Free Range Organic Zombies are Afoot

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

As reported last week the herd of zombies my friend Mischievous Raven and I were raising to supply various industries with Free Range Organic Zombies (trademarked) escaped.  I mentioned that some companies were suing us because of breach of contract.  The entertainment industry is especially blood thirsty it seems when you don’t deliver your product on time.  To add insult to loss of income there are rumors of all the Kings men and all the Kings horses heading our way because some people have lost loved ones to a zombie feeding frenzy.  Now, while I am responsible for the afore mentioned  shamblers escaping, no one can convince me that they can discern one of my Free Range Organic Zombies (trademarked) from the more common feral dead heads that populate the realm.

Just the same Mischievous and I are planning a retreat to Troll Mountain We’ll wait until the public clammer for our heads on a pike to settle down.  You laugh–I tell you they were combing the swamp with torches and pitch forks last night.  It was a scene right out the famous documentary, Young Frankinstien.  Not so funny when it’s your head they have in mind for the end of the pike.  Plus as you may know dwarves are not fond of heights, and that pike is very long.  I’m afraid my head would get dizzy.

Of course the Trolls are no treat to deal with either.  My hope is that we will be able to out riddle them until such time that we can make our way home.  Mischievous is particularlly adept at riddles and his wise cracking nature should keep us safe for a time anyway.  I’m happy to report that The Three Misfiteers have been appeased by my most recent efforts to get their story published.  That at least is a little good news.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the extraordinary Lynn Rush.  She was gracious enough to vist our steamy swamp yesterday and answer all Wicked’s questions and autograph books for fans.  My muse was impressed with her speedy transportation although he prefers bulk over speed. His fully armored and armed HUM-V are proof of that.  His love of all things mechanical had him drooling over the speed she could squeeze out of two wheels.  He tried to hide it from me, but rumor has it he made Mischievous Raven get Lynn’s new release Violet Dawn autographed for him.  Sorry Lynn, but my muse has a tough guy reputation to maintain.

Next week we’ll pick up our talk about characters and what makes them click for you the reader.  I will be asking for you to contribute one of your favorite fictional characters so start thinking about now.  As usual I’ll leave you with a quotation.

This one come from the movie Silence Of The Lambs in honor of yesterdays guest Lynn Rush.

“Hannibal Lecter: A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

Writing The Hard Stuff

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

Sorry I’m late but this wheel chair is not good swamp transportation.  Which brings me to how I find myself in this particular contraption.  You may remember that I was invited to lunch by The Three Misfiteers.  Their choice of restaurant was not by chance.  They chose the famous Torture Room at The Four Demons Hotel and Spa.  It seems they are dissatisfied with the progress I’ve been making in getting their book published.

First Molly Houlihan grilled me on what steps I’ve taken.  Then Frank Blase pointed out that a person with my limited intellect should have been able to accomplish all these things in a more timely manner.  ”Even Billy could have done it faster.”  Frank pointed out.  Billy Hashberger simple waited for them to finish.  When the desert tray came around Billy selected The Rack for me.  The staff had to make some adjustments to accommodate the shortened height of a dwarf, but this was quickly accomplished and I was installed on this infernal machine.

I repeated the new pitch or blurb as wicked called yesterday in attempt to win their approval but they were not impressed.  They pointed to the success of Wicked and Snarky.  And they asked why I wasn’t able to do the same.  Billy even had an advance copy of yesterdays post by Wicked about how easy it is to write the query letter.  ”Where is the query letter for our book,” he yelled in to my sweating face.

As a dwarf I often considered doing something to improve my vertical profile, but I was thinking lifts in my shoes or some other painless technique, The Rack never came to mind.  For the obvious reason.  Molly cranked the wheel one more notch, my vision swam into blackness and I heard her exclaim, “I guess we shouldn’t kill him…yet.”

The next thing I remember is waking up in my pad with Mischievous Raven fussing over me.  Needless to say, I’ve had to set my zombie novel aside for a time so that I can show real progress on getting The Three Misfiteers out before the public eye.  This includes the perfect pitch, hook line, query letter, platform from which to launch the book when it’s published and some serious pain killers.  The Rack is toughest on knees and shoulders.

Sitting here working I’m reminded of Paul Sheldon, who fell into the hands of Annie Wilkes (his number one fan) from Misery by Stephen King.  Paul’s task was to bring Misery Chastain (the character in his romance series) back to life.  Mine is to give The Three Misfiteers an opportunity at life.  While it may appear that I have freedom, it is only an illusion, Molly, Frank and Billy can show up at any time and any place to take me back into custody and have their way with me.  And so it’s back to work for me.  Until next week then.

