World Builder #7

Ever notice how little details about the facts of life seem missing when reading a fantasy world? Like no one needs to bathe, eat (unless it's a feast), use the bathroom? Everyone dies perfect, pretty deaths (unless it's a horror novel), and birth is usually pretty clean (unless it's convenient to the story). I'm not advocating replaying in vivid detail your character's visit to the water closet, but mentioning it every now and again when relevant wouldn't hurt. In the same vein, deciding on cuisine and referencing it can add another layer of relatability.

What do your people eat? What forms the backbone of their staples? What grows well? What's exotic? How big are the differences in what the poor and the rich eat? 

Take into account the climate of your area as well as the geographic features. A seaside kingdom would likely deal in a lot of fish. But what makes their fish different? How do they prepare it? Are they a kingdom of spicy food lovers? What preservation techniques, if any, are available? What's your world's equivalent of caviar. Remember to think outside the familiar, and bon apetit.

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Character Builders #33 &34

Most successful stories find the boundaries of their characters and push at them. Identify where your character draws their lines and them put them in situations which defy them. For example: 

Would your character ever steal something? "Borrow" with the intent to return? Download something illegally? Take only from the rich? 

If the answer to any of these is no, of course it's your duty as author and serial character tormentor to place them into a scenario in which these happen for whatever reason. If the answer is yes, how much is too much? Do you have the sort of character who'd gladly empty the coffers of a local lord but stop at robbing an orphanage? Do you have an internet pirate who steals everything from movies to music, but won't steal video games? Ask yourself why. Maybe he has a beloved relative who's a game designer, or maybe he thinks it's easier to get caught. Find out why he steals. Convenience? Is he broke? Is he terrified of the government tracking devices he suspects are included with all Blu Rays? 

What's your character's most steadfast conviction? In what do they believe so thoroughly that neither logic nor irrational doubt will sway them? 

And again, it's your job to utterly trash or validate that. Let's say our downloader is faced with the piece of evidence that proves the government involvement with the makers of DVDs. Does anyone believe him? How does he feel knowing now that he is correct? Let's say that our pious do-gooder who'd never even accidentally steal a BIC pen is confronted with the horrifying truth- the parent who brought them up that way is an embezzeler. How do they react? 

How's that Day Job Challenge going? To be honest, mine has flagged- continued dental torture (I mean procedures) left me feeling as though there are a dozen and one valid excuses for me not to sit down for ten measly minutes and write whatever pops into my mind. For shame, Cate, for shame. Getting back up on that horse just as soon as I sign off here. For those of you still on the wagon, props and congratulations are in order. Let's keep moving together, shall we? Start by shaking some characters to their foundations.

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be reproduced without the permission of the author. 

Cate Lives! And Also World Builder #6, Scene Starter #7, and Character Builders #31 &32

Life after dentistry does exist. Two root canals and a wisdom tooth extraction later, here I am, puffy, tired, and a little bit drugged. Apologies for the delay, but here come the prompts!

World Builder!

What are the varying degrees to which your people show affection? What's socially appropriate for family, friends, romantic partners? 

Scene Starter! Assume this is the first sentence of your scene:

"I think you'd better leave," she said, voice quiet. 

Character Builders!

How does your character feel about religion and/or spirituality? Has that evolved, or has it remained the same?

How open is your main character with their emotions? 

BONUS CHALLENGE! Try to relate all of these prompts! 

Only partially kidding about that last one. Major kudos if you can do it. 

Tuesday's post will be much fuller, I think. In the meantime, I'm going to apply an ice pack shaped like a duck to my face and try to imagine that my jaw isn't throbbing. Till next time, Internet. 

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Character Builders #29 & 30

Nothing to fear but fear itself, perhaps, but fear is a strong motivator. Even the most heroic characters must have fears, and you as the author must know what they are.

How fearful is your character? For what or whom are they brave? Of what are they so afraid that no amount of courage will motivate them? 

And:

How does your character cope in the face of fear? How has that changed over their years? How has it stayed the same? 

Understanding this, your responsibility as author is now to throw that fear at them. You've already done the legwork.

