Mr. King, I'm apalled!

After learning that I supposedly write like Stephen King from I Write Like..., I did what any normal person would do: I began to cyber-stalk him. I was curious to know more about his writing methods and I made a shocking discovery. Mr. King does not outline. That's not really the shocking part. The shocking part is that he recommends new authors do the same.

Oh vey iz mir.

When it comes to writing there are no set rules. There are plenty of writers who forgo the outlining. However this does not work for everyone. I hate outlining, but if I want any sort of coherent story line, I have to outline. I have trouble focusing on my ultimate goal. I'm easily side tracked.

There are other forms of prewriting, if outlining isn't for you. I would never tell anyone whether or not they should outline, it's really something you have to discover for yourself. But personally, I recommend it.

Pros:

You avoid writing yourself into a corner.

Objectively analyzing your plot is far easier when it's in front of you in simple terms.

Outlining keeps you focused. A focused writer writes a focused story. (Focused stories are the best kind of stories, by the way.)

Writer's block is pretty much nonexistent once you outline.

Cons:

It takes a little extra time.

There's different outlining styles for every writer.

If you're like me, the key to outlining is to hash out enough detail to keep yourself focused, but to keep it open-ended enough to make changes on the fly. (I've always wanted to use the phrase "on the fly" in a legit sentence.) I don't like my story to be set in stone. I love the thrill of never knowing exactly what's going to happen next.

Maybe you're awesome like Mr. King and you can stay focused without the help of an outline. I will point out that as iconic as Stephen King may be, (from what I've read) the way some of his stories end are within a fifteen mile radius of lameville. This is a result of not outlining...either that or he has weak pinkies.

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Or maybe you need a tight structure in place before you can even THINK of that blank word document. If that's the case, then you need a detailed outline. Down to what your characters will eat before the nearby hotel explodes.

Whether or not you outline is your choice, but choose wisely. Don't knock outlining before you try it. You never know, you might like it.

I'm sure that sounds eerily like the pep talk your mother used to give you regarding your vegetables, but I speak truth.

Creating Memorable Characters

I hold the secret.

The secret that will unlock the power. The power every writer dreams of. The power to create memorable characters! How did I come across this secret and why have I, a mere mortal, been chosen to guard this (somewhat) dangerous information?

All right. Fine.

The truth is there is no exact formula for creating awesomesauce characters. Your English teacher lies. There is a basic structure:

• Name



• Disposition



• Religious/ethical beliefs



• Political (or lack of) viewpoint



• Hobbies



• Mannerisms (Weird or common)



• Likes/dislikes



• Fears



• Desires/ Hopes



• Ambitions (short and long-term)

But the simple fact of the matter is that you could play everything by the book and still end up with a yawn-worthy character (or several). I've seen it happen. I've even experienced it with my own characters. Following the formula is only the beginning. After you've followed the rules, you must ask yourself four questions.

Protagonist Set

Question # 1: Is my character endearing?

There is nothing worse (except a slow and painful death and possibly world hunger) than reading a book that centers around a character you can't stand. For the longest, The Princess Diaries was my favorite movie. When I found out the movie was based on a book, I was savagely excited. Foaming at the mouth, I dragged my mother out to our local Barnes and Noble and bought the book. Whiny, unreasonable, and willfully idiotic, the Mia I found in the book was not the girl I had grown to love. My point? You could have the most epic plot of all time, but if your readers hate the characters, it doesn't really matter.

Not Endearing:

• Perfection



• Whiny Attitude



• Too much angst/self-pity



• Characters who step on puppies

Question # 2: Is my character complex?

Two dimensional characters suck. Harsh, but true. Sorry Bella.

Two dimensional characters are shallow and single-minded. They tend to carry out certain plot points for an author, rather than representing a human being. Sometimes, there's more to a character than antagonizing the protagonist. (See below: Question # 2- Antagonist Set)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="329" caption="Look at the fire. Look at it."][/caption]

Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender (NOT THE MOVIE), for example, seems to be very two-dimensional at first. Honor, honor, honor, I must restore my honor! Avatar, avatar, avatar, capturing the Avatar will restore my honor! But as we take a deeper look, we find a normal teenager whose misguided attempts to capture the avatar were in hopes of gaining his father's love and approval.  He grows. He learns. He hopes. He dreams. He smolders, too.

Question #3: Is my Character "Basically Good"?

I would just like to clarify that this concept DOES NOT apply to real life. As humans we're all wicked (there aren't "levels" of wickedness. Evil is evil.) and only we can only achieve any form of "good" through God's grace.

However, in a fictional world, this concept does apply. When you choose your character's flaws, they can't be monstrous. Like, if your character murders hobos when she's angry. This would be a terrible flaw and no one would want to read about a character like that.

But if your character has a temper issue this is fine. She might occasionally say things she doesn't mean and have a hard time apologizing. This is an acceptable flaw.

In a similar vein, don't make your character so flawed, that they have no redeeming qualities.  I'm talking to you, Emily Bronte. Abusive characters are NOT romantic.

Question #4: Do My Character's Actions Make Sense?

In real life, people do stuff that makes no sense for no reason all the time. In real life, we question these people, but ultimately accept the fact that most people are mentally ill and move on with our lives.

In fiction, even if you're depicting real life, this is not acceptable. You will be mobbed by angry leprechauns and they'll steal all your lucky charms. Then what will you eat for breakfast?

Behind every action, there must be a motive, a reason, a hope. Something. Everything your character does must be in agreement with who your character is. Even when your character decides to surprise us, this surprise action must ultimately be in character.

Confusing? Welcome to the world of fiction.

Antagonist Set

Question #1: Is my Antagonist effective?

If your villain is meant to be hardcore, don't have him make cheesy jokes, eat jelly beans, or laugh evilly. If you want your villain to be taken seriously write him seriously.

If you don't know what that looks like, read books with laughable villains and with villains that haunt you even when you're awake. You'll begin to see the difference.

In the Harry Potter movies, for example, I always  find myself laughing at Voldie. My thoughts are always along the lines of:



[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="355" caption="Ewww"][/caption]

Voldemort, lay off the Botox. It ain't helping.

Does he ever cut his nails? Why are they pointy like that?

Are those two holes above his mouth supposed to be his nose?

It's called a dentist. Don't they have those in the Wizard world?

Voldemort isn't a particularly terrible villain, but he just doesn't strike fear into my heart.  When I think Voldemort, I think meh. Count Dracula or Drake Merwin, on the other hand...

Shudder.

Question #2: Is my Antagonist complex?

Villains who antagonize characters for the simple reason that the Author needed something to add suspense to the story are boring. They tend to be--dare I say it?-- flat. Blah. Ick.

In the Joker's words,"Gotham deserves a better class of criminal!"

Give your antagonist a history. Why is he a demented psychopath? You don't necessarily have to reveal the details, but keeping the history in mind as you develop your villain, certainly gives him more grit.

Question #3: Does my Villain fall into Classic Clichés ?

If your villain...

has an evil laugh

eats children

has an evil pet (snakes, tigers, unicorns etc.)

has an obscenely large ego

gloats

is stupid

lets jealousy of the protagonist blind him

underestimates the protagonist

is the evil twin of the protagonist

shoves puppies into ditches

finally catches the protagonist then takes SO long to kill him he dies of natural causes and/or gets away

is afraid of light

keeps his heart in a (unlocked) box on some "secret" island that everyone knows about

...then you should just start over.

Question #4: Is my Villain too easy to defeat?

Without struggle... people will be bored.

__

Creating memorable characters is no easy task, but with a little love and a LOT of time, patience, and dedication it can be done. Just a tip: some of the best characters are based off real people.

Review Revolution

It seems as if my rumored "Character Creation" post will never be written. I keep finding more interesting things to blog about.

Sigh.

Moving on...

This post is specifically about fanfiction.net. However, if you don't know what fanfiction.net is, do not fear! This should still make sense and even be applicable in other situations.

Words You Need to Know :

• Beta Reader: A beta reader is like an editor of fan fiction. This is anyone who is sent a story for the purpose of reading and reviewing a story before it is released to a list or archive so that the author can make improvements to the story before everyone else sees it.


• Fandom: The community that surrounds a tv show/movie/book etc.


• Fanfiction: a piece of fiction within a fandom utilizing characters and situations from a preexisting work including (but not limited to) books, television programs, films, and comic strips.


• Flame: A negative, hurtful comment meant only to anger or upset a person.

As a fanfic author, reviews are extremely important to me. I've been writing on fanfiction.net for about a year, writing for three different fandoms and I've noticed that reviewing is not considered an art.

I recently read a fanfiction with 4,000+ reviews. I kid you not, there were pages and pages of mundane comments like:

this is really good.

update soon!

this story is so cool!

i dont like it.

Haha! bob sniffed a cricket!

Then there were slightly more competent comments (with correct punctuation and grammar) like:

This is great! You've really captured the essence of the characters. My only complaint is that it's a bit short.

I don't like this. You make Bob look like a bad guy. Which, honestly, is completely far-fetched. Keep in mind, this is the same Bob who bought a new house to avoid killing termites.

(The reviews above are NOT real reviews. They have been paraphrased for the purpose of this blog post.)

It's a rare thing to find an in-depth, detailed review that covers the merits and faults of any particular fanfiction. Not to say it doesn't happen, but it certainly doesn't happen often enough.  So how do you write one of these mystical reviews?

If You're Vague, Unicorns will die. Is that what you want?

Vague reviews are the  epitome of failure. Personally, it doesn't matter if  you're praising, criticizing, or flat-out flaming me, a vague review is discouraging, not to mention useless.  It's fine to state that you dislike a story, but don't leave it at that. Give detailed reasons why! If you love a fanfic, the same concept applies. Without detailed reviews, it's impossible for a writer to truly improve.

Honesty tastes the best without any sugar.

If you're not honest, then what's the point? No sugar for me!

That being said...

Constructive=GOOD

I will admit, there are some pretty rancid fanfics out there, but most of the time there is--

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at the very least-- one good thing about each fanfic. Pointing out the good helps soften the blow, but don't hurt yourself. If there's nothing good about the story, DO NOT make something up. You're not doing anyone any favors.

Make Suggestions

Sometimes, an author may not know how to fix an issue. Assume this is the case and make suggestions.

Is their grammar abhorrent? Tell them to get a beta reader, for the love of peanut butter!

Is their spelling contemptible? It's called a spell checker. If you don't have Microsoft Word or something of the sort, Google has a free spell checker!

No plot in sight? Beta Reader!

Flat Characters? Beta Reader!

World Hunger? Beta Reader!

You see, on fanfiction, a (good) beta reader pretty much solves all  problems.

Give Examples

It's always great to give specific examples of what you liked/disliked. Did you think a line was HIGH-larious? Quote it.

Did you see some quotation issues? Specifically reference it.

It's extremely helpful.

Why Review?

Besides the fact that it's beneficial to the writer? It's beneficial to you.

Yes, you.

Reviewing improves your ability to analyze and proofread. By pointing out others' mistakes, your own mistakes become more clear.

Fanfiction.net (and it's sister site, FictionPress, a place for original fiction.) is a wonderful site. It allows the readers to directly influence what is being written. A suggestion from a reader could change the whole course of the story.

You should take advantage of this awesome opportunity to help your fellow writers.

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Join me in my quest to make Fanfiction.net a better place.

Take my hand and join the review revolution.

Fine, you don't have to take my hand.

*cough*Germ freak*cough*