Writer's Playlists

Most writers have playlists.   Music.   What did you think I was talking about.   Really?

Some writers like Maggie Stiefvater and new-book-coming-out Kat Spears apparently spend Loads of time constructing said playlists and Very carefully looking for Just the right music to write their books by.

Yeah.  Okay.  So, not me.   But that's the great thing about writers, and readers, we like different things.

So if you are interested in Playlists check James River Writers Conference 2014 list.

Conference Fever:  JRWCon 2014 Ultimate Playlist

By Lana Krumweide Music makes everything better. Learning, working, socializing, healing—everything goes more smoothly with the right song.  Why should the James River Writers Conference be any different? We’ve put together a playlist to help you get ready for the conference: Track 1: Madness (Muse) You write because you can’t not write, and we get that. Spending a weekend with people who share this peculiar sort of madness will make you feel sane again (results may vary). Track 2: A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley) Start off the weekend with ourFriday hands-on Master Classes taught by top-notch writing instructors and publishing professionals. For example, if you find that your writing needs a little less conversation and a little more action, Sheri Reynolds’s class on pacing can help you with that.

See the Entire Spotify JRWCon14 Playlist Here

If you have signed up for the JRW newsletter, then this is in it.   So you might have seen it.  But you might not have opened it yet, so that's why I posted it here.  

In case you needed another chance to see it.   You know.  Cause we're all different.

Reasons to Come to a Conference

Well, reasons to come to the James River Writers Conference in October.

I keep hearing more and more people talk about they’ve been thinking about writing or they have thought about writing.   Or variations along that theme.

Literally Everywhere I go, there are people talking about writing.  

In all it’s forms.

If you - or Anyone you know - has expressed those sentiments, thoughts, or dreams,  Or anything of the sort.    Or near it.

Now would be the time to have them sign up for the 2014 James River Writers Conference

Why, you say, the James River Writers Conference -    So Glad you asked!

There’s the Friday Master Classes -

Where you can learn from agents, and writers, and ….

Hugh Howey !!

Yes - you read that correctly   ----    The Hugh Howey !

If you are still scratching your eyebrow then just google him 

- and check him out on the JRW site

To give you brief teaser of why you should google …..  

           He self published and went on to make Big deal with publisher.

Yeah, thought you’d want to google him.    

Just as I am Sure you are going to want to some see him and hear him at the JRW Conference.

And even check out the Master Class he’s doing for the Conference on Friday.

At the Conference you can Meet Hugh,  and have one-on-one talk with Literary Agents !

No matter where you are in the writing journey, even if you are just thinking about it, the Conference will have something for you.

Working on your writing, whether characters, pacing, etc….  

Thinking about self publishing and if that’s going to be right for you.   

How to get yourself noticed and build a platform.

Need some help with query letters and pitching?

Or even want all the above.

You’ll find it all at the JRW Conference.

And More.

A Whole Lot More.

So check it out.     Registration is open now.

James River Writers Conference 2014

Take a Step from your fear

Take a Step from your fear

Come out from your fear,

Make that one small step that starts. 

It’s all right if it’s a stumbling one

As when you started as a child

The walking gets easier

And just as then, there can be tumbles.

But you didn’t stop there either

Regardless of what others were doing

Or saying.

Even if then they were encouraging

And now they aren’t

You still kept on

Perhaps we are always still keeping on

Walking step by step

If not away from our fears

Then away from the hold on us

That keep us locked away

From all that we really want

Do we see ourselves in others,

In their fears for themselves?

The beauty that only sees herself as not,

not like whatever the current flavor.

Or the talent that crumbles from low self-worth.

And walks over dreams that were once shiny and bright.

Are these reflections?

Mirrors reflecting back what we see in ourselves?

Can we change what we see in those reflections?

Maybe if we have the right people.

Come give it a try.

Take that step.

That step toward a dream.

There are others here too.

Are you ready fly?

To take the first jump

And give your wings a try.

