing

   Left wondering

   Left doubting

   Left less secure

   Left second-guessing myself

   Left alone with my unanswered questions

But why must I guess?

Why must I seek?

Why must I feel alone among many?

Because to guess, to ask, to want

Is the way there from here

That Foggy Future We Don’t Know

“I watch people fade into the fog of their future as I gaze unknowingly into the haze of mine.”

Ah, the future.  What to do?  How to choose?  I want to be successful.  Will I be?  Will I be happy, have the things I want, live a good life?  Being rich and famous would solve everything, right?  Or maybe, for those of you who know the song, it’s an attitude of “Que sera, sera.  Whatever will be, will be.”  

I’m sure most of you have heard the phrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”  Great advice – if you’re feeling tough.  Not so great when you’re second-guessing and flip-flopping over every decision because you’re afraid of making the wrong one, so you don’t make any (which is a decision, by the way).

Sometimes Today is Tough

How do you continue?  How do you take that next step?  Or do you say, “Screw it,” and hide under your blankets, have another drink, or wonder if you’re done with life?

I remember in my own life how, as a young man, I often I strode in anger, sometimes in fear, down the street or through a mall; looking at others and wishing I had what they had: whether it be a spouse, a family, friends, or things.  I was so aware of my “aloneness” and feeling like I had no supports, no one to turn to when I needed them, no one who cared for me in that moment.

And I was supposed to make important life decisions without knowing who I was or what the world expected from me.  I think sometimes we’re so afraid of not knowing our future that we let it freeze us in the present.

Trusting the Future is Hard

Have you ever wondered sometimes why you should even try?  Why continue when things – life – don’t seem to go your way or work in your favor?  Questions I’m sure we all ask…or ignore when things are going poorly and it’s tough just getting through the day.

Whether we’re young, middle, or older adults, we spend a lot of our waking hours looking ahead at something that has not yet been lived, is deliberately hazy, and offers us no billboard announcements of turn here, do this, work here, live there.  We don’t know and, of course, we can’t know because it’s not here yet.

There are umpteen million books, courses, speakers, gurus, and even famous people that we can read, listen to, and follow.  Everyone wants to help us (mostly) and we can spend all of our time learning from them — but are we?  Or do we just move on to “the next great thing” in our search to understand “what am I going to be when I grow up?”  (And for you younger readers, this question never goes away, sorry:)

Trusting the future is hard – What about trusting yourself, right now?  Because you can have an immediate impact on “now.”

Think About These
You’re not alone.  

Even though it seems like you are – and I think every one of us has felt this at different points in our lives – there are others who care and would be surprised that you feel you are on your own.  I think we don’t reach out often enough, as difficult as this is to do sometimes.  I know, I’ve been there.

You are in control more than you know.  

Earlier this year, when I looked back at my life, I wondered two things as I needed to make decisions as a young man:

Did I let others choose for me?
Did I take the easy path?

Both examples imply that I did not make a choice; I allowed or just let myself drift from thing to thing.  However, when I looked at my choices I realized that they related to things that were important to me, values I had inside that became the reason things opened up and were offered to me.  I made the choice to accept them.

What would I tell my younger self?  And what would you say to yours?

Stick with who you are and the decisions you need to make will flow from inside of you.
Reach out because others know your pain for they have it, too.
You’re struggling with finding out who you are in this crazy, mixed-up world…and that’s what you’re supposed to be doing so it’s OK.
Learn how to let what you think and feel on the inside come to the outside.  
Loosen the control you keep on yourself, throw it to the winds..and see what happens.
Be who you are – do who you are.
Make the choices you know you should make and live with the results – because the best thing you did was to have made a choice.
Find joy early.
Get involved with something that represents your values.
Do it – don’t couch potato it.
A small house with love is better than a bigger house with things.  
While career is important, that, and stuff, should not be your number one.

What do I tell myself (and you) today?

You can’t go on doing what you’ve been doing if what you’ve been doing got you to the unfulfilled place you are today.
Facebook and other social media don’t have the answers, and yet you continually search for the 10-step plans and the latest self-improvement posts because you’re not happy with who you are or where you’re at.  
You always think you need to be more, do more, have more.  You need to stop and know that right now, in this moment, you are enough.  
I now believe we should be seeking self-discovery more than self-improvement.

