You'll need to do different things with different characters. Your main characters you'll have to know better than you know yourself. Your minor characters you won't do much with because we really don't need to know much about them. If your minor characteri is a doorman to a fancy schmanzy apartment house in NYC, all he has to do is be able to open the door. If he's a nasty doorman, than he has to be nasty. That's it.
The semi-major characters have to have some personality, but not as much as your major characters.
To move writers' careers along, is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Different Kinds of Characters
You'll have essentially three types of characters in your story: major, semi-major, and minor.
Major characters are those who are the focus of the action. The two people in a love affair. The detective who is investigating the murder. The father of the victim who is grieving. In my Kearney mystery the major characters were Will, Henry Harrier, and Julie, Henry's daughter.
Minor characters are basically no more than plot devices. A cop directing traffic. A kid cutting the grass. In my Kearney mystery, the waiter who brings Will and Henry their meals the first day of the investigation is a minor character.
The rest of them range in the middle. In the Kearney book, the police detective was a semi-major character. He influenced the action but was not the focus of attention. The person who did the murder was semi-major. To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Major characters are those who are the focus of the action. The two people in a love affair. The detective who is investigating the murder. The father of the victim who is grieving. In my Kearney mystery the major characters were Will, Henry Harrier, and Julie, Henry's daughter.
Minor characters are basically no more than plot devices. A cop directing traffic. A kid cutting the grass. In my Kearney mystery, the waiter who brings Will and Henry their meals the first day of the investigation is a minor character.
The rest of them range in the middle. In the Kearney book, the police detective was a semi-major character. He influenced the action but was not the focus of attention. The person who did the murder was semi-major. To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Monday, April 19, 2010
First Step in Developing Character
There are only two things to think about with characters: what they do and what they don't do.
First you have to figure out who your characters are. So go through your story and note everything and every time and every place that every character of yours thinks or says or does something.
Every time he or she time travels. Has a pizza. Kills somebody. Gets killed by somebody. Runs fast. Doesn't run when he or she should. Shuns conflict. Creates conflict. Gets married. Falls in love. Hates somebody. Learns to drive a car. Does a random act of kindness. Whatever and everything every character does or does not think, say, or do.
Write down and keep everything. These are clues to who your characters are.
More on that next time.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
First you have to figure out who your characters are. So go through your story and note everything and every time and every place that every character of yours thinks or says or does something.
Every time he or she time travels. Has a pizza. Kills somebody. Gets killed by somebody. Runs fast. Doesn't run when he or she should. Shuns conflict. Creates conflict. Gets married. Falls in love. Hates somebody. Learns to drive a car. Does a random act of kindness. Whatever and everything every character does or does not think, say, or do.
Write down and keep everything. These are clues to who your characters are.
More on that next time.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Reworking the First Draft
Once you're done you begin to rework the draft. The next step is character. Who are your main characters. You have a sense of this from the drivel you wrote. Take each character you have in there and develop him or her. You have to know your characters inside and out. More on that next time.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Writing The First Draft--A Pre-Synopsis
If it helps write a pre-synopsis. This is a brief version of the story so you can see it down on paper. It's for nobody else but you so you don't have to worry about how it reads.
It's just for you to see how the initial version of the story goes. What the premise story is. Who the major characters are. What happens. When the action takes place. Where it takes place. Why people are doing what they are doing. How the story unfolds. Whose point of view it's told from.
If this doesn't help you don't it. It's all up to you.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
It's just for you to see how the initial version of the story goes. What the premise story is. Who the major characters are. What happens. When the action takes place. Where it takes place. Why people are doing what they are doing. How the story unfolds. Whose point of view it's told from.
If this doesn't help you don't it. It's all up to you.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Writing the Novel First: How to Write the First Draft
You write the first draft by writing it.
People say it's hard to write. They say starting a story is intimidating. People tell me the tyranny of the blank computer screen or of the white page. People tell me these things but I've never felt them. Not that writing isn't hard. Maybe it's because I always know what I'm going to write before I write it. Then I sit down and write it.
Just write. Don't outline. Don't think. Just start writing the story. Even if you think it is the worst thing ever written by anybody anywhere anytime. Keep writing until you get to the end. Even if you get other story ideas write them down and keep on writing the story you're writing.
Like Alice said writing a story is easy. You begin at the beginning then go right on through to the end and stop. Voila!
Remember, you're not a writer if you're not writing. And you can't sell anything if you have nothing to sell.
Take notes as you go. As you think of an idea or a character trait keep notes. Write down what you want to fix, i.e. "On p. 13 make Leslie's father the son of her brother's second cousin once-removed." But don't go back whatever you do. But do not--DO NOT--I repeat do not succumb to the temptation to go back and fix something.
Everybody thinks their work is crap. Usually the first time through it is.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
People say it's hard to write. They say starting a story is intimidating. People tell me the tyranny of the blank computer screen or of the white page. People tell me these things but I've never felt them. Not that writing isn't hard. Maybe it's because I always know what I'm going to write before I write it. Then I sit down and write it.
Just write. Don't outline. Don't think. Just start writing the story. Even if you think it is the worst thing ever written by anybody anywhere anytime. Keep writing until you get to the end. Even if you get other story ideas write them down and keep on writing the story you're writing.
Like Alice said writing a story is easy. You begin at the beginning then go right on through to the end and stop. Voila!
Remember, you're not a writer if you're not writing. And you can't sell anything if you have nothing to sell.
Take notes as you go. As you think of an idea or a character trait keep notes. Write down what you want to fix, i.e. "On p. 13 make Leslie's father the son of her brother's second cousin once-removed." But don't go back whatever you do. But do not--DO NOT--I repeat do not succumb to the temptation to go back and fix something.
Everybody thinks their work is crap. Usually the first time through it is.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Writing the Novel First
To get a novel published you normally have to write a your novel first. Books have been getting shorter. Paper is more expensive. People's attention span is shortening. Still, a long book will sell if it's good.
Most agents want a book about 70,000 words or so. That equates to about 350-400 manuscript pages, which will end up about 300 published pages. Sometimes you can put two short novellas together into a longer one.
But don't worry about that at this point. Write the story you want to write. The important thing for us as writers is to write. Nothing can happen if you don't write.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Most agents want a book about 70,000 words or so. That equates to about 350-400 manuscript pages, which will end up about 300 published pages. Sometimes you can put two short novellas together into a longer one.
But don't worry about that at this point. Write the story you want to write. The important thing for us as writers is to write. Nothing can happen if you don't write.
To move writers' careers along is what I am saying helpful?
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To read my mystery, The Case of the Kearney Music School Murders (2007), for free at wwww.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it out.
If you want info on buying or selling a home, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
To receive Sherpa tips on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my ideas on the practice of real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
