Make a Change

Make a Change

Let’s do something good, let’s do something kind

Let’s use our imaginations, just sat there in our minds.

In a world that suffers, let’s do something good

Let’s take positive action, bring it to our neighbourhood.

The more often we meet, the more often we plan

To take away negative portrayals, to show everyone we can.

Join us to make a difference, let’s make a change

Let’s become something worthy, make that change today.

~ Amie Johnson, 29/01/2015 ~

~ Inspired by the Youth Action Teams of OYAP Trust ~

As some of you may know, I work for a Children's Art Charity, who are devoted to encouraging arts within the young people of today. It is something I have so much passion for and commitment to and today, whilst working on a project, I was inspired to write this short poem to encourage positive change. 

A Youth Action Team is a group of young people who express interest in using art as a catalyst to make positive changes within their communities. As someone who has always gone out of my way to make people happy, even strangers, this project is the highlight of my job. Engaging young people and supporting them to take creative action within their communities for the sake of others is something I truly love to do. It is something I believe we should all do a little more of when we can. 

This morning a lady greeted me and it made me happy. Moments later I greeted another passing stranger with hopes that they will pass along the happiness and 'spread the joy'. Even something as little as this can spark happiness within someone, so if you pass someone, acknowledge them, say "hello". 

Maybe you want to take it a step further and help create other changes? The Youth Action Teams at OYAP Trust are working hard to make these changes happen, and support is always sought. For more details on our Youth Action Teams and updates of what they have been up to visit: www.oyap.org.uk and check out our projects page. 

I hope they can inspire you as much as they inspire me. 

When?

Just some lyrics/poem I've been working on.

Why did you do this
What were you thinking
How could you do this
Where is this going
Who are you?

A puncture wound left untreated
A burst awakens the night
A compass that has no needle
A frown kept out of sight.

Two hearts sewn together as one
Two minds lay awake alert
Two pictures blurred from vision
Two dreams reenact the hurt.

Anger is rising
Tears are falling
Body is aching
My heart is calling.

Why did you do this
What were you thinking
How could you do this
Where is this going
Who are you?

The jungle is growing darker
The peace is turning to rage
The core is beginning to fail
The processor trapped in a cage.

One more time to see a spark light
One last time to place a kiss
One more look to find a life line
One last moment to stop this.

Anger is rising
Tears are falling
Body is aching
My heart is calling.

Why did you do this
What were you thinking
How could you do this
Where is this going
Who are you?

A mystery is unforgivable
A mind ticks on over thinking
A question will go unanswered
A path is suddenly sinking.

A face, a memory, a painful burn.
A time, a moment, a dream.
A life, a happiness, a unique smile.
A love, a present, a team.

Who are you
Where is this going
How could you do this
What were you thinking
Why did you do this?

Solo rider #3 - the conclusive blog

The WiFi here in Tunisia has been ups and downs so, I have unfortunately been unable to update my blog about my experiences within this wonderful country. Here, I say wonderful as in literally full of wonders. Many times I found myself decoding puzzles of the country I did not understand, and enjoying the solutions and answers I was educated with. 

But lets start where I left off... Day 2.

The Amphitheatre of Thysdrus

Known to be the second largest Amphitheatre in the world, The Amphitheatre of Thysdrus, located in the town of El Drem, was breathtaking. A stunning piece of ruined architecture that towered above the poverty ridden town below. Famous not only for its history, but more modernly recognised as the template for The Gladiator's setting, Thysdrus was built in the 3rd century AD.

Whilst exploring the Amphitheatre I visited the underground dungeons where they kept animals, namely lions and such alike, before the Gladiator games began and both Gladiator and lion met their fate. Along the walls you can see evidence of their discomfort in the form of scars and markings. Who can blame them? After being captured and then transported to a tiny cell where they remain until they are called to battle and killed, just for the entertainment of locals.

I also climbed to the highest point of the tallest section of the ruined building and was able to look out for miles across the landscape of Tunisia. One side presented a long strip of road lined with flat buildings and a vast bell tower that stood proudly, looking down on all of its surroundings. The other side treated the eye to an insight into the town of El Djem, populated by around 18,000. Cars sped along narrow roads and dodged the inhabitants as they seemingly crawled like ants along the dry roads under 37°C heat. On this side stood a small bell tower, in comparison to the bell tower adjacent to it.

The delicate building that divided these two sides stood gracefully, regardless of the amount which had crumbled away from its foundations over time. The walls hosted a fabulous gold colour which created an ancient, yet beautiful, feel to the historic site. The remaining structure, resonating a half finished puzzle, was fascinating to the eye and allowed for a 'travel back in time', cultural experience.