Write It.  Read It.  Live It.  

“In the themes of our Journals are the themes of our lives.”

I have been a journal writer for over 40 years and when I read back on some of the things I wrote as a young man, I read about my search, my struggle for meaning, my desire to be accepted.  And, yes, I read it and still remember the pain of living it.

Journaling is a great way to know where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go.  A journal also gives you the insight about yourself that you may not get from your family, your co-workers or the barista at Starbucks.

Things a journal can reveal:

Write about the person you are; things that are difficult to tell anyone.
Write your dreams, your aspirations – and your inspirations.
Know what you value and what line-in-the-sand you will not cross.
Be that person you write about so that others get a glimmer of you.
Dare to challenge the low opinions you have about yourself
Don’t be afraid to write it down – be afraid not to act on the truths you discover about yourself.
In your words are your actions – acknowledge the fears, the failings, the doubts, and insecurities – And then do something about them!
OR keep writing the same stuff, never changing, never living you – and never writing the good stuff about who you are and what you do.

We don’t want to screw it up and get it wrong!  

This, I think, is why we fear the future, why we see only the fog.  We think there’s only one path, one way to do something, one chance to get it right – and that’s where we’re wrong.

I can look back and see forks in my road, where I had a decision to make.  Maybe I felt someone made the decision for me or I took the easy path.  Maybe I allowed things to happen more than I wished I had.  However, in looking back, the decisions were mine to make and…either path would have been OK.

There doesn’t have to be a right path or a wrong path, but there is a path and you will be the one to walk it.  Sure, the way looks foggy now but, wouldn’t life be boring if we knew the answers before we asked the questions?

Oh, and by the way, the song, “Que sera, sera” – the answer is, “The future’s not ours to see.”

I Reach

I feel defeated

everywhere

I turn

in the middle

is me

Four walls

surround

a heart

beats alone

in silence

I reach

fearfully

to touch

a hand

passes by

Do as

others do

and wait

the day

will pass

This day lived

by many

yet one

I live

alone

I reach

fearfully

to touch

a hand

grasping too

A Writer’s Vision – Stay True To You

Every writer has something unique to them that they must say.  No one has your experiences, your view on life, and the words that you use like you do.  That’s why writers are always read and followed…but only if you stay true to you.

You’re not Stephen King, John Grisham, or even Rick Jantz (that’s me).  And you don’t want to be.  It doesn’t make sense to copy that which you aren’t.  But it does make sense to study them and follow their “how to write formulas” because they work (mine may still be debatable but give me time).

Writing is not a pastime, something to be done when you have the time or when it’s convenient.   Writing is a “have to do” attitude that takes you off of your couch, away from your TV and to your private spot that releases the pent up passion and stories you have to tell.

Writing is doing, and it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it must be “you”.  If people want to read King they would buy his books.   But if you want them to read “you” then you must give them that. It will be your uniqueness, your “spin on the world” that grabs their attention and brings them back for more.

Here is what you must do (of course, these are my thoughts, and you must internalize them and make them yours):

Who The Heck Are You?

What are your values, your beliefs?  What is that line in the sand that you will not cross and that you won’t let others cross?  Knowing these will be instrumental to your success as a writer.

This isn’t about what you are (job, possessions, or status in life).  This is about who you are and what you know to be true.   Honor this and you will add vision to your writing and passion to what you’re writing about.

What Do You Stand For?

Are you a “good vs. evil” kind of writer? Are you OK with killing people in your stories if that’s the nature of your genre?  I’m a Western writer and gunfights are critical to my stories, so fictional people die.  However, for the past year this has bothered me to the point that, even in fiction, I don’t want to kill people.  I think there’s enough of that in the world: in real life, in movies and T.V., and, of course, the video games we let our kids play for hours at a time.  We’ve normalized killing, and I’m not good with that.

Is the moral of your story the most important element?  Meaning, your reader must leave with the truth in their mind and uplifted by what you have written.   Remember, even if this is your goal you still must tell your story in a credible and believable way.

What Do You Know?

Writing is a grand adventure and your opportunity to take your readers to places unknown and introduce them to wild and even intense places and make them like hateable characters.   But you still need to know something about your setting and the people you populate it with.

