Day 182 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

TELL ME AND I MIGHT GET IT/SHOW ME AND IT BECOMES PART OF ME.

OR

WHICH WORKS BETTER: DESCRIBE IT, OR PAINT ME A PICTURE?

 

You've heard it over and over, SHOW, DON'T TELL! But what does that mean? It means that a good writer shows you their characters instead of telling you about them. As I said above, it's the difference between someone describing the Sistine Chapel and actually seeing it. Here are two examples in which we describe a character named Troy:

 

Troy was an ego-maniac.

 

Troy could hold forth for hours on his life and accomplishments. He was always ready to let the entire office know how much he had seen and done in his twenty years, while checking out the condition of his styled and gelled hair in any reflective surface.

 

The second example is the more compelling because we are showing you Troy's character rather than simply stating his flaw. It is far more effective to reveal a character by what they say, do, look like, and how they live. There are three different ways to do this:

 

* Action

 

* Dialogue

 

* Description (of both appearance and environment)

 

ACTION Our characters come alive in what they do and the decisions they make. It is one of the most convincing ways to reveal their nature. Sometimes they are extravagant, as in an employee plotting to overthrow her boss and gain her position. Or they can be small gestures, as when a father hugs his son's shoulder after a losing baseball game. Both scales can create that vivid portrait of a character.

 

These can also be acts of omission, such as the employee who doesn't attend the little get togethers with his fellow workers.

 

DIALOGUE What and how a character says something is a sure reflection of their nature. Dialogue, as you know, is one of your most useful and powerful tools as a writer. It reveals how characters relate to one another. Is the character thoughtful and introverted, or a quick witted extrovert? Is he gregarious or a loner? Who is the dominant personality in an interaction? Well crafted dialogue can answer these questions and paint a much more complete picture of interpersonal skills and style.

 

DESCRIPTION How a character looks and dresses can be the initial introduction we receive of a character's personality. Take Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". Here is the man who goes on to be a self-sacrificing hero, yet, when we first see him, we are introduced to a man who has little regard for his appearance. Everything we use to describe a character's appearance and environment paints the picture we have of the character. Beats the hell out of stating, "This guys the good one", don't you think?

 

A description of the environment can also speak volumes. Is their home messy or neat? Do you have to make your way through a narrow alley lined with hoarded junk, or is it monk-like in it's austerity? Are the walls stark white or vivid red? Are your protagonist's pockets stuffed full of all kinds of slips of paper and odds and ends?

 

These are the kinds of details that offer insights into your character's true nature. This is how you send me down the path into the landscape and hamlets of your story. Otherwise your just telling me where to go.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

Day 181 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THEN IT'S LIKE CHOOSING THE TEAM

AND, AS WITH ANY TEAM, NOT EVERYBODY IS GOING TO MAKE IT.

 

You've made it through all this pain and stress of assigning traits to your characters. You've given them goals, wants, and the motivation of needs. So now comes the real agony: Who are these characters, and am I really going to use them?

 

Well, you need a protagonist. I mean, somebody has to do something. Otherwise we're back to the whole Seinfeld thing. Only worse. A story about nothing is bad, but a story about nobody isn't - a story. So, there's one character. The protagonist needs an antagonist. Now, as we've said, this doesn't have to be a human, and it's even possible to be the same physical being as the protagonist (Oh, you twisted soul), but you need one.

 

How do you decide on the others? Well, what is it going to take to move your story forward? Every character you put in the story MUST propel it forward in some way. In other words, every one must be necessary to the tale. Each one has a job of helping the story proceed.

 

For example:

 

You have a story in which a husband begins to think his wife is plotting to get rid of him. He doesn't trust his own judgement so he invites someone in to discuss his feelings.The new character's job is to confirm or deny the husband's suspicions.

 

Say the husband consults with two friends about his suspicions. But they seem to disagree. The first one is convinced the hidden pistol, the shovel and tarp in the trunk of the wife's car, and the plane ticket to Buenos Aires charged to the credit card, are probably proof positive. The second sees these as coincidental. After all, the husband's birthday is coming, his wife is a gardener, and they have talked about a trip for their anniversary.

 

The opposition you build here reflects the opposition in the husband's mind. Is there a plot against him or not? Each character has a role that will help bring about the resolution.

 

And yes, Virginia, as you assemble your cast, you need to answer more questions:

 

* What is this character's job?

 

* Does the character help generate or resolve the conflict? How?

 

* Does the character help your protagonist resolve the story's central problem? How?

 

* Does the character help the antagonist provide obstacles for your protagonist to overcome? What obstacles?

 

If you're writing short fiction then your economy of characters is critical. Nobody just "hangs out" in short fiction. They all must have a role that is vital to the story. Each character should fulfill at least one of the following functions:

 

* Help generate or diffuse conflict.

 

* Provide obstacles or help the protagonist remove them.

 

* Add dimension (through contrast or similarity) to other characters.

 

If a character doesn't meet one of these criteria then he/she is an empty suit on the stage and should be cut. Even one with seeming early significance may need to be axed down the road. However, you've done the background on the character, perhaps you can use them in another story later on. That's what being a writer's all about.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

Day 180 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

WANTS + NEEDS = REAL LIVE HUMAN BEINGS

OR

EVEN THE DEVIL HAS MOTIVATIONS, CECILE DEAR. NOR WAS HE ALWAYS EVIL.

 

Here we are, coming down the stretch. We've looked at the wants of our character(s), these are the what's of the story. We've looked at their desires, or the why's. But what is the point in all this psycho-babble, mumbo-jumbo? After all, you just want to write a damned story. Right?

 

Well, these two parts of your character's personality are very much tied together. If you can figure out how, then you are on your way to creating more believable, sympathetic beings with which to populate your stories no matter what genre or style you're writing in. As you figure out how the needs connect to the wants you should try to write a few sentences describing the connection:

 

* Which needs are satisfied in his or her life? William has been raised in an upper class family: his body and safety needs are met.

 

* Which needs are not satisfied? His parents decide to move to another country for career purposes. William is enrolled, as a foreigner, in a new school where he struggles to develop friends. He doesn't feel accepted. His social needs are not met.

 

* What occupies his or her thoughts most of the time? All right, I know he's a teen-age male, can we get out of the gutter for a second? William is preoccupied with the question of making friends in a foreign land. What do I have to do to fit in?

 

* How do his or her needs inform his or her wants and desires? William's unmet social needs dictate that he may choose unacceptable or ingratiating paths to be accepted by a group at school.

 

The ultimate objective here is to anchor your character's wants and desires, and through those, their actions, in deep rooted needs. Even though we want our good guys to be near saintly and our bad guys to be entirely malicious or malignant, that isn't the way of the world. Nor will it help you produce a character that engages your audience believably.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

 

 



Day 179 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

I KNOW YOU WANT IT SNOOKUMS, BUT DO YOU REALLY NEED IT?

OR

THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS GOING ALL SIGMUND FREUD ON YOU.

 

 

We've been talking about your protagonists desires, their wants, but where does all this come from? And what is it that makes them interesting? Someone who works to become a movie star because they are just so damned pretty is far less interesting than someone who is plain, or even ugly, and overcomes myriad obstacles to succeed at the same goal. When you sit down to figure out your character's wants, you must also figure out where they come from. You need to identify their needs.

 

Needs are those deep motivators that drive your character's behavior. They differ from wants in one crucial way, they are very often unacknowledged by the  person experiencing them. They lie in the subconscious of a character. Your character knows he/she yearns to be a star, but they may not recognize that their motivation is to gain the admiration of their friends and family for their ability in spite of their looks. You have to figure out what these needs are even if they don't make an overt appearance in your story.

 

Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified five basic needs that compel human behavior. A basic understanding of these might just help you better portray where your character's motivations stem from and help you develop a better structure for your tales. They are, in order of importance:

 

1. Physiological or bodily needs.

2. Safety needs.

3. Social needs.

4. Needs for esteem.

5. Need for self-actualization.

 

Physiological or bodily needs. Food, water, air to breathe, rest, etc. The things that are necessary for survival. These are the strongest and most basic needs. When not met they can, at the least, be uncomfortable and at their worse, life threatening.

 

As in the case of prisoner of war camps whose denial of  food, sufficient clothing, medical care has caused some to drift into complete disregard for all other needs in a constant search for food. Even to the point of cheating or betraying fellow prisoners.

 

Safety needs. When the bodies needs are met the need for safety becomes more dominant. The need for shelter and personal security. Children have a more acute sense of personal safety than adults. When faced with an imminent danger, safety needs can trump, bodily needs.

 

A village is living a hand to mouth subsistence life. But they are faced with being overrun by a ruthless military force. They abandon their fields and singular food source and flee.

 

Social needs. The needs for love, affection, and belonging. They make their appearance when the need for security and bodily needs have been met. The human animal craves acceptance, whether in the family, social group, religious or work environment, or gangs. We need to feel loved and accepted. Without fulfillment humans become lonely and alienated. Few social needs are greater than the need for acceptance, especially among our peers.

 

A student feels ostracised because his/her family cannot afford the quality of clothing and activities others can. He/she takes up shoplifting and petty larceny to meet these needs and finds acceptance in a criminal element at the school.

