Writing Wednesday: Character Archetype - Obliviously Evil

Today's post is another character archetype that I've seen in a number of shows, movies, animes, books, etc.

When we think of a villain in a story, it is generally assumed that they are the drivers of evil within the story. Of course there are those, like the anti-villains, who have that small, if not fleeting, dance with a moral compass. And then there're the anti-heroes, who generally have some of that evil ingrained to give them a multidimensional feel, but still have enough good to keep them at hero status.

Then comes the Obliviously Evil. This character is interesting in that according to THEIR moral compass, they are in the right. Most people have a good grasp of what is good and what is evil, though there is a large gray area in between. The Obliviously Evil skew those beliefs and what the majority population believes as good and evil may not necessarily be so in their minds. They plan, they act, they formulate ideas - all based on their own moral code that, in their mind, is the right thing to do based on what they mean to accomplish.

That also touches on character motives, which I'll hit on in more detail in a future post. A character's motives drive them to create their individual ideas, to plan those ideas out, and to execute them. They could be self-serving, but they could also be what they feel is for the greater good.

For a more in-depth look, check it out here.


Some may not agree with me, but one real-life villain that comes to mind when I think of this archetype is Adolf Hitler. He had an idea which he thought to be good and right and for the sake of the greater good of the future. He didn't believe what he was doing was wrong because it was serving the motive or purpose that, in his morality, seemed in the right. Of course, the majority of the world disagreed. Which makes him evil, but obliviously so.

Do you believe a character can be obliviously evil? Or do you think that deep down inside, they know what they are doing is wrong and they choose to excuse it by saying it is for the greater good?

And now for our regularly-scheduled pretty...

Writing Wednesday: Character Archetypes - The Anti-Villain

This week's Writing Wednesday post continues the Character Archetype series I wanted to cover. Again, with a new batch of fresh characters I'm going to be playing with, I wanted to get a little more technical about what the different archetypes are so that I can have some sort of idea how to distinguish my own characters' places within the story.

Much like the anti-hero, the anti-villain goes against the typical character traits that would normally embody a villain. Where the anti-hero means to put a darker take on the squeaky clean hero, the anti-villain means to humanize the evil world dominating villain.

Most anti-villains are aware that what they're doing is not necessarily good, though they may be reluctant to dive completely into the "evil" and relinquish the part of themselves that still hold some sort of moral fiber. Or perhaps it could just be a small hint of cowardice to completely become the evil that they thought they could handle.

Prime example:

Draco Malfoy


Anti-villains could also have large gray areas in their moral code. In all other aspects, they would be considered the villains because they exhibit qualities normally seen in villainous characters (i.e. stealing, cheating, killing, etc.). But the gray areas are what sets them apart from a true villain. These gray areas may be fueled by love for friends and family, and/or loyalty to the same.

Prime example:

Jonah Prowse from Jericho


For a more in-depth explanation of the anti-villain, mosey on over here.

How do you feel about anti-villains? Do you think they make more effective villains than true villains?

And now for our regularly scheduled pretty...

Writing Wednesday: Character Archetypes - The Anti-Hero

Since I'm starting a few new writing projects, I thought it'd be fun to do a few of these archetype posts to not only shed a light on what a character archetype is, but to also help me figure out the new slew of characters I'm going to be playing with. *insert squee here*

First of all, what is a character archetype? In simple terms, it's the epitome or the gist of the type of character you want to embody. Keep in mind that archetypes are just a jumping off point. They can be tweaked depending on the type of story and what the author ultimately sets out to resolve at the end of that story. But what character archetypes do give us is a basic platform to build on the characteristics of a particular character we're going to create.

The archetype being covered today is the anti-hero. What is an anti-hero? The description from several sources I found describe him/her as the unconventional hero. They can display characteristics that are not generally seen as heroic, such as the preference to be a loner, having the tendency to be self deprecating, exhibition of darker personality traits, and/or disregard for common authority. Personally, I prefer these types of heroes to those that glean and shine brightly as they bask in the awe of general society. *laughs*

You can read a more descriptive take here.

Prime examples of anti-heroes:

V

Batman


The anti-hero usually has a warped sense of morals and their actions are fueled by these beliefs that what they are doing is for the greater good. They could also begin as a person who wouldn't necessarily be classified as good at the start of the story, but because of their experiences end up saving the day or making the great sacrifice.

