4.28.16 - The Most Popular Post on My Website

This is the most popular post on my website—and for good reason. This information is evergreen, and I hope you find it useful.

P.S. If you haven't been to my For Writers page in a while, check it out. I've reformatted the essays for easier digestion, and added pretty pictures. Who doesn't love pretty pictures?

---

How Well Do You Know Your Characters?

Are you as intimate with them as you should be?

Coming up with a character is easy. You give them a name, an occupation, and a reason for visiting your story. Developing that character into a living, breathing, vital aspect of your manuscript, one that successfully propels your story forward, is another phenomenon entirely.

There are a few things that are an absolute for me when I develop a character.

The Most Important Is A Name.

As I begin writing a new manuscript, I make a cast list. All the main characters are there, as well as all the secondary characters. Everyone who is going to make an appearance in the story is named and accounted for.

A couple of rules that I like to follow when it comes to developing character names:

1. Make the name pronounceable.
2. Especially for secondary and tertiary characters, make their name fit. If you’re writing a story about white slavery, an unhappy stripper named Tatiana will convey the message more effectively than an unhappy stripper named Jane.

Where do the names come from? I’ll admit, there have been the times, (in the past, of course, cough, cough) I’ve been in a pinch and looked to my reference bookshelf. I pick a first name and last name at random. Problem is, when you’ve been working on a manuscript for four straight months with the same bookshelf of reference material, you’re going to duplicate yourself. I was caught by one of my readers. I’d used Richard Curtis and Curtis Richard. For shame. Now, I use every available resource. Magazines like Maxim and FHM always have great names. There are websites that use algorithms to mix and match names to degree. You get the drift – finding sources to pull from is easy.

Since I generally write series novels back to back, I’m intimately familiar with my main characters and the people they work with on a daily basis. Secondary characters that are making their second or third appearance are simple to keep up with. But the new primary and secondary characters need defining, and I need a new list of tertiary characters and one-timer throw-in names.

My very first step is to build the list of names.
 

In my new book, there is a big cast of secondary characters. A big cast. My list has sixty-eight new character names on it. I know I’ll use up at least twenty-eight right off the bat. I have a new character who has a whole team behind her, so there’s another nine. See where I’m going? I never want to be left out in the cold when it comes to naming my characters.

Unfortunately, as well intentioned as I am with my cast list, there are characters who pop up unexpectedly and announce, “Hey, I’m here. This is what I’m going to do to wreck havoc on your story. But I need a name, please.” Hence, the pre-built characters list.

What works for me is to name my secondary characters off the bat, but leave some of the tertiaries for later. That way I can satisfy my spontaneity gene and grab a name at random a few times through the book. Now that I’m a little wiser, I only take it from the proscribed list of tertiary character names, rather than inventing off the top of my head.

But What’s In A Name? There Needs To Be More To Make A Character Come Alive.

Some characters are so big and bold, they parade right out of your mind onto the page with no effort. Some need to be coaxed a bit. For the reluctant characters, there are a few absolutes that must be answered before they get to show up in print.

The first things I decide on are age, hair color and eye color (subsequent to race), height, weight, and level of education.
 

While it’s generally easy to define a character by social class and educational status, I have the joy of writing books that are based in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a southern town, and there are many colloquialisms here that can be misinterpreted by outsiders. Brilliant, well-educated people here use terms that Yankees would deem dim-witted at best. I try to be especially careful when I dip into that particular well. It’s a unique issue that’s been written about by many more capable writers than I. Suffice it to say you need to be aware if you’re writing regionally specific characters.

Back to building a character. Age, looks, race, education and socio-economic status are first. Those are the main ingredients for me.

Now it’s on to the spices. 
 

I can’t say that I do the same thing for each character. Some have more information on them than others. Some I know how they walk, what they wear, how their hair is styled, whether they are straight or gay, who their family is. Some I just have a mental picture of who they are. If they are a one-timer, I try to be cognizant of their surroundings, so the character can help me set the scene.

One of my writer buddies, Jennifer Brooks, came up with a brilliant idea while writing a book with an omniscient POV and several main characters. The BMW’s (my critique group) were having trouble keeping all of them straight, and we badgered her to do something about our inability to “get” who was who. (Many times, POV problems are a result of not knowing your characters as well as you should. If you know exactly how your character will react in a certain situation, what they’ll say, how they’ll feel, your POV will fall into place.)

Have you ever been sent an email survey by one of your friends, the kind that has a huge list of questions that either you or said friend must fill out? They ask detailed questions that are meant to show how much you really know someone.

My friend, in all her brilliant glory, decided to fill out the survey as her characters. Since many of her characters are in relationships or strong friendships, she allowed the characters themselves to ask the questions of their friends and lovers. It gave her a stronger grasp of who each character is and how they can be presented in the story to help us, the readers, keep them straight. It worked wonderfully.

