The dragon, the birthday girl, and the train

Happy Saint George Day! (Ahem, it was yesterday, but...) Yesterday we went ice skating with some friends, which was oodles of fun! :) And Monday we went to Winchester, which was so much fun. Really, it was tons of fun. We walked mostly (So British, I know. :D) and climbed a hill which afforded us a great view of the countryside. Indeed, a short story will be written. Maybe. :)

But, another important holiday: Easter. I should not have eaten all that chocolate. Regrets. So many regrets. :D We went to the sunrise service instead of the regular church service. It was really nice, despite having to wake up at 5:30.

And one more thing before we cut to the chase.........Happy Birthday, Grammy! :D I wish we could be there with you. :)

But now to cut to the post...

A revelation in the middle of a train ride. I was coming back from hanging with some amazing people  who gave us polish food for lunch and took us for milkshakes. I had a coke float. It was amazing.

But, to the point, I must get.

In the Hunger Games, in the third book and even toward the end of the second book, Katniss was soooo irritating. And in Allegiant and Insurgent, Tris is well on her way to be irritating. (I haven't finished Allegiant so she might become less irritating...)

But it's my observation that towards the end of a series, a novel, or even just a story, the character becomes way, way, way more irritating. Based on my observations, (That should have been read in a fancy British voice...:D) I have discovered ways that the character becomes irritating.

1. They get tired

They're not actually tired, the character is just tired. (As in a tired room) You see them, the same character you've been reading about for 100+ pages. Imagine getting locked in a room with a single person. And this person goes on, and on, and on, and on about paper. And for three whole days, you get to hear about paper. Pretty boring, huh? But if this paper-addict happened to change the topic to ice cream, then electricity, then their favorite bands, then Doctor Who, then paper again, and then the circus, you'd be way more interested and by the time three days are up, you guys are best buds. Characters can either be the first or the second guy. They don't have to be personality-wise "interesting" but they do have to be character-wise "interesting." (As in character flaws, inner struggles, etc.)

2. They become confident

Confidence in a character is a good thing. But to much confidence is like reading about a statue doing all this stuff. They never have any inner conflicts. See number one why that is terrible. There is an exception. Suppose this character has to trade her emotions for something, say a handsome prince. Now when she should be inwardly conflicted (she can either kill someone or they will grow up to be the next Hitler) she has no emotions and therefore has no inner conflict. Another exception: If they are a sociopath/psychopath. So basically if they are like Sherlock. :)

3. They have no friends

In the Hunger Games, Katniss literally has one friend: Peeta. Friends, multiple friends, are like washing down a cookie (the protagonist) with milk (the friends). They offer relief from the main character, which is never a bad thing. :D

Even if an author did all of these things correct, to some extent, the protag will always be irritating. I mean, as amazing as I am, imagine having to sit next to me on a three-year long flight or something. Yes, you would love to kill me then too. :)

Happy Writing!
Scarlett

Hello, goodbye

Hello, Internet-ies! I recently have had a rather, er, sad trip to Windsor Castle. :\ It was freezing cold. Freezing. Now, if everyone hadn’t have worn light coats we might have been happier, but, hey. :) And we had to wait in long lines for everything. Everything. But, aside from that, it was awesome! The castle was whole and still nice. (Surprisingly...) and the shopping was awesome. (I asked almost all of my friends what they liked best about Windsor. The answer? Shopping. :D) But, as is the case when I travel, I will have a short story out about Windsor. :)

Anyhow....

So this is a bit random, but I have this problem, which has before been mentioned. I am impatient. No joke, totally impatient in planning and making introductions of the characters.

And, usually due to my impatience, I often rush into the climax after about two-three chapters. Not good. Based on personal experience, here are some tips I came up with to slow down, add detail, etc.

