Category Archives: Blog

How to create a likable character

How do you create likable characters? This is a start.

Today’s post was inspired by my Google+ friend John Ward who asked this question to his circles:


I know that question well. I’ve asked myself that very question several times and wondered if my characters are likable enough or if they’re too whinny or if my villain is too evil in the cartoony way. 

It’s obvious that characterization is extremely important when you’re telling a story. While plot may be the who and what, the character keeps the reader going. It’s the character and their reaction to the plot that will make readers cheer or jeer. That’s why, when I’m teaching creative writing I always start with creating characters. I want to make sure that my students get this down first before moving on. 

So, how do you make a character likable? This is how I’ve solved that through the years.

First, you gotta make them real.

Before you can focus on making characters liked you have to make the believable. That’s more important than anything. In order to do that, you have to base the character in some sort of reality. It doesn’t matter if your character is Harry Potter or a Golden Retriever, something about them should be grounded in reality. 

One of my favorite examples is Elphaba, from the musical Wicked. Here is a character with green skin and magical powers. She is odd and nothing like the characters surrounding her. She’s the heroine of the tale and she is the most “real” among the characters. Why? Because she is grounded in reality. She wants what everyone else wants which is acceptance. Ephaba shares a common motivation. It drives her through the entire story and goes a long way into turning the girl with green skin into a likable character. 

It’s that one thing

Another aspect into making a likable character is making them relatable in some way. A villain is better understood if the reader knows they weren’t loved as a child. 
Note: Relatability doesn’t necessarily mean conjuring sympathy in your reader for a character. The goal is for them to understand the character by adding another layer to them. This is what makes characterization so fulfilling but at the same time so delicate. Making characters relatable gives creates layers and makes them three dimension rather than a caricature. 

So, what will make a character relatable? It’s that one thing that makes them different than what they became. For example, a person who is a stone cold killer loves their mother. That is their kryponite; it redeems them. Imagine it as the last life line that keeps this person from going off the deep and what keeps the reader reading. It signals to them that the character has the ability to change, if only a little. That will help you with your character arc immensely. 

But remember likable isn’t everything 

Likable is overrated. 

To me, likable sometimes means boring. If the character did everything they were supposed to do, there would be no story. Remember conflict drives story and there is no better conflict to play with than internal turmoil. The reader doesn’t have to like the character but they have to understand them and be intrigued by them. 

Complex, layered, relatable, with an Achilles’s heel–that’s the kind of character you want. 

Want to learn more about creating awesome characters? Good! I’m teaching a free webinar on How to Create Awesome Characters at 10 a.m. CST Nov. 17 on this blog. Join us! 

When a character comes out of the closet. A NaNoWriMo update


If you can’t see the video on your mobile device click here to see it on Youtube.

As I was making my bed this morning and running errands, I thought about my NaNoWriMo novel.

To catch you up, I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month and it is consuming me. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. One. Month. To read my brief (very brief) synopsis of what I’m writing click here. 

Again, I was making my bed this morning when I started thinking about my NaNoWriMo novel and about the scene that I would probably write tonight and it hit me…the scene isn’t going to work.

“Why,” I asked myself aloud.

“Because your male love interest is gay.”

Don’t you love it when your characters come out of the closet?

Sandra Cisneros at Latism 2012

So how does this affect my novel? It doesn’t, it just makes it all the better because I finally understand that particular character better even though I created a Goal, Motivation, Conflict chart for them. Although the chart made sense at them time, it didn’t when I started writing. It just didn’t jive. (Thankfully, I hadn’t introduced that character yet so it’s all good on the word count. )

Sometimes, characters start dictating a story to you. They begin to reveal themselves to you even though you’ve set up their world and who they are. It’s at that moment, when the characters start to take over and (in this case) come out of the closet that the story becomes real. I argue that that is moment when you actually start to write a story and you open yourself up to the world and the lessons it has for you.

There I go again, talking like a writer or something.

What does this mean for me? It means I’m falling in love with my NaNoWriMo novel which means I’m cheating on the novella I was working on.

Last week, Sandra Cisneros gave me some great writing advice. (Now THAT’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d write but I’m glad I did.) When I asked her about trying to get the energy to go back to revising my thesis/novel, she said to put it aside and write something else. Write something you are drawn to, something you are passionate about. For me it was that novella that was set in the 1940s south. Now that passion has refocused to this new project.

It’ll be interesting to see what will happen at 50,000 words. At 8,600ish words, it’s already drawing me in. All in all, it’s not a bad thing. Write on everyone and enjoy the video!

Want to know more about characters? Join me here at 10 a.m CST Nov. 17 for a short lesson on How to Create Awesome Characters!  Learn more by signing up for my newsletter below.

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First day impressions of NaNoWriMo

I was not ready for National Novel Writing Month.

There I’ve said it.

I won the first word sprint!

I was not ready for NaNoWriMo in the way the makes the most sense. Yes, I pre-plotted my novel to be. Yes, I’ve done a bit of characterization.

But this, my friends, is a marathon not a sprint and I’m horrible at marathons. Which makes no sense since I’m a novelist but whatever.

Tonight I joined my NaNo municipality in our first ever Kick Off Party, which really means we write but with food.

It was great meeting everyone and to kinda compare notes (and computers). We did word sprints, which really meant we raced against the clock.

This was where I got more of my word count for the day. Racing against the clock and focusing on what I’m writing not only cleared my head but also allowed my fingers to fly across the keyboards. By the end of the night, I wrote an additional two scenes, 1,600 or so words.

My fellow local WriMos

In total, I wrote 2,506 words which means I’m well on my way to my second day goal of over 3,000.

But now I’m exhausted and it’s only the first day. While I had lots of decisions already decided before Nov. 1, I think the most important thing I should have focused on is getting my stamina up. This kinda of worries me. How am I supposed to make it 29 more days?

So how was your first day of NaNoWriMo so far?  How many words did you get done?

Your last minute NaNoWriMo tool box

Time to pound the keys!

This is it! It’s nearly here. At midnight tonight National Novel Writing Month begins and the path toward a 50,000 word novel will take over your life.

Take.
Over. 
Your. 
Life. 
I’ll be joining in the festivities as well this year though I only started preparing a couple of days ago. 
But I’m not the only procrastinator. I’m willing to bet that you saw the title to this blog post because you did the same thing. You have no idea how to start or what to work on and time is running out.
Don’t worry, I’ve put together a toolbox that will help you out even at this late hour(s).
Plot

First thing is first, let’s talk about plot, which is exactly what you will write about. Earlier in the week I gave out three story ideas to work with. Here’s some more ideas.

This website will generate story ideas for you. All you have to do is click to get a logline, which is a one line synopsis. It can’t get any simpler than this…or can it?

It can! Behold, a Wiki entry that details 36 dramatic situations. That’s 36 arcs, 36 plot lines, 36 stories that are so pre-written it still has Shakespeare’s signature on it.

I need coffee. Lots of it.

Character
Character will be the next thing you’ll need to worry about. Hopefully your plot will tell you how many characters you’ll need. At the very least you’ll need two. Use this form to figure out your characters. 

My favorite thing to use to “plan” our a character is the goal, motivation, conflict chart. I did a video about it recently. This chart, with the form I just gave you, will help you get a hold on your characters. Need a name? Here’s a great place to get one or a couple. 


Note: I’ll be teaching a free online seminar called How to Create Awesome Characters at 10 am CST on Nov. 17 on this website. Come back and watch!

Actually writing the darn thing

Word and other word processing software like Microsoft Works and Open Office can be used to create your novel, but if you’re extremely distracted there is software–free and not–that can help with that.

Dark Room, a free web-based site, is a retro word processor. Remember DOS? It’s just like that–black screen, green letters, nothing else. The website gives you a chance to download the software and save your creation as text. Use the NaNoWriMo word counter for your official word count.

The Mac version is Write Room, which gives you the option to have orange letters if you prefer. If you’re an iPad user and writer, there’s an app for $1.99.

For my money, I’m using Scrivener. I’ve used this program before to help organize other projects. For this one, I’ll be using it again and have used it to plot and do some characterization. The program, which comes for both Mac and Windows, has a full screen feature that can be adjusted. I’ve used this feature before and it’s easy to keep you focused longer.

With this, I wish everyone good luck! Write swiftly, daily, and I’ll see you at the finish line.

But before that, could you do me a favor and sign up for my newsletter? It’s super easy and you’ll get more writing tips! 

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How to prep last minute for NaNoWriMo

I’ve got two days. TWO DAYS to figure out things for NaNoWriMo.

I’ve decided to participate this year. It’s going to be interesting seeing that I’ve been writing literary for the past two years.

For those who don’t know, I started my fiction writing career as a genre writer. When I went to get my MFA, I quickly embraced being a literary writer. This year’s NaNoWriMo I will return to genre.

The month-long write-a-thon is built more for genre writing. So many things have to be decided before you start writing. For some literary writers, me included, the discovery happens on the paper. I don’t have time to meander like that. I’ve got 30 days.

So my goal, in reality, is to write something I can tweak later. Writing happens in revision so this is something I hope to be working on for a bit.

Seems I’m a literary writer after all.

Anyway, so this video below is about what I’ve done so far to prepare for NaNoWri. This is the prep edition before the chaos truly begins.

What are you doing to prep for NaNoWriMo?

Published: Guest blog post

My blog post on KristyHarding.com

What do you need to do to start your writing career?

You just need to say YES! 
It’s such a simple step but we don’t say ‘yes’ to ourselves often enough. Instead we find ways to say ‘no’.
This is what I explore in a guest post on KristyHarding.com today. Kristy is a friend of mine and is the editor of the online mag Paper Tape Magazine, which is currently looking for submissions. 
Kristy was kind enough to write a post for me while I was at Latism last week. She wrote a terrific post about Ray Bradbury and how to create story ideas.

Latism update #2

The worst idea I had today was wearing heals. The second worst was leaving my flip flops in the car.

Here I am and it’s day two of the Latinos in Social Media Conference. I’ve attended so many panels, I’ve lost count. However, every panel was better than the last and there was even a panel about writing and publishing.

That’s right (or write)! Even the social media folks want to publish. The panel consisted of three writers who published in three different ways–traditional, self, and small press.

Each panelist explained the pluses and minuses of their chosen path and it was interesting hearing them talk about it. I’ll be writing a full post about their tips and lessons learned next week to give them time to send me more information. However, I’ll give you the panelists names now so that you can check out their books: Ana Lilian Flores, co-author of Bilingual is Better; Mariela Babbah, Poder de Mujer; Sujeiry Gonzalez, Love Trips: A Collection of Relationship Stumbles.

Can you tell which one self-published, went with a small press, or the traditional route without looking at their publisher info on Amazon?

Other than that the rest of the conference has given me ideas for this blogs and other projects I’ve been thinking about. Check out my latest vlog at the top of this post for an update. I hope my camera work isn’t too bad.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Dallas St,Houston,United States

Three story ideas ripped from the headlines

Get ready to write! 

One of the great things about being in Houston is that story ideas hit me. All. The. Time.


Almost everything I see can make a good short story or novel. When I was working and finishing After The Smoke, some of the most difficult scenes were finished or outlined on the couch in my childhood home. I don’t think I would have been able to finish the novel unless I was on that couch and felt the muse vibes running through my fingers.

So this trip wasn’t any different. Within 24 hours, I heard three news stories that I thought would be great stories and/or novels. If you still don’t know what you’re going to write about for NaNoWriMo you are more than welcomed to use these ideas or versions of these ideas.  Consider it my gift to you. 

What am I writing about for NaNoWriMo? As I said on my Twitter and Google+ account, I’ll share when I have the idea a bit more solidified in my head. Yes, I know the clock is ticking. 

Man Walks Into His Own Funeral

When I heard this story on Spanish television, I was instantly intrigued. In Brazil, a man was shocked when he went home and found his family in mourning … because of his death. WHAT?! Have you seen the pictures of the man and his dead doppelgänger? It is shocking! Even I had to say I would have done the same thing. 
The news started the wheels turning on a possible story. This one is way too juicy to pass up! 


Woman Sets Herself On Fire

This one didn’t come from my trip to Houston but rather from Louisiana. If you haven’t heard, a woman in Louisiana set herself on fire and then blamed the KKK for it. 

When this story broke, everyone believed her but it wasn’t until her finger prints were found on the lighter fluid and lighter she used that people too a step back. Whoa! 

Who sets themselves on fire? Why? How? That’s for you, the writer to figure out. 


Cannibal Cop

This story stopped me in my tracks. 

A plot by a NY cop was foiled. What did he plan to do? Rape, torture, and eat women. That’s right, I said eat.

The former officer is in court this week. And according to the story by the Guardian, the FBI discovered several pieces of correspondence, including text and emails, between him and other people detailing the plans to kill and eat these women. 

There’s a story there–fiction and nonfiction–that needs to be told. 


How’s that for story ideas? Are the creative juices flowing? I suggest you get to plotting. NaNoWriMo approaches. 

Note: Wanting to take your time in writing your novel? Join me for Creating Awesome Characters, a workshop for writers at 10 a.m.Nov. 17 right here.  I’ll be using Google Hangouts to teach the world on creating characters. It’ll cost you nothing. Just show up!     

First impressions of Latism12

As promised, I am writing a post from the Latinos in Social Media Conference in Houston.

Tonight was the welcome reception at the Hyatt in downtown. For me, it was like a reunion. I’m a proud Houstonian and I went to school here. I am an alumni of the University of Houston and cut my teeth in news and literature here. So many of my friends are attending the conference and, ironically, some of us have had similar life adventures even though we lost touch after college. I’m looking forward to catching up.

So here’s a quick vlog about the first night. I’m working on another post, a writing post, for Friday. I’ll try to write and post between panel discussions.

If you want pictures, follow me on Twitter (you can follow the link if you press the big blue bird on the side rail). To hold you over, here’s a pic from right at the start of the reception.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Houston,United States

Houston 101 for the Latism crowd

Editor’s note: Here’s a post specifically for the folks going to the Latinos in Social Media conference. I’ll be attending and writing some posts from there. The posts could include topics related to writing and Latino issues. 

LATISM12


This week, I’ll be in Houston attending the Latinos in Social Media conference or Latism for you folks in the know. 

I love that this conference will be in my hometown. Houston has lots to offer and I think it’s the perfect venue. 
For some of my fellow Latism-goers this will be their first time in Houston maybe even the Lone Star State. So, I’ve decided to write a short 101 on Houston to give people the skinny on the fourth largest city in the country. I hope my fellow Houston bloggers will pick up where I left off. 

Weather

Humid. Houston is humid all the time. All year long it feels like you stepped out of the shower. However, this weekend you’re in luck. The weather is going to be in the 70s which means it’s t-shirt weather. You won’t really need a sweater unless you’re indoors. Usually Houstonians don’t like the cold but our air conditioning stays on arctic. You’ve been warned. 


Food

There are several types of food Houston does well. Mexican, Tex-Mex, Mex-Tex.  Well, that last one isn’t a category, but the point is that we take our Tex-Mex food seriously. What’s a good restaurant recommendation? I always say that folks should eat at the original Ninfa’s on Navigation. Now there are several locations that were previously owned by the family but the original location is still in the heart of the second ward since 1973. (That makes it relatively close to downtown.) The restaurant use to be a house and still has that come-in-and-sit feel. Everything is made from scratch including the tortillas. With the weather being nice, I would recommend sitting outside and ordering a margarita. But make reservations and valet park. 
We’re also good at other foods like BBQ (that’s how we spell it) and whole bunch of other foods. But since the conference is at the Hyatt, might as well take advantage of the view. 


Boss, the train! 

Now, I have yet to do this since it was constructed after I moved away but the MetroRail is only a few blocks from the convention site. Going from downtown where the University of Houston’s downtown campus is located to our famed Reliant Stadium (home of the Texans) the rail will take you anywhere you want to go along that route. What’s on the route? Our museum district, zoo, Rice University (beautiful campus), and Midtown. 

Now, the closest stop according to the map is a bit of a walk but if you want to take a break and see some of Houston and not drive (we’ve got horrible traffic) then here’s a way to do it. 

Need some Green? 


I’m not talking about money but the green of the trees. There are a couple of parks near and in downtown. Sam Houston Park  is the closest to the conference site. It’s a great place to see some of Houston’s historic homes from nearly every era in Houston history (and we do have history).  


We’re really proud of Discovery Green, which is about a 15-20 minute walk (five minute cab ride) from the convention site. Walk straight down Lamar and you’ll see a park that is open with eclectic public art and just a great place to relax and watch Houston interact with nature in an urban setting.  


I am extremely excited to meet people at Latism 2012! I know by the agenda that I am not prepared and will be overwhelmed but I know it’ll be a lot of fun. If you see me around the convention, say hello!

Want to see what I’m about to learn? Check this out!