Category: Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks

Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer: 07/17/2015

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT III—Author’s perspective

Writer’s must turn on their Left-Brain, Logical Decision-Making, abilities when developing all aspects of their novel: Plot (actions/events), Setting (environment/atmosphere), Characters (all the lovely—and not so lovely—people). As the focus this month is building the characters in your work, the aptitude of each individual’s decision-making pattern—or process—is of key importance. No, we don’t need to be professors of psychology.  However, scientific studies on the topic of human thinking, and logic in relation to decisions have provided an excellent conclusion for our benefit: Decisions are 90% emotionally based! So no matter how logical one (or more) of your characters “think” they are, writers have the pleasure of incorporating their own combined Left-Brain/Right-Brain abilities to bring readers very identifiable people. ALL of the successful writers I’ve enjoyed reading and have personally met have this skill on an almost intuitive level. So relax. Many of the following point will read like a list you could have created.

  • Decision-making is basically problem-solving.  The Plot outline of your project will give you a list of problems and/or obstacles that your characters must resolve.  Make a “Decisions” file/page for each character and list each of these problems in a column on the left. Then, on the right side, give their response.
  • Consider the Pattern or Process of each character. Do they make instant decision without much (or any) thought?  Or do they diagnose the problem in great detail?
  • Is the character an information gatherer? This character might be addicted to “working” those 5,000-piece puzzles. They desperately seek every bit of data they can
  • Think about Information Overload. What happens to the thinking process when too much data is available? Does your character shut down—forcing a decision to be made without specific involvement on their part? Do they quickly assess alternative solutions—ranking them in feasibility order—before having all the facts?
  • Is there an Over-Reaction to peer pressure?  Some problem-solvers focus so intently on the vision or goals of individual people they work with that they totally miss the higher purpose for which their business, community, or group was established. That is when solutions become a paradox that leads to confusion. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because writers can utilize this confusion in a wide variety of action/events that move the plot toward a satisfying conclusion.

Today, in social and psychological circles, writers (and many other artistic/creative folks) are being studied for their abilities to write utilizing both the left brain and right brain cognitive functions. The hypothesis is that by stretching our imaginations in creating complex characters of various habits, beliefs, education, etc., we are building “bridges” between the left side and right side of our brains. This blends the unique skill sets of left/right brains and makes it easier for the individual to think better and make better decisions. I’d very much like to believe that.  One of my close friends considers himself to be a very “left brain” person— a logical, analytical, linear thinker.  However, he also happens to be an excellent writer who creates scenes in vivid and emotionally-dramatic technicolor. It is interesting and even fun to speculate on these concepts. Yet I remain a believer in the uniqueness of each individual who comes into this world with a “gift-mix” all their own.

May your mix of writing skills and abilities continue to grow and bring great enjoyment to you and the reading world! Complete that project! Get it published TODAY!  ⚓︎

RoyaleneABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks

Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer: 07/10/2015

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT II

2015-07-10 #1 Have you ever heard the term topographical mapping?  A simple/basic definition is: The detailed representation of both natural and man-made features of a specific land area where contour lines indicate increase and decrease of elevation. For the writer who is creating in-depth character elements this concept can be most useful. Many creative writing instructors suggest using a highs-and-lows format to develop the emotional peaks and valleys a character will experience, demonstrated in this illustration.

2015-07-10 #2However, it is my hope that serious authors will consider the visual elements of topographical mapping that offers almost infinite possibilities for character development—realizing the myriad of choices to be made all along the way—demonstrated by this topo-map of the island of Hilo in Hawaii.

Using this island image, and placing your characters IN the city of Hilo, can you see how many choices they will have in reaching their destination? And their selected path will depend on all the pieces of their personal life-development up to that point in time—where they have lived, who resided in their environment, what motivational seeds were set into them, and their physical abilities, capabilities and/or disabilities.

It is the job of the AUTHOR to know the WHY of each step your characters take. Here are a few questions to ask yourself while in these development stages.

  • Why is your character at that place at that specific time?
  • What is their goal?
  • Who else is involved—or will reap the consequences—of your characters’ choices?
  • When must they complete the process to reach their goal?
  • Where do they anticipate being (physically, emotionally) after their goal is reached?
  • What is the driving force behind this immediate quest?
  • What rational are they using to make each step?
  • What will happen if they fail?

We have multiple examples in the classics of book writing that teach us not only superb character development, but also the motivation of compassion: being able to put yourself in the other person’s place and understand why they act the way they do even if you don’t agree with it (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, by John Boyne, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Harry Cole).

Before and during the days/months of developing your characters, I strongly advise reading one or more these novels.  And, should you feel the impetus to outline the development of a specific character, please do so. Allowing the superb writers to instruct us from the pages of their novels is a gift to ourselves that will reap multiple benefits. ⚓︎

RoyaleneABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks

Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer: 07/03/2015

LOOKING AT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

The basic elements of character development—one character at a time—holds these four essentials: What is the desire that motivates him? What obstacle(s) is in the way? What struggles must she go through in order to fulfill her aspiration(s)? What are the consequences to him and/or others?

Once you’ve answered these questions for the Main Characters—before you delve into these next steps—prepare files for each character and label it: Essence of (character’s name).  Here are several tools to use in building complete characters who will resonate with multiple Readers.

  • Research and collect several studies on motivation.  Some will spout the latest theories and others will give you a history of “the study of human motivation.”  Some will offer nuts-and-bolts clarity, other will peel information off the onion for you and then leave you with more questions than answers. And yet, each one will provide a nugget upon which you can build your unique, yet very human, character.
  • Draw a picture. Well, not literally, draw a picture although I’m sure there are several people reading this blog who are gifted in that area, too. The concept here is to create a visual representation of your characters. There is software in the world today that can produce very realistic facial composite and I’ve heard of some writers using them.  However, I consider magazines to be a good source and Web-Search-Images of various types to be the best tools for this piece. There are also several “Free Image” sites that allow access to hundreds of “people photos.”
  • Home is where the heart is. So, build a home for each character. Whether they are street-dwellers or mansion-moguls the author needs live there with them. As you will learn, much of human motivation comes from their environment past, present and planned for. Again, the Internet carries volumes of photos—interior and exterior—of homes around the world.  Which one(s) have your characters lived in?

The old cliché of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is extremely valuable to the writer who is building characters from scratch—and the suggestions given above will guide you well. IF, however, you have a real person you’re writing about, that is a whole different process.  Here is what that looks like…

  • Research and collect ALL the information you can on that person—past and present—and then consider developing a file (your opinions) of the motivations that have activated their life choices.  Each event—from choice of sports to play in elementary and high school to marriage partner and career—will give you pages of information to draw from.
  • Select specific photographs of that person at their various stages of life. These will give you a visual representation of how life has treated them and how they responded to the challenges.
  • WHERE have they lived?  The Internet can help you here, too. Examples of cities and towns and even neighborhoods will be available for you to find by simply searching the addresses of the person you’re placing in your story.

I’ve heard this process—of discovering what motivates a character—labeled “forensic physiological mapping.” I don’t know how accurate that is, however, I do like the concept of mapping. Working this process will definitely build you a believable character! ⚓︎

RoyaleneABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks

Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer: 6/26/15

WRITING CONFERENCES IV

Two weeks ago I mentioned the writer’s natural ability to fly—to write—as compared to the birds of the air having the natural ability and motivation to take-wing and soar.  I know this to be true because of the complete peace and freedom I feel when sitting in my office at the keyboard, allowing ideas to flow and become pages that (I hope) will be passable communication between me and the Reader.

However, this natural state evades me when called upon to speak in front of a group of people.  So it was that I selected a challenging workshop at the Writers Conference for my main focus, the Speakers Intensive Clinic.  You see, my friends, when you become published there WILL be a need for you to TALK about what you’ve produced.  Here are a few basic concepts that I practiced during the conference and came away with to help me continue developing this ability.

1. Who, What, When, Where and Why?  Sound familiar? These lovely little words guide us in the creation of the characters in our novels, the plot, setting and deeper elements of creative story telling.  They are also very necessary when presenting (speaking about) our finished product to agents, editors and the reading public.

a. Know Who the Audience is. Do the research about your venue and the people expected to attend.

b. What Are Their Expectations?  What are their dreams? What goals do they have?

c. When—in their life-journey—Are You Speaking to Them?  Is this audience full of unpublished writers who want to accomplish what you have?  Are they various ages—a youth group—senior writers?

d. Where will you be speaking?  I’ve heard authors talk about “walking the room” before their audience arrives.  Some pray for strength to actually complete the speech and pray for the audience that each one will take away what they need.  Most important, each of these speakers takes the time to get a “feel” for the setting—the venue.  If the seats look particularly uncomfortable, they might need to add a break-time to allow their audience time to stretch and pull in brain-power oxygen.

e. YOU Must Know WHY You Are Speaking.  Every writer has a message to give and a “speaker-personae” within themselves to present it. You could not have finished your book—whether non-fiction or fiction—without that message.  Is it meant to inspire people, entertain them, provoke them to think for themselves? If you haven’t identified it, outlined it forward and backward. Without a clear message in mind, it is unlikely your audience will understand what you’re trying to say.

2. Be Ready To Be Transparent. We hear that word, transparency, in the political arena a lot these days.  The best speakers I’ve ever listened to—whether writers, or politicians, or pastors—have been ready and willing to share a truthful personal story within their speech.  It doesn’t need to be a confession of any sort, yet when revealing a piece of one’s life to others we offer them a “real” connection that leads to friendships, Facebook followers and book-buyers.

3. Keep Yourself Aware. LOOK at what is going on around you both close to home and around the world.  Is there a story in those events that relate to you and/or your book(s)?  Write it down. These short scenarios—and your thoughts about them—also connect you to your Readers.

A final thought: Yes, there will be many times when we’re called upon to talk about our book(s) on a moment’s notice. Learning and PRACTICING these pieces to the speech-preparation-puzzle will allow us to do so with grace and flare. Eventually, it will become fun!  ⚓︎

RoyaleneABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 04/03/15

SETTING THE STAGE

OH the history of it all! Are there any readers out there who will agree with me that the TV series, Downton Abbey, is possibly the best they’ve ever seen produced? The research must seem daunting, yet it is obvious that their team of writers loves what they are doing and dig deep into history providing authenticity and reality.  The lives of the characters of Downton are greatly affected by actual events such as the sinking of the Titanic (etched in my memory because of Molly Brown, resident of Leadville and Denver, Colorado) and  World War I.  They’ve also lived through the Spanish flu pandemic, the formation of the Irish Free State, the Teapot Dome scandal, and the UK’s general election of 1923. POINT being made: Setting requires historical research on multiple levels.

Below are research tips you might want to consider:

  1. Think about ancestry.  The geographical and cultural influences within that geography will give you excellent foundation for the current setting your characters live in.  For example, if they (or their parents) came to the U.S. from Ireland or Italy the setting/stage of their growing up years (or their current environment) would be in distinctive neighborhoods within “The Bronx.” Several Chinese and Japanese migrations created “China and Japanese Towns” in nations, states and cities around the world. It is the ancestral influences of values, attitudes, food preparations, etc. that develops unique settings—distinctive differences in home interiors, office spaces, restaurants, etc.
  2. Importance of Cultural, Social and Political environment. This aspect also plays into the development of your characters and their perspectives.  However, in relation to setting the stage for them, look to the images available online about the time period of your novel. For example: The political stage of Abraham Lincoln’s first nomination for President of the United States is dramatically different from the political stage we see today. Lincoln had only about 18 months of formal schooling, yet practiced law and was accepted as “highly qualified” to be President. He promoted women having “the vote” in 1836. He was the first President to use the telegraph. Yes, indeed, in that Lincoln Era the political stage was a unique place.
  3. Eras of Historical Significance. Throughout known history those who have a passion for such studies have divided the years into several geographic and national categories.  They include Ancient History, The Postclassical Era, and Modern History, which are further delineated with such categories as Ancient Rome or the Six Dynasties (of China), etc. Events (important to a specific setting) that have happened during the Era you’ve selected will give your novel the same authenticity and reality that is mentioned here about Downton Abbey. One other point to consider when researching your specific era is to learn about the population of the city, town or village where your characters came from and are IN currently. This element will help you fine-tune the “feelings” of characters as well as place your readers with them.

AS you’ve probably deciphered by now, research is a big part of novel writing. It is absolutely necessary that you—the writer—are able to “walk the streets” with you characters, cook in their kitchens, sleep in their beds and read the headline stories in their newspapers.  If you are able to “set the stage” to such a detailed degree, you’ll most certainly have a BEST SELLER.

Royalene ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.