CREATING A CHARACTER IS LIKE DRESSING A MANNEQUIN

I enjoyed going shopping with my mother when I was a young girl. I loved it not because she bought me things (although that was an added bonus) but because I loved the mannequins. At eight years old I was creating characters without realizing that was what I was doing. With the help of my imagination the giant faceless dolls became people. I gave them names, faces, personalities, people to see and places to go. The person who dressed the mannequin helped make it easy for me to envision the people I created. We as writers do the same for our readers when we develop the characters that walk the pages of our books.
When developing a new character, think of a nude mannequin waiting to be dressed. The way a person dresses can tell you a lot about their personality. The clothing you pick for your character helps the reader envision what they look like. What colors would your character wear and why? Maybe a loud boisterous character would choose colorful clothing such as a bright orange sweater, a pair of bootleg jeans and a pair of zebra print stilettos. A more demure character might choose to wear a navy blue pea coat with a grey angora cowl neck scarf, a dark grey pencil skirt and black leather knee high boots.
Is your character a teenager, a housewife, an athlete a hipster? Once you answer this question, you will find it easier to pick out their attire. The way you describe their hair will also help bring them to life. Does the girl in the pea coat have blonde silky hair that she secures tightly in a ponytail at the back of her head? Does the lively girl have short brown hair with golden highlights that frame her face? Speaking of faces, what does theirs look like? Have you ever found yourself staring at a mannequin envisioning their features based on the way they are dressed?
Once you know their style, their features usually will present themselves. Are their eyes circular in shape? Can you describe their nose? What about their smile? Is it vibrant and contagious or non-existent?
Anyone who dresses a mannequin has an idea of a person in mind. Their execution of style is what entices the buyer to purchase what they are selling.
Let’s make this a writing exercise. Imagine you have an unclothed mannequin in front of you and it’s your job to add clothing, accessories, hairstyles, facial features and personality to the lifeless figure. You want the potential buyer to be able to clearly envision the character you have created.
******** My character**********
Name –Lydia (Where do you get your names for your characters? Is there meaning behind them?) Something as simple as a name can lure readers in.

Age: 18 (Your main character’s age will generally constitute your target reading age, eg. Young Adult readers would most likely connect with a character that is within the fourteen-to nineteen age range).

Features: (It is important to include features in your descriptions, this allows the reader to feel like they have a good sense of what the character looks like) Dark wavy shoulder length hair, Hershey kiss eyes, a smile that stretches like a rubber band, a star shaped birthmark under her eye and a slender figure with the exception of her rounded derriere.

Quirks if any: ( Quirks are a way to make your character become relatable to the reader) Lydia has a terrible habit of cracking her knuckles.

Voice: (Imagine what your characters voice will sound like. Is it raspy? Is his or her speech fast?) Lydia’s come hither voice makes her a favorite with the opposite sex.

Attire: ( The clothing your character wears can help define what type of person they are) Lydia slipped on her tightly fitted rainbow decorated t-shirt and tucked her stretchy denim pants into her knee length Chuck Taylor sneakers. She liked that her style was unlike anyone else’s and often referred to her sense of flair as “punk rock and roll”. She’d rather set a trend than follow one. Once someone started to imitate her style she would change it. She hated that the girls in school began wearing fingerless elbow high gloves because that meant she could no longer wear her favorite accessory.

Hopefully, I created a character that you can now see. The next time you are shopping, take a moment to look at the mannequins. You might be surprised at how inspiring they can be.
Think of one of your favorite characters, what was something that made them memorable? What steps do you take when creating a character?

Pass It On: Give a Fellow Author a Shout Out

Today a smile was brought to my face because of a comment from someone I had not met before. Herby, if you are reading my blog consider this a personal shout out and a big “thank you”. Herby stumbled upon my blog and was kind enough to let me know that he liked my material. Herby’s comment not only brought a smile to my face but it got me thinking about something that I have thought about before, but not as in depth as I thought about it today.
If you are a writer then I am almost positive that you have experienced moments of self doubt. Moments where you thought no one was reading what you wrote. Moments when you threw your hands up in the air and said “So be it, I’m writing anyway.” If you write a blog, I’m also pretty sure that you check your traffic on at least a weekly basis. It’s in our nature to be curious to see if whatever it is we have written prompted another to let us know what they thought. If we didn’t hope to connect on some level with others we would have never set up a blog in the first place. (We would just keep our words tucked away in a journal)
I always admire the people’s blogs who get beaucoup comments and wondered if my own would ever receive as many as theirs.
Herby’s comment today made me realize that we all have a way of helping each other become noticed, whether it be by leaving a comment, adding a blog to your blogroll, tweeting on each other’s behalf or simply telling a friend. Someone once told me that 90% of successful advertising comes from word of mouth. I’m not sure if it is quite that much but I am positive that most success stories have something to do with one person telling another then another then another. We as writers have to help each other out and if we happen to stumble upon a blog that catches our attention and then keeps it, it’s the least we can do to let a fellow author know. Why not leave me a comment right now and let me know whose blog you enjoy reading. Together we can increase their traffic.
Today my shout outs go to Elisa over at Where’s My Pencil, she included me as one of her recipients for a Versatile Blogger award (which in return brought traffic to my blog and Herby at Living as Herby for making my day and inspiring this post.

