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 The FSFS Newsletter is written by FSFS members covering everything Fantasy and Sci-Fi |
The "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" welcomes you to  Welcome to the August edition of the Newsletter. Written by members of the "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" for all of Writing.Com, this month we are focusing on characters. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Characters 3. Tools for Creating New Characters 4. Be Prepared for Haters 5. Book Review: Elantris 6. Advertisements 7. Vote  Let's start with the elephant in the room: This newsletter is very late. Normally I come up with some perfectly reasonable excuse for these sorts of things, but not this month. Put quite simply I was lazy and didn't produce the Newsletter until now. If you are an FSFS member, watch your inbox over the next few weeks to find out how you can help. I will be looking for people to help edit alternate Newsletters with me, manage Three Prompts judging and generally help out with the group. Despite the FSFS being a fairly simple group, I am learning that even the most simple tasks become difficult to complete on time when several of them stack on top of each other. That is the reason the June Three Prompts results have still not been announced and the WdC Live winnings have not been sent out. To be fair, these tasks don't take very long to complete, but I am struggling with my motivation recently. The issue is that I want to spend time writing, but when I go to do that I feel guilty that I've not finished my WdC responsibilities. I end up doing neither. Hence my request for help with certain FSFS tasks. Please don't mistake this for me falling out of love with WdC and the FSFS. I still visit the site everyday, but I'm just not getting what I need to get done done when I'm here! I am sure there are some of you out there who have been in similar situations before. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. This 'month' I present to you a newsletter with a couple of articles on characters, an article on haters and a great book review. Enjoy!  Ahhh... characters. The most vital element of a story, because characters are the reason we as readers care about the plot. The better the characters, the more we care. So how do we make good characters? After doing thorough research, I've concluded that a good character is three-dimensional (1) and active (2). You see, if the character is active but lacks three dimensions, xe is probably an Entertaining But I Couldn't Really Care Less Character. If your character is passive, xe is probably a Boring Relatable Character. The real issues start arriving when your character is neither three-dimensional or active: then, unless you're writing nonfiction, you currently have a Book for Starting Fires. Ouch. It's easy enough to make your MC active: you just have to set up the plot in such a way that makes it so your character is the one making the decisions xirself about 95% of the time when it matters. That means not forcing your character into doing something unless you can find a way to motivate xim to actually do it well. So that the motivation isn't artificial, your character must be three-dimensional. As you probably already know, the point of creating a three-dimensional character is to make them as lifelike as possible. The impression you want to give to your readers is not that they are reading about fictional characters, but rather that they are living the adventure alongside real people. How do you create "real people", you may ask? Well, the first step is understanding how real people work, what makes them tick. You see, everyone's way of thinking, acting and reacting is highly influenced by their likes, dislikes, personal history, etc. Yes, I am going to start by talking about backstories. Backstories are the reason your characters has the traits xe does. For example, a character with anger management issues might have had a parent with similar issues. A self-entitled character might've been spoiled rotten when he was younger. And so on. You can build likes and dislikes based on past experiences, too: for example, I have an irrational fear of anesthesia because of many operations I had when I was a kid. The point is, just as you can probably link events in your life to who you are currently, you should be able to do the same for your characters. I, personally, like to reverse-engineer characters by creating their traits and then tailoring a detailed back-story to explain how the character's personality built itself over time. Let's say that I have a character who is miserable because of a self-inflicted reclusion. The first question I'll be asking myself is: if she is so unhappy with her predicament, why wouldn't she change it? In other words, what motivates her to be a recluse despite the fact it brings her pain? Well, what motivates real people? The general rule is that most people act out of self-interest: they flee pain but seek out pleasure. In other words, there is a cost-benefit analysis to most of our actions. This implies that our character has somehow decided that being a recluse is easier and brings her less pain than if she tried to reach out to others. I don't know about you guys, but it suddenly seems to me as if this character of ours (let's call her A) is enduring the pain of being alone because she is fleeing a (perceived) greater pain which comes with opening up to others. So far, we know this about A: she forces herself to be alone because she's lost faith in other people. She believes that if she trusts and makes herself vulnerable, she'll be hurt again. Wait. Did I say again? When was the first time she was hurt? And here is where your horizons open up in order to insert the traumatic backstory. Now, you need to find a backstory that fits with what we know of the character so far. Her parent's murder? Doesn't really explain the fear that other people will hurt her emotionally. She lost her pet bunny when she was younger because it got run over by a car? Doesn't explain anything. I have an idea! Let's make it so A was severely bullied at school. Why? Throw in something random like "being a teacher's pet". Then ask yourself "what impact would that have on A's view about 'teacher's pets', or about acting nice to people, etc?" As you go on, you'll find that your character is getting more and more complex, with different personality traits emerging and fitting together like the pieces of the world's most messed-up jigsaw puzzle. That complicated mess is what you want, because real people are complicated.  