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Novel Tips 3# – Pacing Character Development and “Acting Natural”

Character development is arguably one of the most important components of writing short stories and novels.  Not having characters develop makes characters seem dull and one dimensional.  Take for instance, Ash from the Pokemon franchise.  After over 800 episodes Ash is still reckless, childish and still ten years old.  The exact way he was from episode 1.  Putting aside that it is literally impossible for him to still be TEN, (There’s only 365 days in the year…  Sheesh, Pokemon, get your act together.) This makes the show rather dull, and because the writers never add any character development, they have to compensate by constantly replacing characters with new ones every few seasons.

I’ve been ten for the last 14 years!

On the other side of the spectrum, I often find myself falling into the trap of forcing character development.  I’ve seen stories in which the prince finds, saves, falls in love with, argues and reconciles with the damsel, all in the same page.  While character development should be present, it shouldn’t be forced; it should occur at a natural rate.

Try having a set personality for your characters and logically think about how they would react to other characters.  Try to stay true to the reaction you decide on.  Inconsistency such as a character getting angry over something someone did, even though a different character did a similar thing and got a different reaction is often used to lazily create conflict in dramas and romances.  Try not to fall into traps like these.  The more defined your character is, the easier it is to decide what they’d do it different situations.

In the end, try to find a healthy balance of character development that works for your personalized character.

Cheers, Cameron (<- Obviously doing a bad job of hiding his Pokemon obsession)

Novel Tips 3# – Pacing Character Development and “Acting Natural”

Novel Tips 1# Character Tics and Quirks.

 

Novel Tips 2# – How to avoid “Magic Machines”

We’ve all seen it.  Machines that seem to run off “magic” with no explanation as to how they work.  “Death rays, time machines, teleportation devices, guns with bottomless ammo, how do you explain how they work?  While this isn’t a problem for shows and comics that aren’t intended to be realistic, it can pose a problem for writers who want to keep an element of realism to their writings.  One problem.  I’m a writer, not a quantum physicist, so how are we going to get out of this one?  Here are some ways to easily explain or avoid “magic machines”

1:  Ignore it  –  OK, so it goes without saying that you COULD just ignore the unknown technology and act like everyone already knows.  I would only use this if your whole novel is filled with unexplained technology.  Maybe a story set in the future.  Still, adding a  pseudo-reason for the technology adds a lot to the story, even if the explanation is vague.

2: Set your story in a way that would justify the tech – We may not have the tech right here, right now, but who said stories were limited to “now”?  Like I previously stated, you could have your story in the future, even the near future.  No one knows where we’ll be in fifty years.  Or maybe try another planet on for size.  Sci-fi novels are a dump truck of unexplained technology, and that’s okay!  It’s Sci-fi!  If you’re rather fond of good old Earth here, you could just create your own version of Earth.  Have the same Earth with a slightly altered history, and there’s no telling what kinds of discoveries would occur.

3: miracle mineral!  All of the reasons thus far have been more on the side of avoiding a technological faux pas, but if you’re feeling courageous, why not try to actually explain how that doo-hicky works?  Try introducing element X.  A miracle element that makes technology work.  For an example, look at Marvel Comics.  With the introduction of only two new substances, adamantium and vibranium, they explain away superhero powers by the truckload.

4: actual magic? – magic AND technology?  Sure, why not?  Magic itself is rather unexplainable, but can be used as a pseudo-answer to why something works.  Just try not to rely on it too much, as hearing “magic!” as an answer can get old pretty fast.

Safe Explaining!, Cameron

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  From football to turkey, this is a day to celebrate.  Don’t forget to think about what you’re thankful for, and while you’re at it, why not think about what your novel characters are thankful for?  Get out there and eat turkey while further defining your characters as unique and dynamic people!

A Random Story Premise Idea 2# – Fun with Multible Personality Disorders!

I recognize this is an actual disorder some people suffer from.  I am in no way making fun of this group.

However, what’s better then one character?  TWO characters….inside the same character!  You can really get creative with how you use this.  Oftentimes you will have one personality be near opposite of the other personality, simply to foil the differences between the two.  For instance, if one personality was really shy and quiet, you’d likely make the other bold and short-tempered.  Here are a few very short descriptions of some story ideas involving Multiple Personality Disorder.

A character is receiving love notes, (or threatening notes, depending on which direction you plan on taking the story) from a mystery writer.  He/She spends a good portion of the story trying to figure out who is sending them.  It turns out to be different personality of him/her.  So essentially, the character is in love with himself/herself or is trying to kill himself/herself.  It was him/her the whole time.  YAY IRONY.  This could easily be a side plot in an already written story as I don’t think it could be expanded into a full-blown novel.  Feel free to give it a shot though.