During my time in Tunisia there were days where, inevitably, I felt lonely. Day three was one of those days. A Saturday, a day I would normally spend in the pleasant company of friends. This was when the worst of my loneliness happened. I had spotted a few couples that day and the pang of envy shot through me so hard, my heart physically ached for my recent lost love. 

A similar feeling occurred as I witnessed friends grouped together, laughing and sharing happy memories and anecdotes. It took a lot of strength to remind myself that I had that aspect (friendship) of my life too and it was my decision to leave that behind whilst I journeyed to Tunisia alone. 

The truth is the experience I have had has changed me and created a stronger and happier spirit within me. One which I will always be thankful to have inside my body, guiding me through the ups and downs of life. I don't regret a single part of my time away, even the lowest moments, because I know I had to feel that emotion, understand that pain, to achieve the status I have become : stronger, happier and ready for the next chapter of my life to begin.

Day 5 - The Medina Ramble 

Another noteworthy time during my stay is when I took on the haggling experience in Tunisia's oldest city, The Medina. Whilst telling you I haggled prices of handbags and pashminas is all good and fun, what I really want to report is the new knowledge I achieved that day. 

Since arriving in Tunisia it has been evident that doors are an important aspect to their culture. Tunisians decorate their doors using mainly studs and coloured paints, and this had me wondering the reason behind it. I learnt that day it marked the status of the family living behind those doors. It is a way of telling people how wealthy (or not) you are. The more studs presented on the door, the richer a family are said to be. (I know, WOW!) 

 

Whilst visiting Tunisia's smallest city we came across a café which had a rooftop view which enabled me to take this photo...

I find it striking and aesthetically appealing. The levels and the bland colours gives the picture a sort of educational value about Tunisian culture. I could stare for hours, hypnotised, just making up lives for my creation of people who live beyond the walls of each settlement in the picture. Bare in mind this photo is taken whilst on a roof top that resides above a busy and bustling market. It makes for an interesting shot. The houses in this picture come to life in my eyes.

2 days remain and I want to do something I have never even had the slightest interest in doing before. Henna. 

When speaking to a new acquaintance of mine in Tunisia, Wasim, a henna tattooist, he illustrated my name in Arabic writing. I enjoyed the patterns of the drawing so much it made me wonder about whether or not to put some Arabic on my body in the form of henna. I visited his stall and had him write for me a few words that came to mind. But it was the second word I requested that stuck. 

For years I have disliked tattoos, I think an opinion I have inherited from my dear mother! However, when asked "if you absolutely had to have a tattoo, what would you have?" I always said I would have an olive to represent my late Nanny, Olive. She was my favourite person in the whole world. We wrote to one another very often, and religiously whilst I was away at university studying. She was an inspiration, the head of the family. Her comfort was so valuable to me. I loved her with all of my heart, as we used to say in our letters "to pieces". After telling this story to Wasim and debating having an olive drawn upon my skin in this semi-permanent ink, it was suggested I, instead, have her name in Arabic illustrated along my foot. After seeing my Nanny's name formed in Arabic letters I loved the idea and instantly agreed.

Once this henna was sitting comfortably upon my foot I was flicking through some other designs and I came across an illustration that literally showed me the reason for my independent adventure. The picture was of an ECG scan, linked between two words which created an uprising of butterflies in my stomach, 'Just Live'. This was an absolute moment of realisation that since my heart break I have forgotten to live my life. It sounds silly to say because as long as you're breathing, you're living, right? But that isn't what life is about. "Life is a gift, not a given right." I seemed to have lost sight of this fact during my months of sleepless nights and sorrowful days. I couldn't see past my nose for the ache that just seemed to grow inside me, swallowing me whole and creating a vibe of negative energy flow from me. Surround me. Squeeze me into this tight space in my broken heart and repeatedly remind me of the pain I was experiencing. Asking me all the questions that begin with why? 

It is only now I am starting to truly appreciate again that I have been given this life and am still living. My future self is urging me to keep going because I believe she knows that things are going to get better for me. She is encouraging me forward until I meet her in a much happier place in my life. I don't know when I will arrive in that place, but I know that thanks to that simple sketch I am excited to be there, and ready to take on all the obstacles to get there.

As I said, this break away has left me feeling much more positive and strong as a person. When I left I was heart broken, apprehensive, scared even of the thought of being alone, lonely and all by myself. Even dreading the nights I'd spend alone, looking up at my ceiling all night just going over every detail about my failed relationship to try and find some sort of resolution that would solve my heart ache and struggle. And also help me understand why it happened in the first place. After just 7 days I am feeling replenished, stocked up with strength, happiness and zen. Imagine what I could become in a month, a year?! (If only work would allow such luxurious amounts of time off!!) There are still parts of me that hurt and FEEL broken, of course, but I have learnt that time heals and to not waste that time feeling negative. JUST LIVE. 