This weeks quote comes from a poem by Maggie Mae titled This Wild Death.  you can read the entire poem at her link http://maggiemaeijustsaythis.wordpress.com

“I am sitting in a mirror,

hurrying truth faster than it has time
to find itself,”

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

DISTRACTIONS DISTRACTIONS DISTRACTIONS

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

Last Friday was the first full moon of the new year and traditionally the Werewolf Monks preview their new wine then.  This years first full moon

FULL WOLF MOON

has been called appropriately, the Full Wolf Moon.  As it happens Wicked Dwarf’s birthday fell on the next day so we combined the occasions by heading up to the Monastery for a party and a wine tasting.  The new wine is a dry red with a heady bouquet of cinnamon and cloves combined with the woodsy finish it was more than palatable.  It is titled Shadows Moon and its official release will coincide with the release of Jami Grey’s new novel by the same title.  That date has not been set, but we’re all looking forward to book three of the Kyn Kronicals, and of course  more wine.  I’ll keep you updated on when that is.  The wine was a big hit and many a bottle was emptied.  I had to carry Mischievous Raven home because he was to sauced to fly.  I believe Wicked, The Night In Slightly Muddy Armor, and some others had to spend the night at the monastery to sleep off the effects.

In other news around the Swamp, Anna Conda has returned from filming a new project for the BBC.  I for one am glad to see her gliding through the swamp again.  Anna’s passion is painting and she is planning a one woman/snake show down at The Swamp Shack next month.  I’ll keep you posted on that as well.

Today’s topic if you haven’t already guessed is distractions.

dis-trac-tion |disˈtrakSHən|

noun1 a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else: the company found passenger travel a distraction from the main business of moving freight.• a diversion or recreation: there are plenty of distractions such as sailing.2 extreme agitation of the mind or emotions: he knew she was nervous by her uncharacteristic air of distraction.

Although I started the year with good intentions around focussing on writing I have been distracted.  A lot of my distractions are legitimate ones, such as work, the kind I get paid for and the kind I do around the cave.  This is not a bad thing, it is just a thing.  A thing as it says above, that prevents me from giving full attention to something else.  Writing namely.  This makes me irritable and discontent at times.  Making me a hard person to be around.

I can also be drawn away by any shiny object that rolls across my path.  This is worse than the above distractions because, I should be able to  control those impulses.  However I’m much like the dogs in the movie UP, when someone yells squirrel I’m off and running.  When I finally get back to writing I’m wearing the “cone of shame.”  (another reference from Up.)  The cone of shame itself is another distraction because it’s hard to concentrate with that thing hanging around your head.

All of which brings me to the start of a new month and a renewed commitment to get some writing done. Follow through on my final edits on the last novel and submit it around to publishers.  

Here’s what I am trying to take away from January.  One, when positive distractions occur, buck up, get them done and get back to writing.  When the someone yells squirrel and you lose a day running around looking for it, let that go, pass on the cone of shame and get back to writing.  Life happens to everyone and sometimes your priorities must shift.  Keep your priorities in the right order, then get back to writing.  Because writing is what we do, but it’s not who we are.

Todays quote comes from a gentleman from my home town.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”  Benjamin Franklin

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

WORD CHOICES, Humdrum or Imaginative?

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

Troll Mountain

Sorry about missing our appointment last week I was called away.  It seems the Trolls are experiencing unusually cold weather on the mountain and are migrating south. The problem is The Swamp lies due south of Troll Mountain and once they cross the bridge there is nothing to keep them away from here.  The Muses called me in to see if I could help.  I fired off some riddles shivered and whined a lot.  I wasn’t much help until I got sick.  The coup de grace came when and I threw-up all over the Trolls feet.  Nothing like a little projectile vomiting to turn unwanted company away from your door.

I’m so happy we got that out of the way.  Today let’s talk a little about writing.  Writing is often about word choices.  The proper word choice can often turn the mundane into something entertaining.  It can’t do the impossible and make said mundane, exciting, but a unique word choice can keep the reader turning pages until the blood-letting begins.   I have an example:  Before I begin, everyone knows how to make a cup of with a tea bag, correct.  You fling a the bag into a cup, making sure not to lose the attached string, slop in an appropriate amount of scalding water, wait until it turns the color of bourbon and gulp it down.  What follows is from a tea package I tore open when I was sick last week.

“Entice fresh water to a boil and pour over a sachet of Ruby Chai.  Steep four to six minutes.  Sip and revel in this herbal’s warm and spicy rendezvous.”  (quoted from Numi Ruby Chai tea)

So when you entice water to boil do you have to coax it?  ”Come on water, you can do it.”  I’m kidding, point is while entice is not the first word that comes to mind when setting a kettle to boil, it is an interesting word choice.  It kept me reading the directions even though I know how to make a cup of tea.  Sachet is such a classy word for the little sack of tea dangling from a string, so even in my sickened state, I pushed on.  Revel, now this something we all do too little of.  I reveled at taking out the trash last night. (bad example, how about) Completing the edits in my chapter I reveled at a job well done.  (a little better)  And then closing out with rendezvous, I mean when was the last time you reveled with a mustard hot-dog’s smokey and spicy epicurean rendezvous.

You see word choice can make all the difference if you’re trying to entertain your reader.  It is the little things that take the unremarkable to an extraordinary  echelon.  So the next time you’re describing a character in the cold think about it.  How cold is it?  Is it chilly or frigid? Nippy or raw?  Cool or biting, bone-chilling, arctic, freezing.  You get the picture.  (just a reminder, one adjective should be enough)

So when it comes time to choose your words make an effort, don’t go on autopilot, engage your brain and choose carefully.  When you do, your reader will stay engaged and not go on autopilot either.

As writers we do what we do because we love it and we can’t not do it.  And when we’re done we want others to enjoy our work.  With that in mind, todays quote comes from C.S.Lewis. 

“Our joy is not complete until we share it.” 

Write On,

Eerie

The Plague has arrived…

The Swamp has been hit with the plague, so I’ve been huddling inside a salt circle warded by every known repulsion spell I can possible conceive of.  First it raced past the beautiful gardens at Dreamer’s place and left foliage carnage in its wake. Snarky managed to curb its insatiable appetite with a few well-aimed licks of her whip of displeasure.  I haven’t heard from Smokey, the haze is pretty deep, but I think that’s what’s keeping the plague in check for him.  As for Quirky, nope, he tried, but in the end he too fell.  Red managed to put a whole ocean of water between him and the feared virus carrier.  Eerie and Mischievous? Well, they headed up Troll Mountain and let the frigid temps discourage the plague’s forward momentum.  For a while it looked like Mighty Dwarf was going to escape, but then this week, she finally succumbed, swearing and cursing all the way. We’re experimenting with a few medicinal drams in an effort to weaken the stupid bug, but so far all it does is knock the victim out, leaving them to roll around in bed with a few weak moans. 

Even here in our humble shack we haven’t been totally immune.  Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor went down a few days ago.  Supportive spouse that I am, I vanquished him to another room as far from me as possible, because, let’s face it, I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME TO BE SICK.  Oh no, with the Prankster Duo at full steam, demands from that pesky job that pays the bills, edits to finish, queries/synopsis to compose, the Blogger Book Fair to prep for and preparing to start the next WIP in February, there is not a lot of time to be laying around moaning. Unless of course those moans are because my brain is on the verge of imploding under the massive to-do list that haunts my nightmares. 

Until this harbringer of aches and fevers removes its shadow from the Swamp, I’m staying put, hunkering down and ignoring the anquished moans of suffering.  I’m fairly certain that’s the only way I’m going to make it!

Besides the Blogger Book Fair starts in two weeks and none of my highly anticipated visitors want to dodge the plague!

If the plague has found you, my sympathies, but please don’t be offended if I say that from wayyyy over here!

Until next week….

Wicked

It’s that time again

Greetings and Salutations loyal blog readers,

The swamp is humming along at its usual pace.  Mischievous Raven my constant companion and business partner in Free Range Organic Zombies Inc.  He has made a huge sale to the producers of the upcoming movie World War Z.  Once again I’m under the gun to bump up our zombie production.  That is quite a coup by Mischievous and he’s already demanding a bigger cut of the profit.  We’ll be having that discussion in private.  I’ll be introducing the rest of my neighbors as January progresses for any new comers to the Friday blog.

Moving on to todays topic.  The end of the world per the Mayan Calendar.  Some of you may remember that C.Rock Adile designated 2012 as the year of The Procrastinator.  His theory being that anything you put off past 12/21/2012 you will never have to do.  Now C. Rock is our resident know-it-all, and that is being generous.  For those of you who took C. Rock’s advice, I’m sorry.  You’d better get started catching up and making amends.  For the rest of us, we never bought his idea or the book he published explaining it.

Unfortunately for C.Rock, The Swamp Thing (so named because no one knows what she is except mean) did buy into his theory.  He’s been in hiding ever since December 22, and if he is as smart as he thinks he is, he’ll stay in hiding forever.

I mentioned last week that I was going to set some writing goals.  I have not yet done this, but in my defense I thought I’d get some input from the Evil 7 when we get together on Sat. at Smokey’s houseboat.  In the meanwhile keeping my commitment of this blog is a move in the right direction.

I’ve been throwing around some ideas for a short story prompted by an invite to submit one to an anthology for YA horror readers.  this has been decidedly more difficult than I Originally thought it would be.  All of my short story ideas seem to switch to more adult themes.  I’m not giving up, but it caught me off guard.  I will sleep on it tonight and try again tomorrow.

With regards to my current work in progress, I’ve written myself into a corner.  I’m stalling the task of going backwards in the story until I can un-paint myself from the corner.  It’s either that or run across the floor covered with wet paint.  I’ve never been a color inside the lines kind of guy so watch for footprints of wet paint across the pages of my novel.

I’m going to leave you here today.  We’ll get together again next week.  thanks for stopping by The Swamp.

This weeks quotation come from Tom Stoppared.

“Words are sacred.  They deserve respect.  If you get the right ones in the right order you can nudge the world.”

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

Indonesia magical and beautiful

Munduk, Bali

Greetings and salutations most discerning visitors of the swamp,

This weeks post is coming to you from Munduk, Bali via the magic of the internet.  My sojourn to The archipelago of Indonesia is nearly at an end and I can’t say I’m homesick.  Of course I miss my friends, but the constant assault on all my senses has kept me from thinking about the warm ooze from home.

Munduk is a small mountainside village with warm afternoons and cool evenings.  It is also the home of Bali’s coffee plantations.  If like me you think of a plantation as a large flat area where farmers drive tractors you would be as surprised as I was.  The coffee trees grow on a steep mountainside.  Narrow paths woven through the trees are the only access to tending and harvesting the crop.  Everything is carried in and out or should I say up and down on foot.

Anyone who knows me can attest to my love of (or obsession with) coffee.  So two

coffee blossoms

days and nights in a villa perched on the side of a mountain amidst flowering coffee trees is like a slice of heaven.  White blossoms cover the trees and the paths are cushioned with the fallen blooms of the last crop.  Clove trees and gladioli are interspersed among the coffee filling the air with wonderful fragrances.

The coffee, have I mentioned the coffee?, is of course wonderful.  The Balinese know how to brew a great cup and I’ve had more than my

share during my time in Bali.  But here in Munduk, they are even more serious.  Each cup or pot starts with freshly ground beans, then into a french press until it is just the right strength.  I’m going to cut this short this week and enjoy my last few days.  I know you will understand.  Next week I’ll be back at the grindstone

Coffee beans, nectar of the Gods

armed with a boat full of memories.

Write On,

Eerie

AND I’M OUTTA HERE.

Greetings and salutations loyal readers of the blog,

I hope you all enjoyed the festivities at the Monastery of the Werewolf Monks last week.  If anyone knows how to celebrate a Blue Moon better than they do, I haven’t met them.  And how about the new wine they introduced, the new red had a muted coppery taste with a smooth finish and notes of entrails.  I didn’t think the white was up to par with their Oozing Puss label.  I had a good time and I hope none of my blog followers got caught in the ensuing hunt.  The Werewolf Monks can be a bit brutal during the full moon.  Still, no one parties like they do.

Your humble servant is packing for a lengthy trip outside the realm.  I’ll be gone for three weeks and already am feeling nervous about what might happen in my absence.  You may remember I had to bail my muse out of the slammer just last week.  Left to his own devices he’ll be on bender before my donkey gets clear of The Swamp.  G Anna Conda has returned from her on location shoot with National Geographic, so I asked her watch over my muse while I’m gone.  If anybody can keep him under wraps for three weeks it’s Anna.  I hope for his sake she’s had her big meal for the month or he may find himself  on the menu.

C. Rock Adile has taken to dominating open mic night on Thursdays at Slice Your Own Deli.  Rumor has it he reads from his memoirs all night. This in turn is driving away the Thursday night crowd, even the zombies are leaving.  You know it must be awful if the undead are shuffling away from the all you can eat brains buffet.

