“The goal, I suppose, any fiction writer has, no matter what your subject, is to hit the human heart and the tear ducts and the nape of the neck and to make a person feel something about the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human.” Tim O’Brien

This is Part Three in a series of posts focussed on the process – Start to Finish – of writing your first novel. Here’s where you can find Part 1 and Part 2.

Writing relatable, real and dynamic characters can turn a poor story into a book that pulls readers in, opens their eyes and steals their hearts.

It’s about creating a lasting connection with characters we love. 

But, it needs to be more than that. As writers who create compelling characters, we need to know the people in our stories down to their core and understand how to flesh them out in the pages of our books.

Readers everywhere love to read a book that draws them in – where they feel like they see glimpses of themselves as part of the hero’s journey. They get it when hero messes up and they relate to that.  They cheer the hero on when they get back up and try to win. 

So how do we get to know our characters so well, that when we write our story, they come alive?

*Photo Credit By: Dave King – Creative Commons

How to Get to Know Your Characters

When we first start our story, we have a glimpse of our characters as part of our first idea of what we want to write for a story.

We probably have the beginnings of what happened in their backgrounds and in their families that took them up to the point where we want to start our story. We might even know the tragedies they experienced, unforeseen events that happened in their lives or the bad guys that tried to ruin them.

This is the stuff that’s important to know about your characters. BUT you don’t want to begin your book by bogging your reader down with backstory. What happened to to your character in the past needs to wait until you’re closer to about a third of the way into the book. This is the mistake I made when I wrote my first book until an editor looked at it and said this was backstory and I needed to wait to put this in the book a little later. So I changed it so the reader would start the book by feeling like they were right there in the moment with the main character.

To establish an emotional connection between your character and the reader, you need to write what is happening right now. 

You can really get to the heart of your character by asking questions like: What is the character thinking and feeling? What is the character saying? What is the character hearing and seeing? Are there other things happening in the scene that are important … that the character is experiencing?

So how do you really get to know your characters well?

Here’s steps I go through to get to know my characters

1. Listening – As the story idea comes to you really listen to your instincts and intuition about the characters that you are seeing and hearing. Often I’ll have an image of the characters in my head and I’ll get an idea of their personality and their goals. Honestly this is part where all the ideas come – is the funnest part of writing. You feel like you seeing the movie of your story in your head and it’s like you’re sitting on pins and needles wondering how the story is going to play out. A amazing book that helps you create killer characters that reader’s love is James Scott Bell’s book Write Great Fiction – Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint. I read his books over and over again to help me write better characters and stories.

This ‘simmering of ideas’ can take place for months and at the very beginning of this phase, I try not to over analyze. I just let the ideas come as they come. Just let your subconscious do what it wants to do. Don’t try to plan what kind of character would be good for a story, or what your plot should be for your book to be amazing, but just let your subconscious do what it does best…. which is to come up with ideas. 

This is also where you write a short summary of the story, like we talked about last week. Also right here, it’s a good idea to name your characters as soon as you can, because names do influence the characters’ personalities.

2. Searching – Sometimes it’s helpful to cast your characters. Assign a flesh and blood person(actor or actress or someone you know) with similar looks or mannerisms that you see in your mind’s eye. It’s fun to do and helps you to remember your characters much better.

Sometimes its hard to find just one actor to make up your character. That’s okay, just take the looks of one and put it with the personality of another…. or just find what works for you.

3. Organizing – When you are read to start writing your story – after you’ve done your initial story summary – write out an outline, or a sketch of what will happen in each chapter. If you’ve listened to the SelfPublishingPodcast, you’ve heard Sean talk about creating story beats. This is a shorter version of a detailed outline. You might want to do that later. A great book that helps to make outlining simpler is K.M. Weiland’s book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success.

Sidenote: When I wrote the first draft of my 1st novel Answering Annaveta (Russia to Canada Trilogy Book 1) I didn’t use an outline. I had a bunch of stuff written on sticky notes, but no outline.
And for me that didn’t work too well once I got to the middle of the story. You might do great as a pantser(someone who writes the story without an outline), for myself I’ve discovered I like to write the first few chapters, get an idea as to what the ending will be and then after that I’m ready to outline. Experiment. Try Plotting and Pantsing or something in-between and then do whatever works the best for you.

4. Interviewing – Once you have a sketch and a basic plot idea, then you get to interview your characters. There’s many questions you can ask about the characters that so far have just been floating around as a movie in your brain. Ask stuff about when they were born, what they look like to deeper questions like what their deepest regrets are and their defining moments. 

By asking all kinds of questions, you get lots of detail about your characters. You learn what drives your character to accomplish their goals, why they are the way they are and what fears hold them back. It’s also where you figure out the small details like colours, pastimes, favourite foods, etc. Not everything will show up in your book but it’s great to have these details in the back of your head as you’re writing because every little fact influences who your character is becoming.

If you’ve gone through all of that then you’re basically ready to start writing the 1st draft of your story. You have your story idea and know the path your characters will be walking.

Be prepared though. Even with all this preparation under your belt, the first draft never really turns out exactly as you might have planned. It’s only when you start writing your story from your hero’s perspective and you get to hear her/his voice that you really start to understand them. So you need to just let go and let your characters talk to you. Let the ideas flow. Give the story space to evolve and the characters room to grow and become who they’re supposed to be.

So that’s a little glimpse into my process for developing characters. I hope that helps a little.

Next time we’ll talk about Point of View as you write your story.

I’m curious. How do you get to know your characters? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

 

 

 

 

*Photo Credit By: Dave King – Creative Commons

*some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

“Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.” Nicholas Sparks

This is Part 2 in a series on how to write your novel from start to finish. You can find Part 1 here.

The most important advice that seems to come from almost all successful authors, is to write what you love.

Choose to write in the genre that is something you really enjoy and are passionate about.

This will make a huge difference in the stories you put out into the world. Because passion for a genre – or lack of it – always shows through. Readers have a sixth sense about this when they read.

When you write in a genre you genuinely love, your characters will be more colourful, your stories will be addictive, and the world you create for your readers will come alive.

However sometimes it takes a writer a little time to find the genre that they love… and that’s okay. Keep writing and you’ll find one of a few different genres that are your favourites. 

Here’s some tips to help you pick a genre.

*Photo Credit By: Enokson – Creative Commons

Tips on Picking a Genre 

When you pick a genre, it’s usually fairly easy to choose… because the idea comes first.

If you have a good story idea, it should naturally fall into some sort of genre that you are drawn to. With my 1st Historical Romance Answering Annaveta (Russia to Canada Trilogy Book 1) I didn’t say
I want to write a Historical Romance, instead I was drawn to write a story set in 1913 – 1917 Russia about the Volga Germans, Jewish people and the Russian peasants.

For me the idea came first, it fit into some kind of genre, and then I wrote it.

Some Tips:

*Choose a genre you love to read. Pick what is most natural to you. You’ll know, because you’ll love this category of books already, and you know the ins and outs of it as a reader. This will also help you when it comes to publishing and marketing, because you’ll have an idea of the market.

*If you slip out of your ideal genre, you’re likely to feel it. You’ll have this sense when you’re writing that something doesn’t feel quite right. Most likely you’ll struggle to move forward with the proper plot points. Even if you’re fine while writing it, afterwards you’ll look at it – during editing and publishing – and you’ll see that it’s not quite right.

*Understand your readers – It’s important to try your best not to deny your readers what they expect(that the lovers will live together in bliss, that the crime will get solved, etc.) or they will stop reading your books.

Also, indie author Russell Blake who writes and sells a lot of books, says that writing books in a series helps to build your audience. In his case, he says his books in a series sold four times better than his standalone books. 

So whatever genre you write your book in, should be something you could envision making a long-term commitment to.

However I want to add here that many self-published/indie authors now are successfully writing cross- genre stories which personally I find unique and very interesting to read. Read more about that here. 

So don’t be afraid to experiment and try things out. We certainly don’t need to feel like we’re stuck in one way of doing things as storytellers. Just be you and write what you love!

*Write in a genre that reflects the way you think. Sometimes the only way you figure this one out is to try writing in different genres. When I wrote the Historical Romance, and as I’m working on Book #2 in the series now, I love exploring and writing about the history during this time period and I also like the bringing together of two cultures – like the Russian peasants and Volga Germans.

However I also really love the metaphorical language that I use as I’ve started my first Dystopian book. I love how deep the language can be in that genre and I was shocked to find that I’m love with building the story world… what fun! These are things I didn’t know about myself before. So that’s why I think sometimes you won’t know until you try writing your idea down, which genres work for you.

That’s all I can think of as far as story ideas and genres. If you have more – I’d love to hear them in the comments.

If you feel genre-challenged, here’s a list of some of the different genres and sub-genres that might give you more ideas in understanding them. I don’t think this is a full list, but I hope this will get you started.

Genres and Sub Genres

Science Fiction – a genre that centers around elements that don’t exist in the real, modern world, but are scientifically explained.

Apocalyptic/Post Apocalyptic Fiction – Takes place during or after an apocalyptic event(the end of civilization as we know it) and examines the effects of such an occurence(Gone, Life as We Knew It).

Dystopian Fiction – Can also be in other genres, but this is typical sci-fi standard; often derives from post-apocalyptic fiction. This looks at societies and worlds which are, essentially, “nightmare worlds.” Another less common derivative is utopian fiction, which shows the opposite. (The Hunger Games, Divergent).

Hard Sci-Fi – Has very detailed, researched, and potentially realistic science behind the story. (Jurassic Park).

Soft Sci-Fi – Focuses more on the central themes and political and social concepts and less on the science itself. (Brave New World).

Superhero Fiction – Revolves around characters with superhuman abilities, e.g. superheroes. (The Adventures of Superman).

Space Opera – Takes place almost totally in space and revolves around space travel. (Star Trek, Star Wars).

Cyberpunk – Includes humans who have been enhanced by cybernetic technology. (The Blade Runner).

Steampunk – A historical sci-fi crossover, where some important part of history has been turned into sci-fi, focusing on the time and use of steam engine technology. (The Time Machine).

Speculative Fiction – Is a combination of sci-fi and fantasy, sometimes with horror added and is used whenever the exact genre of a novel in this area is uncertain. (The Outsider).

Thriller – a genre that is somewhere between action-adventure and horror, which works on inciting both fear and excitement.

Disaster Thriller – This is about some major crisis that the protagonist must save people from, such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster. (State of Fear).

Psychological Thriller – Tis explores the mind of the protagonist; it is often written in a way that confuses and misleads the audience. (Inception).

Crime Thriller – Crime fiction that runs more on the horror/thriller side. (Jack Reacher).

Medical Thriller – This focuses on some sort of medical disaster or problem and the limited time to solve the problem. (Contagion).

Crime Fiction – This is a genre that is close to action-adventure that focuses specifically on crime – this includes mysteries.

Detective Story – This genre tells the story of a detective’s journey to solve a crime, the who, why, and sometimes how. (Death on the Nile).

Courtroom Drama – Usually T.V. oriented – this focuses on stories of crime and the law. (Law & Order).

Murder Mystery – A detective or mystery story that focuses specifically on a homicide case. (Dark Places).

Gangster Fiction – This focuses on gangs and criminal organizations. (The Godfather).

Romance – this is a genre which focuses on romantic relationships.

Contemporary Romance – This is a romance that takes place in modern time. (The Princess Diaries).

Historical Romance – A romance that takes place in a historical time. (Pride and Prejudice).

Fantasy Romance – A fantasy novel which primarily revolves around a romantic relationship. (Beautiful Creatures).

Sci-Fi Romance – A science fiction novel revolving around a romantic relationship. (The Host).

Historical Fiction – This is a genre where the story takes place in history at some point, often centering around real, major events.

Alternate Fiction – This is where the author tries to answer a “What if?” about an important point in history and how it might have changed things. (If It Had Happened Otherwise).

Period Piece – A story where the historical setting is merely a backdrop and the story runs more on its own with no focus on a major event. (Cinderella Man).

Fantasy – This is a genre with fantastical and fictional elements, such as magic or supernatural forces.

Contemporary Fantasy – This story takes place in the modern day and often in a real world rather than an imaginary world. (Harry Potter).

Urban Fantasy – A contemporary fantasy that takes place in an urban setting. (Unearthly).

Fairytale, Fable, or Mythic Fantasy – A genre which tells a cultural specific story that often has a specific moral or historical background; may be retold in a new way and it might fall into a genre other than fantasy as it is retold. (Cinder).

Epic/High Fantasy – This is the most familiar kind of fantasy, with a typical heroic journey, famous archetypes and most likely some kind of quest or fight between good and evil. (Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings).

Paranormal – This focuses on paranormal creatures such as vampires, werewolves and ghosts – its a much lighter form of horror.

Horror – This is a genre where the story is told to deliberately frighten the reader. 

Ghost Story – This kind of story revolves around the existence of ghosts, spirits, and occasionally, Revenants. (The Shining).

Monster Story – Story focused around some kind of fantastical monster. (Frankenstein).

Survivalist Fiction – This is a story derived from the monster story, this one focuses on humans trying to survive in a world overrun by some kind of creatures, such as zombies. (The End Game).

Action Adventure – A genre with a protagonist who journeys to places and often ends up in a desperate situation.

Military Fiction – A genre that centres around a war, fictional or real, and a central character caught up in it. (A Farewell to Arms).

Spy Fiction – Centers around a secret agent or military member sent on an espionage mission. (James Bond).

Western Fiction – Indians, Cowboys, outlaws and a ton of gun-slinging action. (Jesse James).

Different Age Group Categories

Picture Book – A story for very young readers, with few words and a lot of pictures.

Young Reader’s/Children’s – A category for chidden who have graduated from picture books and are moving into chapter books and beyond. Usually up to age eleven or twelve.

Middle Grade Reader – A category for “pre-teens” – from ages ten to fourteen. This is similar to a young adult novel but gentler and often sillier and more often than not in third person POV.

Young Adult – Category for teenagers that are usually in high school, fourteen to eighteen. This is defined by the age of the protagonist and the content of the book.

New Adult – This is a rising category for college-age adults who don’t quite feel like adults yet, usually between the ages of eighteen to twenty-five. This fiction has protagonists of the same age and focuses on college/transitioning into independent adulthood. Lots of romance.

Adult – This is a category of fiction for adults.

So hopefully that gives you an idea of some the different genres and sub-genres out there. Hopefully this is helpful as you start to put together your story idea and pick which genre you want to write your story.

Most of all, have fun writing your story!

What genre do you love to write? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

 

 

 

*Photo Credit By: Enokson – Creative Commons

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog