Friday, May 3, 2019

5 Aspects for Creating Strong Character Arcs -- Kayelle Allen @KayelleAllen #amwriting #MFRWauthor


I try to create complex heroes, and one thing that helps is creating strong character arcs. For deeper understanding, I recommend reading Character Arcs by KM Weiland. That book gave me great insights into my characters. This post uses he/she. Feel free to apply your preferred gender pronouns.

Creating a complex character by creating a strong character arc, tips by Kayelle Allen

Creating a Strong Character Arc

The main character must face conflict, deal with emotions, and experience change. All those things arise out of the following five aspects.

What does your hero want?

If your hero lives a great life, with all he or she wants and no real needs, then there is no conflict. You must have conflict in order to move the story forward. Your hero should want something badly enough to change in order to get it. That want will be a major driver of your story.

What are your hero's personal preconceptions?

When your hero looks in the mirror, who is looking back? Chances are, he/she is already a hero to someone. But how does he feel about himself? When he looks in the mirror, does he see his failures? Or perhaps he sees himself as a hero when others see him in an entirely different light.

What does your hero do wrong?

Sure, no one's perfect, but the personal flaws facing your hero must provide a reason for your character to change and must be a lynchpin in driving that change. Example: a young woman with reasons in her past that make her distrust people in general, and men in particular meets a man who makes her long to trust. But because of her flaws, her misconceptions and inhibitions, she can't. She must overcome those flaws in order to find love -- to reach her goal.

What abilities does your hero possess?

The hero in any story will need to accomplish certain tasks. It might be anything from scaling a wall to performing before a crowd, but he needs to complete them in order to overcome the conflict and reach his goal. When the story opens, he can't do them, but by the end, he can. Not only has he changed the story, the story has changed him.

What scares your hero?

I have an immortal king in multiple stories. Pietas can come back from almost any death. He's nearly 2000 years old and is as big and brave as they come. But because he's isolated himself by virtue of his position as well as personal choice, he's never needed friends and never wanted one. The problem is, he's made one who's the target of assassins--and mortal. Now that he's had a friend, how can he face eternity alone? For the first time in his long, barren existence, Pietas fears the very isolation he has spent his life cultivating, and he will do absolutely anything to prevent it.
The point of scaring your hero is that if your hero is afraid, it means the stakes are high enough to make him change. If you create a hero who undergoes change, you create a complex character.

Ask yourself if you have developed a hero who has tangible wants and needs, preconceptions that don't necessarily match his reality, faults that make him relatable, and the ability to adapt and learn new skills. Don't forget to give him one or more fears that he must overcome or remove. A layered approach to creating your hero will hook your readers and bring them back for more.
 
---
Bringer of Chaos: Origin of Pietas
An immortal king must doom his people to exile or place his faith in that which he most hates: a human.
Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire
An exiled, immortal king, a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.
https://kayelleallen.com



Monday, April 8, 2019

Share the love with MFRW Authors #MFRWauthor Retweet Party #MFRWorg @MFRW_ORG

It's Retweet Day for MFRW on Twitter. All Marketing for Romance Writers are invited to set up tweets for their books.

Go into Twitter and create a tweet. Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or #MFRWorg You can share up to 280 characters per tweet.

Once the tweet has been posted, click anywhere in the white background of the tweet. This will open it and allow you to highlight and copy the URL.

Navigate back to here and paste the URL in the comment section of this post.

Each month, the RT post goes live the Monday before RT day. You can post your tweet until Wednesday of the same week.

Retweet Day is on the second Wednesday of each month. Retweet everyone on the list who uses one of the hashtags.

HINT:
To help people find your tweet, click the the white background and then the down arrow (found on the right side). Choose "Pin to Your Profile Page." This will keep the tweet at the top of your Twitter feed so more people can find it.

Retweet Day Rules

1. Must have #MFRWauthor or #MFRWorg in the tweet. (This retweet day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it for all age groups.
3. Please do not use adult topics.
4. Limit hashtags to three (3) per post.
5. Return on Retweet Day and click each link in the comments.**
6. Click the heart on the tweet and then the retweet symbol and the Retweet button.

** To share a tweet, highlight the url, right click, and you will see an option to open the link or go to the url. Do that, and it should open in a new window and take you there.

Come back after sending the tweet and go through the entire list. 

Here's to a great day of retweets!

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is the author of multiple books, novellas, and short stories. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.




Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Have you asked your character these questions? Kayelle Allen @kayelleallen #amwriting #MFRWauthor


Marketing for Romance Writers was created for a group of romance writers, but quickly gained members in every sort of genre. As writers, one thing we all have in common is the need to create strong characters. To that end, here is a questionnaire you can use to get to know the people in your story.

Questions for the Character to Answer

How do you dress?
If we could only hear your voice (but not see you) what characteristic would identify you?
Please tell us about your education.
Are you book-smart, self-taught, widely-experienced?
Do you get by, live comfortably, live extravagantly?
What is your viewpoint on wealth?
On what special skills do you rely?
Are any of your skills a source of pride or embarrassment, and if so, which ones and why?
What kinds of things do you always carry (in pockets or purse)?
What is your family like?
Are you close to family?
Do you have children?
Are you involved in your community?
How well do you know your neighbors?
Do you see morality as black-and-white, or with shades of gray?
How do others perceive you based upon looks, and is this assumption accurate?
Do you care about what others assume about you?
If someone from your past showed up, who would you most want it to be, and why?
If someone from your past showed up, who would you most NOT want it to be, and why?
Can you keep a secret? Why or why not?
What secrets do you know about people around you that you do NOT share?
What inner doubt causes you the most difficulty?
What past event causes you the most fear?
What is your biggest need?
What are your biggest hopes and dreams?
What would help you face hardship and meet any challenge?
If you could make any one thing happen, what would it be?
What is your biggest personal flaw?
When there is a setback, what doubt or flaw surfaces?
How do you handle challenges?
What is your breaking point?
How do you express disappointment?
How emotionally expressive are you to others?
When (if) you lie or are upset, what gives you away?
Who in your life has the power to hurt you the most and why?
What would you like to tell your writer?
What would you like people who hear your story to know?

Questions for the Writer to Answer

(Change gender to fit your character)
Your character is at a party. Considering his story, describe the party.
How does the character feel about being this particular party, and what body language is he displaying that gives it away?
Is he more likely to mingle or remain aloof?
If he drinks, what is his drink of choice at this party?
How much drink is his usual?
The character figures out where the hiding places are and then goes there. Is it to hide, to avoid someone, or to go drag a friend back to the party?
Bro by Kayelle Allen (from character questions post on MFRW)Is he likely to latch onto a friend and stay with him/her and ignore others, or is he the friend that others latch onto?
If someone picked a fight at this party, how is the character going to handle it?
Is the character the one most likely to get tossed out of the party, or the one who does the tossing?
Will he know when to leave, or stay late and make a nuisance of himself?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but it should give you some insight into creating a unique and memorable character.

Come share your character on my book blog, Romance Lives Forever. Readers find something new every day on RLF. www.rlfblog.com Look for Signup in the menu. You can set your own date and even get automated reminders.

Kayelle Allen
author of Bro, the Antonello Brothers series prequel
https://kayelleallen.com/bro/