Author Jody Holford
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

Are your characters real? 

7/22/2013

 
Picture
I caught a quick interview by Jill Shalvis online and I was struck by something she said: she basically said that (yes, I'm paraphrasing here) she thought about what would be rock bottom for her and then let her hit it, knowing the character would have to climb her way back. That journey right there is what will show us (not tell) who the character is at the core. That got me thinking: do I know who my characters are at the core? What makes them hurt? Laugh? Cry? Rage? I have plot points, relationships, settings but do I know who these people really are? You need to know if your characters are going to be real. Given that you are inside their heads and making their decisions and that those decisions tell us who the audience is connecting with, you want to make sure you know the people you create very well. What makes them tick? How would they respond to a specific situation? I had to seriously contemplate such questions after I saw the interview with Jill Shalvis. I found myself thinking, "What's rock bottom for this character?" It truly forced me to look at the person I was trying to create out of words. Then today, I was reading Caitlin Rantala's twitter feed (if you don't follow her, you're missing out cause she's awesome)  and she said she almost emailed one of her characters. I thought, "That". Your characters need to be so real that when you're remembering a conversation that's been had, it takes you a minute to realize the conversation was fictional between fictional charcters. But it, they, were so real that you momentarily forgot. So I developed a list of questions for my characters and took a break from my work in progress until I could answer all the questions. I'll share what questions I used in hopes that maybe you'll tell me how you make your characters real. The WIP that I developed these for is quite dark but it was a good starting point. I don't know if I would apply the exact same questions for every WIP but if you can't answer them, maybe your characters need to be fleshed out a bit more.

Ten Questions to ask your Main Characters

1.      What’s their biggest fear?

2.      What is their biggest attribute?

3.      How would they describe the lowest moment of their life?

4.      Who makes them happy?

5.      What are they proud of?

6.      What do they see as their biggest flaw?

7.      What do the supporting characters see as their biggest flaw?

8.      Give three physical adjectives to describe them?

9.      What are three emotional adjectives to describe them?

10.   What do they secretly wish for?

Now maybe your book isn't about their secret wishes but that's not the point. The point is to know your character like you know yourself. Knowing your characters is what is going to allow your audience to know them and if they know them, they'll care for them, and if they care for them, they'll fall into the book and the world that you created. Which is definitely the point.
What do you use for character development?

Guessing Games

7/16/2013

 
Picture
Every aspiring novelist's dream:
You float lightly on your long legs (it's my dream so I can if I want) to your computer where you see the email that has been sitting, waiting for you. Dear.... please send your full manuscript to....I really want to read the rest of it. Please let us know if you receive any offers ASAP. You try to contain your excitement as you reply, with an attachment (and that right there is a compliment because they won't think you're trying to infect their computer when they see an attachment). Then, you wait patiently, because in dreams, you're patient and really good looking. Then comes the email that says...wait for it....


Dear....
     I regret to say this is not for me. Good luck in your writing.
And a variety of questions and comments cross your mind and may spurt out of your mouth:
1. Why not?
2. But you asked for it!!!
3. Did you read it wrong?
4. Did I write it wrong?

And then you just sit, crossing your beautiful and enviable long legs while you ponder what it was that made them go from wanting your manuscript to not wanting it. What drew them in and turned them off? There are a number of great blogs by agents that will answer those questions for you but the bottom line is, you're still going to be left wondering. Anything that is based on a subjective opinion is going to leave you wondering unless they said, "I did not like X or Y." So then you're left with trying to decide what to do with this manuscript that is garnering attention but not closing the deal. Do you rehaul it blindly? Maybe. Do you send it out to new CPs and ask for feedback? Possibly. Do you shelf it entirely and get to work on your next WIP? You could. None of those routes are going to give you the answers you want though and that's where it gets frustrating. To be fair to agents, they can't give feedback on every submission, especially the ones that didn't grab them by the throat and take their breath away.

When I'm marking papers or assignments, I sometimes give generous feedback that explains what I loved and sometimes I say, "B". Why? My mood, the length of the assignment, the grade speaks for itself, the pile of papers I've got in front of me, or something about the assignment itself. I have criteria that I need the students to meet, but sometimes it's just a subjective gut instinct. The times that I've second guessed myself and asked, 'Am I being to hard on them?', I'll go back with my criteria sheet, review it and 9 times out of 10, come up with the same result. Agenting, I'm guessing, must be similar. They've been doing it long enough that when they know, they know. Sometimes they don't have a specific reason. Sometimes they just know it was a B and they were looking for an A.

As writers, I think we get caught up in subjectivity as well and this can be dangerous. We need to be objective about our work and, when we can't, show it to others that can and will. Even if they say things you don't want to hear. Wouldn't you rather hear about it from someone who cares about you, who knows what your writing means to you, who wants what's best for you? This week, I had someone I trust tell me that I needed to decide if I was in this because I completely believed in my work and was willing to keep pushing and trying or if I just wanted to have a book published. They're two different things. If you believe in your work, if you've edited, revised, asked for feedback, utilized that feedback to the best of your ability, worked on your query letter, researched agents, and are willing to keep going despite rejection, then this is about more than just saying you published a book. So keep going, accept the fact that you won't always know why, but, as I was also told this week, it only takes one to say yes, regardless of how many say no.


While you were waiting...

7/8/2013

 
Picture
This has been an interesting week for querying my contemporary romance manuscript. I've received 1 "No thanks, not for me, best of luck" rejection and 1 "The writing was clichéd and I did not connect to your main character" rejection (OUCH...that one hurt). However, in the good news column, after entering the pitch contest on Brenda Drake's website, I received three requests: one followed up by requesting the full manuscript the day after I submitted two chapters. It is quite the paradox to have two people tell you they don't want your writing while trying to convince yourself that one of three will. So I'm distracting myself in the best ways I can and thought I'd share some ways to wait because, let's face it, waiting patiently and forgetting that my manuscript is in the hands of three people that showed interest, is not going to happen.


Ten Ways to Wait

  1. Write. Distract yourself with what got you into this in the first place. Work on a synopsis for your WIP (not an easy task but this was a great help to me: How to write a one page synopsis).
  2. Read. At first, I underestimated the value of reading as a writer. I read because I enjoy it but after I started trying to work out kinks in my stories or dialogues with my characters, I realized how valuable it is to pay attention to what works in the novels that hook me.
  3. Re-read. Those books that pull you in over and over again have something in them you want. What it is? Is it the way the characters connect? The use of language? The way they make you feel part of the setting? Read your favourites again and figure out what it is. My go-to re-reads (and I haven't fully analyzed why yet) are Angels Fall and The Search by Nora Roberts.
  4. Blog crawl. There is so much information out there about writing, rejection, querying, etc. Use this to your advantage. On top of being great resources, blogs done by writers are usually entertaining. Most of the ones I read are straight forward, funny, and, most importantly, genuine.
  5. Pinterest. I started doing this when I noticed Jill Shalvis did it and I thought it was kind of cool. She makes pinterest boards for her books and characters. For me, it not only occupied time, but it made me visualize and conceptualize my story and characters that much more. Here's a link to my Sweet Seconds board, which is the story that is being read by three agents right now. While I wait patiently.
  6. Edit/read for others. Be a beta reader. It strengthens your own writing skills, connects you with other writers, and enhances your ability to find what works and does not work in a manuscript. I have done some beta reading for Lauren Spieller and on top of making a friend, I've become a better writer, had valuable input from her on my writing, and had the pleasure of reading a beautiful book she wrote that will one day be on the shelves.
  7. Watch TV. I was watching Justified last night on Netflix. I was told it was excellent but had no idea how incredibly excellent it really was. When I was watching, I realized that the main character is flawed but you LOVE him. You can't not love him and it isn't just because he's a pleasure to look at. It's because he's real. He isn't perfect but he does the best he can and it pulls you and makes you root for him. That's what you want to happen for your characters.
  8. Remember that you have a real life. Sometimes, I forget. I have to walk away from my computer and let go of the world I lost myself in. Lose yourself in something else the way you do in your writing.
  9. Blog. Different from working on a manuscript, blogging allows you to share your voice as is, rather than through your characters. I blog for a site called storytimestandouts.com, which shares books, literacy tips, and activities for the classroom. It's a wonderful distraction from waiting and a fantastic resource as a teacher and a parent.
  10. Stay positive: particularly online. While you are waiting, the agents with your work are reading through piles of manuscripts, yours included. Keep your tweeting, blogging, commenting, and Facebooking professional.


What did I miss? What do you do to keep from going crazy? There's a great line in The Search (by Nora Roberts) that I love: "[We] worked on keeping each other from going crazy." Find someone or something to help you channel the crazy that inevitably comes along with waiting. Now, taking my own advice, I'm going to go read Jill Mansel's Staying at Daisy's.





    Archives

    May 2021
    December 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    2018
    2020
    2021
    Addison Cole
    Agency Mate
    A.J. Pine
    All The Feels
    Amanda Heger
    Amara
    Amazon
    Am Writing
    Amy Trueblood
    Angel's Lake
    Animal Lovers
    Animals
    Anthology
    Appreciation
    Author
    Author Friends
    Author Interview
    Authors
    Awards
    A Way With Words
    A Writer Needs
    Balance
    Baseball Romance
    BEA14
    Becky Albertalli
    Behind The Scenes
    Belief
    Be Yourself
    Bliss
    Blogging
    Blog Hop
    Blogs
    Blog Tour
    Bonus Material
    Book 2
    Book Blitz
    BookBub
    Book Deal
    Book Love
    Book News
    Book Release
    Books
    Book Two
    Box Set
    Britton Bay
    Brother's Best Friend
    Busy
    Carly Phillips
    Caught Looking
    Celebrities
    Chris Pratt
    Christina Hovland
    Christmas
    Christmas Titles
    Christy Teigen
    Cindi Madsen
    Clean & Wholesome
    Co Author
    Co Authoring
    Co-authoring
    Coming Home
    Coming Soon
    Complete Randomness
    Contest
    Contests
    Covering All The Bases
    Cover Reveal
    Cozies
    Cozy Mysteries
    Cozy Mystery
    Dahlia Adler
    Dangerous Love
    Dawn Ius
    Daylight Falls
    Debut
    Draw
    Ebooks
    Editing
    Editors
    Ellie And Cooper
    Elliot
    Email
    Enemies To Lovers
    Entangled
    Entangled Bliss
    Entangled In Romance
    Entangled Publishing
    Entangled Teen
    Entangled Under The Mistletoe
    Enter To Win
    Evermore
    Excerpt
    Excited
    Extra
    Facebook Party
    Faith
    Falling For Home
    Falling For Kate
    Family
    Fan Girling
    Father's Dday
    First In Series
    Folklore
    Forever
    Forgetful
    Foster
    Friends
    Friends In Many Places
    Friends To Lovers
    Fun
    Giveaway
    Giveaways
    Giving Back
    Goals
    Goodbye 2018
    Goodbye This Year
    Good News
    Grateful
    Gratitude
    Guest Blogs
    Happily Ever After
    Happiness
    Harper St. George
    Hearts
    Holiday Reads
    Holiday Romance
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Hop
    Hope
    Hot Vets
    Imaromancechick
    Indiesage
    InD'tale Magazine
    Interviews
    Isla
    Jaded Love
    Jasmine Guillory
    Jennifer Blackwood
    Jennifer Shirk
    Jim Cangany
    Joanne Macgregor
    Jody Holford
    Julia A Webber
    Kara Leigh Miller
    Karma Brown
    Kat Colmer
    Kate
    Keep Believing
    Keep Going
    Keep Trying
    Keep Writing
    Kelly Siskind
    Kendrick Place Series
    Kensington
    Kensington Publishing
    Kids Books
    Kindle
    Learning Curve
    Lexi Lawton
    Liam
    Life
    Lindsey Duga
    Listening
    Literary Agent
    Literary Counsel
    Looking Back
    Lori Foster
    Love
    Love Story
    Lovestruck
    Love Unexpected
    Lucy And Alex
    March Madness
    Meant To Be
    Mentor
    Merry Christmas
    Michelle Hauck
    Moments
    Montlake
    More Than Friends
    Moving Forward
    Moving On
    Nashville
    Nashville Slammers
    Need To Write
    Netflix
    Networking
    New Beginnings
    New On Amazon
    New Release
    New Series
    Newsletter
    New Year
    Novellas
    Office
    On A Break
    Parenting
    Parting Ways
    Penner Publishing
    Persona
    Perspective
    Picture Books
    #PitchWars
    Podcasts
    Pretty
    Public Identity
    Publishing
    Publishing House Mate
    Publishing Mate
    Puppies
    Query Trenches
    Rafflecopter
    Rainbow Rowell
    Random
    Reading
    Rejection
    Remember Me
    Reprint
    Re Release
    Reuinted
    Rhyme
    Romance
    Romance Chicks
    RomCom
    Sale
    Sarah Fox
    Second Chances
    Self Pub
    Sequel
    Sequels
    Series
    Sexy And Sweet
    Shannyn Schroeder
    Short Stories
    Signed Paperbacks
    Small Press
    SMP
    Sneak Peek
    Social Media
    Some Kind Of Christmas
    Some Kind Of Stories
    Song Lyrics
    Space
    Speechless
    Sports Romance
    Stella Lane
    St. Martin's Press
    Story Books
    Story Of Us
    Stuck In A Book
    Subjectivity
    Summer
    Summer Carnival
    Sun Vs. Snow
    Support
    Support Network
    Suspense
    Sweet
    Takeovers
    Tasty Book Tours
    Taylor Swift
    Teaching
    Teasers
    Ten Rules For Faking It
    Thanks
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Bad Boy Next Door
    The Mending Hearts Series
    Thoughts
    Tiffany Truitt
    Time To Write
    Toolkit
    Top Ten
    Toronto Romance Writers
    Trust
    Under The Lights
    USA TODAY HEA
    Waiting
    What Matters
    Who's Who Wednesday
    Word Bank
    Writer's Block
    Writer's Brain
    Writing
    Writing And Baseball
    Writing Community
    Writing Pal
    Writing Pals
    Writing Process
    YA
    Zach Mason

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from shawnzrossi, Magenta Rose, LittleStuff.me, le-topographe, Sparkly Kate, Sean Rozekrans, xoque, Sean Davis, RoniLoren, Yehohanan92, Lance Shields
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter