Putting On My Lip Gloss #4: From the Sidelines to Center Stage - Reading & Writing Characters

Reading about Characters….

A while back the Chicklit Club voted on the “Best” chick lit characters of all time. See who made the list:

http://www.chicklitclub.com/top10bestcharacters.html

L to R: Bridget Jones, Rebecca Bloomwood, Miranda Priestley (film adaptations)

Do you agree? Who are some of your favorite fictional characters?

As I’ve been working on my current WIP, I’ve been thinking a lot about characters. What point of view to tell their story in? Who to include? What should I call them? How much of their lives should I reveal? When should I introduce them? When should I show conflict between them and when should it be resolved?



Film version of One for the Money by Janet Evanovich 
(Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, Middle)



 In my research on writing fiction, I have learned there are three (main) ways to craft a novel. One, from a message or idea; two from plot, action or events; and three, from character. For those of you who, like me, love chick lit, you are probably very familiar with the character-driven story. In chick lit, the story is often based around a strong leading heroine who finds herself in some kind of dire situation which thwarts her out of her comfort zone, forces her to take action and then causes her to grow from the inside-out. All in all, a character story can not exist without that specific character. Who else but Stephanie Plum could star in Janet Evanovich’s romantic, adventure-mysteries? Who but Miranda Priestley could have led the fashionistas in The Devil Wears Prada? There’s no character more synonymous with a shopping addiction than Sophia Kinsella’s beloved Becky Bloomwood. Who else could smoke 20 cigarettes a day; 4 pints of alcohol and end the night with 2 brownie sundaes like our lovable Bridget Jones? But what does it take to make a character so memorable that the reader wants to continue to read about their saga?

What do you look for in a character when you read? What are some of the most unique traits you have read about in characters?

Writing about characters…

One of my favorite websites is Girlfriends Book Club. It’s compiled by various chick lit and women’s fiction authors who rotate publishing posts every day. Not only is it a special treat for me because it is written by so many fantastic writers, but the content and advice is always a treasure! As fate would have it, wouldn’t you know it but all my favorite ladies had a bit to say about how to create that perfect leading lady:

http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/5-tips-for-creative-believable.html

Another one of my absolute favorite emails comes from Daily Writing Tips, an invaluable (and free) subscription. From using the zodiac calendar to archetypes and great literary personas, find out where writers draw inspiration for their characters:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/use-archetypes-to-create-literary-characters/

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/5-qualities-to-consider-during-character-development/

Where do you draw your inspiration for characters?

Here are a few other various resources on Creating Characters:

http://storymind.com/dramatica/characters.htm

http://www.underdown.org/mf_characters_dialogue.htm

More helpful books on characters:

Creating Characters by Dwayne V. Swain

Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Dr. Linda Edelstein

45 Master Characters by Victoria Schmidt

What are some traits that you feel MUST BE INCLUDED when creating a character?

Putting on My Lip Gloss is a series of blog posts that represent my personal thoughts, ideas and general ramblings related to chick lit reading and writing. Every day is an inspiration – I never know where my next post is going to come from, but when it does, I always feel like putting on my lip gloss! Thanks for reading.

Special Guest Post with Brunonia Barry, Author of The Map of True Places

I just started to listen to The Map of True Places, via Amazon’s Audible application on my iPod and I’m so glad I downloaded it. I have only listened to about 20 minutes of it, including the prologue and a bit of chapter one, and I am hooked! Maybe because I can relate to the main character Zee, who hails from Massachusetts, just north of Boston (like the author, herself) and her profession as a psychologist also mirrors my education background. When one of the author’s representatives over at FSB Media offered me an article from Brunonia Barry on the subject of her writing, you can imagine my delight. As you may know, I have been diligently working on my own novel, my first chick lit work of fiction and I am a bit of a stickler for organization. Like Ms. Barry describes in her article, she too, organizes her story before putting pen to paper. I found her process to be very interesting and reassuring, especially for a new writer, like me, who can easily get “stuck” in the mess in the middle. Read on and be on the look out for a future post on Lip Gloss and literature when I review the unabridged audio of The Map of True Places and offer a fabulous giveaway for the paperback version of Brunonia Barry’s book.!

The Mess in the Middle

By Brunonia Barry,

Author of The Map of True Places

One year into a two-year book deadline, I have reached page 165 in my manuscript. So far, my characters have obediently done everything I've asked of them, but today something changed. This morning, they couldn't seem to take a step without tripping over their feet. So they decided to stand still. I couldn't make them go forward, and I couldn't make them go back. When I asked what the problem was, they told me they were confused.

I'd be panicked about this situation except that I've been here before. Twice. And even more if you count the screenplays I wrote when I lived in LA or the books I've written for ‘tweens. While I don't like it, I have come to expect that there are times when characters just won't move.

For me, this always happens in the same place, maybe not always on page 165 but some place close to it. It's always in the middle of the book. "What was it you wanted me to do?" seems to be the question my characters ask, and when I tell them, they become skeptical. Since I trust characters over plot every time, I tend to listen when a character tells me "I wouldn't do that kind of thing." And the middle of the book is always where they seem to doubt their motivation.

There's a name for this. It's called the mess in the middle. It's an expression I first heard when I was enrolled in one of Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops. I was writing a comedy called Sluts, a sort of West Coast Sex in the City with an edge, when my characters refused the adventures I was trying to send them on and threatened to infect me with a case of writer's block if I persisted in giving them directions. They were angry with me, and who could blame them? As a relatively new writer, I was lost and confused.

Confusion, in itself, doesn't bother me. I honor it as part of the writing process, a byproduct of communing with the muse. It is a frequent ailment, but not a serious one. Unfortunately, the mess in the middle is a different illness. If left unchecked, it can be fatal. I'm willing to wager that this midpoint is where most writers abandon their projects. I know it has been true for me. I have several unfinished manuscripts sitting in drawers, including that screenplay. One day, knowing what I know now, I may open the drawer and dust off those stories. Meanwhile, I'll tell you exactly what the mess in the middle is, and what you can do about it.

I'm sure you've heard that old story about the mountain. You are climbing a tree lined mountain trail in an effort to see the view from the top. You've been walking for quite a while. About halfway up, you realize that you don't have any idea where you are. You can no longer see the bottom of the mountain, and you cannot yet see the top. You begin to panic. If it were up to you, you'd just quit, but you can't. You're halfway up the side of a mountain for God's sake.

So what do you do? If you've prepared for the hike, you've been smart enough to bring a map. Though it's an exercise in blind faith, you have no choice but to follow it.

In writing, my map is my step outline. Though I write free form for quite a while when I'm starting a project, I am not a pantser. I believe very strongly in outlines. Once I've captured the voice of the characters and know them well enough to ask that first what if question that propels them forward, it is time to create a step outline.

My outline is simple enough. It contains only the major steps of the story. Sometimes it's a sentence or paragraph, sometimes a list of bullet points. I spend more time on it that any other aspect of my writing, because it's the only tool that allows me to see the big picture. It particularly helps with pacing and with the progression of character changes. If I follow it, I seldom get into trouble.

The problem is, sometimes I don't follow it. I am moving along so fast, and the story is going so well, that I just keep writing. This is exactly what I discovered this morning when I went back to look at my outline. A few days ago, I was writing so furiously that I skipped a step, and, as a result, my characters missed an important turn. If they had reached the impasse immediately, I might have spotted my omission. Unfortunately, the dead end hadn't come until the following chapter, several turns later.

If I hadn't taken the time to create my map, I might never have found my mistake. The manuscript might have ended up in that drawer with my screenplay. Luckily, with my step outline and just a bit of work, I was able to get my characters back on track. They are now happily moving forward.

How are your story maps constructed? Do you outline? Have you experienced the mess in the middle?

As originally published on "Writer Unboxed"

© 2011 Brunonia Barry, author of The Map of True Places

Author Bio

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry, lives in Salem with her husband and their beloved golden retriever, Byzantium.

Barry is the first American Writer to win the Woman's International Fiction Festival's 2009 Baccante Award (for The Lace Reader). Her second novel, The Map of True Places is out now.

For more information please visit http://www.brunoniabarry.com/, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

A sincere thank you to Anna Suknov at FSB Media for providing a text copy of Brunonia Barry’s article. Sign up for email alerts on Lip Gloss & Literature to be informed when the Audio Review and Contest to Win your OWN Copy of The Map of True Places goes live!!

Putting on My Lip Gloss #3: Writing Beginnings and Characters from Start to Finish

I have been working on a new writing project for a little over a month now. I started by brainstorming and jotting down a few disjointed ideas, scenarios and characters and then I wrote a very brief outline (that I still fill in from time to time as more information becomes revealed throughout the story that I don’t want to forget). I am at the point now where I am working on a rough draft of the first few chapters, the beginning and one of the main areas of focus in this part of the novel is on character development. I have been scavenging through articles and reference books, gathering tips and ideas for anything and everything I can find on beginnings and characters and I’m once again, amazed at the plethora of information that is available to would-be writers like me.

Two of my favorite websites and blogs have been particularly helpful as of late; namely, the Daily Writing Tips website and the Girlfriends Book Club blog. Daily Writing Tips provides, tips, ideas, suggestions and how-to’s from grammar to writing a great endings and everything in between. Here was a fantastic article on “Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your Story”:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/20-great-opening-lines-to-inspire-the-start-of-your-story/

Girlfriends Book Club was created by women, for women, featuring a different women’s fiction writer’s thoughts every day. In March they did a feature on beginnings in novel writing. Several authors shared their views and advice on openings. Here was the first of many articles that spanned over a week’s worth of writing:

http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/beginnings.html

To subscribe to the daily writing tips on the site of the same name, visit:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/

or to follow the daily writings of some of my favorite authors, check out:

http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/

Other than gathering how-to type information on beginnings and characters, whenever I’m working on my writing, my reading habits begin to change. More specifically, I start to notice things in the literature I read and I start to actively make mental notes (and sometimes physical notes) of the ways in which books approach various elements of fiction. For example, I’ve been reading several women’s fiction books and I’ve noticed how the emphasis on character development has been a major focus of each story. I think this is particularly true for series novels, in which books follow a main character (or a few main characters) over a longer period of time.

Who are some of your favorite characters? Series? Can you think of any memorable first lines? Do you prefer beginnings or endings? I’d love to hear from you!!

Putting on My Lip Gloss is a new series of blog posts that represent my personal thoughts, ideas and general ramblings related to chick lit reading and writing. Every day is an inspiration – I never know where my next post is going to come from, but when it does, I always feel like putting on my lip gloss! Thanks for reading.