From the basics to the very in-depth, these are some of the resources I go to when I’m developing new characters. Have a look at my favorites, and add your own in the comments! 1. 25 Things About Creating Characters As a writer, creating characters is probably the most important thing you do. Get it wrong, and the story will be wrong no matter how well plotted. 2. Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page Readers are engaged by characters who do not always act in a predictable way. Think of how to have your character...
I’ve just completed my master’s degree in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University, and MAWYP has also just celebrated its 10th birthday. Yay! Below are some of the questions I asked myself when I first started thinking about getting my master’s, and some of the questions (now that I’m at the end) I wish I would’ve asked. I hope this post isn’t a running advertisement for BSU, but I am biased. Master’s programs are very different depending on where you go and who you’re with and what you want, so I only have my own (and my classmates’) experience to...
As with all things writing, there are about 10000 different ways to do anything. But my WIP is on a tight deadline, so I developed this technique to revise thoroughly and quickly. If you want, you can check out my outlining technique to see what I did on the front end to reduce revision. Then follow me down the rabbit hole of madness! Step 1: Get Input While Drafting. I had a workshop group for my WIP, but you can also do this with a critique partner. There are a lot of forums/blogs that offer CP services, but a particular favorite of...
Arguments are both exciting and difficult to write. It’s challenging to strike a balance, to make sure both sides are winning, and to avoid repetition. A well-written argument goes through plenty of revising before it can inflict Falcon-punch levels of pain. Below are the steps I take to ensure my arguments as tight and terrible as possible. 1. Take sides. Before you draft, ask yourself: What is this argument really about? What does Character A think it’s about? What does Character B think it’s about? Spend some time getting into their heads. In a good argument scene, both sides are a little right and...
This is a general update blog post, so it’s going to be a bit random and short. Yay? My friend Katherine came for a visit! We had many adventures, including but not limited to: Catching a train only because the staff held their car door open for us, performing period dances on the lawn at Chatsworth (Pemberley), exploring a plague village, and a bit of waltzing in the Assembly Rooms! (Katherine is my dance buddy and we took full advantage of this.) I have been editing like a mad person. This will probably result in some revision-themed posts soon. I...
I recently finished my first draft of Illuminate, which was very exciting! Don’t get me wrong—there is still a ton that needs to happen before it goes to agents in the spring. But there’s a thing that happens when you finish your draft: You have to start thinking about the next story. The way I write is by focusing my creative energies on one story at a time (“time” can be exclusive, or “per day” if I am drafting and revising two different projects). This means I don’t usually have a pocketful of future-stories I’m eagerly waiting to work on. As a result, whenever I...
Some of you may be aware that Letter to an Unknown Soldier made it on Buzzfeed. I thought I might take a stab at my own sort of Buzzfeed-style feature. You can read it below the cut. (more…)
I worked with Letter to an Unknown Soldier to create a digital memorial for WWI by asking people to write letters to the unknown soldier in Paddington Station. We had an astounding result–over 21,000 letters. And several of those were by my classmates, friends and family! Similar to the daily featured letters on the website, I’ve gathered these letters together so that you can read them side by side. One of the fabulous things about this project is how the letters talk to each other—how they enter a dialogue together. I hope that by reading the very different entries below, you’ll be encourage to think...
I have been working since the end of June with Letter to an Unknown Soldier, a project which created a digital memorial for WWI by asking people to write letters to the unknown soldier in Paddington Station. We had an astounding result–over 21,000 letters. They came from the UK, from New Zealand, from Egypt, from Iceland. They were written by prisoners, school children, mothers, and politicians (including a prime minister). At times they were sweet, at times funny, at times heartbreaking. It’s been an amazing project. This is my last week working for it. We closed our submissions on Tuesday, and...
I have friends who absolutely love writing their story’s climax. It’s their favorite part of the writing process. I am not one of those people. The thought of writing a climax makes me want to do my laundry. I would rather clean the hair out of my drain than start drafting my climax. I cannot tell you how spotless my house gets when I reach the latter third of my novel. The first draft of my climaxes (and everyone’s, I’d hazard) are terrifyingly awful. But this time around, I wanted to put in work beforehand to help save on rewrites after....
