Victoria Lynn Schmidt

It's 2008

2008-03-01T15:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome to 2008!

We are two months into the new year - how many pages have you written?

What held you back?
.....Can you let that go?

What pushed you forward?
.....Can you get more of that in your life?

What brings you joy?
.....Do more of that, as that is where the muse lives!

The New Year

2007-01-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

What a great time to set up some writing goals for yourself. Think about where you would like to be in 5 years (as far as your wriitng career)

What would like to have accomplished?
How many books written?
How many courses taken?
How many published books?

Writing goals down is the first step toward making them real. Ask any successful person and they will tell you, once they wrote their goals down on paper, things really started to happen for them. You have to know where you want to go before you can get there.

Now break these 5 year goals down -
what do you need to accomplish in year 4 to get there?
year 3?
year 2?
and most importantly this year?

Take some time to figure this out and write it down... Let us know how it goes.

I have several egroups in the works to help you write quickly. See www.CharactersJourney.com for links (you may need to reload the page)

Best of Luck!

Procrastination

2006-11-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

An interesting quote was in my inbox today... Any thoughts?

Quote of the Week

When you have many excuses not to do your work, ask yourself what guarantee you have of another chance to do what needs to be done. Time lost is lost for good. No matter how much you promise to improve, no matter what good intentions you have for making it up, the time is gone for good. Feeling sorry about the situation will not bring it back. You can never buy back that precious piece of time. You may think, "Well, that piece of time has passed, but I still have a long stretch of time left." No, you do not! What guarantee is there that you will have another piece of time like this one? Wake up and stop the excuses; they never made sense before and do not make sense now. Laziness and procrastination have never worked in a sound and helpful way. It is only sound and helpful to get things moving.

--from Dharma Paths by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, translated by Ngodup Burkhar and Chojor Radha, edited by Laura M. Roth, published by Snow Lion Publications

Check in

2006-09-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

How often do you 'check in', as a writer, to reasses the way your writing career is going?

Sometimes life pulls us in so many directions, you have to make $$ to eat afterall. Having a set date to 'check in' can help you stay on track.

Perhaps the first of the month or the beginning of a new Quarter would be a great time for you to 'check in' and reasses the direction you are headed in? For those of you who are really driven it could even be every morning.

The act of making time to look at where you are headed, as a writer, may be enough to motivate you - especially if you write down what you found. Imagine looking back and seeing month after month of 'Didn't get much done last month but this month....'

At least then you will be living in reality and can face that you need to do something different to be successful next month.

Summer Blues

2006-08-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Boy oh boy! Seasonal tasks and family obligations can really take over your life, or at least your writing life.

Living in Los Angeles and Florida I never had much trouble staying on track throughout the year, regardless of the seasons, but here in New York the summer season just takes over your life! Everyone seems to stop their regular routine to enjoy the sun and go on vacation. I found myself constantly interrupted with family obligations, new chores and outings.

In the warmer states this was never a problem. You could enjoy the outdoors year round so the summer season was really no big deal. Though I thought the year round sunny weather was keeping me from being a more productive writer.

I always admired writers in NY for the wonderful long winter months when they could hibernate and get a manuscript written, but not so much anymore :-) It all evens out when the spring/summer months come around and you can't get anything done.

It seems every place has its' ups and downs and there really is no 'perfect' writing state.

Anyone else experience this?

Backstory

2006-07-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

Most writing teachers will tell you not to include too much backstory in your story, that it will only slow things down and turn the reader off.

If I didn't agree before I certaintly do now. I liked the film Underworld (love the vampire stories!) and was looking forward to seeing Underworld 2.

But after a few minutes I could tell this film was nothing but backstory, explanations of 'why' things were the way they were in part 1.

Very often the first few chapters a writer writes will be nothing but backstory. This is so the writer can get a handle on the story and figure things out. Often this is because the writer didn't create a detailed outline. This is fine of course, just make chapter 3 - chapter 1 and you're fine!

Backstory should filter through the actual story in dialogue, manerism, exposition. It should not make up the entire plot line.

Just take a look at these two films and you will get a great lesson in backstory. Maybe you loved this film, that's fine. If you want to write backstory like this, then do so. Just know what you are doing and be ready to tell your agent and publiser why it works for your piece.

Bad Agents?

2006-06-27T11:24:00.000-04:00

Boy have things been busy! I have been acting as my own agent with my latest book deal and thought I would pass on some information about it.

