Toolkit for writing

As many of you know I came from a screenwriting background. I have written a few feature scripts in my day.

I wanted to list a few of the things that I use when writing.

Microsoft Word. The flexibility of this program works perfectly for me. However, I have never tried any of the other writing programs out there, so I might be a little biased.

My laptop. I like laptops for the ability to write anywhere. Granted I have limited battery power when not near an outlet, but that can be a good thing in that it sets a determined time for me to write and I use it to keep my focus.

A thesaurus. I like to use varying words for the same thing. My added spice.

Dictionary. Word has spell check, but still it misses words sometimes.

So these are my basic tools for writing. What are some of your favorite tools?

Visualizing characters

I didn't get the response that I was expecting for the pictures of my characters last week. So it made me think, what do you do to picture your characters? Do you draw them? Do you write the details down?

What works for you? I'm curious because the pictures sort of gave me a new perspective on my characters.

Building Fear

I've been watching a lot of scary movies lately. Some have been pretty bad and the reason they have been bad is because I don't fear the monster. Some were because the characters were shallow and I can sort of root for them to die.

So I started to think what makes a good scary book/movie/story?

One thing that I think is necessary is something that is realistic. The fear has to be something you can understand. Some stories try to be to complex in building the bad guy that by the point you get to any fears you are tired of the build up that you are disappointed in the outcome. I think the movie "Cloverfield" is a good example of this.

Another thing that there are too many scares too close together that you get tired of being scared. Some of the "Saw" movies have this effect. So many traps that by the end when the big traps are supposed to make you cringe you are just plain exhausted. Bad thing.

A good example of building fear is the book "Salem's Lot." You have a vague introduction to the bad guy. You have a slow deterioration of the town. You have the unreliable priest. You have the characters that you relate to being put in situations that you can relate to. All of these things combine into an ending that is satisfying and makes your blood pump with fear.

I know this isn't all of the things to build fear, so what are some of your examples? What do you find effective?

Memorable Characters

I have been reading for a really long time. I have an award in 5th grade where I read something like 110 book during the school year. So I've read my fair share of books throughout the year.

Some of my favorite characters that I remember reading were Harry Potter, Hester Prynne, It, Cujo, some others that my cold induced head can't think of right now. But as you noticed some of my list above were antagonists.

Are they okay to be Memorable characters? I think so because they are memorable for being so bad. Some of them aren't even human, which is also okay since they don't have to be. What about the rats in Secret of Nymph? I think there are some in there but I can't recall any names at the moment.

I think one thing that makes a character memorable is the fact that they have something you can relate to. Either a fear, or a skill that you admire.

Do you think Cujo wouldn't have been a success if the fear of dogs isn't a very common human fear? Do you think It would have been scary if people didn't fear clowns? I'm not afraid of either of these things, yet these antagonists were still scary. Cujo because he was uncontrollable and smarter than some dogs. Not sure if it was the rabies, or something more. It's been a while.

Harry Potter is memorable because he is the awkward kid that sticks out, we've all been there. Hester Prynne might be harder to define, but it still boils down to her being an outcast. I can get behind that sort of character. I like to root for them when the odds are stacked against them.

What about character makes you remember them?

Pictures of your characters part 2

On Wensday, I showed you what I felt were my main female characters. Here are my 3 main male characters.

Alex Stevens: The brother of Rebecca, strong, takes charge, and doesn't back down:



Kellen: Best friend of Alex. More reserved, but dependable:





William Stevens: Rebecca and Alex's father. Mayor of the city and very well liked by most people: (And yes I know it's Alec Baldwin, but it fits.)





So these are the three main male characters. What do you think? Any suggestions?

Pictures of your characters part 1

A member of my Crit group brought up using images to visualize her characters, so I wanted to give it a shot. Below are 4 of the main female characters in my current project. I would love to know what you guys think?

Rebecca Stevens: The main character. Shy, but strong willed. Very intelligent.

Yasmine Gray: The girlfriend of Rebecca's Brother Alex. Sassy and fun loving. Fiercely loyal to Alex and Rebecca:

Sue Stevens: The mother of Rebecca. The wife of the mayor and a previous woman with anger issues:

Natilee: Mayor's assistant. Member of a group of gifted people trying to live peacefully in the world:

I would love to know what you think of these 4. I might do this again next week for the antagonists.

Setting

As most of you know, I write mainly supernatural sort of things. The only major difference is the fact that my characters and their opponents are super powered. The world remains the same. I do this for too reasons.

1.) I like to keep my world easy to recognize.

Second.) I think the most fun is to alter something you see on a regular basis and make it new again.

What are some of your favorite things in the settings of your books? Do you like a real world or do you like to play with the reality? Do you set it in the past, future, or present?