Stop Talking to Yourself

On Monday I gave some tips for staying in third person with limited perspective. Today, I want to help you decide whether first person is right for you.

Staying it first person is a smidge easier than third. You’re obviously going to be limited to what your character can see, touch, smell, taste, hear, and suspect. You can’t jump heads unless you start a new chapter (or there is an obvious page break within the same chapter, but that’s still pretty jolting and not recommended). And if you do decide to have more than one character’s perspective, you need to decide early on in the novel.

I really don’t think there’s anything worse than getting part or all the way through your book when you realize it could have been written better in another point of view. So how can you avoid that? How do you know if first person is right for you? Here are some suggestions.

If the story cannot be told by anyone else.

This isn’t to say that a first person story is more personable than a third person story. It simply means that the introduction of a narrator, who can be seen as another character entirely, would stand in the way of your message. This is one of those questions that only you as the writer can answer. You have to be self-aware *gasp* enough to know how you can tell this story best.

If you want to keep your audience in the dark.

Of course any good story is going to have a certain amount of intrigue or surprises. But how much surprise do you want to have? And how do you want to deliver it? Yes, you can achieve something similar through a limited third person perspective, but if you want to truly get into your character’s head to deliver the impact to your reader, you may want to consider first person.

If something doesn’t feel write when you try to write any other way.

I promise this isn’t a cop out reason. Have you written a couple test chapters of your novel? If you haven’t go try it out now. Try it with a limited and omniscient third person narrator, and if that just doesn’t feel right, try first person. You’ll know it when you have it because your narrator will feel like an extension of you. You’re inhabiting another being, but there’s a bit of you in it, whether you like it or not (so hopefully it’s not a villain talking). Look at it from the reader’s perspective. Would they want to be in this character’s mind, or would it be better to have a buffer?

Overall, the best advice I can give is to remember that third person is going to have more freedom, whether they’re limited or omniscient, so decide early on if you need that freedom, or if the restrictions of first person will actually benefit you in the long run.

~Liz

Follow me @liz_tampa on Twitter and @wethewriters on Instagram.

Show Me What You’ve Got

Show and tell. I remember getting so hyped in kindergarten to show off whatever pet rock I currently owned or my latest horrific drawing.

But let’s be real for a minute. In kindergarten you can barely string two sentences together without losing your entire audience. The glory of show and tell had nothing to do with the telling, it was all about the show.

When you read a book, a good book mind you, you’re often so engrossed in the story that you miss the fact that the author is describing to you the richness of their world. When you write a book, a good book mind you, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting the reader to know the story as fast as possible. You’re excited, it makes sense. Unfortunately, too much telling ends up looking a bit like word vomit.

But, that doesn’t mean we show off all our goodies too. There’s a balance, but yes, the scales do tip more toward the show side. Sorry friends, Lady Justice isn’t completely impartial.

So what does that mean for you?

It means that when you write and edit you need to look out for opportunities to give your story some flavor. Instead of giving your audience their usual mac and cheese (which they love), you might want to change things up with a new dish or two. Maybe some stir fry or a juicy burger.

How do you switch gears from telling to showing? Here are some simple ideas to get your brain in the right gear:

Classical Rewrite

This is currently my favorite exercise in grad school right now. Choose a classic, any classic, and rewrite a scene. Focus on showing the story through action, thoughts, and emotions. Instead of writing “It was cold.” try “His skin prickled as the goosebumps trailed up his arms. He pulled his coat tighter against the chill.” It’s a little dramatic, but you get the picture. Go as big as you want, knowing you may have to tone it down when you get to the final draft.

From Script to Screen

Find a product you love around the house. Anything from your clothes to your couch to your favorite candle. If you had to advertise this product on TV, what would you want to show. For example, I have a White Barn scented candle lit next to me. It supposedly smells like Cactus Blossom, which unfortunately I can’t verify. But that doesn’t matter. How would I market this product? How would I show on screen that it smells delicious?

I could show someone relaxing in the tub with this candle lit nearby. I can show the flames reflecting off something personal, like a family photo to suggest it’s good for everyone. I can show someone freaking out about not finding a lighter, because using this candle is obviously life or death.

Try to think about objects and people (note: not the same thing) in terms you aren’t used to. When you think in ways you aren’t comfortable with you tend to stumble across gold.

From Stage to Script

Take straight dialogue and turn it into straight action. No spoken or thought words. None. Only action. It’s similar to the first exercise except that you’re using a play, which are notoriously dialogue heavy. How would you take a song from Cats and rewrite it into an alley scene between two strays? Or how would you take the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet (gag me) and show it without either of them speaking? Kinda fun, right?

Listen to my friend Anton Chekhov. He knows what’s good for you (and me). Take the time to flesh out the details of your writing, letting your reader experience the story with your characters. It will engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.

~Liz

Follow me @wethewriters on Instagram and @liz_tampa on Twitter.

How to Keep Your Creative Muscles Strong

Like anyone with a physical hobby who needs to work out to stay on top of their game, writers need to exercise their brain to keep their creative muscles from going dormant. Aside from a pen a paper, what you need most is time and solitude.

A few ideas wouldn’t hurt, either.

But how do you get those ideas? How do you stretch and grow the muscles in your brain to make your writing better?

The answer is simple: practice.