Many of you want to know how to get an agent and are anxious to find one, any one, but the truth is in many cases you can be your own best agent. Now I speak mostly from a non-fiction perspective but it still holds true for fiction.

I sold all of my books on my own. I later found an agent to represent me and work out the deal. The second agent I used was horrible and got me less then the previous agent had. I have to pay this agent royalties forever on this book even though this agent didn't do anything at all for me (I sold the book remember). This agent also kept me from sending out proposals becuase this agent would take forever to get back to me and wanted to change everything in my proposals - making them completely different from what I had envisioned.

A good agent will work with you, be somewhat available and be a champion for your work. He will also get you a larger advance (to pay for his fees) and encourage you. Hopefully he will get you writing assignments as well.

A bad agent will definitely hold you back, get you less money then you deserve, not be available and not stand behind you and your work. In this case you are so much better off on your own.

You should do research and send out your work to a small number of publishers at the same time you are looking for an agent. I say small number because you don't want to get rejections from every house your agent may want to send to later on. Send it out to a few publishers and see what feedback you get. Make sure it is your best work.

Mood

2006-05-24T09:49:00.000-04:00

Have you ever struggled to get 'into' your story? Not just getting 'into' sitting down and writing, but getting into the mood or subject matter of your story? What if you are working on a Vampire storyline but are in such a great mood you can't get into the angst of your main character?

This has happened to me several times and I have found that music can help a great deal to get me into the right mood for a particular story or scene. Have you ever tried to match a story to a certain type of music? It really can work wonders. Especially if you can find a soundtrack from a movie that is similar to your story. I have such a variety of music in my library it is very difficult to figure out what I personally like to listen to during off hours.

The next time you are struggling to get on with writing your story maybe you just need to use some music to get into the right mood. Experiment with it a bit and see what happens.

Main characters

2006-05-10T14:44:00.000-04:00

While I have spent a lot of time figuring out the types of stories I would like to tell and how I would like my readers to react to my work, I haven't considered the type of characters I want to write about. Up until now it has all been about plot and subject.

There is more to figuring out a main character then writing backstory or answering questionnaires, though they are great! First you need to know what types of main characters appeal to you. This way you are not struggling with a main character who just doesn't fit in with who you are and therefore fit in with your story. Secondary characters are free game but main characters are a very personal matter.

This technique should help you figure out what types of main characters you would most like to write about:

Without thinking too much - just write about your childhood role models (real or fictional) why did you like them? Were they anything like you? Did they have to overcome something? Accept something about themselves? Were they powerful? Special? Gifted? Smart? Can you find a male and female example?

Now write about your childhood bullies. People you just couldn't stand. Why didn't you like them? What were they like? Is there an explanation as to why they acted the way they did?

This should help you get a feel for the type of charcters you should be writing about now - at least main characters.

Does it help?

Subtexting

2006-04-18T10:40:00.000-04:00

When should a writer worry about subtexting? Is it important?

Subtexting adds layers and depth to a story, well at least to the characters. Subtexting is that hidden psychological meaning behind what is said or done by a character. It's all about history. The more history a character has with another character the deeper the subtext between them will be. Each minor argument or conflict will have years of history and arguments behind it. The trick is figuring out how to get that subtext out and onto the page.

You can do this through action, reaction, a few chosen words, mannerisms, inner monologue, the playing with a prop, and symbolism.

What in the scene can symbolize the subtextual meaning of this scene, for example.
Or what is the character really thinking at that moment?
Or does a certain word evoke a particular memory for one character?
Or does one character seem to over react to what is being said?

Answering 'why' can help you find the subtext. You may even go back and create a history between two characters to make the scene more lively.

Letting Go

2006-04-12T09:16:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest problems a writer faces when editing, especially during the re-write stage, is letting go of characters, words or plot points that no longer fit the story.

It doesn't really matter whether you outline or not in this case. As you write you get ideas, they seem like great ideas at the time - maybe a funny joke, or an odd way of saying something, or a new character just jumps out a you begging to be written about. Like most writers, you add it in and keep plugging along. But sooner or later you realize this idea isn't working well. What do you do?

Option 1:
Start making changes to the story so this new idea fits. You decide to do what ever it takes to make it fit.

Option 2:
You let it go. Take the path of least resistence.

Which option is the better one? Option 1 definitely makes things harder. Once you start changing a story, and these ideas usually require a lot of changes, you may be causing all kinds of unforseen problems. If you are trying to make something fit it probably doesn't belong. Most likely it doesn't move the plot forward or reveal character.

Ask yourself why you want this idea to be included?
Is it really worth it?
Is there a way to use the essence of the idea but still keep the integrity of the story?

You know when something just doesn't fit. Save yourself some time and headache and just jot it down on an index card. Save it for the next story.

If you are having a hard time with this idea, your readers and editor will have a hard time with it too.

A writer writes!

2006-04-04T11:20:00.000-04:00

Well that is what makes one a writer - actual writing! It's not publication after all, that is just validation for one's work. Selling something just makes one...well... a salesman I guess :-) Actually it makes one an "author" in my book.

How do you verify that you are a writer?
Do you go by number of pages completed?
Words?
By month, year, day, week?
Or is it more of a feeling inside?
Does working on stories in your head count?
What about researching and exploring?

What makes you a writer? Answering this question will go a long way toward helping you feel successful! It doesn't matter what others think, it only matters what you think. Writing has always been a very subjective venture.

How can you help yourself feel like a real writer? Take the answer to this question and design a monthly writing goal around it!

Please share your thoughts!

Too Much Information

2006-03-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

How much is too much information for your readers to handle? I've been thinking about this question a lot lately. Many readers have said my creative writing books are jam packed with so much information - they love it. Of course, looking back, I remember making the decision to write 2 creative writing books that could be used as references, books with a lot of information that would be kept on a writer's bookshelf for years to come.

But for my next book, which is more about the creative process than about the mechanics of writing, I think less is more. This is something I will be exploring in the coming months.

It leads me to question how this issue of 'too much information' comes into play for fiction works. Is there such a thing as 'too much information' in fiction? The reader needs to know what is going on, to get into the charcter's head, but how do you know if you have crossed that imaginary line and are boring your reader with too much exposition?

I think it means going back to the basics - does the information:

Advance the plot?
Reveal Character?
Set the scene?
Pull the reader into a mood?
Explain motivation?
Entertain?

'Entertain' is a sticky one, that's where we usually get into trouble. It can be fun to learn a fact or two about a new town, for example, but if it is just some information to entertain the reader then make it brief. Or maybe we want to add some humor to a scene so we set up information that is not integral to the plot just to get a joke across - again keep it brief.

Sometimes we have to let go of a good idea because it just doesn't fit. You don't want to ruin the tone of a book for the sake of a joke or two. But you want to make sure your readers know what is going on in each scene. It's a balancing act that is usually addressed in the re-writing stage. So get the story down and then check for 'too much information' when you re-write.

Any other examples of 'too much information' in fiction?

Process vs Product

2006-03-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

Another sample from my future book the Holistic Writing Method:

There are 3 types of writers - those who enjoy the process of writing, those who enjoy the end product and those who fall in the middle.

But not to worry, while there are some pitfalls there are also benefits for each one:

If you enjoy the process of writing you may never want to finish a project because that means the process part is over. Starting a new process from scratch may seem like a daunting task and it's much easier to keep on tweeking the project you have instead. If this is the case the benefit is that you are probably a writer who can multi task well, you just need to start multi tasking a bit sooner on in the process. Once you get part way through your MS, jot down a few ideas for the next project, nothing too big so you don't take time away from finishing the current one. This way you can get into the 'process', slowly, for the next project and will be more apt to finish the current project.

If you enjoy the end product you may rush through a project just so you can see those words typed at the end of the MS "The End". Your work may suffer for it though. The thought of rewriting is painful and you just want to move on and get to "The End" on the next project ASAP. What you need to do is learn how to get to "The End" in an outline first, then see every chapter as a new opportunity to get to "The End" of that chapter. You can be very productive if you plan ahead by doing an outline first.

Those in the middle need to make sure they do both suggestions! Yes you have both pitfalls but also both benefits! You may enjoy the process of writing but also rush a bit to get to the end and don't want to rewrite, yet feel compelled to keep working on the project. You can write outlines for several stories, one after the other, getting to "The End" of each before moving on. Then do a first draft on each one. Then go back and rewrite each one. This way you never spend too much consecutive time working on any one story.

Does any of this sound familiar?
Where do you think you fit in?

Can You See It?

2006-03-02T09:40:00.000-05:00

There is a technique of manifestation that is pretty popular nowadays. It may have originated with Tony Robbins, at least it got it's popularity from him, and it is all about seeing what you want to create as already finished.

Thr principle is that if you can't even imagine finishing something, you most certaintly will never finish it. Of course it should be obvious how this applies to the writing craft!

Have you ever sat down with your prized idea and visualized yourself completing it?
How about seeing it out in the bookstore?
Or how it will help and effect readers?

What's your block exercise:

Feel how great it feels to write 'The End' and hold a completed manuscript in your hands. What are you feeling? Check in with your body and relax.... Tune in....

Are you feeling Happy, Complete, Sad about letting go of the project, Eager to start the next story and not ready to show this one to anyone, Afraid it's not good enough?

Within these feelings may be your major writing block. Explore all the sensations and feelings that come up. Until you do, you may never be able to see that manuscript finished, which in turn may block you from ever finishing it.

Tension

2006-02-08T11:31:00.000-05:00

Something I've been working on for my next book:

A great way to add life to a dying scene is to create tension. Now tension is different from conflict as conflict is two characters wanting something different, tension is two characters NEEDING something different.

In conflict one character may want to go to the mall while another wants to go to the bookstore. Two opposing wants = conflict.

In tension one character's needs are not being met and that results in more conflict.

Tension is related to feelings, emotions, anxiety etc. It is usually not resolvable, though the character strives to find a way to resolve it:

A character may need:
To be loved
To be left alone
To find happiness
To gain knowledge

These needs in turn will provide opportunities for more conflict to occur and add a great deal of subtext to the dialogue.

While you look at what you charcters want, look for what they need as well. This 'need' tension may seem totally different and unrelated to the conflict at hand, yet once you tie them together the whole scene takes shape. You can then work those needs into the story line and add more depth to all your scenes.

Any thoughts?

80/20 Rule

2006-01-31T14:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all your great responses to last blog's question (both privately and on the blog). I'm glad to know many of you are interested in the creative process!

Ever heard of the Pareter Principle? It explains how successful results come from 20% of your hard work and the other 80% is just wasted effort. In business this is a well known principle and has been proven true time and time again. As writers I think we can all relate to this principle whether it's wasting time on chores that don't really need to get done or wasting 80% on starting numerous writing projects without getting any of them completed. Boy if we could just foucs on that 20% all the time how wonderful that would be!

The question is - "How do you know what the 20% is that will get you results without having to waste the other 80% to get there?"

Calm your mind. Pure and simple. When you are calm you develop 20/20 vision and can see which actions will give you that 20%.You can calm your mind before you decide what needs to be done in a day, or which projects to work on, with meditation, deep breathing, soft music or any number of calming activities you enjoy. In one sense Julia Cameron's daily pages serves to accomplish this task, I know many of you love to write daily pages and swear by them.

Just a thought. Being more productive with your time will help you get those projects completed.

Open Call

2006-01-17T09:59:00.000-05:00

Since I have received numerous inquiries about my forth coming book, this week I'd love to hear from all of you. :-) I have been working on developing a Holistic Writing Method as part of my next book but, as you may know, I love to try to 'pack' my books with all types of information.

Regarding Writing -

Please let me know what would you like to know about it?
What areas do you have trouble with?
When you sit down to write what type of information do you wish you had?
Do you need more inspiration?
What's the best and the worst about writing or taking writing classes?
Do you have any rituals you use to get into writing mode?
Does the creative process itself interest you at all?
Do you have more trouble starting or finishing a project?
Do you set goals?
Did you know frustration (creative tension) is a normal part of the creative process?

Please DON'T send anything you consider to be your own copyrighted material. This is an open discussion for all to see and use.

I may not be able to respond to every post but I will read every single one.

Thank you...

Victoria

Who are you?

2006-01-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

Recently I was asked in an interview (http://dineenmiller.blogspot.com) about advice I would give to writers. I thought a lot about it and it seems the most important thing I found is knowing who you are as a writer. By this I mean to know where your focus is or should be. Without focus it is highly unlikely that you will have a prosperous career. It's like creating a brand, a direction for you to go in, so that your readers know what to expect from your work. Without it you will never give your readers what they expect on a continous basis. When you get a reader you want to keep him after all.

Think about your favorite author or director - you just know what to expect when you read one of her books. They may play around with unusual themes and subject matter but the basic core of who they are as a writer remains the same. This is why so many writers have multiple pen names - each name is it's own brand or focus.

To get a feel for your brand or focus try answering these questions:
What are your skills?
Which genre is the best for your writing style and interests?
What is important to you? (do you want to Educate? Entertain? Scare?)
How would you like your work to be remembered?
If you had to create a one liner about your work what would it be? (Heartfelt stories that make you cry? Smart, steamy romances?)

When you have focus you also know what projects not to get involved in as well as what projects to pursue. Let's face it, writers attrack ideas like magnets and not every idea should see the light of day.

Focus will help you stop spinning your wheels on stories that just don't fit you - you know those stories where you just can't seem to get passed act two!

Just a thought....

Deleted Scenes

2006-01-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

Watching movies this past 'vacation' with family I decided to view the bonus features on a couple of dvds, deleted scenes in particular.

I watched these scenes first as a viewer then as a writer and it was very enlightening. I could see first hand how one would edit a book. It's just like throwing out scenes in a movie. Film editors and book editors have very similar jobs. But it was not just seeing what was deleted, it was figuring out why each scene was deleted that helped....

As I watched I looked for several different reasons a scene might be deleted, I already saw the film and could tell if a scene would have helped or hurt the narrative flow:

- Did this scene give away too much about the character?
- Did it give it away too soon?
- Was the information in the scene not important?
- Did it mislead the audience or frustrate them?
- Did it give away the ending?
- Was it too focused on the secondary characters, taking away from the forward momentum of the plot?
- Should this scene have been left in?
- Was the film just too long and they cut this scene for no other reason?
- Was this a scene that never should have been filmed to begin with? Why did the writer keep it in?
- Was there a problem with dialogue? Acting? Setting?

Watching deleted scenes after you have seen a movie can really give you a crash course in book editing. As they say, every scene should reveal character or advance the plot. I would add that it should also fit with the narrative design and the writier's purpose. Often there are scenes that merely serve as comic relief or add shock value. They can be just as important as any other scene if it fits with the writer's purpose for the story.

Rent a few new movies, watch the deleted scenes and see what you learn....

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

As some of you have noticed the blog has been slow this month! I was involved in an out of state move and had problems getting dsl running - LOL

Sometimes life just carries us away for a while and writing (or other dreams) must take a back seat. It is so much easier when you look at situations like moving, caring for a sick relative or just the holiday 'have-tos' and accept that you probably won't get as much writing done in the coming weeks as you had hoped. This way you won't beat yourself up everyday for not accomplishing your goals.

Life happens, and for our own creativity's sake we must be flexible and find a way to go with the flow of life. Nothing stops creativity more then anger and resentment. Just let go and coast through the holidays. Enjoy your family and friends.

Such a break from intense writing may even refuel your creative longings and spark that old zest for writingyou once had in the beginning!

Are There Any New Ideas?

2005-11-15T09:18:00.000-05:00

Many writers struggle to find a new idea. Something different and exciting. Many teachers say there really isn't anything new to write about - that everything that can be thought up and written about has been thought up and wrtten about.

This weekend I caught a glimpse of a 1925 silent film titled "The Lost World" . This wonderful little film is about a group of exploreers who travel to the amazon and find living dinosaurs..... sound familiar? I can't help but wonder if Michael Crighton and Steven Speilberg ever saw this film. It was wonderfully done - the effects were amazing for the time period. There were many similar aspects of this film to Jurrasic Park and the Lost World. This silent film also has a large ape and the explorers bring a dinosaur back to London - sound familiar too? (King Kong)

So it begs the question are there any new ideas? Or has everything already been done?

I would say there many not be many new ideas to discover but the ways in which ideas are applied and developed are numerous. Take for example Michael Crighton and his Jurrasic Park, maybe he saw the above film, maybe not. Either way his version of this idea was vastly different in many ways. The biggest example of it is in his idea to have the dinosaurs come from clonning and the ingenious way he worked that all out - from DNA found within a perfectly preserved mosquito!

So don't worry so much about having a fantasitc NEW idea but find any idea you are passionate about, or any subject for that matter, and find new ways to develop it. This is where the 'what if' technique of writing comes in:

"People find living dinosaurs?" then becomes "What if they decide to make a theme park of dinosaurs?"

What holds writers back?

2005-11-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

In my experience, there is only one thing that holds writers back. That's it. Just one measily little thing.

It's NOT:
- lack of time
- lack of drive
- cramped writing space
- absense of support from others
- poor schooling
- the day job
- responsibilities.....

Those things can deter us and keep us from working at our best. They can certaintly hinder us and keep us from writing 10 books a year as many of us seem to have so many ideas to get down! But they do not hold us back.