Having successfully passed the challenge of experiencing a week in a foreign country by myself I feel like I am ready to enjoy my own company in many other countries and learn more about their cultures and myself along the way. I am also no longer afraid of going to bed alone. I believe I have at least learnt how to do that without feeling so lonely and wanting to cry until my eyes are swollen enough they feel tired enough to close. These last 7 days have been enjoyable, essential, educational, inspirational and possibly some of the best in my life, so far.

To all you solo travellers who embark on year long adventures I salute you. You are probably reading this thinking 'bloody hell love you've only done a week!' but if you knew me you'd know that a week alone for me is very out of character, a rare experience, in fact, one that has never happened until now. You are clearly people who were born with a strong independence and passion to live your life away with the capability of doing it alone. I am learning and one day hope to be joining you on one of your journeys and letting our paths cross.

I am going to sign off now because this has turned into a very wordy blog, focusing more on the emotive side of my trip than anything else. Thank you for reading, I'll write again soon. 

Psychology

Welcome to blog number 9! Thank you for your visit. This week is another solo act from me. Hoping to get the authors back in next week so keep watching this space.

So today I will be discussing how Psychology can help when writing... 

Psychology is such a useful tool when it comes to writing, I find. The study of why a person performs an action is interesting and can really help a story come to life. If you’re not familiar with psychology I’m not saying you should enroll onto a course to be able to use it for your writing. Just browse through a couple of books and pick up some new facts you didn’t know. Key facts to know for me are; how people react in certain situations, what makes people tick, gestures people might use to cover up a lie... All these things can provide a much more detailed, truthful description in your story. 

Those of you who have some knowledge on psychology may have heard of something called Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). What this means is every human has a preferred way of perceiving something. They demonstrate this preference in their everyday life when they use their senses (visual, audio, feeling). Here is an example of someone demonstrating their preference of being visual with their speech:

“I see what you are saying.” “Show me what you mean.” 

Visual people tend to like tidy spaces and are also creative with subjects like art. 

Now, let’s look at someone who prefers audio:

“I hear what you mean.” “Tell me more.” 

These types of people enjoy music and prefer comfort to fashion. 

‘Feelers’ demonstrate their preference by saying things like: 

“That feels good.” “Can we keep in touch?” 

They enjoy being practical with their hands. 

Each person will transfer information into their preferred form; visual people like pictures/graphs. Audio people prefer sounds and discussion. Feelers are more hands on and digest information using emotions and feelings. 

So, you see. All these wonderful characteristics are available to your characters now. Just decide which preferred perception you want your character to have and away you go with a totally new route of creating and developing your characters. 

Body language is another route psychology can take you down when researching for your characters. Some key things to know about body language:

• Happy people will be very open and feel secure
• Sad people will be more closed off and have insecurities 

Insecure people may use their bag or surroundings to form a barrier between themselves and another person. 

Secure people tend to lean in when in discussion whereas insecure people will lean back or turn away. 

Then there’s the famous giveaways of a liar:

• covers mouth
• scratches ear
• touches nose
• rub an eye
• pull a collar

More wonderful characteristics you can provide your leading roles with to represent emotions/feelings/personalities. 

Just remember there is always a reason behind every action. This is especially important to think about when writing your villains part - they must be bad/evil or do the things they do for an internal reason that is very significant to them. Be sure to reveal this at the end when your villain is caught! 

My final tip is to write about things you have experienced because it can be really difficult to write about something you’ve never done as you will be merely guessing at how the character feels. Become your character when your writing for them. 

Keep in mind that if your writing isn’t affecting you it isn’t going to affect the reader! 

Thank you for stopping by. You can follow me on Twitter via @amieblinks

Is Your Plot Viable?

Thank you for your visit and ongoing support. This weeks blog will be discussing how to make your story’s plot viable. I have no authors on board with me this week so this may be a short blog. Here goes...

The best way to start when discussing believability is if you can’t come up with a realistic way to get your character out of a circumstance you have put them in, then you should not have put them there in the first place!

The best way to produce a believable story/plot is to draw up a rough outline of the events. Josh Logan, an American playwright, said the best formula for a drama is “to run the hero up a tree in the first act, throw rocks at him in the second act, and get him down the tree in the third act.” Basically, provide your character with a difficult situation (put him in a tree), add other ingredients to make the situation worse (throw rocks at him), then help him overcome/get out of the situation (get him down from the tree). 

Always question what you write. If the answers you form aren’t believable then what you’re writing isn’t either! Why did this group of people trust the spiteful old lady they’ve never met? How did they even get onto the peak of K2? When they were left alone why did none of them use a phone or tell someone where they were going?

Have you ever watched a horror movie and asked why the next victim of the killer runs up the stairs when she knows there’s no way out up there? Or why do these teenagers insist on not taking a phone when the travel to a dark, spooky part of America? It’s these things that make us not believe a story and it’s the same when writing. If there’s a question that cannot be answered sensibly, you have probably written something implausible. 

Read through your work and decide if what you have written is necessary to the plot. “Would the plot be ruined if I cut this scene?” “Does this scene help the book move forward?” If the answer is ‘no’, cut the scene. You’ll only bore the reader and make your book drag along. 

Be sure not to insert ‘convenient’ occurrences. For example; Mollie really wants to be a singer and at school she meets a new teacher who just so happens to be manager of a recording studio on the side. Make everything you write realistic. Achievements aren’t achievements if no one has worked for it. 

I find it helps to mind map characters to aid with the plot. This way I can see who each character is in relation to my leading role. 

So my top tips fro creating a viable plot: 

1. Question what you write to test its believability
2. Don’t include convenient or trite happenings
3. Mind map characters to help you remembers who’s on who’s side. 

Thank you for visiting. Please follow me on Twitter via @amieblinks 

:)

Dialogue - Why Dialogue IS Important.

Welcome back to the world of writing tips :) It’s fantastic to announce this is our 7th week running and we are still getting so much support. Thank you. 

This week we will be discussing the importance of dialogue and how it can help your story develop. With me I have ... 

So, let’s begin. 

Firstly, I’d just like to outline the purposes of having dialogue. 

• It can help characterisation by bringing your characters to life by letting the readers hear what they have to say 
• Writing narrative is difficult so dialogue can convey information about your characters and situations which you might not want to deal with using narrative descriptions 
• The plot can be developed through characters making decisions
• Emotional states of characters are provided to your readers 
• Finally, readers can identify with characters through their words. 

Now let me provide you with some of my top tips for writing good dialogue. 

It’s key to remember dialogue in a story is different to how you and me might talk to one another. For example; if I asked you what the square root of 3,455 was, you might say “erm” or “um” before you answer the obvious - that is 58.77 (to two decimal places). Well, I hate to break it to you fellow writers, this does not make for acceptable reading. “Yeah”, “urgh” and “pfft” are not things your character should be saying in your stories. 

Having said this, don’t now assume you have to write poshly! “Yes, we absolutely must spread that silky, golden butter onto those freshly toasted crumpets.” Try adding realism to what your character is saying; “Mum, can I have some butter for these crumpets?” Or even just “Mum, pass the butter.” It’s with your narrative that you can talk about the texture of the butter and what your character wants to do with it. 

Try to avoid writing long speeches. Here are some tips to breaking up dialogue: 

• The person/people your character is talking to could interrupt with a comment or question
• Your character may choose to pause for a breath
• How about your character spotting something over the listeners shoulder? 

There are many ways to break down what you want your character to say. 

When I started writing I hated dialogue because it meant I had to come up with more words than ‘said’. You know what I mean. Every time someone spoke I felt I had to outline that to the reader by saying “Jessie said.” Little did I know that instead of repeating the word I could just get the character speaking to do something and talk about that. Through inserting actions, “Jessie said” can become much more interesting; “Jessie said, smiling gracefully.” Also, I now know it’s important not to use a string of synonyms for the word ‘said’. This can just sound boring and even patronising to the reader if Jessie ‘said’ then ‘spat’ then ‘announced’ then ‘added’ then ‘commented’ all in one paragraph. 

A good way to check that the dialogue you have produced is good is to speak it out loud, treat it like a script and read through it, making sure that your characters don’t sound stereotypical, too posh or too slang! 

Remember, unless the dialogue moves the story along there is no reason for it being there. Be sure to give it purpose and never use it to boost the word count. 

So, top tips for writing dialogue: 

1. Don’t use slang or sound too posh
2. Break up long speeches
3. Don’t overuse synonyms, just say ‘said’! 
4. Use dialogue to develop, not as a filler. 

Over to the authors then for their contributions...

First up is the wonderful Jonathan Lee, author of The Radio which you can (and should) buy on Amazon. Learn more here: www.jonathanleeauthor.com Or catch him on Twitter via @J0n4th4n_Lee.

I have to say that writing dialogue is my favourite part of writing.  It is such a useful tool for so many reasons.  Firstly, by a characters reaction to any given circumstance, their response to that circumstance can replace a thousand words of description.  The way a character speaks and communicates with others can give a lot away about who they are.

So much of my writing is about interpersonal relationships between characters and is based around the human observation aspect of how one person communicates, lives and survives alongside another. 

Therefore, as in life, the way they interact with one another will give a strong indication of aspects of their personality without having to overtly state those aspects of their personality to the reader.

The dialogue aspect can therefore state so much of a character and is arguably much more interesting than paragraphs describing a personality trait. Dialogue also helps to move the story along with a better rhythm and pace.  Many readers are actually excited about turning a page and seeing a full page of dialogue.

It is also very useful for changing a scene, or leaving a ‘cliff-hanger’ moment by using a statement from a character as the final sentence in that scene.

But perhaps most importantly, that important revelation that we are likely to find out about anyone, whether it be a character in a book or in real-life is almost always going to come from, or be confirmed by spoken word. Because ultimately it’s the main way that we all communicate.

Next up it’s the lovely Sharon Sant, author of the Sky Song trilogy also available on Amazon. Find out more here: www.sharonsant.com Or follow her on twitter via @SharonSant. 

As my friends will tell you, I’m a hopeless chatterbox in life. This means that my book characters are too, so including lots of dialogue comes as second nature when I write. However, that’s not to say that I always get it right, and I’m the first one to put my hand up and admit that. All I can do here is impart some wisdom given to me by my creative writing lecturer, and some habits I’ve picked up along the way that I feel work. 

The best advice I had from uni was that while your dialogue has to be natural, replicating real life speech leads to a lot of repetition and weak words. Use your wells, ums, buts etc. sparingly. Listen to natural speech patterns then copy them with edits – a bit like airbrushing a photo – it’s real, but cleaner.  

You don’t always need an adverb in your dialogue tag to tell the reader how that particular line was delivered. Have faith in your characters’ ability to speak for themselves – let the reader decide what mood they’re in. 

While it’s good for exposition, don’t turn dialogue into an info dump. Don’t have characters’ conversations convey things to each other that they would never actually discuss just for the sake of imparting it to readers, and don’t have a rambling great page of tell not show – having speech marks around it doesn’t make it any less boring. 

The last point is a personal preference – I like to keep my dialogue exchanges short and sharp. I rarely have a character speak more than two lines at a time. It makes it snappier. I’m not saying everyone should do it, but it whizzes your narrative along.  That also goes for dialogue tags; as long as you can make it clear who’s speaking within the order of the conversation, you don’t necessarily need any at all, or you can get away with the barest of them. 

Thank you to my contributors this week and for the ongoing support by the public. Please follow my on Twitter @amieblinks and offer new suggestions for writing tips you’d like help with. 

Stay happy. 

The Opening Chapter

Firstly, I’d just like to apologise for the delay on getting this blog posted. I have been quite snowed under this week with other work as I am currently studying towards my PGCE which is eating into a lot of my time. 

However, with that said, here it is at last! This weeks blog talking all about the all important Opening Chapter. Today I have Jonathan Lee and Jack Croxall on board with me to offer up some top tips on how to write your first chapter. 

I’ll kick it off then with a few amateur tips. 
So, where to begin? I only have one answer - the beginning! It sounds a stupid response but where better to start? Try to include action to grip your readers because that is what it’s all about. GRIP GRIP GRIP! Encourage something thrilling on the first page, something that teaches your reader that something is about to happen and conflict is just around the corner.

As previously discussed, a synopsis is key to writing for me. So when it comes to writing the first chapter I will only do this when I know where my story is going. As with the characters, make sure what you’re writing is believable. No matter how ‘out of this world’ your story is try and offer something your readers can relate to, or recognises.

The beginning of your story should set the tone of your whole novel. It is also key to introduce your main character and make sure he/she is interesting and likeable by your target audience. Just think about all the things you want to find in a book on the first page. What do you want to learn as soon as you start to read an authors words? Take inspiration from other authors but also, take inspiration from yourself. 

So top tips: 

1. GRIP your readers
2. Include action
3. Introduce your leading characters as soon as possible
4. Think about what you would want to see in an opening chapter. 

Now it’s time to hand it over to the professionals: 

Jack Croxall says: 

I think the key to firmly grabbing any reader’s attention is to – well, how would you feel if I didn’t tell you just yet? 

It’s that same familiar mixture of intrigue and annoyance experienced in other areas of life that convinces a reader to stay between the pages. This feeling comes before a reader has got to know a book’s characters, and before they’ve fallen in love with the author’s writing style. 

I think this is what any first chapter should do; ask a question – the more mysterious and captivating the better. It is only natural for humans to want to resolve a situation, and if a reader is invested in the question from the offset, then they’re so much more likely to read the rest of any novel too.

You can follow Jack on Twitter: @JackCroxall or visit his website: www.jackcroxall.co.uk

Jonathan Lee says: 

It wasn't until The Radio was finished and going to print that I realised the importance of the first chapter.  I was fortunate as I kind of accidentally fell on my feet by introducing the radio (which plays a major part in the story) in the first three pages.  This was done on purpose from the point of view I wanted to the reader to be introduced to straightaway to the radio and also, to bring the name of my novel, swiftly into focus.  

However, it wasn't until after I finished that I realised just how important this was.  Stephen King suggests that all stories should start with a impact chapter to immediately make the reader want to know more.  My second novel, The Page does just this, beginning with a dark event on a horrific evening.  This time the page itself doesn't appear until near halfway through. 

My advice is easy.  Either drag the reader in straight away with something that will hit them and go straight for the jugular or alternatively introduce something that will intrigue them.  You need to make them move easily on to chapter two.  Also, I would recommend you introduce a least one of your main characters in the first chapter.  You need the reader to be immediately be interested in that character and want to continue the journey with them through your story.

You can find Jonathan on his website: www.jonathanleeauthor.com or follow him on twitter via @J0n4th4n_Lee 

Well that’s all for now folks. Thank you for tuning in and for your ongoing support. Also thanks to my amazing contributing authors - without you I wouldn’t be getting very far! 

Developing Credible Characters

Blog entry 5 onto my Writers Tips page and I really am thrilled at how well this is all going. Thank you for reading my blog. Also HUGE thanks for the authors who contribute. It’s such an exciting project for me and I appreciate the support. 

This week then we are looking at Developing Credible Characters and as always I will inject my top tips first and then hand over to the contributing authors for their help. On board with this weeks blog is Jack Lacey and Jonathan Lee. 

Many people who choose to write a story significantly do it for two reasons; to tell a story or to introduce a new character. Developing each of these is such an exciting task that writing - for me - will never be a ‘job’ because I love doing it. An important thing to keep in mind when developing characters are to make sure they’re believable. Even if your lead character is an alien, be sure to insert familiar characteristics and traits. Depending on who your writing for can also come into play here so be sure to pick your target audience first and then develop a character based around them. For example; if your book is aimed at teenage boys they are not going to enjoy the lead character being a ten year old boy. They yearn for heroes who they can look up to and aspire to be like. If you are writing for young readers they require simple, one dimensional characters. The older the audience the more multi-dimensional the character should become. 

Try to guard against creating stereotypical characters; steer away from the busty, blonde bar lady and the flirtatious sales guy. Mix and match characteristics for your characters to keep them interesting. I might refer you back to my character checklist that I mentioned in Blog 3 - Planning. This is something that helps me develop characteristics and mannerisms for my leading roles. 

A lot of the time, when writing and creating, a horrible thing called ‘writers block’ can take over. My cure for this is to have my trusty notebook near by (something else mentioned in planning). Carry a notebook with you wherever you may go and if you see a person with a striking attitude, quirky habbits or an interesting dress sense, make a note of them in your book. This can also be used if you hear intriguing dialogue. These notes can help you build up a portfolio of characters which you can develop in your stories. 

Psychology can help you when creating and developing credible characters. For example; explore body language. When a person is happy and secure they will generally be very open. Those insecure or feeling under threat will be closed. Some might choose to put physical barriers up between themselves and whoever they are talking to (ie; a handbag). Secure people would lean in when talking but insecure characters would lean back. Showing a character is lying? Just add in a little gesture; covers mouth, touches their nose, rubs an eye or an ear. Remember, there is always a reason for an action. 

The Seven Deadly Sins are fantastic to use when selecting personality traits for your characters. Sloth, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Anger and Greed are all great characteristics. 

So top tips then: 

1. Make your characters BELIEAVABLE
2. Avoid stereotyping
3. Use your target audience to help you create
4. Have a trusty notebook with you at all times
5. Draw upon psychology

Now I am going to hand over to two fabulous authors; Jack Lacey and Jonathan Lee for their input on developing credible characters. 

Jack Lacey says: 

Hi Amie, great to be back on your wonderful blog...There are many different approaches to characterisation as there are writers...As for myself, I prefer a ‘method acting’ type approach. How can we really get under someone’s skin? Because we have to do that to truly make a character real, don’t we? A principal character has to be an extension of our own psyche, as he or she is then far easier to create and is enlivened by our own personality, needs and emotions. 

The genre and plot of a book will help manifest the outline of a main character for sure, and our own voice will help shape that lead character some, but what about the small details, the ‘brushstrokes’ as my editor used to say. Well for that, I have to go undercover! Being a writer is a great excuse to do things you would never normally do and not feel like your plain crazy, all though that is undoubtedly true if you’re a writer anyway ;-) 

Go to that Elvis impersonator bingo one night, or spend a night in the forest, take up Kareoke pole dancing or jump out of a plane, if thats what your character would be seen to do! You need to ‘feel’ the environment that he operates in, in order to wear that scenario so then you can react to it as your character would react to it in order to write about it with authenticity and vibrancy. 

In my latest novel ‘American Crow’. My main guy ‘Blake’ is tied to a tree in a Kentucky forest and tortured ‘Delivrance’ style by some Hillybilly thugs. In real life, I visited that same forest for research and was lost in it one day as dusk was falling. (Okay, I didnt plan that bit!) I was petrified. I had no phone, knife nor matches. I was alone in that forest just like Blake subsequently was in the book, so I managed to write that chapter (I hope) with real emotion, infused with the horror and fear of potentially getting eaten by bears or bitten by snakes. 

More importantly, I got to know Blake a little bit better...  

"Follow in your characters footsteps"

You can catch Jack on Twitter via @JackLaceyBooks or on his website: jacklacey.co.uk

Jonathan Lee adds: 

This is a fantastic area to chat about and perhaps, in my mind the most important part of writing.  The way I work, once again may be different to my peers but hopefully this will be of help to some writers out there.

My method is simple. When I formulate my story (which if you remember is done by writing down two or maybe three simple sentences), I then choose my main two characters, give them approximate ages and list their three main traits. That is it.

The characters are based on small proportions of people I have met.  Obviously human beings have many facets to their personality. Some good, some bad.  I pick out a trait from somebody I know and then exaggerate it so it becomes the all-consuming and only trait of that person. I do the same, using two other people for two other traits and then simply mould those into the three traits into one of my main characters.

The main characters therefore have real, believable traits because they are based on fact. Albeit exaggerated and embellished fact. It is then easy to give the characters other smaller and less visible traits as the story develops and interaction takes place with other characters.

Others (who have roles that are not main character roles) are dealt with in the same way, they just perhaps have one main trait.

Take The Radio, George (the main character) is hen-pecked, caring and consumed. Auntie Lesley (a lesser, but important character) is simply a middle-aged drunk.

Character writing to me, is the most fun and I find that by starting with just a few important traits (which are engrained into the raison d'etre of that character), your characters can develop and remain believable.   

Overplanning every single trait will make your characters appear one dimensional and so much less believable.  In the case of Character Development, do just that and let them develop...

You can catch Jonathan Lee on Twitter via @J0n4th4n_Lee or on his website: jonathanleeauthor.com

So there you have it; all the tips you could possibly need on developing your characters and making them credible. I hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks blog. 

Look out next week for tips on writing the first chapter. 

Please do contact me with any topic you would like us to cover :) 

Thanks again.

Setting - developing and describing

Thank you all for visiting and making this blog a success. 1 view is better than none and I've been so overwhelmed by the support this blog has had so far.

This weeks topic is 'Setting' and I have one author in with me today – the lovely Sharon Sant. We will be discussing how to approach deciding on a suitable setting for your novel and what to do once you have chosen. There are several parts to setting, many of which we will aim to cover here. 

Firstly, I would like to make note of the three key elements to setting that should be described vividly throughout your stories;

• Exterior – The outside world
• Interior – Buildings, rooms
• The psychological and social aspects of the environment – For example the emotional ‘tone’ of the setting.

When it comes to describing settings you should only discuss what you deem to be important for your story. Once you have these significant scenes planned you should then find 'out of the ordinary' ways to depict the settings. This can make it much more interesting for your readers. Another tip to make for an attention grabbing portrayal is to pick up on colours and textures of things – is the wall 'as smooth as glass and coffee in colour' or has 'the once vivid red colour faded to a mucky brown as the protruding bricks rot away'?

Exterior settings are important for the readers to understand what kind of world your character lives in. Is it somewhere real or has the place been unlocked from your imagination? If it is real try to make the effort to visit the location, see how it would feel for your character to step foot on its soil. If it is a made up place remember your target audience and base it on being suitable for that age range. For example don’t talk about an exquisite building made in the 17^th century, showing off a range of balconies and archways when writing a children’s book.

Interior settings are just as valid to write about, however it’s important that you don’t repeat what you've already mentioned. For example, if you discuss your main characters home, only do this twice at most and only if they enter a different room than the first you described. Again, it is important to remember your target audience here.