Another quick note on character building.

One of the most important questions I ask each of my characters is, “What do you mean to the story?”
 

A tertiary or one-time, one-scene character can steal the show. Let me rephrase that. They should steal the show. I try to make my one-timers feel special. Give them something important to do or say. You should never have a character who doesn’t advance the story in one way or another.

Sometimes, even these tricks aren’t enough to really give you a sense of who your characters are. Since we’re talking crime novels here, let me point out that victimologies are vital to the success of your book. If you don’t have a victim, you don’t have a crime, and you don’t have a book. Making sure your victims are as well developed as your speaking characters – it makes a big difference.

I tried something a little different in my first manuscript. I had several girls who were killed. They were all in different states, and they shared a physical resemblance. I was struggling with their deaths, mainly because it’s so hard to kill someone in a book, no matter how gleefully we might go about it. There was one that I felt so close to, it hurt me to kill her. My protagonist was struggling with the issue, just as I was. I had him on a plane, desolate, looking at the MISSING posters that accompanied each girl’s disappearance. I envisioned him getting off the plane, going into his office and tacking up the MISSING posters. Hmmm.

The next thing I knew, I was up to my, ahem, elbows, in imaginary dead girls. There are a couple of glossy color magazines here in town, so I went out and bought them, looked to the society pages, and cut out pictures of girls that fit the killer’s profile. I then mocked up the MISSING posters. Based on actual fliers from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website, they each had a picture of the victim, all her particulars, where she was last seen – all the information I needed to use to drive the story and build the plot.

Since that worked so well for me, and my second manuscript had the same kind of situation, so I took the time and picked out my victims. In the manuscript, these pictures go in a dossier for the antagonist to peruse. They go in a dossier in my files as well, so I can experience what my character experiences as he looks at them.This has been one of the most successful tricks I’ve learned.

Dead characters deserve as much respect as living characters. 
 

Bringing them to life makes it harder to kill them off, but the goal is to create believable, sustainable characters for your readers. And you'll stay away from being gratuitously mean to them, which is the goal.

I also make my setting, Nashville, a character unto itself. I know people have received those constructive rejection letters that claim the reader didn’t get a good “sense of place”. Make sure your setting is a character just like your protagonists and antagonist, and you’ll never hear that again. Get to know your characters, and they’ll never let you down.

2.11.16 - On A Social Media Sabbatical

Lent is upon us, and as I do every year, I am taking a social media sabbatical.

As I write this, it hasn’t begun quite yet, and I’ve been cruising through Facebook and Twitter, having wee panic attacks at the thought of 6 weeks without either. Plus, of course, I have a book launching toward the end of Lent (which is from February 10 to March 24 this year.). This is an accurate portrayal of my inner struggles. 

Thankfully, I have the Divine Amy, who will be running the show while I’m away. 

In this day and age, it really is hard to simply disappear, especially when, like on my Facebook page, we have a community going. The cool thing is, said community can function without me. These people know each other. They talk, they share book recommendations, they tell each other jokes and lift each other up. It’s just that I’ll miss stopping by, chatting, being a part of everyone’s lives. 

So if this Lenten fast causes me concern, why am I doing it?

That’s a good question. 2016 is my Year of Lent. I’m working so hard loosen my hold on things that aren’t in my control. For someone who keeps about 6 calendars for fear of screwing up and forgetting something important, you can imagine how difficult this is for me. 

Lent is about giving up things that are precious to you. My online community is VERY precious to me. And, as happens, I’m spending too much time on social media and not enough time on writing. 

But that’s the cop out answer, too. The truth is, I need to find some quiet space. There have been a lot of changes this year, a lot of cacophony at home, with construction and sick cats and leaks and family issues, and I need to slow down, turn inward, find some space for my creativity to flourish. I’ve been running away from a few stories that are begging to get out. I have new deadlines on everything, a massive shift in content creation, and I need to make excellent use of my time to get ahead of the game, so to speak.

I am a natural multi-tasker, which isn’t a good thing. Proof positive right here. I’ve been feeling the strain of trying to juggle too many things, so I am looking forward to mono-tasking, and really accomplishing a ton.  

Because normally during Lent, I get a LOT of work done. One year I wrote 60,000 words in 6 weeks. Another I drafted two short stories and revised a full manuscript. I have great hopes for getting the new Nicholas Drummond book done, then getting a big jump start on the new Sam novel. And I have a short story that wants to come out and play. The blog needs tending. Amy and I are working on a secret project.

Plenty to do.

Lent, for me, is a time of great creativity, of quiet reflection, of focusing on what’s in front of me. There will be some travel, a lot of reading, and, I hope, a bit of peace for me to fill my well with.

 I will be blogging, and Amy will be running all the usual exciting staples. You might not even miss me. But if you do, feel free to shout anytime through email, or through Amy.

Have a blessed Lent, chickens! See you on the other side!

1.21.16 - On The Agonies of Deadline

I went to bed the other night and realized my hair was in the most gorgeous chignon, one I didn’t remember putting in. It had no clip, no barrette, just a perfectly tucked-in curve that my hairdresser would have trouble recreating. So what was holding it in place?

A golf tee.

A GOLF TEE.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Because that’s the kind of absentmindedness that overtakes me when I’m on deadline.

Yep, it’s that time again. I have a book due in a couple of weeks. I am in an all-out sprint to make my deadline. Anytime my editors/co-writer sets a date, I say, “Sure, that’s doable,” with the kind of cocky swagger generally reserved for, well, cocky writers who are out of their minds and don’t do well saying no. And then it suddenly rushes up on me, and even though I’ve been writing for months, the word count isn’t where it should be, and it’s an unholy race against the clock to get the book finished. 

I hate to miss deadlines. I’ve actually only missed one, and that was by two weeks. Not bad. Deadlines are a point of pride with me. I will cut off my arm to make one. It’s something I learned about myself early on, back in high school, and I’ve never lost it. Which is a good skill to have, but it can get me in trouble sometimes. 

But sometimes, the story won’t work. Things happen. Life intrudes. Writers are human (humanoid, at least) and sometimes, a deadline can’t be met, for whatever reason. 

When I read George R.R. Martin’s blog post about having to miss his deadline for his new novel, I was upset for him. I _know_ how hard it must have been for him to come to that decision. And what were the headlines screaming? George R.R. Martin Disappoints Fans

How incredibly unfair. Hey, I’m just a thrillerchick writing her heart out trying to make my deadlines. I’m never going to be at his level. I will never have the kind of pressure on me as he does. But I do co-write, and I do have an idea of how many people would be let down if I were to fail at meeting a scheduled date. That pressure is overwhelming, sometimes paralyzingly so (ahem - hence, we write blog posts to get the well refilled…).

Now consider the pressure Martin has — the level of scrutiny, the number of fans of both the show and the books, how HBO is banking on the next season/story blowing our socks off, and the publishing house knows they’re going to have a Very. Good. Year. which means they’ll be able to sign new authors and renew contracts for mid-listers, and maybe they can keep that editor on board whose head was on the chopping block after the last round of mergers, plus the bookstores… I could go on and on. You get it.

There’s a lot riding on a writer being able to make their deadline. 

But take the business out of it for a moment — the sense of ownership readers have is incredible. It’s exciting. It’s also scary, because the last thing any author wants is to let down their fans. Neil Gaiman addressed this once in a spirited essay in which he told a disgruntled fan "George R.R. Martin is not your bitch," scolding said fan for being antagonistic toward Mr. Martin because of his release pace. 

But read Martin’s blog. Listen to what he’s saying. He is disappointed in himself. And when a writer starts into that spiral, it’s dangerous. I have been there, and I can honestly say, sometimes, if a book just isn’t shaping up the way its supposed to, the deadline can kill the creative spirit.

There is simply nothing worse than watching the days tick away. It’s not that you haven’t been working, been writing — on the contrary, you’re working on it all the time, but something is holding you back. Word counts are minimal, the book’s pace slows. Something is desperately wrong with the story and you can’t figure it out. Now add in the level to which he’s writing, the pressure he’s under… it’s amazing there’s going be a book at all. 

I am so glad I’m not in his shoes. 

But I am in utter and complete distraction mode. You want to know how bad it is? They paved my road. Over four miles of paving. I had no idea until I went to take the cat to the vet. How sad is that? I really didn’t think I’d been at home that long, but you know, with a sick kitten, no sleep, it becomes a blur of days, too many of which have the moments of sheer terror, when you look at the clock and realize it’s 2 p.m. and the day’s half gone and you’ve only written 1200 and OHMYGODWHATWILLIDOIFIMISSTHISDEADLINE…

If. Such a bitchy little word. Amazing what it can do to the writer’s psyche.

The last few weeks of a book are intense, stressful, and usually for me, a total blast. It’s strange to say, but I only feel like a real writer when I’m on deadline. My normal output averages 1000 words a day. On deadline, I average 3–4,000. I write in concentrated 2-hour bursts, with 5–10-minute rewards in between: Twitter check-ins, lunchtime TV, phone calls with friends. And then it’s back to it, balls to the wall, hair on fire and wrists literally rubbed raw from the edge of the keyboard.

