The Key To Characterization

It's no secret that characters make the story. More then that, characters are the story. You can have the crappiest plot ever to exist in all recorded history of man, machine, and strange celestial celery, and it can still come out a half-way decent book if you have good characters. Likewise, you could have the most ingenious plot that creation ever beheld yet it could still turn to doo-doo should you have flat characters. Yes, characters will make or break a story, be sure of that.

But how does one create well-rounded characters?

I've got the answer, but we're going have to do a little exercise first. First, I'm going to need you, the reader, to stand up. You standing? Great. Now I'm going to start hopping on one foot while I throw these-Wait, this doesn't seem right. Give me a sec...

~*ruffles through some papers*`~

Sorry, notes for something else.

Like I was saying, I know what the key to characterization is. The starting point, the core if you will. Just sit down and think to yourself, what does my character care about? If this is done correctly, your character should start creating his/her self.

Example:

I'm in my forth draft for my main project right now, Scrapper The Connection Reborn, and for the past three drafts something's been off with the main character, Scrapper. See, the character came out loud and clear, make no mistake of that, but it didn't feel like her character. So when I was reading over the third draft I stripped down every little nuisance in her overall personality when I realized that the thing that was wrong was her motivation. For the first three drafts, the major decisions she made were centered around one factor, the leading man Zane. However, when looking at who she is I realized that she wouldn't fall so hard so fast for one guy, no matter how nice he was. So I had to adjust her motivation for her decisions accordingly, leading to an entirely different chain of events that brought her to the end of the book. Long story short I had to ask myself, what does Scrapper care about? And, much to my dismay, it wasn't Zane.

So what does your character care about? Here's a chain that might help show how a character can grow from that one little facet.

Notice how as we dive deeper and deeper into Billy's motivation we uncover not only elements of the plot but also little quirks in his personality. Yes, it really can be that easy. 

That's all I have for you Monkeys this week. I think it's about time I stop stalling and get back to that forth draft of mine. 

Stats Of The Week

Song:  Up and Up by Relient K

Book: Psych's Guide to Crime Fighting For The Totally Unqualified

Word: Celestial

Quote:  "It's a well known fact that people with mustaches can't be trusted."
―Shawn Spencer

Repetition Can Kill

http://goldenscissors.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/repetition.jpg?w=590

Repetition can kill.

It comes in all shapes and forms, whether it's a repeated phrase or a word used too often. Repetition dulls your words and subconsciously causes a reader to glaze over your work as you read and easily bores them. It's the sign of an immature writer and it can be freaking annoying. It's that one friend that only has that one story to tell you when you get together, it's that song on the radio that they play over and over, it's that three hour movie that your just so sick of but you can't turn it off, it's...you get the idea.

And on that note, repetition can kill. 

And it's sneaky my friends. It's not just words themselves, but how you word things as well. Sure, when you use the phrase It was so unbelievable that I gave a origami frog to my squid over and over again, people will get sick of it. (Aka-the reason why the latest draft of Scrapper is thirty pages shorter.) But the ways you write things out, such as listing them in threes or always attaching an adverb to the start of a sentence in which an action takes place, is also monotonous and bland.

*Just a little added tip here guys, repetition can kill. 

Sometimes repetition, if cleverly used, can be an effective way to foreshadow and bring your manuscript. Enter the catch phrase, the nervous habit, the lovable little quirk. Repetition used in characterization makes your characters more familiar and also establishes that the absence of said repetition means something is not right. So do not despair, because repetition can be put to good use.

But, staying on the safe side, always remember that repetition can kill. 

Did I mention that repetition can kill?

Stats of the Week

Song : Hello Sunshine by BarlowGirl

Book: The Giver By Lois Lowry

Word: Ostentatous 

Quote: " It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool then to talk and remove all doubt." Maurice Switzer

A Letter to Whoever I Become

Dear Whoever I Become,

To you I disclose the thoughts of the future. It's my hope that this letter find you well, that Whoever you are is someone I want to be. But even if not, to your credit you survived, and I could only dream that you are the type who would keep surviving. 