They get stronger with use.

If you are a writer.    You want to be a writer.     No matter what kind.    I bet we have something for you.

This weekend.

Or even if you’re a graphic artist.     We have someone for you!

Are you just a reader?      We have Lots of someones for you!

        Whether you want to meet a much liked author.   Or discover some new ones.

Come check out the James River Writers Conference this weekend.

You can even get a one day ticket if that fits you better.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if the two days fit just fine.

And you’ll meet a lot of fine people who can reflect back whatever you want.

Here’s a link for conference registration

You Gotta HURRY tho' - the Great Workshops are tomorrow!  Some you still might be able to go to.
And the Conference is THIS Saturday, and Sunday.

The Conference is Coming! The Conference is Coming!!!

The Conference is Coming!!   The Conference is Coming!!!

Okay, so I’m not Paul Revere.

Paulette Revere?    

No, not that either.

But wanted to warn you, not that the British are coming, we don’t have any of those this year.  That I know of.

But we do have someone that grew up in New Zealand.

Not exactly British, but there is a British connection there.  ;)

No, I am not going to tell you.        You should come to the Conference and figure it out.

The Conference is coming!!!

We Kick off with some GREAT Workshops on Friday.    THIS Friday!

THIS FRIDAY.

In case you missed that.

Let’s see, since today is Wednesday, depending on when you read this - and if you read later then you better move Quickly, Cause the Conference is Coming!   

Which means the DAY After Tomorrow The Workshops are Coming!

Really Great Workshops!

And there still are some Openings!    Only in a couple, but NO they are NOT the dreg leftovers!  

 The Workshops were SO popular they added space to include YOU!      

No, I didn’t ask how they did that.    Maybe had something to do with the British?   Maybe not.

But you can still get in to Some Workshops!    Great ones!        I should know, I signed up for one of the ones still open.  I jumped in quickly!   I wanted to go to more.   No one wants to clone me though.   Sigh.    But hopefully someone from each will share notes!

Here is a link for conference registration

And be sure to check out the Workshops that are still open!

And be sure to share your notes with me.

Cause The Conference is Coming!

The James River Writers Conference is Coming!

The James River Writers Conference is Coming!

Registration for it is open now!

I keep thinking things, life, is going to slow down, you know.      You too?

It isn’t.      

At least for me.

For some reason it just keeps barreling along.     Either taking me with it.  Or mowing me under.    Yeah, that happens.   Hey, I have bruises!    No, you can’t see.

So go over and check out all the happenings for the JRW Conference.

And I’ll try to stay on top of the barrel.     Hopefully I’ll be posting here a bit more.

Go here and check out all the happenings for the Conference.  

Check out the Workshops on the Friday before.

And The Agents that are coming.

Speaking of which, stay tuned here for more on that…..

…….And also about a certain new anthology coming out soon that has some stories in it by people you have met and know.    

Uh, yes, that’s a Hint.   

Okay, okay, I’ll give you another hint.     It will be out Soon.   *Grin*

Y’all stay tuned, ya hear.

First Pages, Prologues, and Agents Pet Peeves, Oh My

Or as has become a most popular panel at the James River Writers Conference each year, First Pages Critiques.    

The Conference is in October - here’s the blurby from the JRW site, if you want more info’ and to keep up with all the news and latest happenings - yes, we have them! - Check in at the JRW site 

And Sign up for the James River Writers Newsletter.

The 2013 James River Writers Conference will be held Saturday & Sunday, October 19-20, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Attendees can also register to attend pre-conference master classes Friday, October 18, at the Virginia State Capital.

The First Pages session has also gained ‘other’ names over the years such as ‘Simon Cowell / Idol for Writers’ depending on which agents we get to the Conference, but Really it isn’t That bad.  Really.   And the comments are always helpful to everyone!    It really has been one of the most popular sessions for several years.

So put the Conference dates on your calendar, start saving your money, and while you are waiting check out the authors who are coming to the Conference in their JRW Twitter Chats  -  #JRWC13 -

And check them out on the JRW Goodreads ‘book club’ 

These thoughts on First Pages has been brought about by a Writer Unboxed blog post.

The post is titled       What NOT to do when Beginning your novel.

But as we at the James River Writers Conference call it    1^st Pages 

- the importance of those First Pages, and all after that really, cannot be emphasized enough.

You think you’re busy trying to write the dang great novel, agents are inundated with ‘great novels’ all the time.

So get real.   I am Not going to be doom and gloom though, it might take some time, and a Lot of hard work.   But I read something recently that surprised me, several well known writers were saying they knew they weren’t the best writers, that often it’s not the greatest writers that get published, it’s the ones that are driven and never give up.    Does explain some books though doesn’t it.   

The writers and writing teachers were saying that the most gifted extraordinary writers often gave up, rather than persevere.  Rather than figuring out what was going to sell or even making themselves better perhaps.    And it’s a Lot of work!   Not just always trying to write better and be a better writer, but also understanding that books are a business.  And these days it’s even more important to do your research to know what your options are - and what your limits and tolerances are, and to figure out what’s right for You.

Since no matter how much time it takes you to research and write your book, your work isn’t over.  You have to research agents as well.   Not to mention the business of promotion and marketing.  But that’s another discussion.

And since this one is about how Critical and Important those First Pages of your books are, the post on Writer Unboxed gives many agents giving their pet peeves.

One of the things I saw that was probably not intended was what we’ve been told and shown at James River Writers over the years —   agents are human.  They have their likes and dislikes and pet peeves just like the rest of humanity.

Which is why after you Finally get your book finished to the Complete best of your ability, done the best you can, you Have to research agents to try to figure out the best ones you think would be the best ones for your precious work.   Course you do realize that They see Lots of people’s precious work so as anything in that much abundance, it loses it’s preciousness in those kind of quantities.  Right?   Yeah, yeah, not what we want but if you can embrace that, even a little, it’s helpful, believe me.

After you have researched your group of agents to send to, and Perfected your Query letter [another discussion] [and after perfecting your book, remember] and sit and anxiously wait, and perhaps get the dreaded Reject letter, it’s okay to sit and blink a moment.  Then dust yourself off and research and send to more.  Remember the surprising comment above about great versus persevering writers.  Persevering writers who are working to get better we hope.

As the Writer Unboxed post highlights, agents are human, likes, dislikes, bad days and all the rest.  Just because one thinks your precious stinks and sucks the universe, doesn’t mean every one will.  

Remember, Every reader is different too.   We all don’t like the same books so why would agents.

Hang in there.    Believe me, most writers have been where you are - wherever that is!

Keep at it.  

The post I keep talking about on Writer Unboxed is here.

James River Writers Conference Part 3

Okay, so I could be all coy and all and say I was teasing you along with this stretched out posting of notes from the James River Writers Conference.

But it really isn’t that.  It’s just … ‘life’ …and all that entails, from bad storms called Sandy, which Thankfully we did okay with, to everyday things of shopping, cooking, cleaning up, and all the laundry wearing and cleaning…. And yes, it is too cold to go …  well, never mind.

The James River Writers Conference had great information.  There was a great session on World Building.

Yes, I know there was, I had the honor of moderating it.  And there was Really Terrific information given out.   And generously allowed to be put on the James River Writers site, which hopefully will be there soon, but I’ve copied it below as well.   Here, I’ve added some of my notes.

One of things I realized as I was reading all the books and writings of the writers on the panel, which were non-fiction and fantasy writers, was that I hang around with a lot of fantasy writers.

Since I thought of World Building as a fantasy genre element.  In the research I did for the panel, I realized that Every story has world building elements.   As writers, we must bring a reader into whatever world we are writing about, fiction, no matter what genre, and non-fiction, no matter what kind.

I came across one blog where the writer posited that historical writers were some of the greatest world builders around.   

Having met Lucia Robson last year when she was at the James River Writers Conference, and read her historical fiction books, based on real people, I can understand that thought.

For my notes on my session last year with Lucia and other writers, see my blog post here, 

And here.

Check out Lucia’s site, Books, and Audio and Video clips here.

In studying and researching World Building I saw the long list of questions from Patricia C. Wrede mentioned many, many times.   Including, by both Lana and Malinda.  [See their sites / blogs.]            

It does have some great questions to think about.  

A Lot of great questions to ask yourself.  

  A Long list.   

        Good but long.     

             Read these instead.   It’s easier.    Then you can get back to your NaNoWriMo.   

Saturday - Oct. 20, 2012

Concurrent Sessions — 3:45 to 4:45 PM

World Building Idea Lab
Christina Lewis Halpern
Lana Krumwiede
Malinda Lo
Shawna Christos, moderator
This discussion of big-picture world building includes prompts to spark a story or enrich the world you’re writing. Great for fiction and nonfiction writers alike.

See sites and information below.     How they wrote.     Suggestions of how to World Build.  

Things to think about as you Build your World.

As well as things you might not want to do as you World Build.

From Questions to ask yourself as you begin to World Build.    

          Micro World Building.   Macro World Building.  

                Examples.  Internal World Building.      Applying to All Writers and Writing.

Not as good as being at the Conference Session, but definitely good to help you remember the wonderful speakers and their great information.

But there's a lot of Terrific information on the author's links so dig around and enjoy!

Christina Lewis Halpern

My memoir was certainly a case of internal world building. Here are some prompts for internal and cultural world building:

- Put yourself into the mind of your character. What is she seeing and how does she feel about what she's seeing?

- People like to think of themselves as rational, but really they are motivated by the push and pull of their emotions. Figure out what your character's motivation and then fit that emotion into the world you've created. For instance, if your character is ambitious and status-obsessed can you have them describe and analyze each person they see according to your world's hierarchy?

- Can you allow the world you are creating to unfold naturally via your characters' experiences and point of view?  

While my memoir is based on the real world, I felt that I was describing experiences that might be alien to many of my readers. So I used my emotions to ground people in my reality. I was concerned that people would not buy into my concept, which is that being the daughter of a very successful man is not necessarily easy. So I used my emotions to make my situation relatable. This worked for many people, though not all.

Lana Krumwiede

First, think of an imaginary technological development. Don't stop with the first thing that comes to your mind. Think of different areas: medical, communications, transportation, etc. Make a long list before choosing the one that looks interesting.

Answer the following questions about this new technology: 

- For what purpose what the technology invented?

- Who developed it?

- Who opposes it?

Now, look for the conflict the technology will create:

- Think of at least three uses for this technology other than the intended one.

- Think of at least three professions this technology will create or alter.

- Think of at least three ways this technology could be abused.

Now, find a character that has something at stake:

- Create three characters who have a lot to gain from this technology.

- Create three characters who have a lot to lose from this technology.

One of the things I discovered is that there is "macro" world building (politics, economy, culture, traditions of a large society) and there is "micro" world building (traditions, divisions of labor, religious practices, etc, of this particular family)

When I was developing the story idea for Freakling, I kept a notebook with all my research notes about the world I was creating. It has things like maps, floor plans, photos of landscapes and clothing, the rules of psi, a timeline of prior events. I had to keep that all straight, somehow. 

Malinda Lo 

1. Ask yourself these questions about the magic system in your novel, if you're writing a fantasy:

Who has it (the magic)?

What does it do?

How do you make it happen?

How is the user affected?

How is the world affected?

How are magic users grouped and perceived?

2. Do people in your fictional world celebrate birthdays? How would they celebrate a birthday?

3. Ask yourself these questions about the power structure in your world:

Who is powerful in your world?

Who is weak?

Who wants to be powerful?

4. What is your main character's favorite place to be?

5. What kind of food would the people in your world eat on a special occasion?

And be sure to check out Malinda's link above for :

OCT 8, 2012

Five Foundations of World-building

See I told you -  Good Stuff.

And as Always, for more great Conference notes check out Twitter #JRWC12 

James River Conference Part 2

I am thankful, from the looks of Twitter-sphere anyway, that so many of our great speakers that were here recently at the James River Writers Conference are safe and sound.

Here are some more notes from the Conference.

For more great tips, notes, and such, go to Twitter and look for #jrwc12

Also check out Denise’s great blog posts of her notes - especially hers on the Website session.

Insight Into Your Site: Website 101
Erin Blakemore
Colleen Lindsay
Anna Sproul
Maya Payne Smart, moderator
Who needs a website and when? What should be included? Do you need book trailers and bells and whistles? Panelists will critique attendees’ websites, if desired, suggesting ways to improve content and navigation.

To think about -   What drives people to websites -   Concentrate on something to offer the world …think branding

Neil Gaiman - regularly visits his site, creates changes, and blogs regularly.  Doesn’t leave it static.

Tess Gerritson started with email list putting out creepy biological fact of the day.  

Chuck Wendig  TerribleMinds.com  his website  got him noticed / published.

Your website should be -  Simple    Consistent     and have Clear way to contact author

Absolutely present on a writer’s website:  

 All need an editor to make sure no typos or anything

Has a Professional image                          Good writing

Some professional head shots         

Have your Blog live on home page  

Make sure your site is Not static          Constantly refreshing content

If an active on Fb or Twitter presence but only if active   

Put a button for Fb  and / or Twitter button

Make sure have Contact info     

Place for comments on your website

These were mentioned as really wanted to see on author’s site -   

 high res  AND  low res pics,    Both B & W, and Color   

a short bio     and a more in depth longer bio.    

Downloadable press kit     

Front page dynamic    

Your Twitter acct.   But it should not take the place of your blog site.

Update your blog at least once a week.

Erin has blog tour / map of NY … pods casts, can listen to, etc…    Erin’s clean Blog   She paid $35 for a Wordpress Template

She has Buy Book button on each page

Trust the Gatekeepers
Molly Jaffa
Brad Parks
David Henry Sterry
Valley Haggard, moderator
Hear the benefits of working with an agent and learn secrets that will move your work out of the slush pile.

David talked about the Art of the Follow Up   Do follow up with agents - Very politely and recognizing they are people too. 

Molly takes digital submissions only.   Wait 6 wks or more to Follow up.   Gets 150 queries a wk. Maybe takes 2 new clients a year.

Yes, do multiple queries.  Agents expect it.  No need to say.    Agents at her place specialize in diff. Genres.

Know the market value of your book

Setting and managing expectation.

Places to look at on Line — Rachelle Gardner,      Absolute Write Cooler

Everyone wants that feeling of falling in love

Agents want to fall in love with your characters.

Make your Query Letter - query pitch   nothing like she has ever seen before 

Molly looks at way author has presented themselves on Twitter etc….

Googles their names … she cyber stalks people, and checks them out before offers to represent.  Makes sure they aren’t crazy-pants

With looking at brand new agent, look at the agency they’re with.

Molly recommends look for / get established shop

Brad Parks shared his personal experiences with agents.

His first agent had been an agent at a big publishing house.   But after getting really bad offer for his 3^rd and 4^th book - after his first two had done really well, he started asking around and no one had heard of his agent.

And that was why he was getting the awful offer.       So he fired the agent and got a new one.  

It was emphasized the importance of getting a Good agent.

When an agent negotiates for you, the publishing houses also keeps in mind the other clientele that agent handles.

The way it was put, your agent goes in with their whole clientele list sitting on their shoulder when they are negotiating for you / your book.

Have to know what your goals are.    Know what you want.

If getting form rejections all the time, you are doing something wrong.   Figure it out and change.

If start getting some better comments / not form rejections, getting better.

You should have the feeling that you have the best agent in the world.

With smaller agencies have to ask harder questions.

Sign up for Publishers Marketplace when ready to start querying process.

—— Mentioned in another session Not to use the printed ‘find an agent’ books, since they are usually old and out-dated by time come out.

Do Your Research

Help for Us All

No, I’m still not really here.    I am really working Hard on getting prepared for the James River Writers Conference this weekend - October 19, 20, 21

But part of that is participating in, or at least reading [what can I say, doesn’t everyone spaz out thus missing things sometimes?], the Wonderful, James River Writers Author Chats on Twitter!  #JRWC12    #jrwc12

They are Really good!  Great info’!

But Twitter links can lead to other wonderful things as well — which, beware, can be a seducer of time away from writing.  Be warned.

Found this great tidbit - from a site I’ve mentioned before, that my husband, who has newly taken up writing, in self-defense, really likes :

Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.

One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.

………..go here for rest…….

And how can you Not read this :

The Path To 10K In Sales: Strategy, Luck & Mistakes

And for those facing NaNoWriMo - or the prospect, Looming, of it next month - this might help you :

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2012

How to Write a Novel in a Month

James Scott Bell

@jamesscottbell

Next month is the annual writing frenzy known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. It’s not without its critics, and my blogmates and I have covered this action before.  

I extol the virtues of NaNoWriMo. The novel I wrote in November of 2010 was one I had under contract. It became, after editing of course, THE YEAR OF EATING DANGEROUSLY.

There are similar stories. Hugh Howey wrote his novella WOOL during that same NaNo year. The dang thing has sold in the hundreds of thousands as an ebook, and got optioned by Ridley Scott.

That’s a lightning strikes once or twice kind of thing, and most writers are not going to have that kind of out-of-the-gate success, but that’s almost beside the NaNo point. The point is to get you to get your story down, fast and furious (I wish that term hadn’t been purloined by political culture), and unleash the writer within. It’s to give you a sense of the value of finishing an entire novel (even though it will need massive editing).

As the great Robert B. Parker said, “A writer’s job is to produce.” NaNo is one month of pure production.

Here are ten tips to help you get the most out of it this year:

Not mine - I’ve truly been a pant-ser … well, pretty much with all my writing.  But I might try some of these.  

Sometime.

 so go here for the rest of this. 

But there’s that white rabbit again with his watch, saying I must get back to prep. for the James River Writers Conference this weekend!

Join us there!

Stories We Tell

Stories we tell ourselves - and, thus, directly or indirectly, others.

From the book The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown  [see James River Writers website for this years Conference information!]

“We all have stories we tell ourselves.  We tell ourselves we are too fat, or too ugly, or too old, or too foolish.  We tell ourselves these stories because they allow us to excuse our actions, and they allow us to pass off the responsibility for things we have done—maybe to something within our control, but anything other than the decisions we have made.”

“…..And it is past time, I think, for you to stop telling that particular story, and tell the story of yourself.  Stop defining yourself in terms of them.  You don’t just have to exist in the empty spaces they leave.  There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it.  But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.”

So…. As writers we all have stories to tell.  They might be short, or long, or as poetry, but they are ours to tell.  

What is the story you tell yourself about that writer within you?

Whatever it is…..is it time to change it?    For the better.

As in previous blog post I made about Noah Scalin comments from March JRW Writing Show [blog post on March 31^st if you want to look] - sometimes it’s good, sometimes okay.  And sometimes it’s just done.

The stories we tell ourselves shape our lives and our world….

What are you telling?

Character Development

Or Developing Character.

My blog has been bare lately because I had a core brain unload after the overload of conference information and it has refused to reboot back up….. that or because I have been held captive by large groups of marauding dust bunnies and have just now escaped. Or both. That makes a real character out of you believe me. Don’t believe me, look at your lurking dust bunnies sometime and see how big they can get and form while you are off doing other things and being busy. Just be sure to inform someone of your whereabouts for rescue purposes. And I’m getting ready to do battle again so if I am gone too long send in the calvary. Or a couple of Dyson vacuum cleaners.

Luckily for you the Super Wonderful Troy Howell is stepping in to guest blog about his great information on character development that he had sent to me when we did a session on Character Development for the recent James River Writers Conference with Belle Boggs and Derome Scott Smith.

Check out Troy’s book ‘The Dragon of Cripple Creek’ - he has a great take on dragons and dragon lore, and check out his blog and site, great illustrations of course - and a lot of Troy’s interesting and inspirational thoughts and writings.

Thanks Troy for coming to my rescue.

On character development / my reference notes for the James River Writer’s panel discussion, with a few additions /

by Troy Howell

The ultimate goal is to convey characters in such a way that the reader relates enough to hear their stories. As you develop your characters, ask, Why should the reader care? Empathy or sympathy, at the least, curiosity. Whatever occurs that is greater than that—bringing tears, laughter, enlightenment—is a wonderful gift.

Each character has a function that is natural to the story premise and plot. I was recently asked by a reading group discussing my Dragon of Cripple Creek (Amulet, 2011) what my inspiration was for Dillon. Though my dragon, Ye, was pure inspiration gotten from that nebulous place where ideas drift in whispers, Dillon was the result of a need. When I created my protagonist, Kat, for the book, I felt she needed someone within her own age range to relate with outside the adult realm, someone who would eventually help her balance her thoughts and actions, and through whom more information would come. A girlfriend was not the answer, since her time is spent on a family road trip due to a job change for her dad. A sibling was a natural choice. A sister would pose the risk of being competitive, so a brother was the solution—an older brother, because a younger one would not add the necessary understanding. Hence, Dillon.

As in life, each person wants something, has a motive. Every word and action is affected by that motive. Each person has a core flaw or weakness, a vulnerability. Each person has a core strength. Need is the underlying cause for these weaknesses and strengths. Need is not equivalent to want, but usually determines want.

"Every character is sufficiently vivid and interesting for his function.” —John Gardner

Avoid stereotype: Every character, no matter how minor, should be unique and unpredictable. Sometimes, the first action or response from a character that comes to your mind is not unique; consider choosing something quirky or even opposite of who they seemingly are—surprise and delight us. My police chief, Chief Huffman, was initially stoic and steely, until I gave him a stutter that surfaces when he’s facing the public. In the movie, Meet Joe Black, Death is a golden-haired young man who loves peanut butter.

Be sure you step into their shoes, their feet, their souls. Look into their mirrors, sleep in their beds, have their dreams. Know each one as thoroughly as you can—each one has a history.

Much depends on POV.

Much depends on situation, setting, and environment.

The character should fit the scene naturally, unless, by intent, he doesn't fit at all.

A few details can convey much: A man who frequently says, “My goodness.” A cat whose fur is the careless color of chalk. A woman who wears a coat, size FITS ALL HOMELESS.

“Although characters may be complex, the details of their complexity are often blurred,

as if by time." –JG

Contrast, and a contrasting cast of characters. Contrast adds balance, richness, intensity, conflict.

Names are important—select the right one.

The reader should sense that each character has all the senses—sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste (except, of course, in cases of disability). We should also get a sense of how they sound and how they smell, besides how they look and feel. By feel I mean texture, not emotion. Emotion is a subject of its own, though the two can be, and usually are, related. Would her fingers be cool if she touched you? My dragon, Ye, smelled of “fortune and ashes, spices and earth.” It hurt Kat to smell him and soothed her, too. Each character should breathe.

Convey character through action and dialogue; show more than tell.

Psychic range: You should be able to see them from both a distance and close up.

So, to restate what I believe are the essentials of character development: Get the reader to care. Each character has a function, a basic need, and a want. Live your characters. Be unique; be succinct.

Thank you, Shawna, for being the perfect moderator on the panel, and for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog.