More Plot and Structure - 34 events

I know I already did a piece (or three) on Plot and Structure, but I couldn't keep this website to myself. Gerhi (who is taking How to Think Sideways) was analyzing some novels. (This is one of the HtTS lessons, and it's very extensive.) Anyway, Gerhi found 34 events you can use to write your novel. Pretty cool stuff.

Give Me Five Stars!

I entered a writing-related video contest. It's called The Worst Mistakes You Can Make on First Drafts. I chose #14: Fast Pacing. I get points for every time someone watches it and for how many stars it gets. Hope you like it!

**Special thanks to Rachel, Anna, and Sydney. You're so photogenic! :)

Writing Characters that Drive the Story

I'd highly recommend an article from QueryTracker called Plot vs. Character. It discusses the difference between a story that is driven by its characters and the way they change through the story and a plot-driven story, where action drives the story. This is my Achilles heel. I love for terrible things to happen to my characters. I have to really work hard to get them to act, rather than have things happen to them. If you like this article, and think it touches on something you need to work on, try this one by Jane Friedman.

Today, Rachelle Gardner hit this right on the head with her post: Is Your MC Proactive or Reactive? This is vital to any good story, and something a lot of us miss (especially in genre fiction).

Writing Characters that Have Depth

Jeff Colburn wrote an article on character development that mentions some things you need to know about your characters. I totally agree that you need to know these things. But that's not what gives your characters character. Character comes through decisions, needs, and hardship. If your protagonist grew up in a trailer park, that's fine. But if he resents his parents, hates his neighbors, and is stuck in a grade F school because of it, even better. But still dig deeper. Show the struggle. Live the conflict. That's how you can get real characters.

So how do you dig deeper? Funny you should ask, because QueryTracker has a terrific article on that as well. Character Development with a Theatrical Approach discusses techniques actors use to make their characters (and the lines they give) believable. This is a great article to read if your characters lack depth and emotion.

And for all you YA and middle grade writers out there, here's a must-read: Writing the Middle-Grade Novel By Kristi Holl. Seriously. It's brilliant. There are links that help you understand how being a kid is different now than it was 5, 10, or 50 years ago. It tells you what kids like in a book, what they're looking for, what's important to them. It covers dialogue, conflict, and setting. If you write for anyone younger than 18, or think you may want to in the future, this should go at the top of your list.