Category Archives: The Writing Life

The Conflicts of Character Design

Character Matt Jones Writing Tools 4 Comments

There are many parts of creating a new novel, and creating realistic characters is probably one of the most challenging ones. Characters need to be believable. They need to have their own personality, habits, and traits that set them apart from others. If done correctly, the reader will be able to relate. They’ll understand and feel concerned. It’ll pull them deeper into the novel and they’ll keep reading to figure out what will happen. If done poorly, it will throw them out of the novel. They won’t be able to believe and before long, they’ll look elsewhere and leave your novel behind.

When I create new characters, I focus on the conflicts. Everyone has conflicts they face and have to deal with. It’s the sum of all these conflicts that can lead them on the road of hero or villain. These conflicts will generally take on the shape of external and internal, two sides of a fight that is always raging in everyone.

Internal conflicts are anything that tears your character apart from inside. This can be dealing with a phobia, memory, or other psychological barrier. It can be need to be the best, or look the prettiest. It can be the fear of the dark that makes your character abandon others he could easily save. Or the pride that keeps him from admitting he was wrong. The internal conflicts are generally the deeply ingrained problems that the character spends the entire novel attempting to overcome.

External conflicts are everything else that keeps your character on track. The broken home he has to deal with, the abusive parents. They can include the weather, environment, wild animals, or other characters. Anything that goes against what the character would do and forces them to make decisions.

When you create a new character, consider all the conflicts that they have to deal with. Write them down and keep them in your mind as you write them. They’ll keep your character constant and provide motivation to act, even if it’s running away. Once these conflicts are established, your character can show true heroism by not only saving the day, but by having to overcome their natural reaction to do so.

The Heart of Fairwood Press

The Writing Life 6 Comments

by Patrick Swenson

Writers crave free time. Quiet time. Down time. They live for uninterrupted, intense pockets of time when they don’t have to do anything but write.

They need to get away from their homes, their jobs, their families, and have writing time free from their stressful life situations.

In the fall of 1982, I interviewed for my first teaching job out at a place I had barely even heard of: Lake Quinault, Washington, nestled in the Olympic Rainforest. I was a music education teacher, but I was also prepared for some English classes. I taught all levels of band, choir, and grade school music, as well as sophomore speech and Title I reading. I also coached JV girls basketball and boys and girls track. No more than 350 kids went to this school, grades K-12. (Now, post-timber industry, the student population is closer to 190).

It rains 144 inches a year in Quinault. I’ve often joked that as far as starting out as a teacher there, Quinault was a good place for me to get my feet wet. Long story short, the secretary of the superintendent was married to one of three brothers who owned a resort on the lake that boasted quaint cabins and a simple motel, all with breathtaking views of the lake. The Rain Forest Resort Village has no phones in the rooms or cabins, and, even now, little to no cell phone service. It is its own little village, with a restaurant, general store, gift shop, lounge, post office, and laundromat on site.

I taught in Quinault three years, and during the summers I worked for the resort, mostly at the reservation desk and the general store. After moving away from Quinault to teach in the Seattle area, I went back a few summers to help them out. Except for the summer of 1986, when I attended the six-week Clarion West Writers Workshop, and truly cemented my love and desire to be a writer.

I had a standing invitation from the resort owners, who had become good friends: “Any time you want to stay longer, Patrick, let us know.” I eventually took them up on it. I left my teaching job and moved out to Quinault, living in some rooms above the general store, working for minimum wage and room and board, and hoping to get a whole bunch of writing done. Yes, it rains a lot in Quinault, but oftentimes it is sunny and beautiful. Even the rain-soaked days have a charm and peacefulness that soothes the soul. What a great place to write!

I stayed there for almost two years before going back to teaching, but my heart never quite left Quinault. A part of it, although slightly rusty, ached for the moss-covered trees, the pristine lake, and the idea of being far away from the maddening crowd. (Well, except during the summers when the tourists flocked to the resort.) From October through early spring, however, the serenity lent itself well to relaxing, and writing.

What if I could arrange a few days at Quinault during this quiet time and get some writers out there to give them a chance to feel what I used to feel? That was the impetus for the Rainforest Resort Village, a writers retreat I’ve put on there now for six years. The resort owners were with me from the start on this. In early March, during their off-season, the resort might have five or six rooms rented for the night. It would be a win-win for all involved if writers filled up their resort during this time.

In 2006, 30 writers kicked off the first retreat. This past March, 76 writers attended during two back-to-back retreat sessions.

The idea was to create at least one time and place in the year where all but writing was put aside. To borrow from my own words on the Rainforest retreat website, the objective was to create an annual writers’ gathering that focused on solitary and community writing, in an isolated environment, supported by a collective of contemporaries of like mind and pursuits.

