Character Profiles

Since this book is one of a series, I have made a

notebook of Character Profiles.  I give each character

a birthday, a birth sign (as a Leo, Aries) and main

personality characteristics, hobbies, backstory,

secrets.  How they connect to other characters

is also here–even if some of that information isn’t

discovered in Book 1.  Since doing this, I have

rewritten the first nine chapters; they are more

focused, but still–sigh!–need some additional

rewriting.  This was the easiest rewriting I have

done thus far.  I think having written down the

characters (for Book One only) helped me focus

on the story and spot any incongruencies in the

last rewrite.

I highly suggest this for those writing a complex

book with dynamic characters.  The profiles

help, and if you are writing and forget a detail,

it is easier to look through the profiles than re-reading

all that is written thus far.  If truly important,

that info should be placed in profiles.

Kate Thorn

4-9-12

 

Note–The spelling of incongruencies is correct per google;

incorrect per Dictionary.com.

Changes and More Changes

Ah the villain is now more part of the story than I had

planned on his being.   But I cried while I wrote Chapter

Two–so good and yet so sad.  Now to get my words to

equal the emotion I feel when thinking about that

scene.

By adding the villain as a character that will re-appear,

it changes everything after that–namely everthing

I have written.   But I think it will add not just another

layer of plot, but another  twist to all relationships

after his appearance.

Kate Thorn

Critique

Finally.  The much awaited critique  arrives.  And it is not glowing.  I knew it would not be.  I could feel the problems in awkward changes in POV  and dialogue–and some  descriptions, well they just plain sucked.  She caught the words that made my strong female character into a “Nervous Nellie” type of person.  Yikes, that was not my intention.  When I changed the beginning and led off with the villain, well, she liked that.  It restored a hook and plot, but then it falls flat in the next chapter–except for the marriage break-up scene.

So I have a lot of work to do.  The characters need to be fleshed out more–a lot more.  Dialog needs to be reworked.  She actually likes the villain–which was my intent.  So that worked.

Goal for the day–write lists of character traits for each character.  That may take more than one day.

Kate Thorn

Tribulations

I have taken a number of small courses and learned a great deal from them.   The

same instructor offered a course on the first fifty pages that included a critique,

so I was all over that one.   Of course, there were problems.  But this was worthy

of a post.  With a critique, be sure and double space–same for sending in to a

publisher.    That should be an easy fix.  But, and here comes the litany,  my

daughters father-in-law had two major strokes and then died nearly three weeks

later.  My daughter was on the phone with me constantly.  After that, my

internet provider decided to have problems–that lasted until the last day

of the course.  I could not participate in the class at all–on the final day,

I  double spaced all that I had written and “Shared” with the course

instructor on Google documents.  I am not sure she is familiar with the

google format.  And she takes the weekends off.  So I may get zero

feedback for my last minute efforts.  But while I was trying to get

on the internet unsuccessfully,  I wrote another 400 pages to the

existing story–nearly to the end of eight books now.   The story is so

complicated now that it is requiring research:  genetics, the human

genome project, telepathy and ESP.

 

So that is where I am right now.

Kate Thorn

First Chapter Fix

The first chapter has been changed; it is a brief  chapter that focuses on the

first bad guy of this series.  It spells out the danger she is in, so she does not

appear overly dramatic, but one who realizes she is in some measure of

danger.   This completely fixes the opening and takes the stress off of me,

as the reader knows from the first and second page she is in danger.

 

kate thorn

More Re-Writing

I worked on, take a guess, Chapter 1 again.  At this point, the first

chapter is still the weakest.   I re-wrote  it once-then again.  I knocked

out some sentences or parts of sentences, did some major changing of

her dialog in the instant messaging; for example, her husband is instant

messaging her, saying he needs to talk with her.   Since this is a text conversation,

I have her replying, I am all pixels–not I am all ears.  She is attempting

to be light-hearted.  Her dialog sounds more true to life now.

I am trying to hook the reader from the first paragraph.  A new author

needs their books to grab a reader early on.  If it is boring, the book is

doomed.

kate thorn

Too Much Vanilla

I am working the bad guy ‘s viewpoint into the Book One and Beyond. 

Initially I did not want to do this–the book was just too busy as it was.

But the first “bad guy” had already been written, just not added to Book

One (Survival).  I am going to work his story in earlier.  Which means a

rewrite of that which I just completed a rewrite on.  But if I do not do

this now, the series loses flavor later on.  Too much vanilla.  So I halted

the new writing and started roughing out the really nightmarish bad guy.

It needed to be done, but this bad guy is evil.  Pure evil.  A perfect balance

for too much vanilla.

Kate Thorn

Dialogue and Editing

I added another class by the same editor, Christine Fairchild; this

class focused on dialogue.  I sent my first sample in for a critique

and ithad its flaws, but it was solid.  I heeded her suggestions, polished

and changed some parts, and it was good–only one word that needs to

be changed.  The new and improved dialogue section is far better than

 the previous one.  It was written entirely in male POV–which, being

female, is more difficult to do.  On the first re-write, the guys began talking

too girly, but that, is thankfully corrected now.

I recommend any class one could take with Christine Fairchild.

Kate Thorn

Editing

I signed up for an online editing course; I did not think much about it.  I received

the first two classes, and thought I might have a problem, especially in the

beginning paragraphs.  As various people sent their paragraphs in to be edited, 

I bit the bullet and did so too.  Forget sentences–each word was sliced and

diced.  Strangely, though, I immediately got the message.  When writing poetry,

words can be vague, leaving interpretation to the reader.  In fiction, one must

 literally show the reader what the writer is seeing in his/her head.  It took 24

hours and about 8 of these were spent on re-writing the same 4 paragraphs

until I was ready to send it in again.  This time she said she could see the passion

for painting and art in the main character and her strength despite her current

situation.  Did that feel good?  You bet it did!!  But the opening paragraphs are

not yet done.  More word painting needs to be done.  Later.  I am continuing

my re-write of Chapter 4 and continuing the saga/ serial story in general. 

Of interest is a new development in which the main female character takes

off in a whole new direction, leaving me to pick up the pieces and try to

figure out what happens to the other main character.  Poetry would never

risk taking off in a direction the writer was unaware of.  Fiction needs no

rules; it is charting new territory and issuing a challenge for me to keep up.

Kate Thorn

Research

Besides asking super embarrassing questions–like, addressed to men only, what

 does it “Feel” like when a man climaxes, I have been reading male authors,

especially ones that include sex scenes.  One, who was supposed to be known

for steamy scenes, well, the single paragraph that referred to the act was no

longer that 5 short sentences; other than the revealing comment oh how good

it felt, the only word referring to the act was performance.  Big disappointment. 

So back to the drawing board.  I am reading another male author this time.  Guys

use a lot less adjectives when describing “the act”.  Women, well, description is

everything.  We like a good visual experience.  So I am trying to make my guy

characters at least descriptive enough when they think and talk to make the

women like them without going overboard.  Fine line to walk, or rather, to write. 

I have sent the love scene chapter to a close friend/writer of mine.  If he is

not too embarrassed by what he reads, maybe he will give some feedback. 

One guy, after reading my question regarding how it Feels–sent me a link to

 wikipedia that gave a detailed physiological breakdown of of what exactly

occurs during male orgasm.  Hmm.  Not what I was looking for.  Guys avoid the

feeling topics, as a rule.  Not all.  But most do.

Kate Thorn