I must confess I face you with fear, there being no set in stone guarantee that my ambitions should succeed. I'm all too aware of the fact that there's a real possibility my life would take a turn for the worse, my blessings coming with the aftertaste of the knowledge that I could lose them. 

All the same I excite myself with who you may be. You could very well be weaker then me, but you could very well be stronger as well. And whatever happiness I find is happiness I look forward too, I only hope you recognized it when it came. 

Perhaps I idealize you. Maybe I have a specific picture of you in my head. But that picture is mine and mine alone, and I think I wish that you would actually not be that picture. I want to be surprised, I want to see if maybe what I'm doing now is only leading me to what you do. Maybe I'm starting the journey you've already finished. 

But these thoughts of you are trivial, not worth the energy I put into them. Whatever will be will be, and I need to let this obsession go. So I write you this letter in good health and hope to be done with you until such a time where I will be you. 

Yours Truly 

Who You Used To Be

College And Stuff...

OH DEAR GOODNESS IS SHE STILL ALIVE?!

Yes, Monkies, I yet live. After numerous dealings with pyschics and shady back-alley necromancers, I've returned. (With all my soul...I hope.) And coming from the grave I present to you, college! (Da-da-da DAAAAAAAAAAAA) 

As I mentioned a bit in my previous post, come fall I will be attending Columbia College Chicago, and thusly I thought I might sprinkle you with a couple of thoughts with ending my high school career and looking ahead to college.

First off, and I really can never say this enough, senior year is the most useless invention man kind has ever created. I mean this, sincerely. See, all throughout high school, heck, all throughout school itself, no matter how much I dreaded it I could never ignore the fact that school was at least somewhat useful. However senior year does not follow the pattern. By now we've learned what needs to be learned, done what needs to be done, and are over all ready to start our lives. And while some might not share my enthusiasm  I am eager to get on with my career, namely writing. Over the past year, basically when I started writing queries, I've felt a little restless with my writing. I can't just sit still and do nothing anymore, I need to be creating a story or reading a book or trying to find agents. And too me, school is a huge waste of time. I'm sitting in class hearing the same old things out of different mouths, all the while thinking about all the work I could be doing were I not wasting my time with these classes. I thought, at the very least, that the writing classes would be marginally helpful. Dead wrong, I'm still finishing those assignments with ease. Even worse, in school I cannot write how I want too, how I know is good. No, I'm stuck to the confines of a rubric. I've looked for a point to it, I truly have, yet it alludes me.

So if any two things can be inferred about the previous paragraph, you could either take away that I really don't like high school right now, or that I could really use a piece of tangerine in a tuba with a cat dangling off of the swing singing the camp fire song. Simplicity dictates that we go with the former (and yet my heart is with the later).

My feelings toward college are a bit more befuddled. I'm caught between wanting it so badly I could eat a cow and being so nervous about it that I could eat a cow. From what I gather from my college going friends it's ten times better then high school, but that's what they said about high school from middle school sooooooooooo.....................
I feel it's a great privilege to be accepted to Columbia, and a great opportunity to further my writing and meet other people with the same goals and dreams as me.

So, yeah, there are my thoughts. Maybe one of these days I'll write something useful. Until then I think I'll just stick to eating cows.

Ways Of Inspiration: Winging It

This is how I spend my Friday nights...

THE BLANK PAGE!

It's enough to scare any writer, the thought of staring a a blank page. The words are just at the tips of your fingers, yet they seem so hesitant. Yet it continuously happens to us, again and again.

This is a Way of Inspiration, a tumbling block, a style of writing, a good/bad habit, and a one-way ticket to the loony bin all in one! But enough of just looking at that page. Start writing.

Oh yes, the art of winging it, it's a delicate art that requires much experience and concentration. (I don't know if you can tell, but I'm winging this blog post as we speak.) There's not very much to say about this type of inspiration, just that it's when you power through for whatever reason. But here are somethings to help.

-Writing Prompts
-Reading 
-Taking breaks
-Watching TV
-Don't Push Yourself

That's all I got. Happy Tuesday!


~* Update *~
Okay, I know today's post was real doo-doo. Sorry, I'm tired. Just leave me alone. 
BUT WAIT!
Don't leave me alone, because now I'm on Figment.com! Check me out at this link, or search Becca J. Lathorn. 
Kthanksbyenow. 

NaNoWriMo 2012: Dare Me

Well, it's almost that magical time of year again. Time for NaNoWriMo! (For those of you who don't know what it is, go to this page to learn more.) This time I'm determined to finish it, especially since it's the official month. So many things happen during the official months that don't happen during the camp months. Write-ins, workshops, parties, online chat rooms. So. Much. Fun. And this year I'm going to dare myself to do a few things.

1) Use a Writing Software. Throughout this experience I will be using Yarny.me to write.

2) End off at 70000 words. 500 words more then my NaNoWriMo win, 500 words less then my first novel. Seems appropriate.

3) Create a story outside of my comfort zone. No, I'm not making the impossible leap to realistic fiction. But I am trying to write a full novel in third person (sort of) and doing it where there's not only one main character that the story revolves around.

And, on that note, here is the plot.

And a dreadful place it is indeed, as down-on-her-luck author Cierra Books discovers. But woven into this abysmal town is a remarkable story of salvation and news beginnings. Little is known about the adventurous tale of Dreadsville's rebirth save for few details. 

The grass began to grown again.

A Phantom was made free. 

An orphan found a home in the midst of riches. 

A curse was destroyed.

Destiny danced. 

Dare to dive into the heart of Dreadsville.

Lastly, there is the matter of the vlogs that will be done. 

This time around the vlogs that will replace the posts on this blog will be a short series, like the other two, called Writerlys vs. Non-Writerlys. More details to come. 

Happy NaNoWriMo Everyone!

The Ways of Inspiration: Socializing

Admittedly not my favorite type of inspiration, but I'll roll with it. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Socialization. 

Making friends, making enemies, making acquaintances that secretly think you are just about the strangest organism they've ever had the displeasure of knowing, it's all the same. Interaction with other people and/or things. (And no, unfortunately, imaginary friends don't count.) This, indeed, is a source of inspiration. And it comes in a variety of forms.

Coffee Shop Writing
And other such public places where you sit down, work, and keep half an ear open. This is observing people that have nothing to do with you, giving you a unbiased look on the workings of socialization. Just be sure you don't look too much like a creeper.

Interacting with Friends
While it is a more biased look on life, at the same time it gives you a deeper understanding of it. Observe what your thinking, what your feeling, while you talk to people. Are you sincere? Are you a phony? If so, why? Writing about it.

Media
Dorkzilla time here Monkeys, you need to pay attention to what's on TV, music and otherwise. Know the linguistics of it too. You'd be surprised how useful it is in shelling out your fictional world.

Bottom line, it's all about observation. 
So observe observe observe! You never know where inspiration sparks.

THAT'SALLFOLKS! Enjoy this little photo! 

The Five Stages of Post-Novel Completion

That dude looks like he just finished a novel, right?

The Dinner Stage: You've just pounded out your last sentence and YOU ARE THE FREAKING BOMB YO! You're bullet proof, nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim. Fire away, fire away. You still remember it, the very last sentence. You will never forget it as long as you live. And now that you've reported your successful endeavor on Facebook, why not celebrate with dinner?

The Honeymoon Stage: You're reading it, and it's pure gold. Easily the best piece of fiction to ever exist in the History of Man, Monkey, and Comquate. Seriously, you should be doing this for a living or something. Centuries from now historians will speculate as too just how it could it be possible to be as awesome as you? And you know what? THEY WILL FAIL! BECAUSE IT DON'T GET BETTER THEN YOU SO DEAL WITH IT YOU IGNORANT BARBARIANS! Now, just sit back and wait for the awards to start rolling in.

The Sharing Stage: The best things in life should be shared, don't you agree? So pass around the draft, let your friends shower you with praise over your sheer awesomeness. If they can handle it, that is.

The Dreading Stage: So you've gotten some feedback for your manuscript. All in good spirit, you know. As they say, no matter how awesome something is, it can only get better. Still, there's something in the pit of your stomach, and it's either dread or the intense need to pee. But you haven't drunk any fluids for the last few days, you've been so anxious about your baby-YOU MEAN BOOK-out in the world for the first time. Hmmmm....maybe its time to give your manuscript another work.

