CHARACTER: TEENAGER

As I sat talking with my daughters, I realized that though pop culture changes constantly there are some things that remain the same. I write young adult fiction and though many of my tales are not based in reality, I write fantasy and science fiction, my stories and characters do have to be grounded in a real world. A part of creating this real world entails me making their make-believe world as real to the reader as possible.

How do I do this?

Though there are many fantastical elements to many of the stories I write I ground the story from the beginning using our natural laws or natural order. For instance, in the natural world it is strange for a character to have the ability to move objects with their minds. It is the same in my stories, unless the character is a Peacekeeper sent to protect the earth. They will have this ability.

Another way I make my imagined world more believable is by making my characters more believable. Though my characters sometimes have extraordinary power, are different in appearance and/or can travel through space and time – they are no different than regular teenagers.

How do I know what teenagers are like or what they want?

Well, duh! I was one once. Plus, my daughter says all the time.

This is how I break it down:

In 9^th grade (between 14 and 15): OMG! I cannot believe I’m in high school. I’m so scared. I’m so excited. This is going to be the best four years of my life. I’m going to make a lot of friends and my life will be completely different.

In 10^th grade (between 15 – 16): I’m still super excited about high school. This year will be different than last year. I can do this. I’ve got this. Parent’s always tell me I can do anything so I know I can do this.

In 11^th grade (between 16 – 17): I can’t do this. Help!!!! I’m so freakin’ lame. My parents are ruining my life and school is a joke. I’ve got to get a good score on the SAT. I’ve got to pass physics. I’ve to get a good GPA or else its McDonald’s instead of college. I absolutely hate my life.

In 12^th grade (17 – 18): I’m so badass! I’ve got this. No problem. I’m outta here…good riddance. Can’t wait to leave this god-awful place. College here I come. My life will be so much better once I leave this place.

This is some of the emotions my daughter says she had (she’ll be a senior next year) and this is how I felt at times. This cycle doesn’t change too much. So even if you write that your protagonist is a 16 year-old serial killing mermaid, they’ll most likely exhibit some of the emotions above. Your readers will appreciate the fact that though the main character is different from them physically, they do share some similarities. This will add empathy for your character. And empathy is definitely a good thing.

Can you think of behavior you or a friend exhibited in high school that you incorporate into your writing to create empathy and believability for your characters?

Grown-UP Christmas List #1

As promised, I’m sharing my Christmas list. My writing Christmas list. These are the things I want for my manuscript. They should also be the things every writers wants and the things that make readers love a book.

v     Characters – I want three-dimensional characters that jump off the page. I want characters that are not clichéd or boring. I want characters that my audience can relate to and like or love to hate.

v     Tortured Characters - I want to torture my characters to the point that the reader can hardly recognize them at the end of the book. I want the readers to feel sorry for them and question my (the author) sanity.

 

v     Realistic dialogue – I want my young adult (teenage) characters to sound like teenagers when they talk (and their inner dialogue when they think). I want their exchanges to be honest and not full of adult like mannerisms and thoughts. I don’t want people to think about the “old lady” who wrote the piece while they’re reading the characters words.

v     A Clear Goal for my Protagonist – I want my character’s goal(s) and motivations to be clear to the audience. I want them to have goals that are attainable for the length of the book I’ve written. I want my young adult and middle grade characters to have goals that are realistic for their age.

I decided to pick a song with a lot of character for this post. So fittingly, I chose Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt. Enjoy!

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

The Best Book Ever...

I’m back. Yes, I’m really back and I feel awful about not posting. I thought I had it all figured out. I didn’t. I didn’t have the correct hard drive with me with the post on it. And my attempt to recreate the post, while my hubby and kids glared at me was null. So my apologies. I have been playing catch up (with the laundry, with the cleaning, with my schoolwork…) since I’ve been back and I’ve neglected the blog.

Since I’ve been away, I’ve been thinking of what makes a story great. What makes me want to turn the page and not stop until I get to the end? What makes me daydream about it long after I’ve put it down? And what makes me want to run out and purchase other books from the author? Well, those are tough to answer. There aren’t any right or wrong answers. What I like is my personal preference. It may differ greatly from what someone else likes. Nevertheless, there are certain elements of a book that cannot be compromised.

What are they?

 
Character Development – This is the most important element of the book - in my opinion. Great characters can make up for some of the other things that may be lacking in the story. Some…not all. The characters must be three-dimensional. Think: Stephanie Meyers character “Wanda” from The Host. Larry Brooks provides a great article about character development at his blog, Story Fix.

Setting – The setting (where your story takes place) can be like another character in your book. If done correctly. The setting should be rich and make the reader feel that they are there with the characters. Think: James Cameron's, Avatar (I know its not a book but it was great). A great article on settings can be found at The Storytellers Unplugged.

Villains – Now this is where I think some writers goof. They don’t spend enough time developing the villain. Now the villain does not have to be a live person. It can be nature, societal pressures, friends, relatives, or even the protagonist can be his/her own villain. Get creative, treat the villain like a real character, and make them three-dimensional too. Think: James Patterson’s character, The One who is the One, Witch and Wizard. I thought I’d direct you to an earlier post by me for the villain – here.

Pacing- This is another area (for me) that makes or breaks a novel. Don’t give away too much or you’ll lose your audience. But don’t make me wait until the last line of the book to start getting answers to questions. Think: Edward and Bella’s romance in Twilight. Janice Hardy over at The Other Side of the Story has a great article up about pacing.  

If any of these things are off in the story, I can’t continue to read. It throws me off. What do you like most in a story? What do you barely pay attention to in the story? What do you think? Do these things make you want to continue reading also if done properly? Or are there other things that you look for?

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

What does your MC want???

Every novel has one thing in common. The main character, the protagonist, has a goal. They want something and that desire is what propels the story forward. I’ll use the novel, Twilight by Stephanie Meyers to illustrate my point.

Example:

In Twilight, Bella didn’t want to come live with Charlie in Forks. But she sacrificed her happiness for her mother. She had low expectations for Forks from past visits, all she wanted was to blend-in, graduate, and move on.

What does your character want?

Your character’s goal does not have to be tangible. Their desires can be to become a better person- this is an intangible goal. Or they could want acceptance, or peace… The goal could be to gain something tangible: a new car (maybe a first car for a new driver), a coveted award they have been vying for, the heart of a love interest… The possibilities are endless and are only narrowed by your imagination. 

The thing about goals, however, they change. Your character may begin the story with a specific goal but usually a quarter into the story something changes. This change makes it impossible for the protagonist to continue in the same manner. The change that takes place is called the inciting incident.

Example:

In Twilight, the inciting incident is when Edward rescues Bella from being crushed by the van. She was already highly aware of him because of his aloof attitude with her. After he rescues her from being crushed – and with supernatural strength to boot – she is awestruck.

Once the inciting incident occurs, usually the protagonist has a change of heart regarding their goal. It is no longer what they want or it is unachievable and therefore a new goal is found. Why?

Example:

After the nearly fatal almost-accident, Edward saved her from, her goal changes from blending. She is drawn to him and wants to know him. Wants to be with him despite her growing suspension (then confirmation) that he is very different from any boy she has ever met. This is her new goal.

Okay, so you got it right? I thought I’d list one more example to ensure you understand.

The Hunger Games

Initial Goal – Katniss’s initial goal was to survive her current circumstances: The harsh life in District 12.

Inciting Incident - The Hunger Games are taking place and Prim, Katniss’s sister is called as a tribute for District 12.

New Goal – Katniss rushes to take Prim’s place in The Hunger Games. Her new goal is to survive the games.

Do you see that after the inciting incident Katniss’s goal changes? It must. She does not have a choice in the matter. It is either win (survive) or lose (die). Not all stories, of course, will have such compelling inciting incidents. Some will give the protagonist a choice. You can do this or you can do that…but some, like in the example, only leave one possible choice. Win or die.  

Can you point out the inciting incident in your own work? What is your characters goal before this? How does that goal change after the inciting incident?

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.   

"Who are you?" "Um, I'm your MC..."

I’ve seen character sketches before, but I wanted to do something a little different. Do you know your MC? I’m going to see how close to a real teen my protagonist is. How you ask? I’ve randomly selected things to test my knowledge of my character but also to see how close I come to what real teens think.

The second part of this post will be on Friday. Then the fun starts. I’ll compare my answers to real teens. I’ve surveyed **well, my daughter has** 6 teens (3 boys and 3 girls from her high school) and she’ll get the answers tomorrow from them. I haven’t seen them.

I know every character/teen is different. However, I think there are some similarities inherent in most teens. It would be fun to get the teen perspective on some things/issues.

My character:

Chloe Carmichael is 16 years old. She lives in New York City with her parents and older brother Matt. She attends a private school. Many of the students’ parents at the school are celebrities or in politics. Chloe’s father is a senator and her mother is an attorney.

How would you say:

 

Adult                                                                           

“I’m sorry”

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“I can’t believe that happened.”       

“What’s wrong with you?”    

“I’m listening to music”          

“Soul mate”         

 Chloe’s Answer

“Sorry” or “My bad”

“Really”

“What the…”

“What’s your deal?”

“I’m jammin’…” 

“Crush” or “boyfriend”

 This or That

Flip flops or tennis shoes

Ice cream or Sherbet

Kindle or books

Music or TV

Twilight or The Hunger Games

Action or Romance

Comedy or Suspense

P B and J or Ham and Cheese

Zeus, Hades, or Neither

Drama or Comedy                           

Popular or 1or 2 friends

Cheerleader/Jock, Nerd, or Nobody          

Gum or mints                         

Favorite subject in school:

Least favorite subject in school:

Chloe’s Answers

Flip Flops

Sherbet

Books

Music

The Hunger Games

Action

Comedy

PB and J

Zeus

Drama

1 or 2 friends

Nerd

Mints

Science

Latin

Q and A

How do you feel about PDA?                    
I don’t want everybody in my business so I keep it to a minimum.

What do you do on the weekends for fun?

Shop with my two best friends.

When did you start dating?

In the 8th grade. 

Do you and your siblings get along?

Sometimes but he’s a snob and I’m not.

Would you cry in public?

I try not to get too emotional in public. My mother would have a heart attack if she knew I was crying in public.

Would you follow your friends if they were doing something wrong or would you do the right thing?
It depends on what they were doing. I wouldn’t hurt anyone physically. But I’d be down for a practical joke, even if it were on a teacher.