1. Listen to music

Music is one of my favorite things in the world. Even though I can't create it at all, I can listen to it. Listening to music really helps you to slow down. Use it as a timer even, if there is need. Here are some songs I like to use as timers:

-Oblivion by Bastille
-Carrizs by Bibio (Wordless for about two minutes of the song)
-Sarah by Diplo (Wordless until last 30 seconds. I recommend skipping over the lyrics though)
-Cheap Sunglasses by RAC
-Best Day of My Life by American Authors
-The Man by Aloe Blacc
-Mirror Maru by Cashmere Cat (Wordless)

And I just found a streaming music site that lets you find song without words. (This is a good station for writing, writing blocks, etc. But it also has some other great stations, not just this one. :)) http://8tracks.com/seatosky/read-write-repeat

2. Set a goal

Important, important. Besides music, I use chapters as a timer. For instance, in chapter 10 this and this might happen. That way I don't rush into the climax or whatever.

3. Fill 'er up!

In number 2, I said I set goals. So lets say I'm being my usual derpty derp self and am stuck on Chapter 9 and just want to get to Chapter 10. So now lets add detail. I find the easiest way for me is to do descriptions, but there's only so many descriptions I can put in a chapter. Assuming I want all my chapters to be five-ten pages long, after adding as many descriptions as I can, I need more details. This is what I then love to do: shock of all shocks, plan!

I go back, and since I know what the climax will be, put in little hints, circumstances, and conflicts that lead to the climax. This, like descriptions, can get heavy, so I can only put in about two-three of these gems.

Other than that, I just add in more experiences. Make her meet another character, let the character go have fun. If you need even more things: change your point of view. Focus on a character who might join her later, might turn out to be the villain.

****

So that's it! Perhaps it helped, perhaps it didn't. But, my story, er, well...I've finished eight chapters, but unfortunately, as is the case with writing sprees, I expended all my creative juices for a while, at least on that story, so it might be some time before you hear about it again. :) Since I can't go without writing though, I was thinking of doing a story from a villain's point of view. Any comments?

Happy Writing!

Scarlet

People, this is an important step!

Yes, yes it is, my dear people of the World Wide Web. This step, you ask?

The Theme!

I happen to forget to add a theme. All the time. Every single time. Here’s something you should know about me: I’m about as patient as, er, an impatient person. Seriously, I hate planning stories. Screw that, let’s just sit down and write. Yep, not the greatest trait.

So, since I usually don’t plan, I often forget to put in a theme. It’s alright; go hang your head at my inability. :)

But, regardless, theme’s are important. One of the first (give or take) things I do when I first read a book is to determine the theme. (An example, you ask....) Well, let’s just use a well-known example: the Hunger Games. War/mindless killing is evil. That’s pretty apparent, to anyone who’s read the books. Another? Ender’s Game. I intereptreted the theme as to not abuse your power. You see example of power abusers (Peter, Colonel Gragg (at least to some extent) and Mazer Rackham.) but Ender and Valentine (and to some extent Mazer Rackham) do not abuse their power.

So, finding a theme is always the hardest part for me. I don’t know bout you...but it takes me weeks to come up with even a lame terrible one. Sad, for an author.

And this post is really just to remind people: THE THEME IS IMPORTANT.

When you're planning a new ground-breaking story, plan a theme as well. Trust me, it saves a ton of time later. :)

Happy Writing!
Scarlet

Btw, wisdom from a six year old girl: The Big Bang Theory is dumb. How would there be anything before the Big Bang to make the Big Bang?

*sob**laughs**aggressively kills someone*

Hey, now! What's up? Nothing bad, I hope. Well.....let me just tell ya: I went to my first dance. Which, as it does, is always important. It was a vintage barn dance for some of my friend's 16th birthday. It was tons of fun! And, being one of the most awkward people every created, I was nervous that I would have no partners whatsoever, but luckily, that was not the case. :) Plus, it was vintage so all in all it was a great night.

Picture? Fine, if you insist...