Here are a couple ways you can practice your writing that will help kindle your imagination (Some of them may seem familiar from a previous blog post. They’re worth repeating.):

Freewriting

Freewriting is an easy way to open up your mind to new ideas that may be stuck there in the clutter. To freewrite, just grab a pen and paper and set yourself a timer for 30 minutes. During that time just let the words flow. It doesn’t have to make sense. You can have a disjointed stream of consciousness or the beginning of a story.

But make sure you keep going for the duration of whatever time you choose to write. This exercise isn’t just to free up your ideas; it’s also to help your writing endurance. You don’t just run a 5k without first running a mile, then two miles, then three, building up your lung and leg strength.

Try to do this at least once a week, if not more.

Find a Photo and Tell a Story

Ever heard of Ransom Riggs? He’s the author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It’s this little best-seller turned major motion picture inspired from a set of vintage photographs. I don’t think I need to make a further case here for why this method is worth a try.

It’s as simple as this: find a photo and write a story centered on it. Your characters can be in the photo, own the photo, have been to the place in the photo. Try to be creative with it. I once wrote a short story based off a picture of a cardboard box about a soldier getting a care package from home.

Don’t just choose pictures that are easy to write about. Choose the difficult ones, too. This will help your creativity muscles when you found you’ve written yourself into a corner and need a way out.

Rewrite a Story from a Different Point of View

This can be something you’re already working on or a piece of a story written by someone else. If it’s written in 1st person, change the character. If it’s in the 3rd, try writing it in the 1st. If you really want to have some fun, incorporate 2nd person. If this is done well, it can be a really interesting twist.

Rewrite Dialogue into Action

This was a project we just did in one of my grad school courses and I loved it! Take a dialogue heavy scene and rewrite it with pure action. Use character’s expressions, body language/movements, and sounds to express what they’re thinking.

It’s a really fun and unique exercise that will have you pushing the boundaries. It also makes you appreciate dialogue that can be straight to the point and tell exactly what the character is thinking and how they feel. But it will also open your eyes to the possibility of choosing a different form of expression. You may just find yourself rewriting your own dialogue heavy scene into something more vivid for the reader.

Most importantly, don’t let the moments of frustration cause you to quit. Every single writer has felt the urge to give up and try another day (or not at all). There are times you may have to lay an idea or manuscript to rest, and that’s okay. What you do after that is what makes you a writer.

~Liz

Follow me @wethewriters on Instagram and @liz_tampa on Twitter!

 

 

Writing Characters: Give Them Purpose

I always thought calling characters round or flat was rather stupid. Where is the line when my flat character with a food baby turns into something pudgy and glorious?

Rather than label characters by their density, let’s label them by their purpose.

How do you weed out the purposeful characters from the purposeless? Easy! Here’s how:

• Is your character merely there for comedic relief or do they have a role no other character can fulfill? If it’s the former, write them out or give them a purpose to live other than to make people laugh. Unless your book is about a comedian, then carry on.
• Is your character responding to every situation in the same manner? (ie: always sarcastic, defensive, mistrusting, etc.) If so, give them a bigger personality. People often contradict themselves and it’s okay to have a character be shy but sometimes chatty if the mood is right. Just be consistent with it.
• Does your character stay the same throughout the story? If so, change their situation to force them to grow. It’s not realistic for a character to emerge from a trial unscathed.
• If it’s a secondary character, do they help the main character(s) in a way no one else can?
• And probably one of the most important questions, does your character help fulfill the theme of your story? If the answer to this is no, and the character in question is important, then you seriously need to rethink the character or the theme.

Giving your characters a purpose will give them life. If they have no purpose, then you have no story. (Sorry for the harshness, my husband says I’m mean sometimes.)

If you don’t want to hear it from me, maybe Hemingway can convince you…

Living people have purpose, and where there is purpose there is personality, contradictions in thoughts and actions, and desire.

What’s the best living person/character you’ve ever read and why?

~Liz

Follow me @liz_tampa on Twitter and @wethewriters on Instagram.

Choosing a Setting

When I talk about setting I mean more than world-building (if you’re a fantasy writer). I mean the stuff that makes up the everyday of your characters. The weather, their house, the city they live in, what they can smell. Essentially, the elements that attack our senses that we take for granted. As writers, sometimes we become so accustomed to the setting of our stories that we forget our readers may never have been there before.

Granted I’m not one to overdo the setting description. I like to tell you what you need to know and no more, but I’ve learned of late how important setting can be to the overall feel of your novel.

Here are a few things to consider when you’re setting up your setting:

1. Is this the most appropriate place for the story to take place?
2. Will the reader benefit from knowing this about the setting or am I just trying to add to my word count?
3. Can the reader see/feel/smell the setting or are my words empty?
4. Will this setting enhance my character arcs and plot?

The setting is an essential element to your narrative and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Consider what works best for your novel, even if it means a full rewrite (which is what I’m experiencing right now). If you can, visit that place and get a personal feel for the culture, the weather, the sights and sounds.

And more than anything, practice. Practice writing your story (or a snippet of it) in different settings. See what works and what doesn’t. What is lacking in one story but fulfilled in another by the setting? A story in the desert is going to be much different than one in the mountains or even one in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

And if this post means nothing to you, at least let my friend Ray Bradbury give you some inspiration:

Keep practicing, writer friends!

 

~Liz

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @wethewriters.