This special edition of the blog comes to you courtesy of the emergency oral surgery I need to have tomorrow (guess what my irrational fear is!). I hope very much that I'll be up and about on Thursday to bring you all the fun and scintillating questions and prompts that Plot Hole was meant for. If not, expect an extra large helping on Saturday. Wish me luck, internet.


All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Scene Starter/Character Builder Hybrid #2

In any workshop, you hear facilitators demand about "stakes". They want to know what's important to your character, and why it should be important to us. Sometimes, though, determining that can be a little difficult. Here's a jumping off point. 

Think of something that happens in your story and reverse the outcome. If your character got what he or she wanted, take it away. If he or she was denied, surprise them. 

This can be entirely revealing. If your character wants to run his own bakery, works for it harder than anything in his life, and then it catches fire, what does he do? How does he react? Does he hang up his puffy hat for good and become an angry busker, or does he rebuild and come back stronger than before? Your character may dream of going to a good school, but not have the finances. She may count it as a lost cause. How does it feel then when she's offered a full ride to an Ivy League? What if she's already structured her life around the concept of not going?  

This exercise is particularly interesting in the later portion of a draft. If you're anything like me, you plan exactly where this book/story/screenplay is headed. Throwing a monkey wrench into that often produces interesting results and can shake me out of that most dreaded writer's block. Even if you don't end up keeping the revision to the game plan, you will likely still use the information you gain about your character, and you've taken a lovely little foray into the land of what-if. 

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

The Day Job Challenge: Sneaky Distractions (and Scene Starter #7, Character Builders #27 & 28, and World Builder #5)

This week, I failed.

This Sunday I worked at 5:30 AM. Big deal, morning folk say. I am not morning folk, and I ordinarily keep a midday schedule from 9-6 or 10-7.  As a result of the disruption, I did not sleep well the night before, and as a result of that, I got sick. Between the odd seven day work week, stress, an unseasonably cold evening of no sleep- needless to say, I fell off the wagon. But even worse, I fell ill with the oft-revisited delusion that ravages the work habits of writers.

Remember: researching, outlining, daydreaming, sketching characters, designing clothes and buildings and maps, revising, and reading (including books about writing) do not count as writing. Only the act of writing counts as writing.

Of course these things are all important, and keeping interest alive in your project during a hiatus is very much so. But they do not count. Ten minutes of writing per day count. Even with a cold, I should be able to keep up with that (today has been a success on that front).

To help on your way, a Scene Starter:

 If _________ hadn't done that, _____________ wouldn't have happened, and everything would have been great/horrible. 

And a pair of Character Builders:

What words are dirty for your character? Are they profane or just sound strange? 

I, for one, hate the word grotto. It sounds gross.

Would your character hate to be caught in the cold without a jacket or stuck in the heat forced to wear heavy clothing? 

And a World Builder for good measure:

What form of government does your world have? Who's in charge? How do they get to be that way? How are laws made? 

Most importantly, when slips are made for whatever reason, it's time to let go, take a breath, and get right back to writing. I for one am going to go make up for some lost time. Best of luck to you too, Challengers.

Scene Starter #6

The myth of George Washington's perpetual honesty pervades elementary school rhetoric. "I cannot tell a lie," he supposedly tells his father after the unfortunate demise of a cherry tree. Obviously, Washington was not infallible, but what if you had a character who was?

A man suddenly realizes that he has lost his ability to lie at the worst time possible. 

Is his child asking about Santa Claus? Has his wife asked the dreaded does-X-make-me-look-fat question? Has a coworker annoyed him at work and this sudden impairment left him unable to smooth the situation over? Further, how long will this last? How did it come about? What other unwitting truths will he tell?

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

World Builder #4

Always important to consider in any world is how the inhabitants place monetary value on objects. It's all well and good to decide whether an area is rich or poor, but the politics and interpersonal aspects of money lend a lot of flavor to that decision.

In your society, what is considered extravagant- a solid meal or a solid gold toilet? What's the attitude toward wealth and poverty? Is being wealthy important to most, or simply comfortable, or not starving? What sort of emphasis is placed on material possessions? 

Remember too that those without lots of money may still have plenty of stuff (tinkers, collectors, etc), and those who are fabulously rich may yet choose to live like paupers. Consider what having stuff means to your characters vs. not having stuff, and determine if everyone has one of those golden commodes, or if being able to wear shoes is a luxury. Especially consider whether disparity between the poor and the rich exists and how it affects your culture.


All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Character Builders #23, 24, 25 & 26

For every person, there exists a set of limits- an uncrossable line after which the offense becomes unforgivable, the annoyance too great, and the off-putting too off-put. Even fictional people have these, and it's to your benefit to know where they are. In this case, let's consider interpersonal dealbreakers.

What are your character's dealbreakers when it comes to dating/romantic relationships? How do these notions affect their pursuits, courtships, or relationship maintanance? How do these differ from their romantic ideals? 

What are your character's limitations when it comes to business partnerships or coworkers? What would make them march up to HR? Conversely, what would they love to see in a coworker? 

What would cause your character to end a friendship (or stop pursuing one)? How does this differ from the above dealbreakers? What makes a friendship fast for them?

What actions would automatically estrange your character from a family member? Permanently or temporarily? Stony, silent Thanksgiving estrangement or blocked phone number estrangement?  

While considering these negatives, be sure to examine the positives as well. How would a friendship be instantly sealed? What could bring an estranged family member back into your character's life? Often, you'll be surprised that the dealbreakers and the dealmakers are actually not diametric opposites.

Extra challenge: find one of these relationships and put your character in the thick of it. For added frustration, add one or more of the remaining relationships. The best thing you can do in terms of a story is place your character into a situation they find deeply uncomfortable, and with these answers in hand, you will have a strong concept of why.

All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Character Builders 21 & 22

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Cliche, but remember that all cliches have a root in reality somewhere. If you're feeling as though you could be a little more familiar with your characters and perhaps a little more creative, put them in a situation which forces a decision- both for you and your character. For example:

Your character is forced to change professions within the week. What would they choose if they had the luxury of choice? What will they likely end up doing? What would they never want to do? 


And:

Is there ever any circumstance that would lead them to kill or seriously injure someone? How grave would that circumstance be? How would they feel after the fact? 


Just as in real life circumstances, urgency often brings out surprising facets in characters. You may be astonished to learn that your middle aged librarian carries a firearm in her purse and is ready to fire on any muggers that reach for it. Your deposed princess may very well find her bliss as a blacksmith, and your blacksmith might prefer to be a princess, but find herself becoming a pirate instead. When in doubt, throw an unavoidable curve ball your character's way and watch the details unveil themselves.


All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

Scene Starter #5

Sometimes, deviating from your current project if you have one can be good for you. It can bring the momentum back to your writing habits, rekindle the romance between you and the process of putting pen to paper or pixels to word processor. For this one, assume that the prompt is the first sentence of your scene.

Well, that wasn't what I expected to find in that cupboard. 

Write through this several times for best- and possibly amusing- results. It may spark something new, or you could have a lovely collection of paragraphs in which your first person narrator discovers all manner of intriguing, mundane, horrifying or delightful things in that cupboard. Have fun.


All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author. 

World Builder #3

Chances are, if you're writing any sort of fantasy world, your character is going to spend a decent amount of time there and experience different sorts of climates, seasons, and days in general. Most writers have the general idea behind their settings down- mountains? Tall buildings? Desert? But remember, even in the steadiest environments, things do change. Believe me, having spent a good amount of time in Southern California, which residents claim stays a constant and sunny 68-80 degrees at all times (NOT true- please see El Niño and such), I can vouch for the movement of Mother Nature. Consider this question:

What are the weather patterns of your setting like? How do the shifts in seasons change dress and activity? What's considered good weather? How bad is bad? 

This is especially important when your character either stays in one location for a long time, or travels to many locations- in fact, you may have to ask yourself this question several times for several areas. Obviously this prompt is different if your setting is a fictional area in a real place, but the concept is the same- be aware of the way the weather will change depending on the time of year, and how your people will respond to it in terms of their clothes and lifestyle.


All posts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author.