From the ground up

A lot of times when you're writing a character for a school project or for a writing prompt it can be extremely difficult to get an idea of how that character looks, acts, and speaks. Because of this drawback a lot of young writers struggle to find a plot line to fit their character, or a character who fits into their plot line. I'd like to suggest that the character will follow their name. Unlike names in real life, fictional names hold an exceptional amount of power over a character. Does the name you choose have to define your character? Of course not! However using a name as a tool while developing the character is very useful and can help you stay on track with the character's emotional development. "So Vira, how do names help us?" Well I'm glad you asked. Here's a little hint: no one thinks of a name the same way. 

I know, I know, I'm not making a whole lot of sense right now but hang in there. 

I'm going to present you with a challenge. I'm going to give you two writing prompts and a name, then ask you a few questions about the person you create. They can be from one prompt, or from both, but they need to be original. Ready? Go!

Strange, bizarre, and weird prompts 

Crown of the Cosmos

Write about a character who happens to be an alien. The catch? This character is exploring the surface of a planet that is told to have been the origin of an ancient and powerful race a millennia before. Double catch? This planet is Earth.

The Fake Redhead's writing prompts

Number 189

Started my day getting attacked by balloons at the market.

Things got a lot worse from there.

Your name? Hayden

Now I'm going to ask you a few questions about Hayden. Don't think too much into these, just say the first thought that pops into your head when thinking about the name. Wether you already have a picture of them or not.

Gender:

Hair color:

Eye color:

Clothing: 

Age: 

Temperament:

Awesome! Now which prompt does Hayden best fit into?

Ta-da! You now have a character to write about! It feels good doesn't it? Lets try another one.

Writing.Prompt.S

You accidentally run over a lonely old lady. She considers pressing charges, but agrees not to as long as you spend two hours a week playing board games with her. It soon becomes apparent that she hasn't had an ordinary life...

Daily Story Seed

Elemental influence

Write about a character with a strange burden: unbeknownst to them their soul serves as the critical center for the elements, making it so that whatever they feel is reflected on the world around them. Explore the point of view of a character whose emotions directly influence nature. And, above all, who is the one truly in control here: this character, or their emotions? 

Your name? Noble

And here comes the questions! (Remember: first thoughts only)

Gender:

Hair color:

Eye color:

Clothing: 

Age: 

Temperament:

And finally, which prompt does Noble fit into?

It's kinda fun huh? Don't worry, you don't have to actually use any of these characters. But practicing like this creates an ability to dive deeper into a character or become more focused on their journey. The first thing your readers will probably ever hear about your character is their name. That's your foundation. It's kinda like building a house, you have to go from the ground up.   

Predictable and ordinary

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway

I am here to dispel the myth that you have to be a literary genius to become a beloved author or to even finish your books. 

Now before I begin I want you to understand that some of the books I am quoting are considered great masterpieces of literature. Their authors are world renown and I have no qualms about that. Now from each of these three books I am going to list two quotes.

---

1.  "Hullo," said Polly

"Hullo," said the boy. "What's your name?"

"Polly," said Polly. "What's yours?"

"Digory," said the boy.

 

2.  The Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song. It was softer and more lilting than the song by which he had called up the stars and the sun; a gentle, rippling music. And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool. It ran up the sides of the little hills like a wave. In a few minutes was creeping up the lower slopes of the distant mountains, making the young world every moment softer. 

 

Hopefully by now you've realized that these two quotes are from C.S. Lewis' the Magician's Nephew. Quote 1 is hardly the epitome of literary excellency. Quote 2 however has a tendency to draw you in until you forget you are reading at all. Which did you like better? I'm guessing if you're like most people you said quote 2, but take a closer look and you'll find that Mr. Lewis broke many of the rules we impose on ourselves as writers. He has three sentences that start with the same word, he starts a sentence with 'and', and in comparison to what we imagine, the writing itself is very detached. Now I am in no way saying that C.S. Lewis' books are any less because of this fact, what I am trying to explain however is that you don't need to spend so much of your time worrying about how you word things. Lets try another book.

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1. "What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscious, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

I felt bad for lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.

She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.

 

2. In a way, its nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have someone to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus thats just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lighting, and its raining on top of everything else, most people might think thats just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day. 

 

Rick Riordan is pretty popular right now... If you enjoy danger, sassy teenagers, and hearing you're heart shatter at the end of every other book. These particular quotes are from the Lighting Thief. Again, as utterly immersive as these quotes are they probably wouldn't be considered literary genius. First off in the first quote he tells, not shows, Percy not wanting to lie. "I felt bad for lying" is normally considered very different from "I felt slightly sick to my stomach, I didn't want to lie to her but it seemed like the only option I had." Then he goes on to use the same word to start the last two sentences. 

The second quote has an extremely long sentence in it. Not that readers actually notice, but as a writer it can feel like you're dragging something further on then it should be. 

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1. The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it "the Riddle House," even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some if its windows boarded, tiles missing from it's roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over it's face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied. 

 

2. "I always thought he had a nasty look about him, right enough," grunted a man at the bar.

"War turned him funny , if you ask me," said the landlord.

"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn't I, Dot?" said an excited woman in the corner.

"Horrible temper," said Dot, nodding fervently. "I remember, when he was a kid..." 

 

"Said is dead." or at least that's what creative writing teachers keep trying to convince us. However according to J.K. Rowling, 'said' is neither dead nor an amateur word. These two quotes are taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a wonderful book if I do say so. And while I quite honestly can't find anything other then that, J.K. Rowling still helps illustrate the point that writing teachers aren't alway right when it comes to dialog tags, or anything else for that matter. 

I suppose what I am trying to say is that your writing seems boring and predictable because you wrote it and have re-read it a hundred times. You don't have to be the world's greatest wordsmith to publish a book. You simply need to be you (though a good storyline and developed characters don't hurt.)

Little things

When writing romance it's important to make sure it's realistic. Thane recently wrote about something similar in her post Romance: Please write it right or not at all. Instead of the overview that she gives you I would like to go into some specifics. 

When you love someone, or when you're falling in love it's the little things that make you love them more everyday. Maybe it's the way she can't help but mouth the words to every song she knows, or the way his smile reaches his eyes whenever he's cooking. Maybe it's the way he looks at her when she doesn't notice, or the way she always checks her phone to see if he texted. 

Writing romance isn't just about lust. It's about becoming friends, learning about the little things. His favorite movie, her favorite drink, what his nightmares are about, and what her daydreams are made of. Love is a word that had become overused in our culture. So much so that there are times we mistake lust for love. 

Like Thane says, your characters have to be friends before they can fall in love. And even after that they need to continue to be friends.

The beginning

Their relationship begins when they meet. Wether thats when they were young, when they started working together, or maybe when they passed each other in the park. It might have been a look, or something they said. The heart is a tricky thing, and it doesn't always go the way you expect. Maybe he's dating a hot rising euntrirpronuer who he's always thought he's helplessly in love with, but ends up falling for the girl who owns the flower shop down the street. Simply for the reason that he can't figure her out. She doesn't believe the world owes her a thing, she's a genius but hates for people to know it, and she loves cats. Those are her little things. His are that he likes to brew his own coffee, he's terrified of dogs, and loves sappy romance movies. They start traditions, and inside jokes, they're able to laugh together, and something happened where they saw each other at their most vulnerable. Maybe she's frightened of thunderstorms because she's had bad experiences with loud noises and he's there to calm her down. Or maybe he suffers from PTSD after a traumatizing car wreck that nearly killed him and so she offers to walk to the store instead. Thats the beginning, the seed that burrows into their hearts. 

The blossom

When that seed begins to germinate and bloom there will be subtle changes in their behavior. Maybe they turn down a day out with friends to watch a movie with each other. Or maybe there's a present that no one else payed enough attention to get. A tune they always sing together stuck in their head, and they're not sure if it actually bothers them. Things that the can't quite explain. A hug here, a look there, a desire that wasn't there before. It's not all roses and romance. Sometimes it's pillow fights or blanket forts, arguments over hot chocolate or coffee, early mornings or late nights spent laughing together. This middle part is crucial for the simple reason that this is what makes it believable. If two people hate each other their romance isn't likely to last long. But if they can learn to see from each other's perspective then they might get a little further. Your partner is meant to be your best friend, the person you talk to when you can't confide in others. Even so this part of romance is arguably the hardest to write. It's quite possible that at this point your characters may not even realize they're in love because of how comfortable they've gotten with each other. It's your job as an author to give them that little push to get them to realize it. 

If your characters are very in tune with their emotions they may be able to recognize their emotions in the late stages of the beginning. However, the blossoming stage needs to see a strengthening in their friendship. They spend more time together, have more heart to hearts, and learn each other's likes and dislikes. 

The Finale

Thane and I had two characters that we thought made the perfect couple. For spoilers sake we'll call them Caleb and Heaven. Now both Heaven and Caleb had very hard life, they understood each other. They could throw insults back and forth and never let the other gain an inch in an argument. There were times they hated each other's guts but they always remained friends. Suddenly we decided to introduce a new character, we'll call him Heath. As we developed all three of their pasts and personalities further we discovered that Heaven and Heath would actually become great friends. Thats when we realized something, While Caleb and Heaven were at each other's side for a long time, they didn't make each other better people. But Heath was able to draw Heaven out of her hatred and anger and encourage her to be a better person. 

What I'm trying to say is that the relationships you start out with may not be the one you end up with. And no matter how much you may love the paring (Thane and I still love the AU head cannons we created for them) if they're simply passive, merely existing to be each other's love interests, then they don't belong together. No matter who a person is they will change when around someone they love. They won't be fixed, they won't magically become another person but they will tend to take on different tendencies. Someone who is violent may begin to become more peaceful, someone who is fearful may find comfort or courage. If they refuse to change, then I venture to suggest that they are not truly in love. True, a character who fears love or rejection may settle for a relationship where neither party will change, but their relationship won't seem as real or as fulfilling. They don't need a happy ending to seem happy, as long as they are content in each other's company any situation will be fulfilling for your readers. 

It's the little things in love that bring us closer together, and as writers that give us the opportunity to write real, heart wrenching, romance that will inspire your readers to dream.