And Then He Died

There is something a lot (okay, most) readers hate. When this main character dies. Unexpectedly. Think about it. You've invested all this time into a characters, rooting for them and cheering them on, and sometimes hating them for the foolish decisions they make. At the end of the day, you care about them (or at least you should). Then, at the end of the book, the character dies. Now why I say "unexpectedly" is because I can handle when there is foreshadowing, like prophecy saying that the character will die. But still, I've grown to like this character.

A lot of times, authors kill their MC to get an emotional reaction out of readers and nothing more. I have a big problem with that. When your main character dies, it should bring about a major plot point. Not just so your characters can mourn. It especially irritates me when the character dies and the story is in first person. That's a real issue.

Some authors can pull of killing their MCs. Shakespeare did it, but to teach lessons. Otherwise, avoid this. No one wants to see Johnny Howard shanked in the head to get a emotional reaction.

Character Names

I recently logged on to Yahoo Answers, and clicked on my favorite section: Books & Authors. I've neglected this section because of Twilight and the overall redundancy of most questions. One of them: Can you help me name my character?

My answer: Nope. Sorry, I can't do that. But you can since it's your character.

In most instances, people write a description of the character in the additional details, as if to help me name the characters. Here's the thing: the parents didn't know what their child's personality was going to be like when they named them. So naming a character "Raven" because they're dark, is a no-no (the name is a no-no in any case).

Here's how I was named: My mother was completely unprepared when I got sick of her and decided to pop out. And it was a few weeks late, too. So, she rounded up some of her closest, half-wit friends to come up with a name. "Well, I like Marisa Tomei," my godmother said. "Let's name her that!" And of course my mother went along with it. Honestly, I love Marisa Tomei and I'm glad I was named after such a great actress, but sometimes I wish my mom would have put a little more thought into naming me.

Stories like that are actually what happens. Maybe a parent has a relative they'd like to name their child after, or maybe they have a place in their heart for a name they adore. However, babies aren't named because their non-existent personalities.

Here's a list of no-no names:
Raven.
Don't even try it. Do you know how many characters are named that? Especially pseudo-goth ones? I've only met one person in real life named Raven, and she was rather happy-go-lucky. The only reason she was named that because her mother saw a painting she loved with that name. Only one person I have ever met owns that name. So, don't do it. EVER.
Anything Japanese in a non-Japanese setting.
Is your character Japanese? If not, they shouldn't have Japanese names, especially if everyone else is named "Bob" or "Kelly". "Tsumi" tends to stand out. So, unless your character is Japanese, no Japanese names (especially if they're uncommon names found in anime i.e. Rukia, Naruto, etc.)

Characters

This is probably my favorite part of writing. The characters. Sure, they're hard to develop, and hard to create, but they breathe life into your story. Even in fantasy, characters have to be like real people. I don't care if they have magical powers, if they're people and don't act like it, I'm not interested. Study traits and characteristics in yourself and others and assimilate them into your characters. Make them have flaws, things they're good at, friends (because face it: no one is truly alone), and quirks about them. Here's an example:

Rain Timple- She is short tempered and loves to be around people. She often plays with her curly hair and picks at invisible dirt in her nails when nervous, and when she is bored, she chews on her gum loudly. She doesn't like silence, and often speaks randomly. She's best friends with Amy Crespin and Max Keron, and is constantly trying to help them with their problems. She's an expert at identifying people's problems, and is very empathetic towards others. However, when someone pisses her off, she won't hesitate to throw a shoe at them.

I based this character off of myself and my friends. Does she seem like a real person to you? Because she is a combination of real people. Now, there are other things you need to know about your characters that your readers may never learn, but you still need to know. For that, we use character sheets. They're convenient and easy to use and can help you learn about your character.

Developing a character is relatively harder than creating one. You have to make them develop logically. You have to make them develop period. Some characters in books remain static and learn nothing. They remain the same and are relatively boring to read about. If your character has to learn to accept something, help guide them through this. Think of how you'd grow and react to things, and apply it to your character. How would you react if you father was in a gang? How would you react if your best friend died? You may have never experienced these things, but just think of how someone would react.