The Editing Stage: You can't remember what happiness is. How could you ever love this abomination? Look at it, it's disgusting. It's literally making you puke. THeir r jst SO MaNy, gramer, mitsakes,,,that. you dont no waht! tO do "wi"th ur self>/ And that kissing scene in the bathroom? Ew. So overdone. You know what? That whole romance is so over done. You should have just killed off those characters. Not only that, but this is so obviously based off of your life. Yeah, that's right. You hoped no one would notice but it's so glaringly in their faces that they'd have to be blind not to know. No, wait, even a blind person could tell. AND OHMYGOSH WHY DO YOU KEEP USING THE WORD PROBABLY? This is no novel. This is toilet paper, at best. You need Jesus.

~Sigh...Finished my fourth manuscript (third in the series) yesterday. Have a fantastic freaking day people.

Kryptonite

hollywoodhatesme.wordpress.com

Okay Monkeys, this blog is straight up. No add in with my life. (As much as you love to here about it.)

Kryptonite. It's Superman's weakness, right? (At least, according to his wikapedia page.) And people tend to use it when they talk about weakness, it's a term that's thrown around. And personally, I think that weakness is severely underrated. In life. In books. In comquates.

What most people don't realize about weakness is that we're drawn to it. There are whole books, TV shows, fields of study that go into weakness. And why is this? Seems sadistic, doesn't it. We love things that are smaller then us, we crave for some sort of control over someone.

But that's not exactly it. Not that I can see anyway.

I think, for the majority of us, it's about finding something to relate to in another. Humanity is judged by the difficulty of their pain. The most revered people in the world are ones who overcome adversity, who struggle through weakness. People who are too perfect, well, they're fine for the most part. But let's face it, you secretly hate that guy, am I right? Or maybe you feel over protective of them? It's because they have it easy. They are weak, because they don't grow. Makes them a bit unappealing.

And there in lies my point. Your characters need challenges. True challenges, ones that are skin deep. Ones that they can overcome only through blood sweat and tears. As authors, I figure our natural inclination is to make our characters invincible. I mean, on some sort of level, they are our babies. We want to coddle them, give them everything they want, hide their evil from the world. (Unless your like my neighbor, whom I'm relatively sure eats children. Doesn't really help that her house is made of gingerbread... I don't know. Food for thought I suppose.)

But in order for the reader to keep interest, they need to feel a connection to the character. They won't be able to put themselves in the character's place unless they been there themselves. And when you can't put yourself in a character's shoes, it's just not that great of a book. So you're not doing anything for your characters by shielding them. All your doing is making them boring. I mean, come on. Even fairy tale princesses have to live under the constant fear of getting kidnapped. Your has no excuse. Wuss.


REASON 52137688888888888 WHY SADISM SOMETIMES WORKS!

My Productive Day

Photo credit to Bo's Cafe Life

Sigh...I'll read you one of these days...inbox.

...

OMG THAT'S RIGHT THE BLOG!


Awkwardly shuffles back to blogger. 

Hey there guys! I so did not forget about you Monkeys! And I know that when you read this blog you'll probably realize it's a bit dated, like maybe it was meant for July or something. But that's nonsense! What do you think I do with my time? Obsessively try to beat Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, geek out about the Avengers coming out on DVD Tuesday or going to target with my geek friends and buy magic deck builders? Please. I'm so totally dedicated to my writing. Like, I'm seriously married to it or something. And I so totally was not doing any of the above, at all. So just drop it, okay? No, I'm serious, to tired for this from all my writing! JUST GET OFF MY BACK! Sigh~This is why I can't have nice things.

_____________________________________________________________________

1)Wake up at too-darn-early o'clock.

2)Lay in bed until your sure parents are gone.

3)Stay in bed for another hour just to be safe.

4)Sit up in bed and grab laptop off of floor.

5)Boot up laptop.

6)Open up Google Chrome.

7)Open YouTube Facebook Gmail Wattpad Weebly Blog Goodreads Netflix and Camp NaNoWriMo.

