Is Your Tale Character Driven or Plot Driven?
Posted: October 6, 2014 Filed under: NaNoWriMo, Odds and Ends | Tags: character, Melissa Stevens, Nanowrimo, plot, preperation 2 CommentsHere’s a big question, one you kind a need to consider before sitting down to start your story. What’s going to move the story along? Why will people keep reading? Are they going to like the characters and keep reading to find out what happens to them or are they going to get caught up in the situation and need to find out the resolution, even if they may not like the characters? Yes, it is possible to do a combination of both.
Why is this important? Because it tells you from the beginning what type of thing you need to do or focus on.
For example, most romances are character driven, people read to find out what happens to the people, and the people in these stories are likeable. You have to like the people enough to care what happens to them. On the other hand many mysteries are plot driven, it’s all (or mostly) about the events and solving the crime, the people in these are not necessarily likeable. You can have a detective that people don’t like but they’ll still read to find out what really happened to the victim (if you do it right.)
Once you know which element drives your story, you know which to focus on. I’m not saying that both elements don’t need your attention, but if you’ve got a plot driven story, and you focus on the next step in that story, then you won’t have to spend as much energy on your characters. The characters will react (and some of that will come with practice) to the situation naturally, and often you don’t really have to think about it consciously as the story unfolds, things seem to just happen.
How Well Do You Know Your Character?
Posted: October 4, 2014 Filed under: NaNoWriMo, Odds and Ends | Tags: background, character, Melissa Stevens, Nanowrimo, preparing 1 CommentYour main character that is.
Could you answer any question posed them? Could you answer an interview of them? If you know them well enough to do that, then you’re on good ground. You know how they’ll react to most situations, even if it’s not a conscious knowledge.
I can tell you from experience, when you know your character well, they will surprise you. Things happen to them and their reactions may not be your reactions but they won’t let you make them do anything else. If you don’t know your character then you my find yourself struggling with how they interact with people, environment and situations.
My advice? Find a questionnaire, it doesn’t have to be a long one a page or two will do, and fill it out for each of your main characters, anyone who plays a decent size role in your story. Personally, I like the ones with off the wall questions like what does she wear on an average day and what would she wear to a wedding? funeral? etc. They make you actually think about your character and his/her personality. Once you’ve answered a page or two of questions about them you start to get a feel for them, and that makes writing about them worlds easier.
Do you have a favorite questionnaire? Feel free to share the links.
Enter the World of World-Building
Posted: October 3, 2014 Filed under: NaNoWriMo, Odds and Ends | Tags: Melissa Stevens, Nanowrimo, preparing, world building Leave a commentThere are a billion and a half questions to answer when you start building an alternate reality in which to set a story (or series of them) What does the world look like? What’s the weather like? The terrain? What’s the political system and climate? history?
Most of this won’t go into your story, in fact, unless it’s a long in-depth saga, only a tiny sliver of all this will go into the tale, however, simply knowing it will help immensely in the writing of the story.
Say your main character does something against the law for your world, if you have done proper world building, there’s already some idea of what happens when someone breaks the rules/laws of the world (be that planet, country, city, etc.) You don’t have to stop and figure it out before you can continue the story.
Why am I talking about this now? Because I’m working on my world and character building for NaNoWriMo, which starts in less than a month. It’s not the most fun part of writing, but it can make things so much easier that it’s worth it. (Especially if this works out to be a series like I’m hoping, world build once, use it over and over and over.)
Have you started your NaNo Prep?
Off to Start the House Ape Round-Up
Posted: October 2, 2014 Filed under: Odds and Ends | Tags: kids, Melissa Stevens, school, sports, writing Leave a commentI do it almost every day, for part of the school year it’s one simple trip, go to the school, pick them up, come home. However, spring and fall, both when school starts and when it ends (coincidentally, the hottest parts of the school year,) is not so simple. I’m still picking them up, but then I have to shuffle things so I can get four kids to their softball/baseball practice/games, fed, homework, etc. Not that it can’t be done but it’s a little stressful, and have I mentioned how much I detest the heat? Oh, and all this running really cuts into my writing time, it’s really difficult to type while driving. Plus the police really frown on it. Sticks in the mud.
Round and Round I go.
Posted: October 1, 2014 Filed under: NaNoWriMo, Odds and Ends | Tags: life, Melissa Stevens, Nanowrimo, outlining, writing Leave a commentWhere I end, nobody knows.
Actually, I don’t really feel like I’m going in circles, just that I have a ton of stuff to do. Since sending the manuscript of LIVE off to my editor I’ve done some reading (actually, beta read two books for two different friends, as well as some pleasure reading,) made an appearance at my hometown county fair (had a total blast!) dealt with a lot of family issues and drama (2 teenager, 1 near teenager and a boy thing) plus that never ending circle of shopping and feeding them all.
Now, on October 1st, I realize that NaNoWriMo is only a month away. I need to start thinking about what I’ll work on for November. (Aside from the fact that I’ll have Live back by then I’ll have some changes I need to make and I need to do formatting too.) So this morning I opened up a new Scrivener project (if you’ve never tried Scrivener, I highly recommend it) and started with a little bit of an outline (I spent my girls softball practice last night bouncing ideas off a friend, I had to copy those out of our chat and save them too.) The outline will grow over the next few weeks and come November 1 I’ll start writing. Not sure if I’ll manage to win this year but I’ll do my best.
Upcoming Appearances.
Posted: September 23, 2014 Filed under: Odds and Ends | Tags: Appearaces, Melissa Stevens, where to find me Leave a commentFor those who want to know where they can find me…. Here’s what I’ve got scheduled right now.
October 18, 2014 I’m giving a class on ebook publishing at the Yuma Foothills Library. 1PM
December 6, 2014 I’m participating in the Write on the Edge Author Presentation at the Yuma Foothills Library. 10:30am (I should have copies of Live at this event, should anyone want one, but I can’t be certain yet.)
Live ~ Kitsune 4 ~ Dec 9, 2014
Posted: September 13, 2014 Filed under: Kitsune 4 | Tags: Kitsune, Kitsune 4, Live, Melissa Stevens, Preorder Leave a commentI’ve already shown you the cover but here it is again, with all the really important info like the blurb and pre-order links.
Blurb:
The final book in the Kitsune series, Live begins as Nickie recovers from dealing with traumatic loss. Brandon is in custody, trying to earn pack redemption while helping locate a pair of killers. Then a pair of Kitsune from out of town show up asking for her help and Nickie realizes that word of what she does is spreading. Her life is changing, fast, but is it for the better? Nickie has to figure out what she wants and how to live but first she has survive what life’s throwing her way.
Preorder on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo,
Author Blitz ~ Rose Shababy
Posted: September 8, 2014 Filed under: Visitors | Tags: Bewitching Book Tours, Blue Effect, Renegade Heroes, Rose Shababy, The Blue Efect 1 Comment
The Blue Effect
Renegade Heroes
Book One
Rose Shababy
Book Description:
Blue Brennan is jaded and bitter despite her pinup girl looks and quick wit. Night after night, she scours the Seattle club scene looking for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside.
When she meets the mysterious Kasey, her world stops… literally. He claims she has the ability to control time and stuns her even further when he reveals his own gifts.
Blue is inexplicably drawn to Kasey and reluctantly enters his world filled with a new breed of humanity. They’re misfits like her, blessed or cursed with powerful abilities, struggling to hide their differences from the rest of society.
Then the group discovers a nameless, faceless sociopath with nightmarish powers; and he’s coming for Blue. She’s left reeling when they discover her gifts are the key to defeating his terrible evil and saving them all.
Now she must race against the clock to harness her own powers and save her new friends. Can she be more than a renegade? Can she be a hero too?
Excerpt:
Clearly the time had come for the two of us to have it out. “I may have thought you were hot when we first met, and you got to listen to the nasty thoughts in my head, but every time we meet I find it harder to like you. In fact, every time you open your mouth, you get uglier and uglier. I don’t know if Val was right, and you really are jealous, but let me make this crystal clear for you. There is no part of me that wants you.”
His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then, before I could do anything, his hands shot out and grabbed my shoulders again. He yanked me close to him and I the heat from his chest burned through my t-shirt. His face was so close to mine I could feel his hot breath blazing against my cheek when he spoke. “You’re a little liar,” he hissed. “There is a part of you that likes this,” he shook me a little and I flushed with rage… and something else. “And goddamn me, there’s a part of me that likes it too.” He hovered with his face still close to mine and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. My head fell back slightly and my lips parted involuntarily as I anticipated his invasion.
Then he released me, almost flinging me away from him. I pressed my back against the wall as I watched him and tried to catch my breath as my traitorous heart beat so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
“Let me make this crystal clear for you,” he mimicked. “Kasey is like a brother to me and if you hurt him, you’ll wish you never met me.”
“I already do,” I whispered with sincerity.
About the Author:
Rose Shababy and her family reside in eastern Washington State. Rose grew up in the Northwest but swears she’s going to move to warmer climates someday. She’s claimed this for over 20 years, however, and has yet to move more than 75 miles away from her mother.
Rose has a deep love of all things Star Trek and yearns to travel the heavens, as well as an intense desire to be bitten by a radioactive spider.
Unfortunately she sucks at science and math so she hasn’t been able bring her dreams to life, instead living vicariously through books, comics, television and film. She hopes to someday make a million dollars so she can afford to buy her way to the international space station, but she’d settle for being able to fly around the world and leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Rose also loves to cook and worked for years in a gourmet Italian grocery and deli where she learned to hone her skills. She prepares culinary masterpieces for her family, but fervently wishes the dishes would wash themselves. Especially now that her dishwashers/children are nearly grown and only one still lives at home.
Rose likes to use her free time wisely. For instance, she likes to daydream, will often read for hours until she falls asleep on the couch with an electric blanket and a warm tabby cat curled up on her hip, as well as spending cozy weekend days watching Syfy movies like Sharknado and Mega Piranha with her husband.
If Rose were a cartoon animal, she’d prefer to be a wise old owl or a sleek and sexy jaguar, but in reality she’d probably be a myopic mole with coke-bottle glasses.
http://roseshababy.com/category/roses-brain/
https://www.facebook.com/rose.shababy
https://twitter.com/RoseShababy
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6063741-rose-shababy