Prime example (and also one of my favorites):

Severus Snape


Do you prefer the hero or the anti-hero? Why?

And now for our regularly scheduled pretty...

Writing Wednesday: More on Dreaded Outlining

Today's Writing Wednesday post is brought to you by my outlining block. *laughs* I've only just recently started outlining my writing projects because 1) it gives me a clearer picture of the whole thing rather than just going blindly into each chapter with nothing to hold on to, and 2) because I'm a little scared to death, albeit excited, about beginning my new project.

I'm not a natural outliner. In truth, I'm actually entirely the opposite. *twitches a little at all the -ly's* So how does someone like me, who doesn't usually outline *and also hates it like I hate broccoli*, start an outline in the first place?

There's no concrete guideline, though some writing self help books would tell you otherwise, because all writers are different and they ultimately have to find what works best for them.

I usually start with breaking out a subheading for each chapter. After deciding how many chapters I have (generally twenty to start because it's a nice do-able, even number), I break out the documents into acts and determine how many chapters would need to go into those acts to fulfill the information needed to get through to the audience. If you really want to go basic, a three-act breakout would suffice (introduction, climax, resolution). I like to put in four acts just because the pacing changes slightly in each act (or at least that's the initial plan *laughs*). So...

Act One - Introduces the characters, the world (if world building is a high point), and the central conflict.

Act Two - This would be what I like to call the buildup. This is where the main events happen that would eventually lead to Act Three, the climax. A good chunk of my chapters will be lumped into Act Two because they are the events that propel the story forward to its pinnacle point.

Act Three - This is where the events from Act Two will hit their breaking point. The characters need to make a decision regarding the central conflict. The make or break moment, if you will.

Act Four - Now, if Acts One-Three were the appetizer, soup/salad, and main courses, this would be the dessert. The resolution. This is where all of the questions should be answered (unless it's a series) and where everything should tie out. The result should be satisfying and adds that little something that puts the reader at ease.

This post not only serves as a writers' tip thing of sorts, but also to help me get the writer gears in motion. Mid-post, my new characters had invaded my head space and started conversations of their own. *laughs*

If you think my methods are still a little too jumbled and full of malarky, you can check out these other links for great outlining tips:

Lori's blog
Corinne's blog
Jeigh's blog
Chris' blog here and here
Advanced Fiction Writing
sff.net

And now for our regularly-scheduled pretty...

**image from darkgreencabochon

Writing Wednesday: The First Draft Finish Line

Today's Writing Wednesday topic focuses on finishing that first draft. If some of you are like me, you fight the overwhelming need to revise as you write as opposed to just getting the whole story out first and then tackling the dreaded revisions after. This was the case with the first couple of writing projects I started and you know what? Those are the ones I never finished. After scoring a few awesomesauce critique partners for the current project I'm working on, I've learned that the revise-as-you-go thing really wasn't working out so well for me.



With their help, a new discipline in me was born. Visualize the story. Get a feeling for it. Get to know my characters. Help them fit into the story that I'm trying to convey. THEN FINISH THE STORY. After I've finished, then and ONLY THEN should the revisions begin.

Don't mind that it sucks the first time around. Push back the thoughts that no one except your mother who's obligated to tell you how awesomesauce you are will read the pile of crap you've just unloaded on that unwitting MS Word document. Or that grammar, syntax, plot holes, and general vortex-inducing mistakes are all over that bad boy.

Forget it all.

JUST FINISH.

Keeping that very simple, very focused goal was what helped me to overlook the suckery of the first draft blues. I found this method worked better than my previous revise-as-you-go strategy because of two very important reasons:

1) All writers are their own worst critics and there will always be room to revise SOMETHING. This makes finishing that first draft milestone seem highly unreachable.

2) Stopping in the middle to change something may prevent further development of something already existing.

How do you know scene x wasn't going to work? Does the flow really work well if scene y was taken out, only to make sense because of a future scene yet to be written? I'm sure there are other questions that could totally point out how valid the aforementioned reasons are, but I'll try not to write a novella of a blog post.



What brought on this sudden clarity? This A-Ha! moment, so to speak? Well, besides my previously mentioned stellar CPs. *laughs*


I'm currently writing the last, yes folks, the LAST chapter of my current WIP. *insert totally excited girly squee here* And let me tell you, it didn't come without much ass kicking and chapter bribery *cough*LORI*cough* from my critique partners! But I'm on the horizon of a great milestone in my feeble attempt at trying out this I-wanna-be-a-writer business. My very first completed manuscript. Okay, not totally completed because the ridiculous amount of revisions is just beyond that horizon, but hey...let me enjoy the pink sparkly moment, will ya? *throws pink confetti just because*



How did you finally make it to that first draft finish line? Did you revise as you wrote or wait until the end?

And now for our regularly scheduled pretty... (Disney-themed! *grins*)

Writing Wednesday: The Handy Book of Villainous Dialogue

Today's Writing Wednesday post was inspired by one of my critique partners, Lori, and some very well-worded critique for a recent chapter I had just gotten back (the title above was also a brainchild of hers and it was too awesome not to use *shifty eyes*). Anyhow, jumping right in.



One of the danger zones when fleshing out characters is the overuse of cliches and cliche-like dialogue. The heroes talking like heroes, the damsel in distress talking like damsels in distress, and the villains talking like, well, the villains. *laughs* This creates a one-layered depth to the character - something that would either:
a) incite some eye-rolling from the reader
b) make them stop reading completely because the characters seem so predictable or
c) wonder what the hell they're still doing reading something that feels like it's been overdone loads of times when they could be watching the new episode of True Blood instead.
-.-

All those aforementioned things = BAD

So how do you, as a writer, break those cliches so that your characters are multidimensional? Maybe insert a scene where the main antagonist shows a weakness that might make the reader sympathetic to their cause or to them in general? Or how about a quirk or a past indiscretion in the main character that isn't so heroic or even likable?

For example, instead of the hero jumping in to save the someone from a fire and then coming out unscathed with that heroic glow and ta-da! pose, they can stumble inside, maybe break a limb or two, go into a dialogue or monologue scene where their fears and anxieties would be displayed for all to see, and then stagger out after having saved whoever they were jumping in there to save. And holy cow, that was a long sentence. *laughs* Anyway, I digress. But you get the point, right?

Let me share the little snippet that got this train of thought rolling (and also made me snort out coffee that I was drinking at the time *glares at Lori for making me laugh while liquids were in my presence*):

"It is you who shall burn. Your God cannot save you once the Great Three have been awakened." William’s expression was triumphant, his sneer revealing long canines. "The time has come for a new order."

Don't laugh. Okay, I did, but yeah, don't laugh. *wiggles an accusing finger at all the laughing people* I already knew this was going to get some heat from my awesomesauce CPs just because of the very fact that I pictured a very sinister-looking, mustache-twirling cliche villain when I wrote this. Granted, this snippet was an excerpt from my first draft, but still. That character - SO not the sinister-looking, mustache-twirling cliche villain. At least not conceptually. But the way he came out on paper gave him that air of "one-layered dimension" and I can see how it would make someone blurt out "OMG, did he really just say THAT?". *crickets*



Moral of the story? Try to think out of the box. The villains don't have to all be completely evil and the heroes don't have to all be completely good. There's a battle between good and evil in all people (in my humble opinion) and that should show in all characters in some form or another. Which means, actions AND dialogue. I always try to read back dialogue out loud just to see how it sounds outside of my brain, but I do have my moments when the cliches sneak in there all stealthy and ninja-like. It's especially hard when you're trying to show that part of a character that marks them as either the protag or antag without going full out cliche.



How do you feel about dialogue cliches and have you ever caught yourself writing them?

And now for our regularly-scheduled pretty...

Writing Wednesday: The Value of Critique

There are some people that can write without the need for an extra pair of eyes until the very end, right before submission. But even then, there are writers that go through the entire process alone, with only their own knowledge and their own views on the outcome of the manuscript. Others, like me, have those extra pair of eyes (or extra pairs, in my case) that see the process unfold as the manuscript evolves into what would eventually be the final version for submission.

Not to say that one way is wrong and everyone must go that route because with or without critique, it's really the work that speaks for itself and different people just have their own ways to get to that final product.

In my experience, I've tried writing on my own, without the extra eyes and extra input that another person can give. I don't have a degree in writing, English, or literature. The gist of my writing credibility when I first attempted writing a full length manuscript was summed up into a few creative writing classes I had taken and English courses from high school.



For the longest time, I was completely terrified of showing anything I had written to anyone for many reasons that I'm not going to get into here. I don't know at what point things had shifted, but I decided that I was going to need those extra pair of eyes.

I needed help.



I began using my social media experience to reach out to others who were in the same boat. I pored through blogs, and attended online conferences and webinars. Not only did I start gaining knowledge about the industry, but I also began striking up conversations with people who shared the same interests, who had the same ideas and experiences, and who could be someone that could help shape my attempt at a writing career for the better.

I started off with one or two people I had met at WriteOnCon and, eventually, ventured out to blog postings that helped to pair up writers with others of the like for the purpose of exchanging works for critique. It was one of the best moves I had ever made.

Not only did I make new friends, but I found writers who could take a look at what I had written and give me honest, no holds-barred input on what they felt could be improved. This experience with critique partners and beta readers also helped to thicken my skin (okay, I might still be working on this one...LOL *shifty eyes*). Their critique helped to see certain elements that I may have otherwise missed, or provide input that could potentially make the work much better.

Something to keep in mind about critique, however, is that all input is subjective. Every person has their own opinion of what should and shouldn't be. Of what is missing or what is glaringly obvious. The way the information is handled and filtered into the manuscript is all up to how the writer interprets and uses the information given.

I look back on the first draft of the very first manuscript I had written and sort of cringe. *laughs* But, I know that without that first attempt, I wouldn't have something to go back to that I could compare with how much better I've improved since then. Critique helps the writer to grow. It challenges the writer's current skills and help to shed a new light on things that might have otherwise been missed. It helps the writer to grow as a person and to take from it the good.

At least that's what it's done for me.

What are your opinions on critique? Do you think they're necessary for a writer's growth or do you think its influence does more harm than good?

And now for our regularly scheduled pretty...

Writing Wednesday: Character Voice

Just a friendly reminder that there are still two days left on my blog contest for a chance to win either an iTunes or an Amazon gift card. CLICK ME to get in on it! ENDS FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH!

Today's Writing Wednesday post discusses character voice. Why is character voice important to the story and how does it help to shape the story itself? Here are a few examples from one of my favorite literary characters of ALL TIME:

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible."

"When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don't go. I'm too worried to go. I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go."

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."

Can anyone guess whose very authentically crafted voice that is? *fangirls a little* All Salinger aficionados should know this, but for those of you that don't - that would be none other than the voice of one Holden Caulfield.

The way the character describes certain things, how they react to the environment around them, their speaking patterns, even their choice of verbiage, are all different ways to make the character's personality come alive.

The Catcher in the Rye was written in first person POV and throughout the entire book, you get an absolute sense of who Holden is. Every word, every action, and every reaction is all authentically Holden Caulfield.

So how does a writer, who I'm sure have their own voices that show through in their written works, construct a character so believable it's as though the character has a completely separate mind of their own? In my experience, only one thing can help (unless of course the writer is a complete natural at being five different types of personalities all at once and is not deemed verifiably loony).

Practice.

Practice. Practice. And oh, did I mention Practice?

You hear pieces of advice everywhere:

-listen to dialogue in different settings from strangers all around you
-have a conversation with someone who embodies similar personality traits to the character whose voice you're trying to authenticate
-draw up a practice dialogue scenario between your working character and a "quiet friend" to get a feel for how they would talk with limited prodding
-pick a few topics unrelated to your WIP/manuscript/book, along with a few of your key characters, and let them have at it in a practice dialogue setting

These suggestions may seem silly or what have you, but they totally work. I'm still learning how to write distinguishable character voices; to get them to a point where someone could read an excerpt of dialogue or monologue and say "Ohhh...I know who that is!".

But I know I'm getting better.

Voice was something I struggled with when I started writing to the extent of how I'm doing it now. I look back to the very first story I attempted to write and the WIP that I'm currently working on and smile (you know, after the initial epic grimace face). *laughs*

To me, there is a substantial difference. I'm happy with the progression. I'm ecstatic that the practice I've put in and the proactive learning helped out, even if only by a small margin. I can see it. And really, isn't that what really matters? That we constantly improve, learn more, and continue improving?

For now, I'm pretty content with that.

How do you begin fleshing out your characters? What steps do you go through to personalize them, to give them the tools to take the reigns and come alive?

And now for our regularly-scheduled PRETTY...

Writing Wednesday: Dialogue Excerpts and CONTEST!

Last week's Writing Wednesday post mentioned something about my very first contest. *insert SQUEE here* What better way to kick off "virgin contest" shoes than by combining two things that I love? Dialogue and movies! :D

Contest rules are simple: Guess which movie each dialogue sample comes from and the one to get the most correct WINS! *fanfare* In the event of multiple winners, one will be chosen using random.org. This is totally based on the honor system, so for you Googlers out there... *flits fingers from my eyes to you* ...I'm watching you. Okay, not really 'cause that would be creepy... o_o

BONUS ENTRIES: Because this contest is hopefully one of many on the road to 100 blog followers, I'm giving people chances for multiple entries. If you comment below, it's +1. If you tweet about this contest, blog about this contest, or otherwise link this post as a form of pimpage, it's a +1 for each entry! The second winner from this bonus round will be chosen via random.org.

Please leave a comment *points below to pretty comment box* there so I know how many points you have. Also include any applicable linkage. :D

The prize for each winner is a $10 gift card from either iTunes or Amazon. CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH. Happy posting!!!



And now for our regularly scheduled PRETTY...

Writing Wednesday: Dialogue

One of my favorite things to write is dialogue. This is where I get to show how the characters interact, it's how I develop the characters' individual voices, and frankly, I'm a big fan of snark and anywhere I'm given a free pass to let it out, I take it with eager fingers. LOL Also, sometimes the characters steal that free pass from me and run with it. I'd be a fool not to jot that down.


Certainly, there are other ways to show character interaction besides dialogue and other ways to show a character's personality, but there's just something about the way dialogue is phrased that can completely change the tension in the story, or add certain emotional reactions that you can't get with just action and character tendencies.


Don't get me wrong - not all dialogue is good. There are some that are just laugh out loud ridiculous. Serious moment ruined by a cheesy line, anyone? I'm not going to give any examples of those because frankly, it's not nice. LOL I mean, I've written some pretty shotty dialogue myself and I would be mortified if I found it as an example on some random person's blog somewhere in interwebville.

But I digress.

Dialogue, if written with the right touch, can turn even the cheesiest of lines into gold. Here are a few examples:

Scarlett: Cathleen, who's that?
Cathleen Calvert: Who?
Scarlett: That man looking at us and smiling. The nasty, dark one.
Cathleen Calvert: My dear, don't you know? That's Rhett Butler. He's from Charleston. He has the most terrible reputation.
Scarlett: He looks as if... as if he knows what I look like without my shimmy.

I loved this exchange between these two characters because even though Rhett isn't in this conversation, the insinuation that is built in and the references that are shown in these six lines gave a great set up to what you would expect from our dear Captain Butler.

Anne: She is out foolin' around with that boy until two o'clock in the morning and it has got to stop! I didn't spend seventeen years of my life raising a daughter and giving her EVERYTHING so she could throw it away on a summer romance!
Young Allie: DADDY!
Anne: She will wind up with her heart broken or pregnant! Now he's a nice boy, but he's...
Young Allie: He's WHAT? He is what? Tell me!
Anne: He is trash! Trash! Trash! Not for you!

This dialogue is great because I could absolutely feel the tension between these characters. The repetition of some of the phrases amplified their meaning, as though the characters were trying to ingrain what they were saying into the other person.

How do you guys feel about dialogue? How important do you think the right phrasing is to the flow of dialogue in a story?

SIDE NOTE: I might be holding my very first contest soon. The prize is yet to be determined, but it's just something fun I wanted to do that relates to dialogue. Possibly for next week's Writing Wednesday post. :D STAY TUNED!!

Writing Wednesday: Outlining

I've never been one to outline projects before starting them. Until recently, I've relied solely on my ability to be a full fledged pantser and write on the fly. This worked to some extent because I could just let the characters navigate themselves to where they needed to go.

My writer friends are a mix of both pantsers and plotters, some enjoying a little bit of both - or planters, as my friend Corinne O'Flynn might say.

I suppose I fall into that latter category. I'm still getting used to the idea of plotting out my ideas and getting the gist of the story on paper in the form of an outline before I actually start writing the story itself. The first half of my WIP was written almost entirely on a pantser's whim, but on the suggestion of one of my CPs, I decided to see if I can get more clarity by outlining the rest of the story.

Reason for this is my vortex of suckery. If you've read my previous blog post on the vortex, you know that it's not a pretty place. The second half of the WIP is where a considerable amount of the action is and therefore, the pacing of the story gets upped a noticeable difference.

I was stuck.

I didn't have the slightest idea where I wanted to take things. I had mapped out the ending and now I just needed to find a way to get there. That's where the plotting comes in handy. I had to sit down and really think about what I needed to happen in order for the events to chronologically be accurate as far as where the story was going. I had to take back some of the control from my characters so that I can guide them to the eventual end of the story.

I have to be honest, I kind of freaked out a little only because I didn't even know where to start with STARTING an outline. So I did the only thing I can think of: I started with a sheet of paper and a pen. Normally, I would pull up a word doc, but something about being able to cross things out and insert little notes wherever you feel like it on that sheet of paper does something to get the creative juices flowing.

So I kept at it and by the time I was done, I had gotten down the major points for the remaining chapters of my WIP. Another thing that my outlining attempt did was help me to keep the pace of the story. I wasn't just flailing blindly into an unknown area, I actually knew what needed to be there in order to move the story along.

Check out some of the great outlining excerpts below from some noteworthy authors:

J.K. Rowling


Jacqueline Woodson


Jenny Davidson


How do you guys feel about outlines and do you use them at all?

Writing Wednesday: Dialogue Tags - Another He Said/She Said Post!

When I started writing, like really writing, a few years ago, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I'm sure most of you can relate. All I had was a story that I wanted to get out using the limited knowledge I had at the time. Since deciding to pool the unlimited internet resources available to me, I've realized how very unprepared I was and how the smallest of things can really make a difference in someone's writing.

Someone once told me after reading my first chapter that one of the tells of a new writer was the overuse of varying dialogue tags. So what did I do? Of course I listened right away, right? Um. Nope. I, again, pored through all of my favorite books to validate what this very knowledgeable person had told me from page one. Suffice to say, she was right. *already kind of knew it, but felt the need to read through my favorite books anyway...innocent whistle*

Not only did she point out the overuse of dialogue tags, but gave me reasons why they distracted from the story and why they should be used sparingly. It's sort of like when you have a perfectly good recipe for soup or *insert food item here* and oversalt or over*insert condiment here* it. The story is the soup. The unnecessary loadage of crap is the salt. Savvy? (That just made me think of Jack Sparrow...tee hee)

Let me give you an example:

"Lyra!" I exclaimed in surprise and grabbed my sister by the arm. "You're so going to get in trouble with Dad!"

"Not if you don't tell him!" Lyra hissed back.

"What did you do anyway?" I inquired, trying to keep myself contained.

"It was nothing. Just some stupid prank that got out of hand," Lyra replied, looking away with that guilty look in her eyes.

Now, without the unnecessary baggage:

"Lyra!" I grabbed my sister by the arm. "You're so going to get in trouble with Dad!"

"Not if you don't tell him!" Lyra hissed.

"What did you do anyway?"

"It was nothing. Just some stupid prank that got out of hand." She looked away, her expression guilt-ridden.

Okay, you have to forgive the examples. Coming up with them on the fly is harder than it seems. LOL But do you see what I mean? I know that looking through my first chapter again after I changed something as small as the characters' dialogue tags helped with story flow. I didn't realize just how much of a distraction they were. I'm not saying not to use a variety. But like so many before me have said, use those variations sparingly.

Here are some great links to more on dialogue tags:

Susan Dennard's Blog
Kiersten White's Blog
And a personal favorite of mine - My ever so frawesomesaucefull CP Lori Lee's Blog

How do you guys feel about dialogue tags?

And now for our daily eye candy *le swoon*:

Writing Wednesday: Character Description

I don't know about you, but one of the things that I must have when I begin writing a character is a clear picture in my head of what the character looks like. I know that some would say it's a beginner's tell that all the characters must be thoroughly described, but back up a minute here. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to clearly picture everything from the slightly longer index finger of his right hand to the cluster of beauty marks on the nape of her neck. I just meant that I needed to get enough of a physical description in my head that would allow me to visualize what the character looks like so that I can get a feel for how they would look when they react to certain things or say certain phrases. Does that make sense?

Okay, let me give an example.

Example One

Even at first glance, his face was something that called attention. His hair, black as night, was untidy enough that it clashed somewhat with the groomed appearance of his clothing. The contours of his face were angular, though not severe, framing the thin mouth and warm brown eyes that slightly contrasted against the alabaster skin. His lean build, obvious under the long-sleeved shirt he wore, reminded me of a statue I had once seen in the gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti.

What are you picturing? Does it make it easier to picture mystery boy in this situation than if I just said "He had dark hair and dark eyes."? This, by the way, is an excerpt from my current WIP. *toots my own horn* LOL Does the description to you, as the reader, help or hinder your ability to picture this character?

Another thing that helps me to visualize the characters even more is to make myself a fantasy cast list. *dreamy-eyed stare* This helps to cement the character's physical characteristics to certain actions or mannerisms I've seen in the actor's previous work. It helps ME, as the writer, to see the picture more clearly in my head.

And just in case any of you were wondering WHO I was picturing when I wrote the description above, here you go. *gives out sham-wows because I sure needed it*





*clears my throat and wipes the drool* Sorry, where were we? Oh yeah, character description. *coughs and blinks* What are your thoughts on character description and do you prefer more or less when you're in reader mode?

Writing Wednesday: Adverbs

I can't speak for all writers, but personally, I'm quite the wordy gal. I tend to over-describe, over-fluff, and add words that don't add any content or meaning to the story other than the fact that they're pretty and give better visuals. I didn't realize this at first, of course, being a new writer and all, and my first unfinished manuscript is a true testament to that. Lots of fluff. Content, not so much.

One of the reasons for this is my love of adverbs. And when I say love, that's an understatement. I used to stick them everywhere, usually after a dialogue tag to "enhance" what the speaking character is feeling/doing/saying/etc. It wasn't until I had gotten some awesomesauce CP's that I saw the downfall to an overage of adverbs.

Let's back up for a second. What IS an adverb, exactly? Well lucky for you, I just happened to have an example:

Rule 1.
Generally, if a word answers the question how, it is an adverb. If it can have an -ly added to it, place it there.

Examples: She thinks slow/slowly.
She thinks how? slowly.

She is a slow/slowly thinker.
Slow does not answer how, so no -ly is attached. Slow is an adjective here.

She thinks fast/fastly.
Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has an -ly attached to it.

We performed bad/badly.
Badly describes how we performed.

Example above, as well as other examples, can be found here.

It wasn't until I had someone read the chapters of my current WIP that I realized WHY the overage of adverbs can actually HURT the story, rather than enhance it. The reader's mind is systematically programmed so that we fill in the blanks to things that aren't there and provide the missing pieces to an otherwise unfinished puzzle.

It's called imagination.

If we deprive the reader of this chance to help mold in their mind what's going on in the story, what the characters are saying, how they're reacting to something or someone, and if everything described is showing them the HOW, it can cause their interest to wane because everything is already being given to them instead of allowing them to engage with the story on their own. Using too many of my beloved adverbs takes away from the story because the reader may subconsciously focus on these minute details instead of focusing on the story and losing themselves in the actual reading.

I have to admit, I was rather defensive at first when my CP Lori pointed out the majority of my beloved adverbs when she first started reading my chapters. But then I went back to all my favorite books and pored through them to kind of educate myself on what she was talking about and you know what? She was absolutely right. I never paid any attention to the adverbs or lack thereof when I was actually reading my favorite books, but that was because they were used only to enhance the story and never to overpower it. I was engaged in the STORY itself, and going over to read them from a writer's POV definitely helped me to understand some of the things that I still need to learn in my own writing process.

Have any of you ever had the same problem with overusing adverbs? Do you still do it? Why or why not?