Before we ever try to commit our characters to the page, they must live in our imaginations and our minds. If we, as writers, don’t believe in, identify with, and feel for our characters, our readers won’t either. At a time, when I was struggling with a nasty case of writer’s block, a friend of mine said, “The day you can see your dragon standing on the front lawn in all his shining glory, reach out and caress his nose, and feel the heat of his breath on your face is the day he’ll spring into life, and you’ll write him into your story.” He was right. I’d been so involved with my one main character, that I’d left the rest of my story to flounder along with a supporting cast of flat, two-dimensional characters. If you want to see just how right my friend was, go take a peek at my dragon, Starfire, in the chapter, "Invalid Entry" , of my novel, The Cat, The Dragon, and A Rose. That chapter was written several weeks after my friend’s comments struck home. What a difference! So, how does one come up with the inspiration for unforgettable characters? You guessed it ~ Observation and Imagination. The best place to gain inspiration for your characters is the world around you and the people you come in contact with every day. Our First Character Building Tool  If you want to write forever-memorable characters, the art of people watching should become almost second-nature to you. I have yet to meet a writer of engaging characters who does not indulge in the regular habit of people watching. I divide writers’ people watching into two categories: A) casual, public people watching and B) careful, intimate people watching.  Casual, Public People Watching Having trouble finding a variety of physical characteristics to distinguish your characters one from the other? Take a look around. People come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Pick out those characteristics that fit your story and blend them together, however it suits your imagination, to create the perfect physical appearance for your characters. When engaging in public people watching take note of people’s external appearance—body build, clothing, coloring, style, etc.—and their behavior and public demeanor. Beyond the obvious physical characteristics of people, learn to look for the little out-of-the-ordinary things that make an individual stand out. As you watch the people around you, make note of what about them catches your eye. Maybe it’s a waist-length, curling, cascade of copper hair on a petite, teen-age girl. Or perhaps, an elderly man dressed in English tweed and smoking a curved pipe. Yet again, maybe it’s a middle-aged man in spandex biking shorts riding a recumbent bicycle down the road, grinning from ear-to-ear. What ever catches your eye will, more than likely, catch your reader’s attention. I once based a character on a little, old waitress with a face like a gnome and a smile that lit up a room. Until she smiled, she was about the homeliest woman you’d ever see. But, once her smile burst forth: her face glowed, her eyes lit up, her cheeks pooffed out, and the corners of her mouth jumped half way to her eyebrows. In that instant, all you saw was the loving, cheerful person, imprisoned behind a mask, the world calls ugly. After one smile in your direction, you could never see her as homely or ugly again. Get in the habit of paying close attention to the little odd things that make a person look out-of-place in his surroundings. For instance, what would you think if you saw a well-groomed, athletic male, wearing a custom-tailored Armani business suit, riding a rapid-transit bus in Los Angeles? (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the prevailing attitude about public transportation and private automobiles in the city of Los Angeles, a man in an Armani suit using the rapid transit system is almost unheard of.) With this scenario, in a brief visual, you have the makings of a character and possibly a new story line. Start asking your self questions. Why is he on the bus? Has he lost his drivers license due to multiple D.U.I. arrests? If so, why can’t he afford a cab? Laid-off from his six-figure salaried job? Inherited an expensive wardrobe from a distant uncle, but nothing else? The possibilities are endless. One question can lead to another, and another, and so on, until you’ve built a picture of a character you can use in your stories. Places To People Watch  The best places for quality, public people watching are free, easily accessible, filled with people from all walks of life and often provide comfortable spots where one can sit, out of the way, for an extended length of time to watch the world go by. If you find a place that also serves a great cup of coffee or a tall glass of iced tea – even better. Some of the greatest places for public people watching are the waiting areas in air ports, doctors’ offices, hospitals, and veterinary offices. Shopping malls are good too, especially if you want to observe teen-agers and young people. Want to get in a choice hour or two of people watching? Take a ride on your local rapid transit system. Buses, subways, and railways are amazing places to watch people. For a few dollars, you can fill an entire spiral notebook with observations on a wide spectrum of cultures, ages, styles, and social interactions.  