Write for a Reason

Hello again! Is it really possible that another week has passed since the last writing tip? :-)Today we’re going to think about characters, because they are essential to the success of our stories.

“Character is king” is an oft-quoted phrase, but it really is true.

However gripping the plot, however exciting the setting, your characters are the key to the success of your novel. Your characters need to be people your readers care so deeply about, they want to keep turning the pages to see what happens to them.

Think of a novel you read recently that you enjoyed, or a movie you watched. Was it not the relationship you built up with the characters which compelled you to keep watching the movie/turning the pages? Did you feel deeply for them?

In the next few days, see if you can’t come up with a main character your readers will feel for, understand and engage with. Plot and setting will follow. In fact, your characters might take you to extraordinary places, once you set them free! Even if you never get round to writing the story, at least it will have been good practice. 🙂

Hope that’s useful. If it is, please don’t hesitate to share with your writer friends!

Many thanks,

Janet

P.S. If you would like to look further into characters for books for young people, why not consider doing the Write for a Reason course? We go into a lot more detail than we have space for here. Love to have you!

Hello again Writer Friends, and welcome to this week’s creative writing tip.

It’s a bit of an enigmatic title, but is your protagonist (main character) motivated? Motivated to do what? Well that, of course, is up to you. 🙂

OK, this is getting a bit complicated…

Your main character is the main character for a reason. As the story unfolds we see that he or she has something to accomplish, get through, achieve. There is a problem to solve, and he/she is the only one who can do it. (OK, going to say ‘he’ to make things simpler.)

So why does he want that thing, need to fight that battle, get to the other side? What’s in it for him?

Without enough motivation, he is unlikely to get involved and act. Your protagonist needs to have bags of motivation to make your story hang together and seem real. So what is the motivation? Saving his grandma, stopping the spaceship from blowing up, finding a kidnapped friend, getting out of a disastrous situation alive?

If a dog we don’t know is in trouble in the river, we are unlikely to take action. If our own dog is in trouble, we are more likely to try to do something.

If it was a child in the river, we would do what we reasonably could. If it was our own child, we would hold nothing back and risk our own life to save them. (OK, you might risk your life for your dog, but you get the point!

So, how motivated is your protagonist? The more motivated, the more gripping you can make your story. And the more real it will seem to your readers.

What do you think? What is your protagonist’s reason for action? Do you need to up the motivation stakes? Let me know your thoughts!

Trust that will help some of you this week,

Janet

P.S. Never give up!

Hello again Writer Friends, and welcome to our latest writing tip, on creating scenes. Are you good at creating scenes? I don’t mean the embarrassing kind, of course! I mean scenes in your novel. Of course!

Here are three thoughts on scenes, which I hope you will find helpful:

1. Every scene in your story should have a purpose – to move the story forward, help us get to know the characters better, and build up towards the end.

2. Each scene should be vital to the plot. One easy mistake to make is to add scenes because they are fun, or give readers some kind of instruction. Both should be avoided! If you have written a scene that, honestly, doesn’t need to be there, cut it out. (You can always use it in the sequel. :-))

3. Every scene should end with your readers thinking I’ve got to know what happens next. Something will happen, or not happen, or there will be a conflict, or a decision, or a confession, or… the choice is yours!

Have a great week, see you in March!

Janet

P.S. Only two days until registration closes for the ‘Meet Up’ course in SE London. If you have been thinking about it, but not yet joined because you’re not sure, don’t leave it too late! You can read more about it here, and check there are still places. Any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 🙂

Dear Writer Friends,

Here we are again, and nearly the end of February already! Hope you are enjoying your writing. 🙂 And your reading!

Once again I am going to enthuse about the necessity (and enjoyment!) of reading.

All reading is good, but the best thing you can do, if you want to be a good writer is read what your target readers are reading. Nothing else will take its place. Every so often I take a trip to our local charity shops and buy myself a new bundle of books – I love it! Some are better than others, of course… but you can learn something from every book you read, even if it’s how not to do something. Most you can learn a lot from – I certainly do. Here are the latest additions to my bookshelf:

Two UK writers I would highly recommend are Jacqueline Wilson, who is hugely popular with good reason, and Sir Michael Morpurgo, who is brilliant. Get yourself a handful, see what you can learn about characters, plots, setting and dialogue.

And let me know what you have learnt!

If you live in a different part of the world, are there children’s/YA writers you would recommend? Love to hear from you!

Janet

P.S. Have you registered for the ‘Meet Up’ course? If you live in London or SE England, you might like this opportunity to get together with other Christian writers-for-a-reason. 🙂 You can read more about it here. But don’t leave it too late – places are going fast!

Hello again Writer Friends. Did you make any new year’s resolutions this year? If you resolved to write every day, but are stuck with your story, here are some ideas for ten minutes of writing to help you keep you on track:

1. Write about a fantasy room, just for you
2. Write about your most embarrassing moment
3. Your house is being lifted off the ground by aliens. What are you going to do?
4. Write about something you created yourself, that you are proud of
5. Create a heroic character for a mystery adventure (the age of your target readers)
6. Digging in the garden, you find a…
7. A dragon’s egg has hatched in your local museum. Only you know why…
8. Write about a verse of scripture that has moved you recently to encourage your target readers
9. A devastating storm has flattened your neighbourhood. Help! Now what?
10. Write a dialogue between two cottage dwellers, 100 years apart, who have met in a time warp (the age of your target readers)

Even if you didn’t make a resolution to keep up with your writing, why not work your way through the prompts anyway? You don’t know what might be the result… and it’s all good practice!

Happy writing… and don’t forget to send me your ideas. Always love to hear from you. 🙂

Janet

P.S. The Write for a Reason course starts again soon. If you’d like to grow in confidence and in skill, this could be exactly what you are looking for. You will need to put in a fair amount of work, so it’s not for you if you don’t have much time right now. 🙂

Hello everyone: hope you have had a good week. Spring will soon be here!

This week’s writing tip is all about eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. 🙂 It comes from an experience I shared a year or two ago, but still very relevant! You might remember it (if you’re an old hand at Write for a Reason), but there’s no harm going back over old ground, and will be fresh for those of you who have joined more recently. 🙂

Listening to people while waiting in a queue, or sitting in a coffee shop, or waiting at the school gates, can produce some great ideas for writers.

Some time ago I was changing in a cubicle at our local swimming pool. Without being able to see the participants in the conversation, I unwittingly overheard three girls talking to each other about their relationships with their boyfriends. What they were revealing was actually quite hair-raising… if they’d known I was in a cubicle right next to them I’m not sure they would have been quite so forthcoming!

The conversation gave me:

• some great ideas for interaction and dialogue between characters
• an idea for a plot twist (being unwittingly overheard)… feel free to use it! 🙂
• a bit more knowledge of current teen culture (we need to keep up with the world of our readers, if we are to stay relevant)
• a window on what girls talk about when they are alone – or think they are.

So this week’s writing exercise is to do a bit of eavesdropping! An excuse for a coffee in a café? Or to go swimming? 🙂 If you try it, let me know what you have learnt!

Grace and peace to you,

Janet

.PS. If you found this tip useful, would you share it with your writer friends? Let’s spread the encouragement! Thank you. 🙂