5 Things I do as a Writer

Now, I am not - repeat, NOT - the poster child for anyone's writing routine. I kinda just do the writing thing and pray it works out. That's it, more or less. So please don't model yourself after me.

   I stand by that disclaimer, but I would also like to share a few things I do that I think help me. Hopefully, one or two will be helpful for someone else.

1. PULL MY HAIR BACK. Is it just me, or does having hair out of the way remove one more distraction? It also feels more serious, so I take what I'm doing more seriously.
2. I GO BACK AND CAPITALIZE  THE WORD "WAS". This is one of my favorite editing hacks. It helps me find weak sentences and really think through what I've written.
3. I LET A FEW FRIENDS READ AS I'M WRITING. My besties read as I write, and it's sooo great!! They give me my first feedback, fangirl over everything, and help with title ideas.
4. I TALK IT OUT. Writing can be lonely. But a couple of my brothers are such blessing and listen when I need it. This gives me unique brainstorming opportunities. Plus, one of them always sees things in ways I never do.
5. I READ BOOKS THAT MAKE ME FEEL HEAVY. Examples would be The Book Thief  and The Return of the King. These books have writing that is galaxies beyond even my best efforts and push me forward.

Hope someone finds this helpful. I'm off to Inkling Adventures, Book One.

Find my new blog here.

Five World Building Tips

So I think world-building is critical for a book. Mess it up, and the book loses creditably. Which means we writers have to get it right. So how do we do that?
   Well... I'm no expert, but I think a few rules of thumb might help. Let's go!

1. Give your world a history. Even if your world is just a town, a past makes it feel real.
2. Make it part of a bigger world. Foreigners, maps of continents... They all help make seem part of a larger existence.
3. Fill it with details of nature and weather. They're a part of our life, so make them part of your characters' life.
4. Give it a literature and culture past. Books, philosophy, myths, or legends give a sense of time and development to your story's present.
5. Have fun with it. Enjoying it is the best way to do it. And chances are, you'll do more that way too.

That's it,
RhoXie

Via Google

2017 Goals... Completed?

So the first post this year had a list of my goals for 2017. Let's see how I did....

1. Do a series on writing  Yes
    I did do this (see Write it Right Series), and it was fun. But I don't think I'm done with it yet. Just taking a break.

2. Do three braid series   No
   Wow. Did I really say three? That was ambitious. I did do the Waterfall Braid Series but not the Basic braid series or the Disney one. So 1/3 success rate, which equals... fail.

3. Do at least fifty posts   No
   Somebody kill my ambition because I obviously have way too much. I only posted twenty-nine times (counting this post) which is a 2/3 success rate. Still fail.

4. Do my best to publish Inkling Adventures  Um... No, BUT
   DID. NOT. HAPPEN. In fact, it's sitting in the corner, waiting for a complete rewrite. BUT I did write a Snow White Retelling, Day and Night, and a novel, The Kingdom of Fire and Ice. So I'd call that a productive year writing-wise.

Maybe I'll do better with my 2018 goals, yeah?
RhoXie

Not Publishing, Round Two

Hello, and welcome to National Coffee Month. Yay!

   So... this would've been the next part of the Write It Right Series, but I've decided to pause it for now. My writing skills aren't good enough for something like that yet. I don't want to give anyone bad advice!

   Next, I won't be publishing Inkling Adventures, not for a while anyway. I've received some feedback that it still needs a lot of work. Maybe even a rewrite! *groans*

    I'm really struggling with this right now, and I need wisdom. If you would pray for me, that would mean the world to me. Thanks.

RhoXie

The Stories Behind the Story ~ The Write it Right Series Pt. 3

So it acquired to me that I completely skip a month's worth of news last post, and that's a no-no. Allow me to fix that.

• My family did a electronics fast which is why I didn't post.
• I sighed up for Joni and Friends Family Retreat. It's July 22-27 (I think?), but I still have to raise 82% of my funds. Prayers please! And jobs if you've got them.
• I moved the publishing month for Inkling Adventures back from September to November.
• My closet was finished. A huge blessing for Noelle, Norah Beth, and I.

Now on to the post.

                       

So far in this series, we've explored our characters for who they are and who they will be. now it's time for us to discover who they were. Time to learn their backstory.

 

Minnew

   For example, Minnew of  my WIP Inkling Adventures was blissfully happy before her forming event (more on those later). Now she's constantly fearful. See how that worked? She was one thing, something happened, and she changed.

   That's the importance of backstory. It shapes characters and brings them to life. In my experience, more interesting backstory = more interesting character too.

   So how do we learn backstory? That comes differently for Different characters. Priss' came with the book idea while Rihnele's was a random decision. Lamsor's backstory came from Zaltin's, but I had to work hard for Minnew's.

    Yes, you say, but how? Honestly, they all come from the story. They need to effect to the plot somehow and/or the theme(s). So there's some starting places. Connecting to the villain is also good. there's another place to begin.

   I've also used questionnaires and interviews. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't. I have recently discovered that simply asking myself questions about characters and writing down the answers is helpful.

   Again these are just tricks I've picked up. They are everything about backstory.

Do you have any tips? What works for you?

RhoXie

Other Posts in this Series:

• Writing Questions
• Character Arcs

Characters' Arcs ~ Pt. 2 of the Write it Right Series

   My previous post in this series dealt with who your characters were and are. This post is about who they will be. How a character changes is called their arc, and there are three basic kinds.

                                         

Positive Arcs: Think Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. 

From the worst member of the fellowship
to our first heartfelt lost

Y'all have to admit, that's a powerful arc. These arcs are great for protagonists, but try to avoid cliches.

Negative Arcs: Think Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars.

From innocent boy to
cold killer

Still a powerful arc, but in the opposite way. These aren't as natural to to write as their positive counterparts, but very interesting!

Flat Arcs: Think Sam in Lord of the Rings.

The sum of Sam

Steadfast and courageous, but he doesn't change much. Instead, his role is helping "Mr. Frodo" change. These are easy to default to (writer's confession: I had till recently in one character), but harder to make work.

Your character's arc will probably come from the questions "What do they fear?" and "What do they want most?". Most characters only get one arcs, but it is possible for more than that. This adds interest to both the character and the book.

   For instance, Priss in my WIP Inkling Adventures has a double arc, mainly because I originally wrote it as two books. Her first arc is positive, but her second is negative. The negative one.... I'm still working out some kinks.

   Your character arcs are important, but you don't have to consciously choose them. I tend to write the first draft and just see what happens. Then I improve on whatever happened naturally. But that's just what works for me.

   For you, it may be something incredibly different. Is it? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

RhoXie

P.S. I know my advice isn't much. Check this site for much better advice. K. M. Weiland has a whole book on arcs.

Writing Questions ~ The Write it Right Series Pt. One

Hooray! The writing series! Y'all, I'm so excited it's ridiculous. Seriously I am. Just look...

That's how excited I am. I could seriously do that. Now, let's get started with the most important part of a story - the characters!

   There are numerous character-helps out there. My friend Morgan interview her characters, and Gail Carson Levine's book, Writing Magic (see more here) has a wonderful questionnaire. Different methods work different for different characters from different authors. But in my (small) experience, you must know some things about your character.

1. What does he/she fear? I don't just mean, are they afraid of spiders? What do they fear emotionally, mentally, or physically? What is it that haunts them?
2. What do they want most? This is your character's motive, their driving force. Arguably the most important information, you must know it. What they want also often connects to what they fear.
3. Why? Your most valuable question, why is the key to knowing your character. Why is that their fear? Why do they want that?
4. How does all this effect him/her? If they want to fly, what will they for the ability? How far will they go? How does that desire change them?

This is just a start. There's way more to learn about your characters. Just see what I mean.

If you know these things, you're well on your way to understanding your character. But that's just my opinion. If yours is different, tell me. I want to know.

RhoXie