Then, think of how they'd grow from their experiences. And remember, characters help each other grow. They're there for a reason and not just to stagnate. Use your characters as water and sun for each other. Also, use events. If something happens, how will that affect your character. In the end of the book, your character should have drastically changed and learned something.

Character Sheets:
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html
http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html

Where Do I Put This?!

I have a big problem: where do I put which scene? Even when I have an elaborate outline, I sometimes wonder if the scene placement is right, or if the scene is even needed. It's difficult at times, but there's an easy solution: write. Just get everything down, write all the scenes, and worry about sequence later. When you finish your book and reread it, you'll notice things that are out of place. Since you already know where the story is headed, you'll realize that one scene may be better somewhere else, or that it maybe be completely irrelevant.

Don't get overwhelmed with placing your scenes. Some may come easily, and some you may be wondering about. Just get everything down and concern yourself with sequence when you know you're finished.

The Thesaurus is Your Enemy

I know we all do it. Heed to the call of the ethereal thesaurus, the companion to writers everywhere. But I warn you of the consequences. Stephen King wrote: "If you have to hunt for a word in a thesaurus, it's probably the wrong word." At first, I was appalled. I used the thesaurus all the time! We're great friends. So, I asked a teacher of mine what he meant. She said," Think of it. If you're an author, you should know a lot of words already. If you go looking for a word to replace another, you'll probably end up using it wrong and look like an idiot."

Then I realized I probably used a lot of words wrong when writing. Whenever I feel like I'm being redundant, I search for a word in the thesaurus and use one I don't even know the meaning of. Now, I'm not saying using thesauri is bad. You can use it to help remember a word you forgot, or maybe you can use a word you already know. Just DON'T learn new words from the thesaurus.

It is your enemy. Shun thy enemy.

Clutter?

I've recently come across a great Youtube vlog by MelinaPendulum (subscribe to her now! I'll wait). She speaks about organization and what you can do to keep yourself moving when writing. I'm a complete ignoramus when it comes to organization. Usually, I use loose leaf paper to write in school and a journal to write at home, and type everything up on the computer. It's not very efficient, I'll tell you that. I often lose the paper because I use them as bookmarks and my journal is not very convenient. However, I was never really concerned about this because I was only writing poetry.

Now I'm writing a serious novel, and I should also get serious about organization. Melina gives many great tips on the video, but I'll tell you a few I've used. I got myself a binder. Nothing much, just a three ringed one that I used to have for school. I filled it with dividers and labelled them as "plot", "characters", "scenes", etc. I also put in loose leaf so I can write down some important stuff.

I also have a notepad, which I bring to school. It's nothing much, just a little Steno Book that I can write musings in. I also have note cards to keep myself on top of things. I write little scenes down and dialogue. It's helped me A LOT. I actually find myself wanting to write more because I actually know where everything is, instead of hunting down folded papers and entries in a journal.

This system is awesome for young writers, like myself. No more loose leaf!

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/user/MelinaPendulum

Dialogue and Its Tags

This is something that really irks me. Dialogue. Some are experts with it, and some are...well, not. Basically, dialogue is interaction between two characters. Which means, these characters are talking. I know it's sounds stupid, but keep that in mind. Often, I find dialogue between two people in high school with extremely formal language. High schoolers don't speak in "I do nots" and "I cannots". They speak in "I don'ts" and "I can'ts". Students want to keep things brief, and that's why they use contractions (and make up their own contractions).

Think about the two people interacting and their personalities. How do you think they'd speak? A good suggestion that may seem a little crazy is having a conversation with your characters. Think of how they'd respond and think of how you respond. You should also study the interactions between people around you. I know it sounds stalkerish and creepy, but when you know how people speak to each other in real life, you'll be able to put it in writing.