 

Needs for esteem. This is internal and external. The need for self-esteem and the feeling we get from the respect of others. Healthy individuals have a stable, high level of self-respect and outside esteem. Without these needs being met an individual develops feelings of worthlessness and inferiority. On the flip side, over-indulged, a person can become snobbish or ego-maniacal.

 

A young man is admired by his co-workers and friends for his abilities on the job and his good looks. He is noticed by management and moves up the ladder. His rise is so fast he begins to believe he is destined for these things and that he is due better treatment than his peers. This results in his fall from grace.

 

Need for Self-Actualization. This is the need to do what we feel we were born to do. Without this, a person may feel, lacking, on edge, restless, unfulfilled. This need manifests itself mainly when it is not being met.

 

A young woman shows a real knack for drawing and illustration in school. But, because of her family's low social standing she is driven to become a lawyer. She has a talent in the courtroom but never is able to find the drive of her co-workers.

 

These are the things beneath the desires. The fire, as it were, that heats the boiler, that drives the engine. Without an understanding of these motivators our characters are at best two dimensional and shallow, at worse, vacuous and completely unworthy of our sympathy. Tomorrow we'll look at connecting wants and needs.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

Day 178 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

WE'VE ALL GOT DESIRES, BABY!

OR

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE X, WHY, Z OF THINGS.

 

 

You've invested a lot of time so far. You decided what the main conflict of your story was while developing your story idea. This should have given you a fair idea of who your protagonist and antagonist are. You probably haven't completely worked out their natures and drives, but you have a fair sense what your protagonist is working toward and how or why your antagonist is blocking him or her.

 

It's time to go back to the notebooks (kind of like an NFL playbook). You need to fill in and examine who your characters are - you want to know WHY they're after what they're after? WHY they're locked in this battle? What is it that makes them tick?

 

In everything you've been doing so far you've concentrated on WHAT. What exactly are your protagonists and antagonists wants. This is fine but it is still too shallow. Now is time to ask a basic question of all of this - and keep asking it. WHY?

 

What does your protagonist want?

 

*Why does he/she want it?

 

*Why is it so vital to him/her?

 

*What will success mean to your MC?

 

*Why hasn't he/she tried for it until now?

 

*Why is THIS moment so important?

 

If your antagonist is a person, what does he/she want?

 

*Why does your antagonist want it?

 

*Why is it so vital to him/her?

 

*What will success mean to him/her?

 

*Why is your antagonist determined to triumph?

 

*Why is he/she opposed to the MC?

 

It is most important to figure out your MC's whys. But having a better understanding of your antagonists, if it is a person, will enrich and deepen your portrayal.

 

We'll define some of these whys in our next get together.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

Day 177 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

CHARACTER TYPES AND WHY THE MC ISN'T ALWAYS THE MOST SYMPATHETIC!

Or

The Good, The Bad, and Where The Hell Did He come From?

 

 

We left off yesterday with a list of three types of characters you can have in any story. We listed protagonists, the antagonists, and supporting characters. So, just who the hell are these potential members of our cast?

 

The protagonist is our Main Character in any tale. It is this character who will be looking towards resolving a conflict and attaining a "goal". The protagonist has a driving desire, he/she wants something vital. What does something vital look like? Freedom, wealth, peace, survival - Whatever, it is something VERY important to the MC. The object of our MC's desire is what determines our entire focus in the story. Most often, our protagonist is working against an antagonist, which can be a person or thing, that stands fast against the protagonist attaining his/her goal.

 

If you create a little "Mano y Mano" between two people it isn't always the easiest thing to determine who wears the white hat and who wears the black. Protagonists aren't always likable. In noir fiction and cinema, protagonists may be a murderers trying to get away with a crime. On the other hand, some antagonists can become absolutely magnetic.

 

Speaking of which, the antagonist works against the protagonist, (ant- means against). He/she/or it stands in the way of the protagonist accomplishing the goal of the story. Yes I said he/she/or it, because the antagonist can be weather, fate, nature, or anything for that matter, so long as it provides a sufficient barrier to build tension in the story. A classic of reversal is the antagonist in, "The Fugitive". Here we have a detective trying to capture an escaped felon, convicted of murder, who is trying to prove his innocence. The detective is never portrayed as a "bad guy", just a dedicated cop doing his job.

 

When it comes to how detailed your antagonist should be - Check out this posting by Kathryn Lilley over at The Kill Zone on what it can take to create a really bad guy. It might surprise, and shake you up a little to see how unfamiliar the ones in our stories may be compared to real life.

 

Finally come those quirky characters who may or may not have anything to do with either our protagonists or antagonists. These are members of the cast who might only make very brief appearances, but whose job it is to move the story along in the direction we intend. These are supporting characters.

 

They help to generate a diffuse conflict that permeates all levels of our story and can add dimension to protagonists or antagonists. They may have little to do, personally, with other characters, appearing and hovering in the periphery. They might be an informant, or rival, or a demanding boss. They may not be amicable but their paths cross and, in those crossings, they supply tidbits that can deepen mysteries or supply Ah-Ha moments. They can even be more subtle, sending the story in a direction without any greater effect other than acting as signposts.

 

So the protagonist wants something. The antagonist stands in his/her way. Supporting characters help move things along. All of this to accomplish some DESIRE. Which is what we'll tackle in the next installment.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.

Day 176 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

ANNOUNCEMENT

 

Fourth Editor Added to Speak at VCWC July 9 Meeting on “Working with a Professional Editor” Private pre-meeting interviews for club members (Ventura, CA – July 1, 2013) Professional editor and co-founder of the Los Angeles Editors & Writers Group, Monica Faulkner, has been added to the evening panel discussion “Working with a Professional Editor,” at the July 9th meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club. Ms. Faulkner has been a professional editor for 20 years, working on both fiction and nonfiction works. Club president, Kate Sexton, will moderate the session. Also on the panel are: Greg Elliot of Agoura Hills, author, editor, screenwriter, and writing professor at UCLA, Tammy Ditmore of Newbury Park, professional book editor, and southern California publishing legend, Shelly Lowenkopf of Santa Barbara, former Executive Editor for several California publishers, recipient of the “Life Time Achievement in Writing” award from USC for 30 years teaching masters writing classes, and author of over 35 books. Mr. Lowenkopf has personally seen over 700 books to publication as an editor. Before the club meeting begins at 7 pm, Ms. Faulkner, Ditmore and Mr. Lowenkopf have agreed to meet privately with 12 club members to review their book project. A special sign up page has been set up for this purpose. Those members interested should respond to the email sent by the club or contact Kate Sexton at Kate@katesexton.com “Editing is a very grey area for most writers,” stated Sexton. “A properly edited book can make the difference of getting an agent and a deal, or not. This does NOT mean spell checking or school teacher grammar. Publishing today has created its own standards that help American English evolves. Grammar taught in school lags behind the public discourse. To have a book that sells, the author must submit a top quality manuscript.” The panel will cover both copy/line editing and, what Ms. Sexton thinks is more important, content/concept editing. “Where does your story really start? Do you have real conversations by your characters or do they sound stilted because of not contractions? Is there enough dialogue or is the manuscript filled with narrative? And how to judge?” The 90-minute panel will address these questions and more. Time will be set aside at the end of the formal panel for questions from the audience. There will be no Opening Act this evening so more time is devoted to the panel topic. CALENDAR INFORMATION July Meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club July 9, 7PM Pleasant Valley Senior Center 1605 Burnley Street, Camarillo, CA Topic: Three Editors’ Panel on “How to Work with a Professional Editor” Open to Members and non-members. No fee For information on the Ventura County Writers Club, visit: http://www.venturacountywriters.com CONTACT: Kathleen Kaiser, 805-524-6970

 

WE NEED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO TALK ABOUT CHARACTER

NO NOT YOURS. THAT IS UNLESS THOSE THINGS I HEARD ABOUT BILLY WATSON'S SENIOR POOL PARTY ARE TRUE, HUH?

Really, we are going to talk about character - or characters - the ones in your story. Now that you've got a good idea what your story is about and where it's going, it's time to populate it. Your story may involve one character or several, and in order for these characters to engage your audience they are going to have to be as familiar to you as your best friend. It's up to you to create every facet of your character's personality.

 

Whoa! Isn't this an awful lot of detail for someone who may exist for as little as a few thousand words and assuredly no more than a hundred thousand? Every GREAT, memorable story as complex, believable characters that an audience can relate to on an emotional level. And that goes for every character in your story. Each must have a life of their own, so well constructed that the reader feels that the character is speaking for his or herself, not that you are speaking through the character. Even if you are visibly the narrator, you're the creator of the world of the story and it's up to you to think deeply about how your characters operate in that environment.

 

There are three main types of characters:

 

*Protagonists

*Antagonists

*Supporting Characters

 

Each one of these will play a distinct role in your story and interact with each other in different or similar ways. Before we run off like some mad scientist assembling body parts and high voltage instruments, we need to take a more detailed look at each of the character types. That's where we'll pick up tomorrow.

 

 

Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

 

 

Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 

 

Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author.