What holds us back is DOUBT pure and simple. "Doubt is what keeps one from taking action" as Dr. Masters says. If you are not living up to your goals and finishing projects, even if it takes years, take a look and see if doubt is at the core of what's hindering you. Explore why you might have doubts about your work? Where do those doubts come from? How did you get them? Can you let them go? Can you work in spite of them?

How do you overcome doubt?
As you go about writing your 'idea' don't think of it as your idea but instead think of it as your muse's idea. Know that s/he will follow up with all the subsequent ideas need to bring a piece to completion. That s/he believes in it and in you or s/he never would've inspired you in the first place. Know that as far as s/he is concerned, that idea is already completed and s/he's just waiting for you to write it down.

If you don't have any doubt about yourself, your ability, or your project then there really is nothing to hinder you from finishing it - even if you don't have tons of time and the perfect conditions to write. You just won't feel you need those things all that much.

Writing as offering

2005-10-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

How many of you long to make writing your way of life and your way to earn a living? Many I suppose but how does one accomplish this task? Through dedication? Talent? Luck?

Not really...

Offering is closer to the truth of it....

It is true that if you do what you love the money, or abundance in some form, will follow. Be truthful with yourself about what it is you want. Do you want to make millions? There's nothing wrong with that but I will tell you that unless you are coming from a place of offering something to others (giving) you will have a tough time of it, especially in the creative fields. 'Giving' puts you into flow and opens you up to recieve in return.

Don't focus on what you will get from agents, publishers or readers but focus on what you can give to them and things will flow more easily. You may even find a sense of peace and joy as you write! Your art may be all about you, but if you are creating from a place of sharing and giving to your readers they will respond to it and connect with it.

When you focus on receiving you can only see the bad side to things and feel rejected when you recieve 'rejection' letters (they are called that for a reason). When you are offering something and it is declined there is no personal blow to take - that person just didn't want to receive it, was not open to it, or couldn't see how great it is.

How do you do this when writing? Well of course you write what you would like to read, as they say, but you check in once in a while with your imagined reader.

What does he need?
What will he learn from this story?
How will she benefit from reading this non-fiction book?
Is there more you could put in?
Are you writing as if you are talking to a friend? Or writing as if your parents are making you finish a project you hate?
Should you really do a bit more research to give the reader the true facts about a topic instead of breezing through it?
Could you spice up a character and give the reader a laugh or two?

Very often writers want to rush a project to completion to feel that sense of closure and send it out. But a few more passes through the work could make it that much better. Ask yourself questions about your reader after the first draft is completed. Get your words and your story down first if you like, but at some point think about how a reader will receive it.

And if an agent or publisher rejects what you are offering, it won't sting as much becuase they are just turning away from something you are freely offering. All thought of them accepting or rejecting 'you' is gone from it. The work has become for them and not your ego. When you are not focused on what you will get or what they will do for you, there is nothing to be upset about!

Objectives

2005-10-18T14:24:00.001-04:00

One great techiniqe for writers is to use methods from acting classes to develop characters. The best method by far is called 'Method Acting' . This style of acting gets to the core of a character, delving into a character's deep psychological truth. Discovering a character's emotions and motivations are key here just as they are key for writers when developing these characters.

While taking a directing course for writers at UCLA I studied method directing and found it very helpful as a writer! There are 7 Secrets to this type of character creation but the number one is to create 'Action Objectives' To know what a character WANTS to do. This is where you will find a character's true motivation.

With every chapter you write, know what it is the characters want to accomplish in each scene. What are their desires?

Once you know this you will be able to write dialogue and conflict that will ring true to the characters and the story.

Does one character want to leave the store as fast as possible while the other one wants to stay?
Does one character want to be the center of attention and the other characters couldn't care less about her?
Is one character bored and trying to liven things up when the other characters are tired?
Is one character stuck all alone in a building and wants to get out to do xxxx?
Does the charcter want to be left alone?

Now other things can be happening in the scene. The purpose of the scene may be to convey information as to where the bad guys are but at the same time each main character will have his or her own wants and desires at work in the background. Perhaps as they talk about finding the bad guys one character is checking out another character he is in love with and wants to ask out. Or another character is checking his watch because he has tickets to a game that night with his father.

A character's wants and desires do not have to be directly related to the plotline or the conflict of the moment, but they should be specific. If you want a car you usually have in mind the exact type of car you are looking for - so should your character.

Next time you are re-writing a scene or chapter go through and underline where you have put in the character's desires to see if you are using this technique to full advantage. It really can make scenes seem more alive and entertaining when we know what characters want and desire in each scene.