TEN REASONS I WRITE

1. I truly believe I was born to write. I have done many things in my life and held numerous jobs (I currently love my day job) but through it all writing was always a part of what I did.

2. I love to create stories and then look back and think- Did I write that?

3. I want to see my name on a book cover. I want to see what my first book cover will look like (I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to this).

4. I love anything that has to do with words. Words to me are like numbers to a mathematician.

5. It is therapeutic to my soul. When I sit down to write, it’s like taking a mini vacation. Everything and everyone falls to the side. I could find myself on a beach, walking a desert or on the top of a mountain.

6. I’m an observer. Observing without producing is wasteful as far as I’m concerned.

7. I’d like my words to help someone else interpret life in a way they never thought they would.

8. I want my children to be able to have my words to read after I’m taken from their life.

9. It’s exciting. Any emotion I am feeling can be released through writing.

10. If I didn’t write, I wouldn’t be me.

We all have reasons to do what we do. I’m sure many of my reasons are similar to yours but I would still like to hear why you write. Do you have a reason different from the ones I listed?

Who Will You Thank?

I love when I finish a book for many reasons but today I will only discuss one of the reasons. You would think the first thing I would do after finishing a book would be reflect, but I don’t do that until after I have read the acknowledgements. I guess you could say I’m a bit corny. I won’t allow myself to read the acknowledgements until I have finished the book (I’m not somebody that looks ahead to find out what’s happening either. I like waiting).
Once I know I have completed reading I race to that page where the author does some of his or her own reflecting. I love to see who they have thanked and why. I also gain valuable information such as who the author’s agent is. Reading an acknowledgement allows me to daydream of what my own would look like. Who would I thank? What agent’s name will be listed? What interesting facts about myself would I like to share?
I thought about writing a mock acknowledgement on this blog (I was very tempted) but decided not to in fear that doing so would somehow jinx me (yes, I’m a bit superstitious).
I recently was given a Kindle for my birthday and my first thought was… will there still be an acknowledgement section? I still don’t know because I haven’t jumped ahead to see.
Reading that short paragraph at the end assures me that all authors have someone who helped them along the way, someone who encouraged them, someone who believed in them, someone who wasn’t afraid to critique them and finally someone who helped turn their dream into a reality. They were where so many of us still are. Seeing that they made it allows us to hope one day we will too.
Do you read the acknowledgements? What do you like the most about them? Have you ever thought of who you would thank?

A Few Things I’ve Learned

Sometime around ten years ago I declared myself a writer. At the time of declaration I thought being a writer simply meant you wrote stories. I did not realize what needed to be learned before others would view me as a writer. Today, I have been racking my brain for interesting blog ideas. There are so many blogs out there regarding the craft of writing that it is hard (not impossible) to think of a topic that has not already been done. So, I thought why not go back to that girl in her twenty’s who knew virtually nothing about the craft and tell her some key facts she will need to know in order for her writing to be taken seriously. Here is what I remember learning early on. Please leave a comment and share with us what you remember learning.
*Show Don’t Tell –Eg. Caren was mad. (this is telling). Caren threw her book bag across the floor and slammed the door behind her. (This is showing)
* Pov’s- 1rst Person Point of View (A character narrates the story. Their use of speech would include the words I-me-mine.
2nd Person Point of View (rare) the author would use you or your as if they were directly addressing the reader.
3rd Person Point of View- Writing in 3rd person means you only know the thoughts of one character. If your main character is Edmond you can write about how Edmond feels. You are writing as if you are looking through Edmond’s eyes.
Eg. Edmond’s heart longed for the girl Stella once was. (You can write this because Edmond is your main character). You cannot write Edmond looked at Stella and his heart tugged and then in the next sentence write Stella knew Edmond was looking at her but she refused to look back.(Stella is not your main character so you would not know what Stella felt or thought.) Unless you were writing in 3rd person-omniscient (this is when the author decides to open up the thoughts of all the characters to the readers). I like the idea of this but I think you would really have to master it in order to get positive feedback.
*Formatting – Most agents, editors and publishers prefer that your manuscript be double-spaced, using Times New Roman in 12pt font. (Don’t think you will make yourself stand out in a good way by using something different.)
*Query Letters, Cover Letters, Bio’s and Synopsis
Query Letters – Brief letter to agent or editor consisting of a short hook, (eg. A short sentence that draws them in and hopefully tempts them to want to read more), a brief overview of what your book is about (Eg. Edmond and Stella have known each other since the sixth-grade. When Stella starts hanging out with the known druggies, Edmond fears he will lose her forever and decides to develop a plan to save her.) Close your query letter by adding your qualifications or experiences (Publishing credits, schooling, memberships etc).
Cover Letters- A cover letter should accompany a manuscript. This letter will provide an overview of your submission. If an agent or editor request material, your cover letter is where you would remind them that this is being sent because it was requested. Eg., Thank you for requesting Edmond and Stella etc, etc.
Synopsis- A complete description of your work in which the entire book is conveyed compactly. You can write a one or two paragraph synopsis or a chapter by chapter synopsis (check the agent or editor’s specifications before sending)
Bio – A very brief summary of who you are. Practice summing yourself up in fifty words or less.
This blog could go on and on and on (I didn’t even touch, story structuring, grammar, the importance of critique groups etc.)
For now I will end this blog but promise to continue posting things I have learned. I am still learning, which is exactly why I love the craft as much as I do. We can’t become experts if we refuse to admit there are lessons to be taught. Our journeys are different but we all encounter the same lessons along the way.
What did you not know early on?

Free Writing Conference-(Pass it on)

If you are a kidlit author, I have exciting news to share with you today. A bunch of talented writers have joined together and arranged to have a free (yes, I said free) writers conference online. Who are these brilliant writers? They are Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, Shannon Messenger, Jamie Harrington and Lisa and Laura Roeker along with their web designer Jennifer Stayrook. These lovely ladies developed WriteonCon. It is their way of paying it forward. They recognized how difficult it is for many writers to attend conferences because of finances, family obligations and career demands, so they teamed up to bring a conference to us.

When? August 10-12th (Registration begins July 1rst).

Who will be there? An impressive list of industry professionals such as:

Michelle Andelman ( A literary agent for Lynn C. Franklin Associates).
Josh Berk(Author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and fellow Pennsylvanian).
Catherine Drayton (a well sought after literary agent for Inkwell Management).
Daniel Ehrenhaft (author of more than a dozen books for children and young adults and editor for Harper Collins).
Lindsay Eland (author of the well-talked about Scones and Sensibility).
Author P.J. Hoover.
Mandy Hubbard (Author of Prada and Prejudice and literary agent for D4EO).
Mary Kole ( Literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary).
Author Lyndsey Leavitt.
Steven Malk (Literary agent for Writers House).
Mark McVeigh (founder of The McVeigh agency).
Author Jodi Meadows.
Kathleen Ortiz (Associate Agent and Foreign Rights Manager at Lowenstein Associates).
Anica Rissi (Executive Editor at Simon Pulse).
Joanna Stampfel-Volpe (Full time agent for the Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation).
Suzie Townsend (Literary agent for Fine Print Literary Management).
Daisy Whitney (Media business extraordinaire).
Lisa Schroeder (Author).
This is an event you cannot miss. Further details can be found at WriteonCon.
I love to watch people pay it forward. Together, we can help each other become the best we can be.
Who are you looking forward to meeting?

WRITING A BOOK IS LIKE MAKING CHILI

What would you say if I told you that making chili is a lot like writing a book? I’m sort of famous for my chili (according to my family). When I decide to make chili, I get out my big yellow pot and place it on my stove. The recipe for my chili can only be found within the walls of my mind. I have never written down the ingredients that I use, but somehow it ends up tasting the same way every time. I’m pretty confident that if I blindfolded my family and gave them three different spoonfuls of chili, they would be able to pick mine out immediately. I know, right now you are saying, “Lady, get to the point.”

Think of the pot that you use as your setting. It’s the place where all of the ingredients get blended together to make something delicious. Let’s think of the ingredients as the components that make up a good story. The beans you add to the chili are like the characters within a story. A variety can be used (Eg. black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, great northern beans or navy beans). Each has a distinguished taste and provides a different flair to the chili, exactly like a character would do for a story.

The meat is what everything else sticks to. Much like a plot, it provides flavor. Without the meat or “meat analogue”, the chili or the story would leave the eater or the reader with much to be desired. No book is a good book without a meaty plot. The meat is what makes the eater or the reader shove more in.

I add a blend of spices and condiments to my chili which I view as dialogue. These spices and condiments must speak to each other to create something worth talking about. Some of the spices I use are mild and can be viewed as soft spoken (parmesan cheese). Some are spicy and outspoken (chili peppers), but I’m pretty sure they compliment each other and make the chili -aka story interesting.

The tomatoes I use are my theme. Tomatoes are my version of a hug. I want the people I am cooking for or writing for to feel embraced. I want them to know that a lot of love was put into the dinner they are about to eat or the story they are preparing to read.
My voice is the taste that allows my family to be able to pick out my chili from someone else’s. It’s the lasting impression I leave. You can teach someone how to make chili but chances are theirs will always come out different from yours.

Everything from the pot (setting), the beans (characters), the meat (plot), the spices (dialogue), the tomatoes (theme) and overall taste is what makes your pot of chili (story) your own.
What ingredients do you use that separate you from someone else?

Me too: How I Connect With Famous Authors

I took a fun quiz today on Twitter. The purpose of the quiz was to determine what writer you were most like. After answering a few multiple choice questions I hit submit and waited. My result was …J.D. Salinger. After reading through the small personality profile that the test makers provided, I thought to myself, yeah I guess in some ways I am like this famous author. Then I thought some more and decided that I could probably relate to a lot of famous authors on some level. How so? Was the question that piqued my curiosity and sent me surfing the internet to come up with the answers. Here is what I found.
Edgar Allen Poe- Poe, as I like to call him pursued writing as a career more earnestly after the death of his brother during a difficult time in American publishing.
Me- I began focusing much more on my writing in hopes of making it a career after the death of my father during a difficult time in American publishing. We see it every day on blogs, twitter and websites how much harder it is today to break into publishing. Regardless, I am determined to jump over the hurdles and finish the race.

Erma Bombeck- She did a stint on the Good Morning America show which is produced by ABC studios.
Me- I received a paycheck from ABC studios for a short story I wrote on motherhood.

Stephanie Meyer- It is a well-known fact that the inspiration for the widely acclaimed Twilight Saga came to Stephanie Meyer in a dream. My current YA novel also presented itself to me within a dream. I don’t think I would have ever come up with the idea in my waking life.
Me- My mother’s maiden name is Hemingway and her siblings claim that they are descendents of Ernest Hemingway. I will eventually do a family tree to find out for sure but, the fact that I may have the blood of a famous author is exciting.
I realized that all of these small facts and correlations are not huge but they are similarities that connect me with some of the finest authors ever to live.

I am an author just like J.D. Salinger, Erma Bombeck, Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway. I may not be as well-known, but my passion for writing is no less than theirs was or still is.
How are you similar to famous authors?
What interesting facts can be written about you?

BIRDS FLY, EVEN IN THE RAIN

I stood on my back porch watching the rain sprinkle down. The clouds were dark, the air was cool, and the day was definitely dreary. I noticed a bird, then another, then another, then another. They were flying from tree to tree. They perched on the branches and puffed out their chests despite the fact that the rain was showering down on them. It was in this moment that I realized that writers have to be a lot like birds. Even when the thunderstorms loom over us we have to continue to do what we do in order to get to the sunny destination. Sometimes we are going to have to stand with our chests puffed out; our heads held high and allow the downpour to come.

The next time rejections and criticisms pour down on you, remember that birds fly even when it rains. If you take the time to nurture your writing, it will eventually take flight.

Who Needs Paper When…

Have you ever found yourself stuck in traffic or waiting to be called in for an appointment when all of the sudden BAM inspiration hits? You rummage around your car searching for that piece of paper to jot down what is now running laps in your head. You ransack your purse hoping that you remembered to throw in that small notebook you purchased for these exact moments only to discover that there is nothing of the sort.

A panic floods through your mind as you feel the perfect words that seconds ago danced delightfully through your thoughts are now slowly fading away. You repeat the words or idea out loud, hoping to remember them, when suddenly traffic begins to move, your name is called in for the appointment and the sudden change of momentum sends the words out the back door of your mind.

I have found myself in these exact situations more often than I’d like to admit. However, I have discovered that I can become very resourceful and creative when these moments arrive. My words have been jotted down on matchbooks with an eyeliner pencil. I have scribbled thoughts on the back of my Better Homes and Gardens magazine with a crayon, because those were the only things in the car. I have written a synopsis on an order pad while waitressing and yes I have even written dialogue on my arms so I would not forget.

Hey, when you have to get it out, you have to get it out. I know there are others out there like me. Surely there is someone who wrote a blog idea on a store receipt, a characters name on the back of an envelope, or an idea for a book in your child’s coloring book.

What do you do when inspiration hits?

Have you ever jotted down your thoughts on anything out of the ordinary?