Following the same kind of idea, you can have a mystery novel and have the culprit end up being the investigator’s alter personality.  Because plot twists are fun.

Another that has probably been done at some point is that a regular person gets split into multiple people, each one signifying a different aspect of their character.  This could be accomplished through science-y magic.  When I think about it, I’m almost sure I stole that idea from something, I just can’t remember what.  I haven’t seen it in a novel though.  So there’s that.

Share any ideas you have in the Comments!

Later, Cameron

A random story premise idea #1 – The Useless Hero

So I randomly come up with book ideas whenever I feel bored, and seeing as I’m FAR too lazy to actually try to base a novel off these ideas, I figure others could at least benefit from them.

Please bear in mind that I have not actively searched to see if this is actually a new idea.  I’m basically just sharing random thoughts I come up with.  I thought it would be cool if someone made a book about a male protagonist who is simply your average Joe of Medieval times.  Probably works as a farm hand.  Y’know, typical commoner stuff.  And then you have a female antagonist, who lived in the village as a kid and developed feelings for our hero.  (When I think about it, you could totally reverse the genders to be male antagonist and female protagonist)

Anyways, something happens and the antagonist is banished from the village/kingdom/town.  Resentful towards the inhabitants, the antagonist becomes a prominent figure in another kingdom, or maybe creates her own and considers the village our hero resides in as her enemy.  Her forces are more powerful and numerous then our Hero’s village, and the village leaders send people to overthrow/reason/compromise but she sends them back/imprisons/kills them all.  The village officials find out she once had feelings for our unlikely hero, and send him to vanquish her.  Our hero is opposed to this.  He has no combat experience whatsoever.  He’s fairly athletic from all the labor he does, but has no armor or weapons.  She finds herself unable to kill him because of her lingering feelings, but is not about to forgive the village so easily.

You decide what happens next!  You can make it more of an action-based battle or focus more on the romance aspect, or maybe some of both.  It’s up to you.

Later,

Cameron

Novel Tips 1# Character Tics and Quirks.

This is one of the best ways to make your fictional characters stand out, in my opinion.  Whenever I read a story that introduces many characters at once, I find myself forgetting who’s whom.  One of the best measures to counteract this is giving your character a unique trait.  Character traits are not limited to only the protagonist.  All characters should have one, whether it be subtle or obvious.  This trait can be physical, but it does not have to be.  It can also be a habit, a belief, an idea, a way of speech, clothing, a personality and more.  It could be something as simple as Kindness.   I encourage you all to look at some of your favorite books and decide what kind of traits the characters possess.  Below I will compose a list of random traits a character could have.  Feel free to use them as you please.

Someone who has an obsession with something they are allergic to.

Someone with a different colored part, such as a tuft of green hair or one red eye and one blue eye.

Someone who is left-handed or ambidextrous.

Someone who thinks they can talk to animals.

Someone who CAN talk to animals.

Someone who always carries a certain object with them, no matter what.  (e.g. A sword, sunglasses, a hat, a harmonica, a picture)

Someone with a scar, tattoo or birthmark.

Someone who gets nightmares every night.

Someone with an accent, dialect or slur.

Someone with a knack for XXXXX  (e.g. Mechanics, Fighting, Hair Styling, Learning, Dancing, Piloting)

Someone who is extremely sarcastic  (This is one of my favorite traits to implement.)

Someone who lives somewhere remote, distant or unknown.

Someone with a smile that could blind you.

Someone who has Multiple Personality Disorder.

Someone who talks constantly.

Someone who can read minds.

Someone with an uncanny intuition.

Someone who is a prodigy in a certain field.  (e.g. Music, Math, Mystic Arts, Assassination, anything really.)

Someone who breaks the fourth wall.

Someone who always wonders off spontaneously.

Someone who finishes other peoples sentences incorrectly.

Someone who is unbearably shy.

Someone who can’t go an hour without eating.

Someone who never talks.

Someone that always wears a distinguishable clothing item that essentially makes them stand out. (e.g. A trench coat, A kilt, Pajamas, A top hat, Nothing…(Kidding), Glasses, Socks with Sandals.)

Someone who LOVES candy.

Someone who thinks they’re evil, but is mostly just a minor inconvenience.

Someone who works at a high profile company.

Someone who always looks at the bright side.

and one last special one.  If you make a point to over dramatize every character’s trait, a character WITHOUT a trait can be a trait in and of itself.  The one normal guy amongst a group of superheros is actually going to be the one standing out!

Post some of your own ideas for traits in the comment section.  🙂