Careful, Intimate People WatchingCareful, intimate people watching is done in all of the places you inhabit every day: your home, your neighborhood, your workplace, and the stores, shops, and restaurants you frequent on a regular basis. When you engage in careful, intimate people watching you must be circumspect, because you will be observing the people you interact with everyday: be it your family, your co-workers, or the staff and customers in your favorite neighborhood coffee shop. The second reason you need to be more . . . well . . . sneaky . . . when you engage in careful, intimate people watching, is that you are looking for how people behave, how they react to both the positive and the negative situations they face, and how they reveal their own personalities through that behavior. If they know you are watching, they may not act as they would normally. They may even be offended by your attention. Stealth is nearly always the best policy, when doing your careful, intimate people watching. But do it, you must, if you want to populate your writing with rich, vivid, believable, memorable characters. A Few More Character Building Tools  Creating your own characters from the ground up will be less difficult, if you do your preparatory work. Once you have a wealth of people-watching observations, it’s time to blend them together to create memorable characters. The best way to build four-dimensional characters is to get to know them intimately. There are numerous ways you can get acquainted with your characters Physical Appearance  The most obvious place to start is with a character’s physical appearance. There are two schools of thought concerning describing physical appearances in fiction. The first advocates giving minimal description and letting the reader build their own version of the character’s appearance in their imagination. This school of thought usually works best for short stories, where your space is limited and every word you write must advance your plot. The second school of thought tends to work better for longer pieces and novel writing, where you have plenty of time and space to develop all of the minute details for your characters and your plot. This is especially important for Fantasy and Science Fiction writers, since many of your characters come straight from your imagination and don't exist anywhere else. You need to give your readers enough ques so they will "see" your characters are they read. Even if you don’t plan to use a lot of physical description in your writing, you still need to have a clear, detailed picture of your character's physical attributes in your mind as you write. When you begin developing a new character, take the time to find a picture of how you see or imagine that character. Go through a catalog or magazine, and cut out a picture that reminds you of your character. Peruse the images search pages online, and find a picture that is closest to your mental image. Print it out, or at least save it to your hard drive. Take a photograph of someone who reminds you of your character. If you need to, draw a picture the character yourself. A strong visual image will help solidify your character in your mind. Tape the picture near your computer. Look at it every day as you write. The more real this character becomes to you, the better you will write him or her. Visuals are important! Do what ever it takes to imprint a clear, concise image of your character on your mind. Personality, Life History, Strengths and Weaknesses  Once you have a strong physical image of your character fixed in your mind you need to give him, or her, a life and a personality. Even though you will probably never use most of the information you gather about your character, you need to know it and understand how it worked together, to bring your character to the point you reveal him in your story. Your character needs a past history, family, ancestors, education, skills, personality traits, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, faults, fears and passions, good memories and bad memories. The first step in building your character is to organize the information you gather. Start by using the observations from your people watching sessions. Make a list of at least 50 details about your character. Start with the basics. Include name, location, oddities, career, historical period, likes and dislikes, family history, pivotal events in the character’s life, faults, and anything and everything you can think of that will make this character come alive in your mind. Include both positive and negative traits. Be detailed and be explicit. This list of information will become the foundation for further character development. If you are writing a short story, you probably won’t need more information than what you put in your fifty-item list. If you are writing a longer story, novella, or full length novel, you’ll want to use this information as the foundation, and then build on it to fill in all aspects of your character’s personality and the details of his past life and possible future. The more details you pour into your character preparation and creation, the more vivid you will write your characters. Character Questionnaire  An excellent tool, for detailed character development is the Character Questionnaire. It doesn’t matter which one you use, as long as you do use one. Try out several. Find the one, or the combination of several, that works best for you. This is your writing tool. Cater it to your tastes and your style of working and writing. Here's the one I use most often. It's stitched together from several different sources. I wanted it as complete and comprehensive as I could make it. Feel free to make copies, but please keep it private. It is copyrighted.
