Remember in the Sound of Music when after all the Von Trapp children did everything to overcome their disappointment after discovering Maria had returned to the Abby? They sang and tried to brave their feelings only to have the smallest one, Gretta, utter in despair, “Why don’t I feel better?” That same sigh is all too common when writers are disappointed. Even when they try to grin and bear it, they still wind up with a heavy hearts. Your hopes lifted your spirits to an all-time high, only to toss you out of the plane without a parachute. When you plummeted back to earth, you emotionally crashed and burned. Please don’t agree with me and stop reading now. Listen to your heart. Fire in your soul, whether it is from […]
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Help for an Unlikeable Character
This week’s therapist question deals with refining an unlikeable character. It’s easy to create unlikeable characters even though we are trying for likeable, strong protagonists. Q: What if I have an unlikeable character? How can I fix it? A: No one starts out to create an unlikeable character. But in the course of creating conflict and flaws, add tension and motivation, we often create a narrow, slightly negative heroes and heroines. Sometimes values play a part. For example, I was going to create a character who fathered children he’d never seen. When I talked it over with my brainstorm partner, Susie May, she said, “But we aren’t going to like a man who’s never seen his kids.” But I had reasons for his predicament. I saw and felt the “why” […]
Read the RestCopyright 101—Part Two
Today is the second in my series on copyright. It’s critical that each of us has a working knowledge of what we can and cannot use on our blogs legally. That said, I’m not a lawyer and this should not be construed as legal advice. If you’ve been notified that you are in violation of copyright, I recommend you contact legal counsel. Now on to the facts! 6. I can legally post YouTube videos on my blog or website. TRUE: This one was a little tricky. You can legally post YouTube videos on your site, because what you’re doing is linking, not reposting. Even when you embed videos, they are still linked to YouTube. 7. If I don’t make money off of it, it’s legal for me to use. FALSE: […]
Read the RestConversations: Creating Scene Tension
I could see Sally’s breath crystallize in the air as she jogged up to the coffee shop door. Bruised and soggy leaves layered the parking lot – red, gold, purple. The sun had just baked the frost from the pink chrysanthemums blooming outside. Our little town crouched at the edge of winter – we could feel it in the air. The crisp tension of autumn, when any day we’d wake to a snowfall. The door jangled as Sally opened it. She caught my eye. “Sorry I’m late.” She dropped her backpack onto her chair. “Field trip day at school and I forgot to sign a permission slip. Congratulations on the game Friday night. I heard your son ran for a touchdown, and the other made a sack. I’ll bet it […]
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