Character Layers

Howdy, blogosphere! Hope you're all doing fabulous!

I just finished reading an eBook called The Mythic Guide to Characters by Antonio del Drago from Mythic Scribes and wanted to share some of the insight.

I found it to be a helpful in depth look at fleshing out characters. If you're in the initial character sketching phase, you may find this book especially beneficial. Even though my first draft is already done, I still found the techniques intriguing and useful for getting into my character's head even deeper.

Just to give you an idea, the author discusses the three layers to characters:

1. Character's unconscious mind
2. How character relates to the world
3.  Character's role in the story

Each layer is gone over in detail using the Enneagram and Bartle Types methods. Examples from popular modern day stories are also used to help clarify. I used these techniques on index cards for my main characters of Butterman Travel, Inc. and was able to dredge up some things I hadn't realized before, so that was cool!

By now I think most of us writers know that the secret to writing great fiction is in the characters. I understand this better each and every year I continue to pursue storytelling.

I particularly liked Mythic Guide's video game approach into types of characters, which delved into the way people play video games as insight into human nature. Very interesting stuff!

It also goes into the different relationships that shape who we are, and how these relationships can and should shape our characters.

There's a nice worksheet at the end that can be used for every story.

if you get a chance to check out The Mythic Guide to Characters, i think you'll also find it useful. I did find the voice a teensy bit dry, and I may argue some points in the dialog section for using fragments, but other than that, the general content is great stuff. And the eBook's only $4.99 on Amazon. (Links above)

Today is the official cover reveal for Catherine Stine's Ruby's Fire!

                                                   Artwork by Jay Montgomery. Isn't it great?

Ruby's Fire is book 2 in Catherine Stine's YA futuristic thriller series. You can find the full story synopsis on GoodReads, And find Catherine on her blog and website.

Congrats, Catherine!!

So I saw Star trek Into Darkness yesterday. If you haven't seen it and don't want any reviews tainting you, skip this paragraph. My honest thoughts were that the story was too predictable. Again they borrowed from Star Trek II Wrath of Khan for the plot, which I thought worked well on the first reboot, but this time ... well, it was entertaining, I'll give it that. I thoroughly enjoyed all the actors--they did a fab job once again. But I really hope the next film has a brand new story with new villains and new worlds, although the actor who played this new Khan was pretty darn good. (even tho I kept thinking of the first Khan...lol)

How about you? Seen Star Trek yet? Any thoughts? How about the character layers or Mythic Guide to Characters? Familiar with any of the techniques or the book? Have you read Fireseed One? Know Catherine Stine? She's great--pop over to her blog and say hello!

Monday MAY-hem and First Draft Euphoria

*****UPDATE**** Sorry, friends, but I have to turn on my Captcha since my comments keep getting spammed like mad. Hoping by turning it on for a few days the spamming will stop. Sorry for the inconvenience! :) 


Well hello my bloggie friends! Feels like it's been forever and I sure have missed you! But I needed some time off to finish up my current first draft.

You could say I'm experiencing a bit of first draft euphoria, and I'm well aware of its dangers. First time I heard the term was at a SCBWI regional workshop, when bestselling YA author Nancy Werlin explained she was in the middle of it with a WIP, when a CP (critique partner) made a list of all the things that weren't working and burst the "euphoric" bubble.

That's about where I am. Just sent my story off to my CP, and even though I'm in love with it, I have no doubt there's much to be fixed, revised, nipped and tucked. So as I wait to receive all those red ink revisions, I'll be hopping around visiting blogs, seeing what everyone's up to ....

Then it's back to the writing cave.

As of today, I have approximately 4 weeks til school's out for summer and my precious writing time ceases to exist. So I'll be milking May for all it's worth.

My posts will be sparse this month, but I'll have some great info up for you towards the end. And in the meantime, I wanted to share some new releases:

From Brandon Ax, a YA urban fantasy. Click on the cover to purchase from Amazon.

From James Garcia, a paranormal romance. Click on the cover to get to Facebook HDQ and find the release party!

And from D.J. Swykert, a murder mystery thriller. Click on the cover to get to Amazon for purchase details!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be posting again later this month, but in the meantime, I'm looking forward to hearing from you and seeing what you've been up to on your blogs.


Are you familiar with any of these titles? Are you a victim of First Draft Euphoria? Ready for the new Star Trek in theaters this Friday?? How's your May going? Spill it all in the comments ....

XYZ

Hey friends and fellow blogoholics! I'm pulling a cheat here, and for that, I hang my head in utter shame.

*hangs head in shame*

*shakes it with disappointment*

I'm taking an early exit from A-Z and finishing off XYZ today, but not 'cause I don't love you all or love having your visits. But 'cause over this month, I've blogged daily (no advance scheduled posts for me), written the first draft to a new NA story, read and critiqued my CP's story, and filled orders for some darling new pixies I'll share with you later (Bride and Mother of the Bride for shower gifts.) Not to mention the day job and family duties. Phew!

I'm sure all of you have been overly busy this month as well. Goes to show how much effort we put in to active blogging, and the thought and consideration we give to worthy content. It takes work and dedication, as I'm sure most of you can attest to.

By the time you're reading this, I'll be in the swamps camping with the fam, and soaking up some well deserved R & R, welcoming the April sunshine and jammin' to good tunes. Oh yeah! (squid launchers!)

So thank you so much for stopping by here and sharing my posts, leaving your comments. I've enjoyed reading your posts as well and always appreciate the friendship gleaned from this community.

You guys rock.

So as I make my A-Z exit, I'd like to say,

eXamine
Your
Zeal

Do you have enough of it? What's holding you back? Are you plowing forward to go after your dream? Moving toward the mountain? If not, it's time. 

Find the passion within, stoke it, make it burn, and start the fire. 

See you soon! 

W is for ...

Let's see, what W villains do I have for you today .... Hmm ... Ah, yes!

                                           photo credit filmexperience.blogspot.com

ANNIE WILKES

Remember this wackadoo? From the book and film Misery, another wolf in sheep's clothing, convinced she's doing the right thing. And ironically, a nurse! And let's face it, she's an author's worst nightmare. Through a series of psychological and physical tortures, Annie forces famed author, Paul Sheldon, to write a character he killed off (Misery) back into life in a new book. All the while, insisting she's his number one fan.

Kathy Bates was magnificent in this role, wasn't she? And I do believe it put her on the map of stardom.

How about this guy:

                                                                photo credit fark.com

WARDEN

That's right! The warden from Shawshank Redemption. Like any great villain, he's a hundred percent convinced he's in the right. And after all, he is a warden to a penitentiary housing some awful criminals. You have to have the upper hand there, be firm. Run a tight ship. But what makes him such a vile villain, is the fact he totes around a Bible and quotes scripture, yet when it comes time for him to do the right thing and help an inmate who may not be guilty, his evil hypocrisy shines through.

He's just a regular guy with no special powers, other than being in charge--but sometimes, that produces a villainy in the worst way.

And hey! Pure coincidence both my villains today were created by Stephen King. But then, he's quite the master storyteller, so really not all that shocking.

And your setting of the day:

                                                           photo credit freefoto.com

WATER

Just something about water, isn't there?? It can be serene and relaxing, or tumultuous and life threatening. But make no mistake, using water as your setting, is always an opportunity to set the mood and tone. Underwater, on top of water, neverending rain, waterfall portals ....

But no Waterworld please. As much as I've tried to like that movie, because you know, it's a dystopic world on water! I love that idea! It's just plain bad. Unlikeable characters and un-gripping plot. You may feel differently, and if you do, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. I have a bro-in-law who does love Waterworld. *cringes*

Ok, your turn! How do you feel about today's villains, Wilkes and Warden? Ever used water for a setting? Have any fave stories that do? Please share ...  

Vi is for ...

Are yall getting sick of me yet? I feel like this month has been PK overkill. lol

You're probably feeling the same way with all this incessant blogging, but it's been so fun connecting with everyone.

And if you're sick of me, all I can say, is I'm sick of me too. Hee hee.

Only teasing.

Alright let's get this party started. Vivacious letter V.

V is for

VILLAIN

And I've been pushing them at you all week. What makes a good villain? We've seen they need purpose, sympathetic credibility, and to believe they're doing the right thing. Add in some troubled backgrounds to explain their villainy, and of course, throw in a side of charisma to keep them intriguing.

From what I've gathered from your comments, readers and movie-goers LOVE to HATE great villains. And I'm no different. Many of my favorite characters ARE villains. They're so much fun to live vicariously through.

Speaking of villainous V characters, here's one of my faves:

                                                       photo credit fanpop.com

VECTOR

From Despicable Me, Vector ain't afraid to pull his squid guns on anyone. And he's willing to fight Gru til the end for the top villain spot. At my house, we very frequently call out,

"Squid launchers! Oh yeah!"

Vector fans unite!

Voldemort and the Volturi can take a backseat. Today's vector's day in the sun.

And your V setting of the day is

                                               photo credit bugbog.com

VILLAGES

Europe has the best of them. This one here is in England. Just something about the small village life that makes a perfect story setting. What makes it even more enjoyable, is taking a village character and throwing him/her into a big city. Or vice versa. But in good storytelling, the story always begins in the main character's familiar world, before tossing them somewhere that, well, rocks their world.

I have a secret desire to take up home life in a quiet European village. England or France. Yep, I could do that quite easily.

And sharing two of the V pixies from Pixie Patrol today:

 Voxy Venom, the resident smartass fairy.

And

Vellame Velour, our fairy fashionista.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have you enjoyed this month of villains? What makes a great villain in your eyes? Ever lived in a quaint village? Are you sick of me yet? Share, share, share ...

U is for ...

Unbelievably the most unique letter in the alphabet. Unctuous and ubiquitous.

And your villain of the day is ...

UMBRIDGE (Professor Dolores)

And what a villain she is, eh?? The Prim and proper kitten lover is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing and every student's worse nightmare. Of course, she believes she's the one in the right, as all credible villains do. Maybe a little too much so in her case. I just love when she gets her prissy butt kicked by the centaurs!!


And for your setting:

                                             photo credit finzionimagazine.it

UTOPIA

What do you consider utopia? Probably differs for all of us. I liked the idea in the movie The Beach--living in an island paradise as a commune with their own rules, which of course, didn't always go well. Star Trek Insurrection also had a nice version with the Ba'ku race who chose to live in harmony with nature instead of their technologically advanced society.

What's really appealing, is creating a utopian setting all your own. But as with all positives, there must be a negative for that yin and yang balance. Or you could go the opposite end of the spectrum and create a dystopic setting. Those are always fun.

How about you? Prefer dystopias or utopias? Ever create a utopian setting? How about Prof. Umbridge as a villain? Ever have any teachers like her?? I can think of one, as well as a bus driver ...

T is for ...

Happy Tuesday. Isn't that great they managed to match up T day with Tuesday?? Talented folks at A to Z Challenge.

So in honor of terrific T, here's your villain of the day ...

                                                       (photo credit fanpop.com)

THE NOTHING

May be hard to tell what that is in the pic, but it was once the Ivory Tower of Fantasia, now floating in space, thanks to The Nothing. From The Neverending Story, The Nothing isn't like your typical bad guy villain. But it's a villainy all the same--one brought on by the lack of kids' imagination. Egads! What an awful thought!The Nothing consumed the world of Fantasia little by little, and the only way  it could be beaten, was by the hopes and dreams of a little boy.

The story of course is totally farfetched fantasical but as a child when it came out, this movie rocked it for me. Plus, this guy right here was pretty darn scary:

photo credit fanpop.com

Gmork was the sentinel to The Nothing. His green eyes haunted me for the longest time. And let's face it, the thought of a great nothing taking over the world because kids forget how to use their imagination is probably the scariest idea I've ever heard!!!

And your T setting of the day is: 

photo credit visit-transylvania.us

TRANSYLVANIA

And not just because it's home to Count Dracula's castle. Of course, that's what makes it famous and puts it on the map for people all over the world. But there are many reasons to use Transylvania as a setting, as it's nestled in the mountains of Romania and holds a historic village charm about it. 

I've always wanted to visit (with garlic and crucifix in tote of course)

What about a 

THEATER

Theaters make great settings as well, and for my last story, The Desiree, I studied theaters for a long time before writing it. I used the setting of a vintage theater turned classic movie palace and as intended, the setting became its own character in the story. 

And here's a pixie for T day:

Twyla Amberlight is Pixie Patrol's resident nightmare slayer--keeping bad dream vibes at bay for a restful night's sleep. (And according to a sweet little girl I know, she works!)  Learn more at my sidebar!      

How about you? Ever been to Transylvania? Like old theaters? Remember The Neverending Story? Have a T fave T villain? Please share ...