The psychological and social aspects of the environment are basically keeping your characters in mind when explaining their home. A middle aged woman with an obsessive compulsive order for cleaning for example, wouldn't invite her friends round to her cottage for afternoon tea knowing that last nights cabbage scents are still lingering in the air. Would your leading ladies nineteen year old daughter have a postman pat designed bedroom?

Once you have chosen your setting the next step is to develop it but try not to bore on about what style of floor the spare bedroom, that no character in your story uses, has. Highlight only the important and necessary scenes and try to do this by describing the unusual features. Keep it authentic by adding descriptive touches; 'a layer of dust floating around your characters after they find a really old book and open its front page'.

Next up to consider when it comes to setting is whether or not to provide direct or indirect descriptions. Young readers demand a direct portrayal, however you can let your creativity run away with you a little more when writing for teenagers, plus. Here are some examples of direct and indirect writing:

Direct – The rain drops fell from the grey sky and got Emma very wet.

Indirect –Emma tried to dodge the bullets firing out from a blanket of grey above her.

Direct – The Christmas tree was decorated with silver and gold tinsel and fairy lights.

Indirect – Bursts of glitter exploded from the green statue which danced seemingly wrapped up in stars.

Direct descriptions are obvious in what they are describing whereas indirect wording just hints.

The best part about being creative when it comes to depicting what a set looks like is that you can use it to conjure up emotions. For example, an open door that’s pitch black inside may look like a monsters mouth inviting in any daring wanderers. This could present the idea of threat.

You can also use the weather to develop a feeling within your readers. If you choose to have a scorching hot, sunny day you are more than likely sending a vibe of happiness. However, selecting a dark, windy night can make your set instantly mysterious and perhaps quite frightening. Remember things look different at night. In the park across the road from your leading ladies house there grows a rose bush protected by some flimsy string, but at night time a sinister shape takes its place stalking her home.

When writing a spooky tale for children keep in mind that the dark can instinctively put them on edge. Older readers need more details.

So top tips:

1. Only describe significant things and try to do this in an unusual way.
2. Have your leading character portray the setting using all their senses, not just what they see.
3. Reflect how the characters feel by using the weather or objects around them.
4. Weave descriptions into the plot instead of having them as vast essays distracting readers from the action of your story.
5. Research/visit the place you are writing about to get facts write or vacate to new places for ideas.
6. Make sure whatever decisions you make to always have your target audience in mind.

Now let’s see what the fantastic author of the Sky Song trilogy Sharon Sant has to say. (Remember you can follow her on Twitter via @SharonSant)

I could witter on about setting – time and place and premise etc – all night, but I’m going to stick to location as a specific point and hope that Amie has covered everything else! 

Every writer has a slightly different approach to using locations in their stories according to their needs.  As a fantasy writer, my sense of place (a bit like my writing in general) lies somewhere in between real and made up. Quite often I’ll take an actual place and modify it.  Sometimes I won’t tell you where that place is. The reason I don’t always tell you the name of the real place is that the story needs me to alter it in some way, and I don’t want everyone shouting at me that the details aren’t right. Sky Song, the first book of my trilogy, heavily features a boating lake in a real park, but I take details of an annual event in another, nearby park and add them to my boating lake park, then I chuck in some buildings that don’t exist in the real park either because they have a vital part to play in the final confrontation of the book.  In my standalone novel Runners, I do tell you the real name of every location, but the action is set in the future so that you can accept that the landscape or buildings may have changed.  The climax of Not of Our Sky (the third book of the Sky Song trilogy), however, needs a real place and it needs to be accurate because the whole book has been foreshadowing the events there in such a way that it has to be named.  The action takes place in a contemporary time too so it has to look in the book how the real place looks now.

But why not simply set the books in the place I live?  Wouldn’t that be easier? 

For me, the story dictates the setting.  The stories I have mentioned here needed the drama and diversity of the Dorset and Hampshire landscapes to work. I was born there and it seemed a natural choice.  But there are other stories I write that Staffordshire, where I live now, is a perfect backdrop for. 

I know some writers who can set a story in a place they’ve never visited by simply researching it for a sense location and some who only ever set things in the place they live.  Some spend pages describing intimately their locations and some throw in titbits to give you only a flavour.  And, obviously, there are some whose places don’t exist anywhere except in their books. Their methods work for them as writers and their stories.  It’s a fascinating process and one that, for me, is almost as important as characters and plot.  Location can do so much to shape a story.

Sharon has helpfully included two pictures she uses to help describe her setting – another fab tip to end on – pictures are very useful to have when it comes to describing a location.

So that’s all for this week. Thank you to Sharon for her great contribution and to my readers for your visits. Next week we’ll be looking at ‘Developing a Credible Character’. Until then – stay happy :)