My parents only get one call a day. The laundry is unfolded, dinners are brought in, and my poor sweet husband is walking around looking somewhat haunted, probably wearing underwear with holes, never knowing if his kind greeting will be met with a kiss or a demand for silence. But he knew what he was getting himself into when he married me, so I’m not as worried about that as I should be. The cats bring mice and drop them at my feet, which I feebly kick around for them whilst typing and staring into space.

As I’ve gotten older, every deadline brings its own unique twitch. They always start in the last two weeks, when I’m living, breathing, and crying the words onto the page, calling Randy at regular intervals to go through the what ifs, and checking the word count obsessively.

Once it was my eye. For book #7, it was my right forefinger. This time, it’s my left upper lip. When it gets noticeable, that’s when I know it’s time to pop an Ativan and drink a glass of wine. All I can do is try to get rest and exercise and push through to the end, and then it will stop.

Honestly, I wouldn’t trade this for the world. It’s… exciting, in many ways. Fun. A challenge. Pitting yourself against the clock, against your mind, against the story. Knowing that somehow, someway, a living, breathing book will come out of this. 

But it’s rough, the last few weeks of a book. Physically, emotionally. So when I read Martin’s blog, my heart really went out to him. 

And with that thought I leave you. I can still get another scene done before I have to go to bed and get up and do it all again. 

Multiplicity, Thy Name Is Writer

I did one of my rare teaching gigs last month. I taught a class called Putting the Thrill in Thrillers. In it, I make time for the class to do a writing exercise. They're given characters, setting and a plot (one of the Seven) and told off you go. It was a successful endeavor, the class scribbling madly for ten minutes, and when put on the spot, many shared their first lines. I was quite pleased and proud, because it's a difficult exercise, and they did quite well.

After, I was doing a stint at mentoring and suggested that the writer take her flash piece and expand on it because it truly had legs. I was astounded when the woman dismissed my advice, saying, "I already have a voice in my head. I can't add another."

Astounded, because I can't imagine not having a bloody chorus of characters screaming from the recesses of my gray matter, all day, every day. Right now I'm writing two novels and a short story, plus socking away ideas and building Scrivener projects for the billions of other ideas that worm their way through.

I'm used to juggling the voices, to telling one to shut up so I can listen to another. It sounds downright schizophrenic, and it is, to a certain extent. You know the dark joke I always tell - writing is simply controlled psychosis. Successful writing is being paid for that controlled psychosis.

But in all seriousness, I do remember back to the time when the idea of doing more than one thing at a time was frightening. I was working on the first Taylor novel, and the head of my critique group kept pestering me to try writing a short story. I had that same deer in the headlights reaction - I can't. I can't deviate from my Novel to try something else. I'll get pulled off track. I'll fall into the abyss and never return. I'll never finish anything. The men will come to my house and find me quivering in a corner, a trail of half eaten sandwiches strewn throughout the house.

But all that is simply resistance, rearing its ugly head. Of COURSE you can work on more than one thing at a time. And if you want to be a successful author, you'll have to master that skill. There is a constant juggling act going on in most authors' lives. Writing one book, editing another, promoting a third - that's the standard for anyone on a one-a-year schedule. Multiply that by two for two-a-years, etc. Not only writing your books, but being asked to contribute to anthologies. Blogging and facebooking and twittering and newslettering. All of this takes time, and a concerted effort to stay on track.

We are all getting Ph.D's in multiplicity. It's the nature of the beast. So do think about adding in one or two of the other voices in your head, allowing yourself fifteen minutes a day to explore what they have to say. It's excellent training for later, when you're answering to multiple people, for multiple projects. If you want to succeed at this business, you've got to learn how to juggle. 

Best Links of the Week

Speeches, Events, and Overheard at RWA from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - This needed to be said. I still believe in publishing. I don't find my team simply transmitters. A lot of the technical side of this is true--it's easier than ever to get good books in the hands of readers--but that doesn't mean we need to jettison the people who got us here in the first place. There's room for everyone on this train.

Stephanie Laurens Keynote - Beacuse we're fair and balanced here at the Tao. You make up your own mind on this one. Would love to hear what you think.

Just because the author does a lot of marketing doesn't mean the publisher can't help - The Shatzkin Files - I think the trick these days is finding the right balance between what the house does and what you do. We're writers, after all, not marketing companies.

Why social media isn't the magic bullet for self-epublished authors | Books | guardian.co.uk - Another furor. But there is a LOT of truth in this article. Must read.

Writing Wednesdays from Steve Pressfield: The “A” Story and the “B” Story - Great analysis for story lines.

4 Best Writer's Block Infographics | Tech18 - Some very cool ways to look at the beast. Writer's Block isn't real though. It's just your story telling you you're going in the wrong direction.