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Quick Skills: Make your Hero/Heroine unique

By on February 28, 2012 in Crafting the Inciting Incident, From the Inside...Out, Protagonists: The Basics, Quick Skills, Susan May Warren, The Hero's Journey Simplified, What is the Dark Moment/Secret and how do I use it?

How do you make your hero or heroine unique? Have you ever written a hero or heroine and thought…oh, they seem just like the last character I created? It’s easy to do – you can only pick so many creative combinations for your character…UNLESS… …Unless you go about character creation from the inside out. I’ve talked at length about finding an identity for your character unique to him, and then building the “outside” to match that inside identity. However, I have a quick trick to help make him even more unique. To make him stand out on the page without going over the top. Yes, we’re going to start with identity again, but this time we’re going to focus in on his greatest fear. We’ve asked him about his dark […]

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Conversations: Walking your Hero onto the page

By on February 27, 2012 in Chapter 1, From the Inside...Out, Heroes, Protagonists: The Basics, Susan May Warren, The Hero's Journey Simplified, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist, What is the Dark Moment/Secret and how do I use it?, What POV do I write in?

“Today, you write,” I said to Sally as she plunked down her bag. She appeared frazzled today, her blonde hair pulled back into a frizzy ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing makeup. “Good, because I need some writing therapy,” she said as she sat down on the chair.  “After week with the kids home from school, it’s time to escape.  In fact, I might have already started.”  She handed me four pages of her manuscript.  “It’s the first scene.” I scanned it.  “No, it’s not,” I said.  “It’s a smattering if the first scene and a lot of backstory,”  I handed it back to her. “But it’s a great start.  And you’ve done what I would have suggested you do – sit down and start writing that first scene.  I expected […]

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A Love Affair with Your Writing Dream, Part Four: Keep the Love Alive

By on February 25, 2012 in Encourage Me!, Reba Hoffman, Writing Life, Writing Life Coaching

For decades I’ve counseled with couples who started off their relationship with a flame as hot as lava in a volcano. Time and neglect cooled the fire, until all that remained was a few embers begging for a breath of air to fan the flame that long ago flickered out. It’s sad, really, especially when it doesn’t have to happen. Scientists say our sun will eventually burn out and there’s nothing we can do about it. I don’t know whether that’s true but I do know that our love is a choice and we have complete control over whether the flame burns bright or is extinguished altogether. The same is true with this love affair with our writing dream we’ve been talking about all month. We’re driving the relationship. Publishers, […]

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Drop and Give Me Twenty! Okay, One.

By on February 23, 2012 in Encourage Me!, Rachel Hauck, Tricks, Writer's life, Writing Life Coaching

All right, writers. I’m going to say a word most of you will hate: exercise. Yeah, I know, the excuses are long and many. “I hate it.” “I don’t have time for it.” “It’s too cold.” “It’s too hot.” “My legs hurt. My arms…” “I sprained my eyelashes.” Okay, I get it. But as writers, we need to take care of our bodies as much as our hearts and minds. Sitting all day is hard on writer. A few years ago I realized my entire body hurt. I was starting to think I was going to have to life with pain in my shoulders, hips and back the rest of my writing life. While I wasn’t happy about it, I wasn’t sure what to do. Other than hot baths. And […]

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