Writing Hacks for the Creatively Stunted

Over the years we pick up tidbits of information, useful tips and tricks we think (or pray) will help us through everyday life. Some people call these life hacks. I call these "nuggets of wisdom from people with more time on their hands than me to think this stuff up because I'm too busy worrying how I'm going to do all this stuff to be able to sit down and think of these awesome ideas."

Too long?

So, years ago I started a file on my computer with hacks, hoping I'd be able to use them more and organize my life.

Until I forgot I had a file full of these freaking awesometastic ideas that were supposed to make me wonder-wife and super-mom!

Well the same thing happened to me with my writing life. I'd come across these really nifty hacks or compilations of writing tools and I tucked them away in a file on my computer. And every time I sit down to write words, I never ever think of them. EVER. I forget the folder even exists until I come across one online somewhere and go to save it in that file.

So, as 2016 lays down its carpet of brand new possibilities....I'm digging in to this file folder and sharing with you what I've saved over the years and calling it......

WRITING HACKS FOR THE CREATIVELY STUNTED

1. I found this gem recently. Here's some ideas on how to give your characters a quirk. You want your characters to be relatable and real, and if you give them a humanized quirk it'll help your reader attach to them. Try and think outside the realm of lip biting and nail chewing.

2. Body Language! Showing body language is a biggy. It is important in scene blocking and can also be as communicative as dialogue between the characters. It helps the reader solidify how you're presenting a scene. If your character's lying, we may not know as the reader by her dialogue, but if she's shifting her feet or if he's not making eye contact these help give the reader clues and deepen the point of view.

Another way to use body language is also if your character has an illness or disease or if you've given the some kind of quirk. Let's use anxiety as an example. If you consistently remind the reader she has anxiety, for one, that's telling. But also, it'll stick out like a sore thumb and be hit home so hard it'll annoy the reader. Instead, try showing the results of her anxiety with body language instead.

3. Showing vs. Telling. It's a hard skill to nail for a lot of writers. But I found these cool little hacks of descriptors that helps fill in those blanks when you're trying to bring narrative to life and let the reader experience the scene with the character versus being told.

For instance....Telling - She had long hair.  Showing - Layered mousy brown hair framed the edges of her heart-shaped face, setting off her jade eyes.

      

           

4. And last, but not least, emotions. They play a huge roll in our characters development. And at some point in your book your character will probably hit all six of the major emotions. But in order to take your character deeper and really strengthen their arc, try narrowing in on the different levels each of the major emotions has. As you can see by this nifty chart below, there's far more levels and facets of each emotion. If you zero in on one, it can help you take your character to a deeper point of view and explore.

Happy Hacking....er....I mean writing!

A Career as an Author: The Reality

As a literary agent, I see the starry eyes of newbie writers everywhere.

• "Did you know Stephenie Meyer had a dream and Twilight was published 6 months later?" 
• "Amanda Hocking made 2 million dollars self-publishing." 
• "JK Rowling went from sleeping in her car to becoming a billionaire."

You hear these recycled lines everywhere on forums and in writing groups. The stuff of legends. The writers who made it. These anecdotes give hope with each rejection, fuel the fire, keep the dream alive. It's like the waiters in Hollywood dreaming of becoming the next Brad Pitt or Halle Berry without the star-studded veneer.

The other side of the coin though, is these anecdotes give rise to high expectations. I've met so many writers who believe by self-publishing they'll be the next Amanda Hocking, or by finding a literary agent they'll be the next franchise. It creates an unrealistic perception of what it means to be a career author. And when a literary agent sees that idealism shining through a newbie writer's pitch, they run the other direction.

Because, writing is a career. And like any other career it takes time. On average it takes about 10 years to get your first book published. And that's probably not the first book you've written. Following that, it takes about six successfully published books for you to start earning a living as an author. That's a few decades. That requires a lot of patience and dedication.

For every legend, there are thousands of writers who haven't made it, whose rejections litter the pathway, whose debut novel was a dud, who gave up, because the dream was taking too long and was too much work. My favorite response to those who ask how long it takes to become a successful writer is to ask, "if you started a job tomorrow at an entry level position, would you expect to be the CEO within the year?" Not to say that it hasn't or won't happen. Just be ready to fight to keep the dream alive for more than a few years. 

So before you approach your next literary agent or editor or consider self-publishing, ask yourself, are you willing to do the time? Once you know and accept the reality of becoming a career author, the more likely you are to succeed.

And don't forget to submit to me when you do have it figured out: marycmoore.com.

How To Name A Character

Okay, so you've got a brilliant story idea, one that's humming through your veins, making it all but impossible to do anything but sit down and write.

But when you do sit down your fingers freeze, because you've already hit a roadblock.

 

Their names! What are your characters names? 

See, naming a character's not as easy as it looks.There are rules which are worth taking a look at, even if you don't follow them. This Writer's Digest article by Elizabeth Sims suggests some really practical things, like looking at the name's root meanings, considering your time period, and saying your possibilities out loud to make sure the name doesn't turn into a tonguetwister on the audiobook version.

Coming up with the right name for a character is key. Would Severus Snape have been as threatening if his name had been Douglas Darby? I came up with Douglas using a random name generator, and it works pretty well for this example. The two names are similar in that both use alliteration, which is another recommendation in the Writer's Digest article. The repetition of the first letter draws attention to the name, marking the character as someone special.

That's about all these two names have in common. The first name "Severus" is unusual and a little bit odd, however it's not hard to think of men named "Douglas" (MacArthur, Fairbanks, Booth).

(If you're old - like me - google Douglas Booth. Even better, just click HERE. Because pretty.)

And really, which last name sounds scarier, Snape or Darby? If I was playing a word association game, I'd probably equate Snape with snake, and Darby with Mr. Darcy.

Creepy reptile or Colin Firth in a wet linen shirt. I'll let you decide.

I could probably do a whole blog post analyzing ways the name Severus Snape is frightening. As such, it's a fantastic example of how the right name can boost the character. Really, though, the point of this exercise is to look at resources so you can come up with your own Severus Snape.

For example, here's a post with 100 Sexy Names for Contemporary Romance Hereoes. Author Bryn Donovan has created a comprehensive list, and while I don't agree with all of her choices (Clive is just never going to sound sexy to me) it's a good place to start.

I also found several random name generators for writers. THIS ONE will also come up with character profiles, first lines, and all kinds of other writing jump-starts.

THIS ONE lets you choose the character's sex, ethnicity, and the year they were born, and will give you a name plus a whole profile. Pretty interesting stuff.

Finally, THIS ONE just lets you choose male or female, but prefaces it's tool with some good advice (go interesting but not too weird), AND it's the one that came up with Douglas Darby. Clearly they know what they're doing.

There's quite a bit of information about how to choose your characters' names. Writing-World.com has a great article, and I liked this one by Devyani Borade, also on the Writer's Digest website. If you're writing a historical, the Social Security website has lists of the 100 most popular names by decade, going back to the 1880s.

I'm just skimming the surface here, but finding the right name can make a huge difference to your character, and there are tons of resources to help you do that. In the end, I hope you type in a name that makes you say...


via GIPHY


If you've got a secret strategy for naming your characters, feel free to leave us some tips in the comments. And if not, feel free to play with the random name generators and leave us your favorites.
Cheers!
Liv