On Creating Yourself

Lately I’ve Pondered. . . .

(from the newsletter)

“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —Lolly Daskal

This is a really nice reminder for us to stop looking and start doing. We are the sum of the little decisions we make every single day. If we want to be a writer, we need to sit down and write. If we want to learn French for that trip to Paris, we need to gather the necessary resources and start using them. If we want to learn to play that song, we have to put in the time and practice.

Life is not meant to be lived passively, with things happening to us—we’re supposed to go out and do all the things—to make life happen for us to the greatest degree we’re able (because yes, there is sometimes the unexpected, which forces us to recalibrate).

Even so, we will only understand the path we’ve charted when we look back on our lives—how this action led to this discovery which led to that situation—but even if life can only be fully comprehended in reverse, we were not called to this earth to remain on the sidelines.

We get to decide who or what we’re going to be. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

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On Intellectual Curiosity

Curiosity begins with a question.

It is a writer's job to incite questions within the reader, and these questions begin with the inciting incident: what sets the story in motion.

How is this going to turn out?

This is the key question your reader will want answered by the time they set down your book.

But every scene should raise its own questions, as well, and it's this curiosity and concern for your characters that will encourage the reader to turn page after page to discover what will happen next.

These questions can be mystery or suspense-related. They can elicit anxiety, worry, fear, and even dread if the reader knows what awaits the character before the character knows himself. They can evoke anticipation or doubt until it's absolutely certain the two lovers will end up together. 

But an intellectual interest in your story is always rooted in curiosity, and curiosity is only as strong as the questions that are generated through the events your characters face. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

Nine Key Emotions and What They Mean

Here is a list of nine common emotions (all negative), and what they mean for a character.

1. Fear

When a character is feeling afraid, it's because there's something unsettling on the horizon that needs to be prepared for.

2. Hurt

When a character feels hurt, it's because an expectation he held wasn't met.

3. Anger

A character becomes most upset when a personal rule has been violated.

4. Frustration

A character feels frustrated when the actions they are currently taking aren't working for them.

5. Disappointment

In these situations, something happened (or didn't happen), and the character is struggling to let it go.

6. Guilt

If a character is feeling guilt, it's because he has violated some standard.

7. Overwhelm

In situations resulting in helplessness, the character has likely lost control and needs to make a change or reconfigure their priorities.

8. Loneliness

A lonely character needs to connect with someone.

9. Inadequacy

A character who is feeling inadequate needs to change her standards.

A character can feel any of these negative emotions throughout the course of a story, and while most writers will naturally assign the appropriate emotion to any given situation, sometimes it helps to slip out of the subconscious and analyze what's going on with a character--how they're feeling and responding to what's happening around them.

As a bonus, knowing how a character is feeling and how they would (or should) react to an event allows us to turn these expectations and surprise the reader in new and exciting ways.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Which Generation Reads the Most?

 

How to Make a Scene Move

To make your scenes move:

*Think about everything that has happened to the character up until the moment the scene takes place.

*Imagine what is going to happen to them in future scenes. 

*Determine what the character wants at that moment.

*Identify what's at stake (overall) for the character.

*Figure out what's keeping them from getting what they want.

*Consider the actions they've taken and will take: what are they doing to get what they want?

*How are the other characters reacting to these behaviors?

*Infuse the information into your narrative. 

Keep in mind that not everything in your brainstorm will make it into your story, but it's still important to know what's going on between the lines. 

Think of storytelling as an iceberg: what peeks above the water (that the reader sees) is only a small percentage of what's actually there, and the author should *always* know what's happening beneath the surface.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

The Time is Passing Anyway

Lately I’ve Pondered. . . .

(from the newsletter)

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time 

it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” 

                                                                —Earl Nightingale

When we’re caught up in the day-to-day, drowning in an endless cycle of “responsibilities” (I mean, how many loads of laundry *must* a family of four produce each week?), it’s so easy to forget that time is passing. 

When I was younger, I knew I wanted to grow up and get married, but I’m not sure I envisioned anything past that benchmark. In another year, I will be staring down 40. The time is passing, and, looking back, I am grateful I have carved out a serious writing space in the last decade. Am I exactly where I want to be? Not necessarily. Because I find as I accomplish one goal, I immediately set another. I try to raise the stakes in my expectations for myself as much as I raise them in my stories. 

There’s still so much I want to do—so much I want to learn and make happen. But all I really have is today and how I choose to spend whatever minutes I can spare for myself when I’m not staring down a pile of darks or folding towels into thirds. Writing is the dream, and the time is passing anyway.

So the point to ponder is this: what’s your dream, and what’s keeping you from making it happen?

Don’t let time run out on you. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

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Four Things About Characters

1. The character who is his own worst enemy makes for compelling reading. This doesn't mean readers will have patience with an idiot, but that we are willing to cut even a total moron at least *some* slack if he's working toward a goal.

2. Each character should have his/her own voice. The dialogue has to be true to the character, and the reader should be able to tell every character apart from the next.

3. Even the villain should be someone worth empathizing with. If there are power structures and believable motives at play, it shouldn't be hard for a reader to identify with the bad guy. No one is pure evil, after all. 

4. Avoid boring/uninteresting characters. People are rife with contradictions and quirks. As a writer, it's our job to find these in our characters and make them worth getting to know.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~