Now, once you've got the concept of dialogue down, it's time for tags. Not the game, but the words outside the quotes. For instance "he said" is a dialogue tag. It's the most common one and it is your friend. A lot of people want to mix it up and put things like "he growled" and "he grated" but don't. Stick with "he said" "she said". They're your best friends.

The difficulty is where you put them in the sentence. I learned this in elementary school and retained the lesson for years, but many haven't.

WRONG WAYS:

"My name is Jane", She said.
"My name is Jane", she said.
"My name is Jane," She said.
"My name is Jane" She said.
"My name is Jane" she said.
"My name is Jane." She said.

RIGHT WAY:

"My name is Jane," she said.

Remember, the comma is always inside the quotation marks. It's very simple, but I see a lot of people who become confused. This is perhaps because of action tags. They go as "She bit her lip" or "He smiled." Action tags are when the person is doing something. People often become confused on how to punctuate sentences with action tags, too.

WRONG WAYS:

"I didn't mean it," She shuffled her feet. "I really didn't."
"I didn't mean it," she shuffled her feet. "I really didn't."
"I didn't mean it", She shuffled her feet. "I really didn't."

RIGHT WAY:

"I didn't mean it." She shuffled her feet. "I really didn't."

With action tags, you always put a period and capitalize the first letter in the sentence. Since it's an independent action, it's not part of the actual dialogue.

I hope you learned something from my lesson today.

Introducing Mary Sue and Gary Stu

If you're not familiar with these two famous characters already, then you should start learning about them. I'm sure you've already met them. They're the perfect characters that get everything they want, are beautiful, have no flaws, and usually have an animal companion and some abnormal magical power. Hey, we've all written them at one time, and it was most likely fanfiction. There's no escaping these two; they're everywhere.

Mary Sue is the female counterpart of Gary Stu. She'll have an unusual name, perhaps Japanese or Raven, and will have all the boys falling head over heels. She'll be the best at everything, learn things quickly, and be friends with everyone in the process. Unless, of course, big-baddy is jealous of her super popularity. However, in the end of the story, they'll end up defeated by Mary Sue's super-special-snowflake powers.

A good example of a Mary Sue is Bella Swan from Twilight. Though many of you may disagree, consider her name. "Isabella Swan" which means "Beautiful Swan". A lot of the students are fascinated by her. About four boys are into her, including a teacher who Stephenie Meyer admits has sexual feelings for Bella. Her only "weakness" is her clumsiness, which is a "Mo-weakness", used to make her seem cuter.

Gary Stu is pretty much the same. Edward Cullen from Twilight is a good example of one. He's beautiful, and everyone at his school wants to jump his bones. He has no weaknesses, for his blood lust is beaten pretty easily. He's constantly the knight in shining armor (literally) and saves Bella with his super-special-snowflake powers.

To avoid these characters, a great tool to use is The Universal Mary-Sue Litmus Test: http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm. Of course, it only treats the symptoms, and not the problem. Just be careful when creating your characters. Do they seem like real people you'd encounter? Do they have weaknesses and faults? It's very hard to create good characters, but the end product is well worth it.

P.S. Sorry for picking on Stephenie Meyer here, but her characters are good examples to use.

Info-Dump

Info-dump is a huge problem with many rookie authors. Basically it's saying this: "I'm Jerry Dooger, I'm seventeen years young, my parents are famous, and I have a dog named Roof." All in the first paragraph. Never, ever start any story or book with these lines, or any variation of. Start off with some action or an important scene, and allude to things in a way that isn't too apparent. This is one form of info-dump. The other is more covert and just as bad.

Info-dump can appear in any part of the story. Basically, it's a paragraph filled with back story. "My parents died when I was eight. I moved in with my aunt and uncle when I was nine. When I was ten, I ran away to join the circus. Ever since then I've been a clown performing for the general public". You shouldn't introduce all of these concepts right away. Spread them out. When the death of the character's parents is brought up, you inform the reader about them. Don't go into the aunt and uncle part yet. When they are mentioned, elaborate on them. Then, when the circus is brought up, talk about that.

Take all of the information in steps and don't clump it all together. The reason I'm telling you to do this is that your reader will stop reading when they spot a long paragraph filled with back story. It slows the plot down and causes the reader to skip paragraphs to get back to the story.

Slim, Athletic, and Generic

There's a trend I've been noticing in books on the Internet. First, I found it on Quizilla, and that was expected (Quizilla isn't very reputable for its collection of "authors"). But it has spread throughout the Internet like a virus.

Character Sheets.

Honestly, they're fine to keep to yourself. A list of your characters' description, hobbies, background, etc. I often use character sheets to develop my characters (check out this: http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html). But I sure as hell don't put these sheets as my first chapter. Basically, you're describing your character to us as if it's a Myspace profile. All of the things in the character sheets should be spread throughout the story. Some of the things on these lists aren't even relevant to the story. I don't care about all the different ways the main character wears her hair unless it affects the story somehow.

The character sheet chapters are an example of "info-dump". You're introducing many concepts in one chapter that should be spread out and hinted at instead of blatantly listed. Some info-dumps are hard to spot, so I'll discuss those later.

Suddenly, I just...

There are two words you should eliminate from your vocabulary if you want to be a writer. They are "suddenly" and "just". These two words are no-no's in the writing world. They give poor description and are used as makeshift segways. Same goes for "abruptly". These words are often redundant, for it's clear that what happened was abrupt. If someone pops out of the bushes, you don't need to put "suddenly" before it.

There is no "just" in life. Nothing is "just". You're not "just" weird, I don't "just" want to go home, and he doesn't "just" like you. You're weird, I want to go home, and he likes you. Of course, in dialogue this is "just" fine. However, in actual prose, it's annoying to read. To me as a reader, it makes me feel like I'm reading the diary of teenager because "I just don't like him like that. I just don't know what to do."

So, don't "suddenly just" do anything. Do it.

Punctuation

Punctuation

–noun
1.
the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses.
2.
the act of punctuating.
3.
punctuation marks.

Whatever happened to punctuation? It must be hiding under a rock or something because I can't find it. I can easily forgive lack of punctuation in text messages, but even then it bothers me. I hate when I read a text message and it reads like one, long-winded sentence. (i.e. "i cant believe I saw Mike at the party he was so cute i mean hes way outta my league but still.) Notice the lack of punctuation in contractions, too. That's just damn lazy. However, youth today can't bother with punctuation. I should know. I am one.

I love reading stories and books online, but a lot of them neglect this handy tool which should be common sense to most. Usually, it's better than reading Myspace comments, but sometimes I'm surprised. Some mistakes are easily forgivable (we're not perfect), however, when you forget to put that little dot we're all familiar with at the end of your sentences, there's a problem.

And then we have superfluous punctuation. It's a little harder to find than no punctuation. However, it's still there, and one punctuation mark that is constantly abused is the ellipsis. A dear friend of mine, ellipsis, and I feel sad whenever I see it mistreated. People often believe a sentence deserves an ellipses even though it's a complete sentence. For example: "I will meet you at Barney's in five minutes..." It seems so unnatural. Unless the person is narcoleptic and is falling asleep at the end of the sentence, the period would do just fine.

The only time you need an ellipsis is when you have an incomplete thought. For instance: "If they find me..." This sets up a sense of anticipation. And another time to use an ellipsis is when the speaker is hesitating. Like this: "I...I don't think I can tell you." Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, especially in poetry where there is poetic license, but please, use ellipses at the bare minimum.

Ellipses aren't the only punctuation marks abused. Exclamation points are a big victim of maltreatment. As Terry Pratchett once wrote “Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.” One exclamation point is all that's needed. You can get your point across with that. "There's a dog!" is less grating on the nerves than "There's a dog!!!11!!one11eleven" If you're going to put various punctuation, at least put it right. When you're writing dialogue, you don't even need exclamation points if your tag says "he yelled" or "she shouted". It's just redundant.