Complete, in detail and in its entirety, one questionnaire for each major and each main supporting character in your story. For minor supporting characters, you might want to add a few items beyond the bare basics. “Extras” need only have limited physical appearances listed and one or two additional items to make them fit into and fill the space you need them in. The easiest way to organize all of your Character Questionnaires is to keep them in a folder on your computer, or print them out and store them in a three-ring binder. I prefer a three-ring binder, myself, so I have my character information at my fingertips and don’t have to jump back and forth between computer files when I'm writing. Character Interview  Another way to get to know your characters is to interview them. Imagine you are a reporter who needs to find all of the motivations of a person who does or did what ever it is you plan for your character. Start with the basics, and end with answers to these questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? What if? Write out a list of questions and then sit down for a talk with your character. Remember to give your self plenty of room for spontaneity and side trips. Write out detailed answers for every question you ask your character. Print it out for your character binder or save it in your character files on your computer. Every time you forget what direction your character needs to go, or what motivates them, return to your interview and see what their answers were. For additional information on doing a character interview check out the links below. http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/developingcharacters.html https://www.autocrit.com/editing/library/four-methods-for-interviewing-character... http://crystalstranaghan.com/interview-your-characters/ http://work.chron.com/start-off-character-interview-2581.html  Give your characters life in your mind and imagination, and they will explode, full-blown and multidimensional, from the pages of your story. "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor  We all want readers to like our work. The thing is, it’s not possible. Not everybody will like what you have to say. But that doesn’t mean what you have is not good or even exceptional. Some people on WdC who read your story will give it two stars and belittle your great piece. We all have heard of other authors who are praised by thousands but are ill spoken of by critics. Maybe it isn’t their genre, maybe their minds are not keen enough to get your much labored piece or perhaps they’re just nit-picky and point out every minute blip and blow them out of proportion. For example; my brother (who is very smart and a consistent reader) was recommended to read a book by our dad and brother in-law(who are both the same way) that could not speak higher of it. That book is part of a very extensive book set called The Wheel of Time. You might have heard of it. He did not get very far when he gave up on it. He said it went on and on aimlessly and did not have a stable plot; he hated it! But that doesn’t mean the book is bad. It just wasn’t his cup of tea. Besides for grammar issues, there is not a specific kind of style or concoction that guaranteed it will be liked. So the next time a person gives you two stars and speaks lightly of it, remember; It’s not the final word.  Book Name: Elantris Author: Brandon Sanderson First Published: 2005 Brandon Sanderson was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975. His general schooling began at Brigham Young University as an English major after completing a two-year LDS mission to Seoul, South Korea in 1997. While working on his graduate degree, he became an editor for the semi-pro speculative fiction magazine Leading Edge. Sanderson gained his Masters in creative writing in 2005. In 2006, Sanderson married Emily Bushman, also an English major and teacher, who also serves as his business manager. They have three children and currently reside in American Fork, Utah. Sanderson continues to teach creative writing at Brigham Young University in addition to his work as a full-time science fiction author. You can catch Brandon Sanderson with his writing buddies Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, and web cartoonist Howard Tayler on their weekly podcast Writing Excuses. It is filled with writing tips and good humor jokes for aspiring authors. Sanderson’s first novel is Elantris, published by Tor Books in 2005. It met with positive reviews and showcased the author’s ability to create unique magic systems for his stories. He followed it with his famous Mistborn fantasy trilogy. In 2007, Robert Jordan, the author of the Wheel of Time, died and his famous series was left unfinished. Jordan’s editor and widow, Harriet McDougal, selected Sanderson to finish her husband’s final book and to give closure to millions of Wheel of Time fans worldwide. Under Sanderson’s care, the final book became three and each met with great success on the New York Times bestseller lists. It also propelled Sanderson into the limelight. Since then, most of Sanderson’s novels land on the NYT bestseller lists, proving him to be a highly successful author of his generation. Many books, novellas, and short stories are pouring from this prolific author’s pen even today. “To live is to have worries and uncertainties. Keep them inside, and they will destroy you for certain–leaving behind a person so callused that emotion can find no root in his heart.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Elantris Elantris was the capital of the nation of Arelon. A shiny and radiant city filled with benevolent demigods who use their magic to the benefit of humankind, the parent race from which they spring. A decade ago, their magic failed without warning. The powerful Elantrians became leper-like cripples that cling to the shadows of their dark, crumbling city. Elantris is shunned and feared by all, no one understanding the disaster that befell its people. With the fall of Elantris, a new capital is built nearby. Peopled by ordinary humans, Kae is a city with the poor, religious fanatics, and the upper class with imperial ambitions. Princess Sarene of Teod is sent by her people to marry with Crown Prince Raoden of Arelon. She has never met him, but via letters, she has grown fond of him and hopes for love in her arranged marriage to him. However, when she arrives at Kae, she discovers that the prince is dead. As Raoden’s widow, Sarene remains at Kae and uses her influence to help the poor and counter the threat posed by the fanatic Hrathen of Fjordell. This high priest wishes to convert all of Arelon to his religion and then claim the kingdom for his emperor and god. There is a secret that neither Sarene or Hrathen know. Prince Raoden is not dead. He has been sent to Elantris by his own father when he was struck by the Elantris transformation, known as the “Shaod”, that once would have turned him into a demigod. Now, he is a powerless wretch exiled to the dirty streets of the fallen city. There, much as Serene works with the poor of Kae, Raoden works to help the fallen former demigods of Elantris. As he continues his work to provide comfort and aid, a series of events leads him to learn more about the disaster that befell the former capital of Arelon and might reveal the secret to the magic of Elantris itself. Elantris is the first novel that I have read by author Brandon Sanderson. When he was selected to continue the Wheel of Time series, I was a little nervous. I am a huge fan of the Wheel of Time and was disheartened by the loss of author Robert Jordan. Could anyone truly fill this man’s shoes and complete his magnum opus? To placate my fears, I purchased Elantris and gave Sanderson a trial read. My fears about the Wheel of Time dissolved and now I have a new favorite author to enjoy. The book showcases what have become signatures in Sanderson’s writing. Incredible world building, complex and unique magic systems, combined with likable characters. There are a few weaknesses in his first novel, the ending is anti-climactic and there are a few plot-holes that are left unresolved. Even so, I can whole-heartedly recommend Elantris as a book to add to your reading list. If you love epic fantasy with strong female characters, great pacing, and beautiful world building, I urge you to give Brandon Sanderson a try. There is a good reason why he is constantly topping the New York Times bestseller lists.
The June round of Three Prompts is still (sorry) currently in the judging stage. The next round will likely start in October.
FSFS members should use this form to sign up to a WCG.
A new cNote shop with a fantastical theme. Profits go to the FSFS!
An FSFS-only forum to discuss writing mechanics.
The FSFS Review Board is open! All WdC members can view the list on the group homepage, "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" . FSFS Members can view the list from the homepage, Review Board page and the Hub. To post on the board you need to review at least one other item on the list.
If you are not already a member and are interested in fantasy and science fiction writing, please read through the group homepage and apply using the application form. The only pre-requisite is that you have a fantasy or science fiction item in your portfolio. If you want to advertise in the FSFS Newsletter please contact me, Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC   .Vote I am pleased to announce that "Story Plots - Why They're Essential" by A E Willcox  won Best Submission for "July 2016" . A E Willcox has won an FSFS merit badge! Use the poll below to vote for your favourite submission from this month.Thank you to all the members who submitted articles to the Newsletter. If you submitted an article that wasn't included, don't be offended. I can only fit so much in the Newsletter. Please submit it again when I send the call out for articles. Please comment on this Newsletter if you enjoyed it, or if you have any suggestions for future editions. |
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