I'm the one second to last, left hand side, black and white dress. :) Tons of people didn't go vintage, sadly. :(

And...I went to see Divergent on opening day here in London. (Sadly the midnight premiere was limited to 18 years and up....) But it was amazing! Theo James was the perfect person for Tobias. Ah, it was so great. Ahem, for those of you *pointed look* who wasn't a fan of Divergent, you should still go see it. It was great.

And, I have discovered a great song that I have been searching for for literally months: Home by Philip Philips. Plus his other songs (Gone, gone, gone and Raging Fire) are amazing. Plus Raging Fire is such a great worship song without being one of those strictly worship song. Go check it out. (And my older sister wants me to tell ya'll about this guy, Parry Gripp, who does ridiculous songs.)

ANYWAYSSSSSS...... moving on....

All of those good emotions. (Well, maybe not aggressively killing someone...:D) Mmm...what every reader wants. (Coming from a point of a fangirl, eh, not so much.) Now, the emotions I'm talking about is not the Moffat/Gatiss/T.Davies/Roth/Collins "Right in the feel!" emotion, I'm talking about emotion. (Hmm...that cleared it right up...)

Let's say that again: Emotion as in the character's emotion.

So, if you're following me, moving on.

Number one rule of adding emotion: They gotta do what they gotta do. If they're distressed, let them wring their hands. Sad, cry. Happy..Well, my happiness emotions range from a smile to jump on people and scream and pull out ice cream and pet a puppy, so really, no help for you on happiness. :D

How do you know what a character should do if they're sad, happy, etc? Well, all creative people have to not be afraid to look stupid. If this means acting out what you have to do in all it's dramatic glory...

"Oh, Nash!"
*Sinks to knees*
(In a deep voice) "Raven!"
"I'm dying, Nash..."
*Dramatically falls to the floor, groaning.*
*Exaggeratedly uses last breath to say, "I..." and then rolls over and...*
*Mom walks in*

"What are you doing?"
"Er..."

Trust me, it's worse when your sister has a friend over and they walk in.

So, yep, acting it out is good. Plus, reading helps. Most people react the same way when they're emotional. I know from Lie To Me. (yes another TV show) It's actually really helpful in writing. So this guy studies faces for lies and all, but it tells ya how people react in certain circumstances.

After your character is doing all the right things, the next step is circumstances.

Circumstances are very important, and I'll do a post on them later, but for now, make your circumstances reflect emotions. Observe:

[a character is suffering the loss of a family member]

I stared at the bright pink wall, numbed. Aunt Charlotte was gone. I would never hear her laugh, or have her take me for a walk, while pointing out the flowers. The sun was shining, and birds chirping, and soon Uncle Rex sat down beside me.
"Lemonade, cookies?"

Now, that paragraph isn't awesome; I just bolted that out right now. Now: Observe.

I stared at the dark mahogany wood of the old, dusty house. Aunt Charlotte was gone. I would never hear her laugh, or have her take me from a walk, telling me about the flowers. Like my mood, the sky was dark, sad; it was raining and streaks of lightning flashed outside. Uncle Rex sat down beside me.
"Tea?"

Clearly, the second paragraph reflects this character's emotion. Now, there is an exception to this rule, as usual. If your going for that stunningly different way, to prove how wrong it is, just ignore this little bit.

Now, next step. So you have characters, circumstances, and now you.

The writing of an emotional scene is liking that one experiment in Apologia, where you had to balance a paper clip on water by balancing it on a string. You have to go very, very, very, verrrryyyy gently. (Needless to say, the experiment was very hard and often didn't work)

You have to be very careful on how you say things.

For instance:

"Nash died."

versus...

"Nash slipped away, his body going cold, his eyes unseeing. He was gone."

Now, like all the other rules, you might prefer to do the first instance, as it might fit your writing style. But, pretending that doesn't matter, it's better to write the second one. :)

You also have to be concise.

If you drag out a scene:

"I cradled Nash in my arms as he slipped away. His body went cold and white, and his eyes were unseeing. I felt his life leave his body, etc."

I tend to skip over scenes like that. So, short, but not too short. Of course, this is coming from my style and my preference of reading. Everyone has their own style.

Happy Writing!
Scarlet

I don’t like your hero

Harsh words, only to often used. Hero’s are tricky things, they are. You can have heroes who you absolutely love, you literally would follow them to the end of the world. Or, you can have those heroes who you absolutely hate.

Yep, I have had several hateable heroes, sad to say. So, here ten tips to a likeable characters.

1. Silence isn’t golden

No one likes a character who hides away in the corner, quiet and not doing much. The more your hero does, the more likable they get. (Now, this is not always the case, but more often than not, it is.) Think about it, if Katniss hadn’t done anything, no one would like her. So, action is the biggest defining point of a likable hero.

2. Be on your best behavior

As a hero, you have to have good morals. Standing up for justice, honor, and bravery. No one wants a hero with loose morals. So, best behaviour is a must. This usually plays out as standing up for the weak. This is the best time to remember this: WWCAD? What would Captain America do?

3. Love and be loved

They have to be liked. (This doesn’t have to be a love-love, but more of a friendship love. Actually, in Greek there are four kinds of love: Agape is a spiritual love, Eros is a romantic love, Philia is friendship love, and Storge is love for family. Know you now, right?) Friends are a need. Like my mother always says, “If someone doesn’t have friends, there’s usually a reason.” So, if a character is friendless usually you think, “Hmm...that’s suspicious.”

4. A battle of wits you say? Well, you appear to be unarmed.

A hero needs wit and humor. Lets face it, no humor to lighten things up gets really, reeaaallyy, rrrreeeaaaallllyyyy, rrreeeaaalllyyyyy heavy. Now, if you have one character who is usually making jokes, that’s all fun and games until you realize how lame and serious your hero is. Sooooo....word of warning, unless you want to have to rewrite your hero.....make them witty and all that bundle of laughs.

5. The Daleks do not understand!! Explain!! EXPLAIN!!!

(If you’re wondering, the Daleks are villains in Doctor Who. Seeing as they’re robots, they often do not understand and have to say the afore quote.) We all love those bumbling, idiotic heroes. But if your hero is not competent, just forget it. I mean, that is the point of a hero, to come up on top. And if that’s not possible, well...

6. Determined as ever...

If your hero is not determined to overcome the challenge, that is not a hero. Lets add in a few plot twists and some hardships, and bingo, the hero decides, mmm, better not. So, he has to have determination. I don’t know whether that is something like Sam and Dean Winchester, who are after vengeance, or the Doctor, who saves people because he’s seen to much destruction and death. That’s really up to you, but he has to have determination.

7. Brave

This might be stating the obvious, but he has to be brave. This goes along with #1, if they are not brave, they probably won’t be doing much. Naturally this excludes those heroes who are the weak, all of the sudden saving everybody kinda guy. :)

8. Abnegation at heart

Your hero has to be selfless. I mean, selfless. Using logic, you can see how this is a must. If they’re not selfless, they probably aren’t gonna risk their lives to save others. Just the way it is. Well, of course, unless they have a turn around right before the climax.

9. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar...

You attract more loyal followers if you are kind rather than sour...words of advice to a hero. Kindness is one of the defining traits of most hero’s. Some being Captain America, Giselle from Enchanted, and really any princess or Disney hero. :)

10. Circumstances

This is one thing that will make your character be liked: circumstances. A truly evil villain, a lying scumbag, a little backstabber, some unfortunate friends who have no morality or anything to live for, and suddenly...I love the hero! Now, this only works in small doses, and in certain stories. Sticking to Captain America, Loki is one of those villains that you love and don't necessarily hate. They are like the classy gentleman who just happen to be evil. So, if you have a villain like that, sorry, your hero isn't gonna gain much love via circumstances. Perfect example, Moriarty and Sherlock. Ehehehe...I knew I'd fit something Sherlock into this post...:D

Happy Writing!
Scarlet