Alternatively, you must be prepared to do the research so you can create a believable backstory so your places, people, and things are real. So even if your story takes place on another world or era your readers will go there with you and can see, smell, and hear this place you’ve taken them to.

Are You Willing To Sell Your Soul?

For many, it comes down to this: do you write what’s popular in order to make money or do you write based on principles and ethics only?   Or is there a middle ground?

Can you take what’s popular, what’s trending, and make that into a story?  What if you took a movie star, there are plenty of bad ones if you wish, and place them in a situation where they must help others to survive or perhaps they’ve lost their memory and must start all over again.  How would they fare?  And would they rise to fame and fortune again because that is who they innately are?

Through these kinds of stories your view of the world, your perspective, can be told through the lives of your characters.  Give them that line they won’t cross.  Place them in a conflict that if, not life and death, is at least making them risk something.

You don’t have to sell your soul, those things that you value, when you let your characters explore, take chances, and hold true to their own values.  Stretch them, and you stretch yourself.

Silence

Silence

Sudden silence!

No sound…

I move forward

Leaves crackle, shattered.

Pause for their demise.

Breathless, wait;

Silence.

Pounding louder

Heart bursts forth

But

No sound.

Stillness, still

Thoughts explode

Run rampant round

Catch them, quick

For silence.

Shuddering calm,

Breathless wait,

Frozen wave

Crash-loud moment soon.

Currents eddy,

Leaves murmur,

Wind stirring heart-thoughts.

Breathless, wait

…gone.

Chaos howls on.

Zanni – Introduction

My parents named me Zanni…for the clowns in commedia dell’arte. They didn’t want to name me Cyrano, or Jimmy Durante or even Pinocchio (fortunately). And they didn’t want me confused with Steve Martin’s movie, Roxanne. But they wanted to remind me that I was a clown, a misfit, a character to be joked at and even scorned…and not just because of my powers.

By now you may suspect why my name is Zanni or at least what led my beloved parents to saddle me with that moniker for life. I have a large nose and the zanni clowns from the theatre of commedia dell’arte were known for their long noses (although in their cases they wore masks onstage). In fact the longer their nose the stupider the characters were and my parents found that hilarious when I was born. They love to tell the story of how it took ten contractions for my nose to pop out and two for the rest of me. Great role models. Don’t be surprised when you see how that turned me into the wonderful person I am today.

But my nose is only one side of me. Granted, it’s a large side that constantly arouses jokes and zingers from those bold enough to speak openly. Everyone else just moves to the other side of the street where there’s more room.

But there’s another side of me, one you cannot see but need to take caution with. Put simply, I can move things, stop things, make things do what they weren’t meant to do, even destroy them outright. Pissed off at an obnoxious driver and want to flatten their tires? I can do that. Need someone to fall off a ladder at work? I can do that, too. Need a bullet redirected to kill someone else? I’ve done that.

I am a telekinetic. I was born with this ability (curse or gift, you decide). It’s very powerful and, no, it does not weaken me when I use it nor does my nose bleed, which is a good thing given the size of the gusher that would pour out. More specifically, and I really like this one, I am a Ballistic Telekinetic. Sounds dangerous, right? I am.

This type of havoc telekinesis is often considered to be something out of control, brought on by extreme danger or stress that lashes out at anything or anyone who is close by. The black sheep in the telekinesis family if you will.

And that is absolute rubbish, pontificated by those who think they know something about psychic powers but couldn’t move a paper cup on a windy day down a super-slide. I’m here to tell you, as someone who has this power, that I am always in control and that when I lash out it is very deliberate and controlled. Sure, most of the times I’m pissed off at the world but, like everyone else, I have every right to be that way. The problem with me is that I can do some nasty things to you if you get on the wrong side of me, and that doesn’t take much.

However, what I cannot do is have any effect on living things. People, animals, even sharks and snakes (the slithering kind) are impervious to my touch. If you draw a breath you get nothing from me. But if you’ve stopped breathing then you’ve become a lifeless clump of clay and I can do with you what I will. I won’t though, it’s kind of gross.

Oh, by the way, I can be killed. My honker and I seem to attract all manner of expletives, gestures, and attempts to end our smell on earth.

What Do Your Readers Want? Is Your Book For Them Or For You?

Many authors struggle with how to deliver what their readers want to read. If we knew what they wanted we would write it. Right? After all, wouldn’t that be the way to a successful book? It would be like having the inside track on becoming a successful author.

But I don’t know that we always do that…I know I don’t. Sometimes we (I) write for ourselves with maybe some distant thought of keeping our readers in mind.

Trust Your Genre

One golden rule I’ve learned as a Western writer for men is to keep the story moving with lots of action and strong characters. I’ve read countless Westerns and I know what I like to read.

TIP: As you’re writing you should also be reading books in your genre.

By reading successful authors you begin to live their stories and get a feel for how they write and why they describe a story like they do. I’m certainly not saying to plagiarize them but, rather, to use them to motivate and inspire your own stories.

Successful writers are successful for a reason…they know what their readers want and give it to them, consistently. And that’s how they get their fans to come back for more. And if you’re following what they’re doing to be successful then that will increase your chances of being successful as well. Every writer’s dream, right?

Make Your Ideal Reader A Character

I’m sure we’ve all heard that we need to write to one person and to do that we need to visualize them, describe them, and then talk to them as we write. We need to talk to them as if we’re at a bar or coffee shop and telling them a great story.

How many of us have actually done this (you can’t see me but my hand did not go up). On the other hand, how many of us have created characters for our novels (all hands should go up, we’re writers).

So why not make a character out of your ideal reader? I’m currently working on mine and let me tell you, someone is emerging from the mirage that is becoming more and more defined as THE person who wants to read my story. As I look at him and focus my attention on what he looks like, what his likes and wants are, and what catches his interest I’m beginning to see a reader that wants to read a great, action-packed Western.

Of course he looks Western but he also knows about the West, about gunfighters and cowboys, and even about life on the Western Frontier. I cannot fool this reader of mine, he’s too astute and wants accuracy as well as great story-telling.

They Read Your Genre For A Reason

Most of us have our favorite genres or two so we’re always on the lookout for a great book. We bring with us experience and expertise and when we want reading entertainment we turn to our old standbys, those genres that we know and enjoy.

So, too, with your readers. But it’s up to you to write to them…not above them. Understand their reasons for reading, why this is their genre, and, finally, why they should read you. By creating your “reading character” you are creating your ideal reader and then you are writing just for them…and they’ll know it!

Always give consideration to that reader and give them what they want…and they will come back for more.

What’s Your Genre?

And can you create a character that’s your ideal reader who will hold you true to your story? I think this can be applied to any genre; whether you’re writing mystery (your character probably has mysterious traits), romance (man or woman their eyes light up at the thought of love and pain), SciFi (maybe they’re rebellious or even geeky), or, finally, murderers and detectives (perhaps your ideal reader likes the CSI look or maybe is an actual investigator or, gulp, murderer).

I’m off to have coffee with this rugged, unshaved cowboy who looks like he’d rather shoot me than read me. Now isn’t that ideal?

I’m Ready To Write My Book – Chapter One – Oh Crap!

In previous posts I talked about research, using celebrity pictures, and creating an outline. Now I’m ready to write my book and put some words together to create a story. I proudly type, “Chapter One.” And smile in anticipation.

Oh crap, this isn’t right at all. I’ve struggled and come at it from all sorts of angles but I finally give up. It’s not the blank page or writer’s block…I haven’t found the right intro yet. The story needs to start somewhere else.

Back To The Drawing Board?

I refuse to start over, I know I have a good outline. But I’ve missed something. Kemp riding into the Western town of Vail or into an Army camp is not the place the story needs to start.

If you want to hook your readers into your story you need to give them a gripping intro, almost a “What the heck?” kind of moment that makes them want to keep reading. I know the story will be a good one, I can see it in my mind. The setting, the characters, the conflict. They’re all there…I just need the opening.

Outlines and brainstorming notes are not just to help you get going, they’re also to keep you focused on the story you’re telling. I’ve read this over and over so I figured the answer to how my book starts was buried within my scribbles and bullet points.

The Bird’s Eye View

This is something I often do in my writing, especially when I’m stuck. Whether I go for a walk, work on something else, or, more probably, go over my notes and outline again, I need to go back to the bigger picture of my story.

What’s it about?
What is the conflict?
What are the goals of the main characters?
Who are my characters?

There it is, the characters! I believe in letting the characters participate in telling the story so why not let them help me come up with the best opening?

Now I can’t give away too much here or I could spoil some of the story. But it was actually 10 year old Amy that held up her hand and said, “I could open the story.” Hmm, this could be interesting.

So I went through her character outline and reviewed what her role in the story is…and sure enough, she offered the best opening for the book. There needed to be some foreshadowing in what was to come and why a 10 year old girl would be on her own in a western Arizona town.

Play With Your Opening

I think I wrote about three drafts of the opening paragraph alone. It was time well spent, though, because when the right sequence of events emerged the rest of the chapter pretty much wrote itself. Granted, it’s a shorter chapter than what most of the chapters will run but it was long enough to say what it needed to. In fact, I recall thinking, when I wrote what would be the last line in the chapter, that it needs to end with this. The line was perfect (in my writer’s mind anyways) and it was a theme that I could pick up later in the story.

Once I listened to Amy and let it be all about her to start with, the next chapter flowed a lot easier. Of course, it needed to be about the main character, Matt Kemp. But “Amy’s Chapter One”, as I call it, needed to set up the scene for what he was riding into across that hot Arizona desert.

Oh, it’s not the most pleasant chapter for her but she seemed fine with how it went (therapy is helping). Thanks for reading.

 

How Important Is Writing A Book Outline? I’m Ready To Chuck Mine!

I know we each have our own style of creating book ideas, coming up with characters and settings, and some even do outlines…like me! But this second book in the Matt Kemp series doesn’t want to even get off the ground, and it’s all because of my outline.

I’m curious, how important is an outline to each of you?

What An Outline Should Be

I’m an outliner, I like to know where I’m going and how I’m getting there. An outline helps me defined the main plot points in a story:

The rising incident or action – what is the conflict or obstacle that gets the story moving?
The Climax – what is that ultimate struggle that shows the protagonist winning or losing?
The falling incident or action – how do I wrap everything up to end the story?

Outlines help me structure a story. The let me build from chapter to chapter, scene by scene. They put a framework around my story that allows me to see what’s happening and when it’s happening.  And there’s a joy to creating an outline, watching your story reveal itself, that helps you keep your motivation to write the book.

Of course, I’m also a “pantser” (someone who works with no or little outline). On many occasions while I’ve been writing the characters have said, “This should happen next.” And seldom are they wrong so I let them write the story, too.

But I can always see where we’re going, it’s the journey that’s the adventure.

A More Detailed Outline

With this, my third book, I’m trying something different for an outline, something more detailed and structured and that all the gurus say works. I’ve broken it down as follows (taken from “The Snowflake Method”:

 

This looked like something I could use and so I gave it a try…it worked…but the program I’m using (Scrivener) is causing me all kinds of headaches. Two things:

I will learn Scrivener because it’s an incredible writing program for someone like me who likes to outline.
I shall ignore this part of Scrivener for now so I can clear my mind (my creativity) so I can write…which is more important.

So no, I won’t actually chuck my outline but I will be putting everything I’ve drafted so far into one document so I can split my screen like Scrivener allows and type in one column while I follow along with my outline.  And the great thing about this is that I can continue to add to it as my story grows and takes me in directions that I couldn’t see coming when I first created the outline.

How about you? Do you have any outline woes that you could share?

All I can recommend is that the most important thing to writing is to write. Don’t get so bogged down in a “cool program” or “10 steps” to writing a successful novel. Find what works for you and write, write…and write some more.

 

Using Pictures Of Celebrities To Describe Your Characters

I’ve read that many writers will actually use celebrity pictures to visualize their book characters. I had never done this before so I thought I would try it for my new Western, “A Witness To Murder.”

But first, let me explain something. This story would feature a young girl who would befriend the hardened U.S. Marshal, Matt Kemp. I wanted to explore what Kemp thought about kids and if he even liked them. Plus, the townspeople of Vail would not easily turn a child over to a murderer.

So, because I had a “sweet and innocent” girl, I needed a ruthless antagonist that would have no qualms in killing her (sorry, I know that sounds bad but that’s the direction the story is going). Plus, I read the following line from Randy Ingermanson:

“THE STRENGTH OF YOUR STORY IS SET BY THE STRENGTH OF YOUR VILLAIN”

It was this line and the young girl that sent me in search of the perfect celebrity to depict Jason Pope, the antagonist.

Which Celebrity For Which Character

I went on my typical Google search and started typing in things like:
“Mean looking male celebrities”
“Popular young actresses”
“Female action stars”

As I went through each one I would use Google’s “Image” tab. Each time this gave me an incredible series of celebrity pictures. Now, I won’t include the actual pictures here for two reasons. One, I want the readers of the book to visualize the characters for themselves, without me overly influencing what the characters look like. Two, these are licensed pictures that I don’t have approval to use and I don’t want to face any kind of legal action

But let me tell you who I chose for each of the characters in this book. Please note that I did not include the protagonist, Matt Kemp, because he is the star of the series and I trust that I have described him well enough and I certainly don’t need any pictures (although for my own reference I do have a celebrity actor that I use).

I’ve only used their face because there was something there, usually in their eyes, that said, “Oh, this is who so-and-so is.” Although I will admit that it helped that the actress that inspired Meg had two guns in her hands.

Pope

As I’ve said, I needed a nasty, evil looking sort that you wouldn’t want to meet in the middle of the day, let alone in a dark alley. Do you know who Christopher Walken is? There was a picture of him online that was perfect. Although Walken is older than my character, Pope, there was a picture that had the following elements that I couldn’t take my eyes off:

Cold, ice-green ice that looked like they were chipped from an iceberg

A slight sneer on his upper lip that showed his hatred and disdain for everyone

An unflinching face that would stay calm and cold even while bullets were flying

Meg

When I found a picture of Angelina Jolie in her role of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, I had a dimension added to the character of Meg Walker that I hadn’t at first anticipated. In this shot she was holding two guns (automatics, of course) and I knew that Meg had to be the same, independent and dangerous woman as Lara Croft.

Amy

Lindsay Lohan, when she was much younger, was the perfect girl to play the part of Amy Lawrence. Her sparkly green eyes, freckles, and impish grin did two things for me:

Create a character that would get under Kemp’s skin

Be that little girl that would both fear and stand up to Pope

OK, not everyone I used is a celebrity. In fact, I don’t even know the real names that I used for the following characters. But when I stumbled across them during my search I knew I had “found my man.”

Jasper

This guy was just the right mixture of goofiness, slyness, and “I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him” kind of guy to play the town snitch. And I’m sure you can imagine what he winds up doing in the story.

Sheriff Palmer

Whenever you’re researching your settings keep your eyes peeled for actual people that lived there if your novel is historical or even contemporary. I found an older looking fellow, a grandfatherly type, that had the looks I needed for the town’s sheriff, someone everyone liked and respected. Just what I needed.

Captain Morris

I found another actual picture from the old west that showed a guy sporting the most outrageous handlebar moustache. And the way he had his hair slicked back was perfect for the part of an Army Captain who is more concerned with seeing his name in the headlines than he was for the safety of his men.

Other Characters

There are others but I didn’t take the time to find pictures as they made such brief appearances in the book. That being said, there is an Army Sergeant that has introduced himself to the story and I will be looking for a picture for him.

Something to be aware of as you’re writing your book is that characters will suddenly say, “Hi, you need me to help you tell this story.” And I absolutely believe that. For instance, Kemp needed an accomplice in the Army, someone he could trust and that would help him battle Pope’s gang. Thus the Army Sergeant strolled in.

Why Celebrity Pictures Worked For Me

If you’re writing a book, I would highly recommend using celebrity pictures, or any pictures, for your characters.

I always have them beside me as I write. If I get stuck, I have but to stare at the picture and let them tell me what happens next. They will talk to you…all you have to do is listen and write down what they say.

Pictures will help you discover dimensions about your characters that you didn’t know existed but that become intrinsic to your story.

They will also help you with the details like eye and hair color, mannerisms, and even how they dress.

But most importantly, for me anyways, they will help you with your character’s attitudes towards themselves and others…you can just see it in their eyes.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed hunting down celebrities. I wish you all the best in your own writing. Leave me a comment or question below and tell me if you use pictures or how you develop your characters. Thanks for reading.