Writers now gather yearly at this Quinault location ready to spend an intensive four plus days on their own work, with others involved in the same who are present for support and interactive development of written creative work as art, craft, and science. Balanced against this is a schedule of events aimed at supporting this process, with the number of retreat guests and attendees kept to a limit. Local populations are small and centers of civilization are approximately 50 miles from the resort; close enough for those who wish to seek them out, and far enough for others not to have to seek escape from them. They get professional advice from, and interaction with, guests who have had success in the writing business.

Doing the Rainforest retreat, I’ve been blessed to have met so many amazing people, so many talented and dedicated writers. I see beginning, intermediate and accomplished writers at the same retreat, all immersed in an art form they love. It’s really a heady experience. For the first retreat, I had this idea that writers would simply plug away at their stories and novels in their rooms and cabins, then come out to writing discussions and group meals, but on that first morning, I walked into the now-famous resort lounge, and I found 20 writers sitting at the small tables.

I stood there in the doorway stunned. Laptop keys clicked. Some writers had headphones on. Some typed furiously. Some were lost in thought. Some gazed out the big picture windows, taking in the misty lake and the pouring rain.

It was quiet. It was inspiring. Tears filled my eyes. What could I do to possibly top this moment?

I found an open table, set up my laptop, and began to write.

Patrick Swenson, Publisher
FAIRWOOD PRESS
The Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy
http://www.fairwoodpress.com/
www.rainforestwritersvillage.com

Sunday Reads: 22 April 2012

Conventions Craft & Skills Kylie Quillinan Sunday Reads Superstars Writing Seminars Writing Tools 2 Comments

 

Another week gone, and here’s 10 sites worth your time.

 

Steve Feasey takes a stab at answering the eternal “what do you do when you’re not writing” question.

Constance Hale talks about Make-or-Break Verbs (and, yes, I do feel like I should have used a stronger verb there!)

Over at Wistfully Linda, there’s a discussion about Reading and Writing Negative Reviews.

And on a similar note, Sierra Godfrey talks about the damage 1-star reviews can cause.

 

A few upcoming events worth checking out:

Superstars Writing Seminar, Las Vegas, April 30 – 2 May

Agent Reads the Slush Pile, a webinar by Kristin Nelson, May 2

DFW Writers’ Conference, Dallas, May 19-20

Book Expo America, June 4-7, New York City

World Fantasy Convention, Toronto, November 1-4

 

And, finally, check out the Pens for Paws Auction which kicks off on May 7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s almost like being in love. . .

Nancy Greene Reading The Writing Life 1 Comment

Why do we write?

Well, I can’t answer that question for the world at large. I can, however, answer that for myself and the other writers I’ve asked that question. We write because we have to, and because we love it.

Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of overlap between my day job as a lawyer, and my night and weekend job as a writer. As a lawyer I write nonfiction (although some detractors of the profession might claim what lawyer’s write can only loosely be labled nonfiction). The lawyers I know who are in the profession for the money, because someone thought they should be, or because they want the prestige of those three magic letters (“Esq.”) after their names are miserable people. They are burnt out; they fight for the sake of fighting.

The writers I know of who write because they thought it was easy, or easy money, or because they wanted the prestige of being an “author” are miserable. They are burnt out; they are depressed, and they give up. They are overly critical of others’ stories.

Now let’s look at the lawyers who aren’t burnt out, depressed or on the verge of quitting. While they may hate a particular part of the process, they love the overall system. I love being in court. I love researching and finding new ways to combine existing law to my client’s benefit. I love helping people. My practice reflects this. I don’t sleep or eat much the week before trial. I do my best work when I’m passionate about my client’s position. I’ve jumped up and down behind counsel’s table when arguing a point (my husband, who was observing that argument, had to fight laughing out loud as I bounced around).

The last statistic I heard was the average advance from a traditional publisher is about $8,000. E-publishers pay better (up to 50% of net sales), but they don’t generally pay advances. It takes the sale of many thousands of 99 Cent e-books to lift you above the poverty level, much less replace most people’s regular income. Self-publishing means you spend a lot of upfront money hoping you can recoup it and make a profit. Except for the precious few, writing will never be a “get rich quick” career.

So, why do we do it?

Love.

In the movie Shadowlands, Sir Anthony Hopkins, who plays C.S. Lewis, tells a fellow Oxford Don that he (Lewis) can’t stop praying because the words pour out of him. He could have been speaking for any writer. The words pour out of us. Stories beat on our minds and distract us from other concerns.
I love filling the screen with words; creating new worlds; and that moment when a character is real enough to talk to (and fight with) me. When a story first takes hold of me, my hands shake, my heart races, I have trouble sleeping and I’m constantly thinking about my new world and characters. Sounds a lot like a first crush, huh?

That someone else likes reading what I write is amazing. That someone is willing to pay to read my stories is humbling.

This business is hard. We hear a lot of “no” before we hear “yes.” If you aren’t passionate about writing, you won’t write. It’s just that simple.
Find the story that makes your heart race, and get writing.