Character Traits

Character Traits

An interesting trick I learned from scrolling through my Instagram feed (instead of writing) is to focus on the extremes of your character - the two ends on a character’s personality spectrum.

Take a perfectionist, for example. This person strives to be perfect all of the time, therefore, they work extremely hard. However, this person is so obsessed with being perfect that they can come off as condescending or controlling.

A character’s personality traits also depend heavily on the viewpoint at which you’re looking. Take an abusive parent. When the parent is at work, all of their co-workers may see them as a caring, respectful, and friendly person. To their child, they’re seen as uncivilized and a monster.

I’m not saying you have to use the “extremes” concept on every character. In fact, assigning only negative traits helps the reader identify who the antagonist (or villain) may be. However, giving a character both positive and negative traits helps humanize the character.

If you have any questions regarding character traits, or feel as though I’ve missed something, feel free to let me know!

“When I first met her, I knew in a moment I would have to spend the next few days re-arranging my mind so there’d be room for her to stay.”

— Brian Andreas

Whenever I feel envious of other people's work, I try to remind myself that where I see beauty, they may be overwhelmed with insecurity. This just goes to show that the part of my writing I'm insecure about, how monotonous I can be, can blind me from seeing myself the way others see me.

My advice, if you're open to receiving it, is you cannot control your emotions, so they are not an indicator of how good of a person you are. Allow yourself to feel, but don't let envy or guilt dictate your life.

For what it's worth, I find your writing so interesting! The way that I've seen you talk about love and friendship is incredible, and I envy how expressive and cohesive your writing is. Keep feeling and keep going, my guy :)

Today, I felt envious.

I don't know how to explain the guilt that comes with feeling envy, it's maybe one of the worst emotions.

You see all these poets whose work is better than yours, whether it be better worded, better written, more meaningful, etc etc... and you think: "Why can't I write like that? What am I doing wrong?"

I've often felt the topics I write about are frivolous. Most of my poetry speaks of love, or friendship, or what small things mean to me. I am not writing of my pain.

I think this is something very common amongst poets. We kinda feel as though we must write of anguish, that you have to feel drained every time you finish writing a poem to actually have something be meaningful.

I've struggled with this a lot recently. Feelings of jealousy or envy, insecurity about my work, second thoughts on if writing is really worth it, all that stuff.

I don't really have advice to give about what to do when you feel this way, as I haven't figured it out myself.

As writers, tell me what you do when you feel this way, or just tell me about a time you've felt like this, or tell me of your insecurities about your work.

sarah waters, fingersmith

Top Ten Tips for Beginner Writers

Understand

Writing is amazing. It is so satisfying to be able to hold your success, to see your success, to know your hard work paid off. On the opposing side, writing can be a pain. As unfair as it may seem, to succeed, you need to fail.  Truthfully, writing is more than putting words on a page. In order to be a successful writer, you need to understand that.

Writer Friends

No one will understand a writer's mind better than a writer. Of course, every writer is different. Even so, they have been/are where you are. They will assist you in growing as a writer, probably better than any English teacher ever could. 

First drafts

Think of a building. Obviously, you build from the floor upward. Essentially, your first draft is the foundation of your story - something to build upon. That being said, your first draft is not the story as the floor is not the building. 

Keep Writing

As previously stated, in order to succeed, you need to fail. If you aspire to be a successful writer, you need to also understand that it is not the fact you fail, but whether you rise despite the failure. Furthermore, if you wish to improve, you need to continue writing beyond your mistakes. 

Originality

Originality is not mandatory. If your plot derives from an AU, writing prompt, or already exists (a book or movie having the same general plot), your story does not lose its value. Some of the best stories exist more than once. 

Yes, it counts.

If you post on Fanfiction, you are a writer. If you post on Wattpad, you are a writer. If you write, you are a writer. Your work is valid, no matter what you decide to do with it. 

Writing Journals

There will come a time when the perfect idea hits you and you don't have access to a device. Sure, we operate digitally. Even so, invest in a journal. You’ll never know when you might need it.

Reading Books

Reading action packed books helps me understand how to effectively shift between a scene/moment in a chapter. Even if you’re not much of a reader, rest assured the techniques you wish to master are hidden in pages for you to observe. 

Taking Advice (the irony is strong)

You will stumble upon posts instructing you on what to use in a sentence, what not to use, how to express emotion, et cetera. Keep in mind that not all of it will apply to you. Use the word “very” if you want to, end a sentence with a preposition if you would like, don’t name your chapters if you don’t feel like it. You are in charge of your story.

Taking Breaks

It is okay to take an hour break, or a week-long break, or even a three-month break. It does not make you any less of a writer. Do whatever you need to do to become the writer you aspire to be, even if that means not writing for a while. 

If you have any questions, or feel I missed something, feel free to let me know!

Plots

What is a plot?

A plot is the chain of events that make up the story in a book, movie, TV show, and the like. A plot generally consists of five major points: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution/ Denouement. 

Exposition:

This is the beginning of the story. Here, the reader is introduced to the setting, the characters, and the main conflict. 

Rising Action:

This is where the story starts to get complicated. The conflict begins to escalate to a much bigger issue.

Climax:

This is the middle of the story. The characters may be panicking, as the conflict has reached its peak. 

Falling Action:

By this point of the book, the characters may have thought of a solution to the issue and are implementing it. The story begins to cool down.

Resolution/Denouement:

This is the end of the story. The story is at a stopping point, the main issue resolved. If you’re writing a series, this may be where you would add the extra bit of information that leads into the next book.

What is a subplot?

A subplot is a plot that exists inside the main plot. An example being a group of characters working together to reach a concrete goal, but romantic tension existing between the two main characters at the same time - the subplot. 

These are the only two I felt needed some clarification. If you have any questions, or feel as though I’ve missed something, feel free to let me know!