8)Watch YouTube videos.

9)Update Status.

10)Open No Matter What You Do, Stick With the Pack.

11)Edit three sentences.

12)Refresh YouTube.

13)Watch eight more videos.

14)Back to Stick With the Pack.

15)Post new chapter on Wattpad.

16)Read new comment by ThisKittyHasClawz.

17)Love her forever, whoever she is.

18)Stare at ridiculously small Human By Day, Monster By Night outline.

19)Decide your never going to write this stupid book.

20)Remember how much Raven and Kyla were looking forward to it.

21)Sigh and continue to stare. Your too good to your friends.

22)Open Vemberia: The Call Of War

23)Fall in love.

24)Continue to write your impressively 23 page long chapter (and your not even half way through it).

25)Think about how absurd it is that it's not a bestseller yet.

26)Cry a little.

27)Talk to friends from school.

28)Resist the urge to throw things because of just how flipping condescending they can be sometimes.

29)Get your cool back.

30)Decide to commit to being a hermit for the rest of your life, like all good writers.

31)Remember Raven Kyla Faith Megan Diana and other such awesome people.

32)You really are too good to your friends.

33)Forget about being a hermit and make five cups of mint tea.

34)Remember you need to make that video for church.

35)Spaz at life for being so stupid sometimes.

36)Write enough blogs to last you through out August's NaNo.

37)Pull Human By Day, Monster By Night outline again.

38)Half-heartedly write two chapter outlines.

39)Screwed.

40)Refresh all pages on Google Chrome.

41)Finish up internet business.

42)Watch TV with parents that are now home.

The Qualities of a Seasoned Writer

Hello once again Monkeys! DJ Bec-a-peck here, bringing you straight up beats! (I've still riding the vibe from my Intro to Radio and TV.)

Story Time: There is a woman I know, who shall remain nameless, who is the most energetic and dually the most obnoxious person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. Ever since I finished my first novel she has been saying things along the lines of "Now your almost as smart as me" and  "Now write 100 more and you'll be me." (Side note-she's never written a book in her life.) And just to get under my skin, while I was querying agents and getting rejected, she would brag about the supposed "agent" she had.

~*Sigh*~

Excuse me for a moment.

Grabs pillow, stuffs face into it.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'K. All good now.

Recently she extended an olive branch and proposed a truce so that I might help her with her first NaNoWriMo and subsequently her first book. While I've been more then generous and understanding, there are some things she's said that I worry about.

       "I barely ever read. I hate reading."

       "My game plan: finish book, send to editor, get published."

       "I've written five books, in my head. I just need to get them down on paper."

Can you spot what's wrong with this picture?

As a service to my poor, naive friend, I've dedicated this blog to what a writer looks like when he/she knows what he/she's doing.

A Writer Reads Constantly
There is no exception to this rule. No read=no write. Writers are made out of a true love for books, you can't write properly without it. How are you supposed to know what makes a decent book if you've never cracked one open? Do not take this lightly. Read. Read until you start hearing the voices, then read some more. And then maybe write. Maybe.

A Writer Writes Constantly
Equally as important, but with some exceptions. Writing is like exercising a muscle, leave it be and it turns to flab. And really, it's more then just writing constantly. It's wanting to write constantly. Are you happy? Write. Just land a top dollar promotion at work? Write. Feel like you could punch your hand through a dry wall? Write. Sick of writing? Write write write. (Get it, right? Awesome, write about it.)

A Writer Is Patient
Writing a book, it takes a while. Doesn't happen over night. And guess what? After you finish, it takes a while to get published. A long while. Like I'm-not-even-sure-I-entered-the-tunnel-yet-so-how-the-heck-am-I-suppose-to-see-a-light long. And no matter what stage your in, no matter how far away from the finish you are, no matter how great or terrible you feel about yourself, it will always seem impossible. Which leads me to my next point.

A Writer Is A Dreamer
Let's face it, no one really expects to ever be published. Especially if they know even a minuscule bit of the publishing industry right now. No one can actually imagine the gratifying taste of finishing a book until they have, or having it propped up on a shelf until it's there. You've got to stupidly hopelessly fall in love with  your book, you've got to never get to comfortable, and you've got to want it. Badly. Really badly. You've got to sacrifice society and sanity to be able to go all the way. And in order to let that go, you've got to be a dreamer.

And, lastly,

A Writer Is Willing to Sacrifice

Do you have friends? Family? Arch Enemies bent on destroying you down to the very core? Well, say good bye to them. Along with your free time, your money, your love life, and, above all, the hope of seeing sunlight or ever tasting fresh air again. You have no time for such trivial things anymore, you are an author. You live your book. You breathe your book. You love your book. You hate your book. You tuck it in at night with a bed time story and in the morning you tell it to go screw itself. And the cycle goes on and on until one day you wake up and realize you are your book. And when the foam starts frothing in the corners of your mouth your loved ones will take you to the happy farm with the men in white coats and while your sitting in the pleasant padded room you'll think to yourself I might have gone a bit overboard. And that, Monkeys, is when you can officially refer to yourself as a writer.

Well, that's all I've got for writers in general, whether they be professional aspiring or otherwise. Other little tips include being sure to remember to feed yourself (seriously, set an alarm on your phone or something. Time flies when your delusional) and that when you develop an addiction to something (and trust me when I say you will), please be sure it's something healthy like coffee or chocolate.

~*Real Quick*~

I'm on the downward slope for the third book in the Order of Vemberia series, and am really exicted, so here's a little teaser. 

Shana: It is my understanding that after you and Zane are finished with your business in earth, you will no longer be companions. What will you do then?

Scrapper: Find another planet, one without people, and live there.

Also, I have a new short story posted on my website. Ode to Running the Mile. (At the bottom of the page.)


OKAYDJBECAPECKPEACEOUT!

Live Journal #01

The Ways of Inspiration: Dreaming

Hello, and welcome to another exciting episode of Becca talks to herself! This week on the agenda we have-
Wait...No that was the other thing. Nevermind.

Clears throat.

Greetings Primates. Prepare to embark on a magical journey, deep into the depths of-
Hold on...Nope. Still not right.

Sips tea. Clears throat.

...Monkeys? Is that what this is? Right, I'm sure I have it this time. Sorry about that guys. Long week, lots of stress. You get the picture. On with it then. So, this week I'm starting a  new mini series, The Ways of Inspiration, to dive into what makes someone create a story. Where exactly does that spark come from? As any practiced writer knows, this is an impossibly large subject. There are without a doubt as many answers as there are people alive. Times two. But just for the fun of it, lets try to narrow it down to some general categories. And what better way to start then with dreaming?

This particular post comes from a number of things going on in my life that have taught me the importance of a dream. To get a bit scientific on you for a second, the importance of dreams goes beyond just the necessity of sleep. We all know, of course, that our bodies need rest to function properly. But dreams? They have a purpose of their own. Oddly enough, they help us sort out what has gone on through the day. I don't know all the science behind it, I only got the cliff notes, but apparently dreams are part of what keeps our sanity. They give our brains a chance to figure out what's what. Ironic, I know. But I have a point. And I sincerely can't stress this enough, I'm speaking from a place where good friends of mine are suffering because of a lack of dreams, getting full restful sleep is very very important. Insomniacs, hear my plea. Please take care of yourselves.

'K. Done with the heavy stuff. Now onto the writing. 

For any writer, I believe, dreams are an invaluable tool for inspiration. In dreams, anything can and will happen, just like in our stories. And, much like how I feel when I'm creating a story, it's not really me that's in control. I'm just observing and recording. But it's so much more then that when it comes to dreams! It's a way to engage all of your senses in the story, if only for a night. You're not just imagining it, you're living it! This is golden in the universe of fiction, to be able to put your self in your main character, to be able to experience your fictional world. Last night I was at a friends house spending the night (I practically live there, they even have a mattress for me) I had this amazing dream and when I woke up before I could even yawn I was jotting down pages of notes in my writing journal. I'm telling you guys, this has got to be one of my favorite forms of inspiration.

So what about you? Have your best stories come from the realm of dreams?