My friend and confidant, Mischievous Raven has been on the road taking orders for Blue Moon Zombie Inc, but he’s returning tonight so we can review some of the things he’ll be taking over while I’m gone.  I can’t wait to see him I’ve missed him these last few weeks.  He has an idea for taking the zombies up to Troll mountain.  According to Mischievous we would have the only Zombie Trolls.  Trolls are nasty enough without the added craving of raw, warm, flesh.  I’m not sure this is a good idea, but I’ll hear him out, mostly because you can’t shut him up.

In other news the Wharf Rats are packing up, it appears they had a successful convention this year and said they would mention it to their city dwelling friends.  I’m not sure The Swamp is ready for thousands of rats descending on it from the likes of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

The leeches are still trying to sway public opinion as to their inherent goodness, but once again nobody cares.  Once a blood sucking leech always a blood sucking leech seems to be the public’s disposition on the matter.

Last week I think I promised we would talk about writing this week and we didn’t.  To be honest I have a case of vacationitis, so you’ll have to forgive me.  The next three weeks will be all about writing because I’ve recycled some of my old blogs.  So if you stop by for the stimulating literary conversation, quite frankly you made a wrong turn.  If, on the other hand, you come by so you can wriggle your toes in warm swamp mud and hear about my neighbors you’re in the right place.   I will leave you with an excerpt from a poem about writing, by the ubiquitous Charles Bukowski.

It’s from a poem titled  Neither Shakespeare nor Micky Spillane.

and you heard the angry cop curse in the 

dark

as you were led away.

all you wanted was 2 and a half or five cents word.

son of a bitch, you ached so hard to be a writer

of any kind.

why didn’t they understand?

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

BLUE MOON

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog.

Today let’s catch up on the goings on around the Swamp.  Blue Moon Zombie Inc. is doing great since I made Mischievous VP in charge of marketing.  I’ve had to hire the Swamp Thing to help keep the zombies on a strict organic diet.  The problem with letting them free range is you never know what they’re getting into.   But the FDA gets fussy if you advertise free range totally organic zombies and your zombies get into hazardous waste.  The Swamp Thing has a way about her that will keep them in line.  I think it’s her nasty disposition and proclivity toward a violent solution to any problem.  She negotiated a very tough contract with good compensation and a heck of a benefits package, but who’s going argue with her.

You may recall from two weeks ago the leeches went on strike, because of what they said was inflammatory and prejudice remarks about them in the media.  Nobody seems to care except the Wharf Rats who are in town on some kind of convention.  Apparently they use the leeches in some game or other.  There are some leeches crossing the picket lines and the occasional skirmish breaks out.  There hasn’t been too much blood shed yet.  I guess that makes them scabs.  I wonder how they feel about them politically incorrect apples.

I heard the Knights of the Idiotic Table had to shut down The Swamp Shack this week because the muses got out of hand.  My muse is being held for conduct not becoming a muse.  Because we are in the midst of the lazy days of summer in the Swamp, the Evil Seven haven’t been keeping their respective muses very busy, I’m afraid.   If  C. Rock Adile  will open the bail bond office I bail out my muse when we’re finished here.  I’ll have to put his Armoured Hummer up for collateral.

In other news around the swamp today we will see a Blue Moon.  You heard me correctly.  This very night when the moon hits its full splendor it will be the second time this month.  This will be your last time to see a Blue Moon until 2015.  According to Brother Grey Whiskers, at the Monastery of the Werewolf Monks, Blue Moons are not that rare, occurring every 2.7 years on average.  But I can tell you that it is still very much a celebration at the Monastery today with The Marcels song Blue Moon playing over and over again while the monks prepare for an evening of decadent excess.  Brother Grey Whiskers told me the last time they had a Blue Moon celebration was in December of 2009.  He added that years with two Blue Moons are truly rare and the last time it happened was in 1999.

“Now that was an event not to be missed,” He smiled wistfully.  ”We partied like it was, well…1999.”

The next double Blue Moon will happen in 2018, stick around. I’ve been promised back stage passes to the festivities at The Monastery.

Next week we’ll get back to talking about writing again.  Promise.  Right now I have to go bail out my muse. He and I have to get ready for November.  What is so special about November you ask.  It is the month where writers from across the universe go nuts and write fifty-thousand words in one month.  It seems I’ve been coerced, compelled, threatened, cajoled, pushed, dragged, pressured, forced, bullied, browbeat, railroaded, and dragooned into participating this year.  Did I mention against my will and better judgement.

Snarky Dwarf’s whip was freshly polished and just waiting for some excuse as to why I can’t Nano again this year.  In spite of the shiny black leather whip winking at me from across the table I tried.   My dog ate my laptop, crack, I have temporary amnesia, crack, Mars is in retrograde, crack, the world is going to end in December 2012 crack, Starbucks might run out of espresso (short hesitation then) crack crack.

“The second one was for even suggesting such a catastrophic thing could even happen.”  Snarky glared.

Wicked sat next to me Merrily Tumbling along as the whole scene played out.  ”Psst. Quit while you still have a head.”

“So, Nano it is.” I said cheerfully, while licking my wounds.

Next week we’ll talk about how adverbs and adjectives can be your friend during November. CRACK!

That one is really going to hurt tomorrow.

Enjoy tonight’s Blue Moon and stay clear of the Monastery until dawn.  This week I’ll leave you with a verse from Nights In White Satin written by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.

Cold hearted orb
That rules the night
Removes the colours
From our sight
Red is gray and 
Yellow white
But we decide
Which is right 
And 
Which is an Illusion

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

CHARACTERS AND WHAT MAKES THEM TICK

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog.

 

If a story is a series of events held together by a common theme, it is the characters that carry that theme/plot on their shoulders.  Their ability to do that is directly related to how they respond in a given situation.  Let’s assume for now that we have characters suited to do the heavy lifting in your story.  What is it about them that makes us care whether they are carrying the plot line or not.  The what accelerates your story from 0 to 60 in seconds.  It is the what, that makes them interesting enough to spend time with.  The what is hard to define, but there are tools to help a writer get to know his character.  Character outlines, personality profiles, enneagrams, physical descriptions, even their past.  The writer must know these things in order to create characters to populate the story  It’s these details that make a character interesting.

Pardon me a moment while I get up on my soap box.  Okay can everyone hear me?  Good because this is important.  Just because the writer has to know all these things about the characters, it does not mean you have to burden the reader with them.  Not only does your reader not have to know every detail about your characters, he doesn’t want to know all that crap.  What your reader needs, what he must have is a connection with your character, a reason to root for or against him.  When you create a character sketch, you create for you.  Okay, I’m done.

Readers want characters they can identify with, that doesn’t mean realistic characters.  It means characters with ethics and flaws and goals and defects.  Especially your antagonist, evil for evil’s sake is not enough.  Your antagonist must be motivated for what he perceives as the greater good.  No matter how many innocents get hurt.  No matter how upside down his thinking, he has to believe it.  In order to have a good guy, you must have a bad guy.  The more twisted the nemesis is the better your hero will have to be.  My first attempt at a novel had what I still think of as interesting and fun protagonists, but the antagonist was another story.  I didn’t know back then that he has as important a job as the hero.  I personally do not outline plot points.  I do however create detailed character sketches

Now that you have an interesting character you must give your character a unique voice.  He/she shouldn’t sound like anyone else.  In life if you have three teenagers who are best friends talking together, chances are they will sound very much like each other.  This applies to three construction workers, three teachers or God forbid, three writers.  In life we tend to say and do what’s expected, (especially if someone is watching.)  This doesn’t work well in a story.  Your characters should be heard through their speech. Three electricians for instance, will use the same phrases and tech shorthand.  The writers job is to distinguish each one.  Dialogue tags are superfluous window dressing, if your characters have distinct voices.  Give your characters a chance to be heard, give them a voice of their own.

And last, let’s take a line from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet   “This above all: to thine own self be true,  And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Polonius gives this advice to his son.  And I reiterate here.  Once you have defined your characters, they must stay true to themselves.

All of these things are first and foremost my opinion, paraphrasing Rick from Casablanca.(played by the inimitable, Humphrey Bogart)  My opinion doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.  It is easier to talk about this stuff then it is to implement.  But that again, is the job at hand.  The grindstone we choose to keep our noses to.  That my friends is what writers do.  They Write.

I’ll leave you with a poem by Charles Bukowski titled   “what can I do”.

what can I do

it’s true:

pain and suffering

helps to create

what we call

art.

given the choice

I’d never choose

this damned

pain

and suffering

for myself

but somehow it finds

me

as the royalties

continue to

roll on

in.

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf