Did you watch Breaking Bad? If so, do you remember the character Chuck McGill, Saul’s brother? He has been ranked as one of the most aggravating characters ever. And he is. He’s a jealous, manipulative liar. Although we should feel some sympathy for him because of his mental illness, his tinfoil hats (and blankets) make his character even more aggravating to Saul—and thus, to us. (The audience might have a different reaction if Saul did.)

Pete Campbell in Mad Men is another aggravating character because he believes himself to be better than everyone else. We only learn to like him when Don starts to accept him. (By the way, if you study Don Draper, the writers make certain we love him despite his faults because he does two nice things before doing something bad.)

The writers take it in a different direction with Frank Burns on M*A*S*H by making fun of him and having him be a comedic relief.

How many other ways can you take your most aggravating characters and have them be accepted by your readers?

Writers are often told to make their character(s) sympathetic. But what if you want a character to be aggravating? We’ll discuss all the many ways a character can be aggravating and still read-worthy at our Nutz & Boltz meeting on Monday, Jan 19, 6:30 p.m., Braums, 7101 S. Broadway, Tyler. I bet you can think of several aggravating habits. But do you know how to make those aggravating characters a little lovable, too?

Tyler Today Magazine – Apr/May 2025 edition

Here are some of the pictures of that presentation;     

In the first part of the meeting, we discussed the old and new club business. Nutz and Boltz will be on Monday, 9/16 at 6:30 at Braum’s on South Broadway. Next month, on October 7, we will have a special “Spooky Story” sharing time and a book-selling opportunity. BOD will be on the 2^nd.

Louise then read from her book, which is not yet published, tentatively called “Waiting for Paul,” and stressed the importance of believable characters in your writings. Her book is about a thirteen-year-old boy during the Civil War who is waiting for his father to come home.

She emphasizes that the “character” has to be “rich” in personality and character. You must get the reader to like them and care that they win. She told about a book that won a Pulitzer Prize that gave a graphic description of African Americans coming from the South to the northern cities and what they went through on their journey with vivid and believable characters.

Other advice includes:

1. Making sure your main character has a flaw.
2. Always end your story with hope.
3. Reveal the character’s personality slowly.
4. Keep moving the story along.
5. Have a satisfying ending.

Here are the hand-outs she gave us and some more pictures of the meeting:

Next, Mike Wiggington gave a great presentation on what ChatGPT can do for us. The GPT stands for: Generative Pre trained Transformer. The picture here is of a mini-schnauzer made by AI. What is Artificial Intelligence? Some of it is behind a paywall if you want to do images like the one in the picture.

The Pros of AI Assistance:

1. Write a chapter of a book with just a suggestion.
2. Critique and give feedback on any piece of writing.
3. Talk to it like you do to a real person.
4. The more specific, the better off you are.
5. Can rewrite anything in different dialects or slang.

If it messes up, it just says: “I’m sorry.” And you start with it again.

After the meeting, we further discussed the future of the club and made suggestions to see if we could generate more interest. Here are some more pictures of the presentation and meeting:

From their webpage:

“Bell County Comic Con is a wholesome family friendly event for our community! BCCC focuses on bringing comics, pop culture, gaming, movies and fantasy together in one EPIC EXPO.

There will be artists, superheroes, comic and toy exhibitors, games, cosplay contests, celebrity guests and much more!  Come dressed up in your favorite costume, cosplay, or superhero tee and celebrate all that is amazing with us for two epic days!”

member, Pat LaVigne.

Afterward, Sharon started with a brief introduction of her life and her experience and then asked us a series of questions, as follows:

1. Do you have a talent?
2. What were you good at as a child that you may have forgotten?
3. Did you ever take a graded aptitude test?
4. Have you ever received an award?
5. What do your closest friends say you are good at?
6. Have you ever done something out of your comfort zone?
7. What talent do you enjoy the most?
8. Do you aspire to be like your mother or your father?
9. Did you grow up feeling loved?
10. Do you keep a journal?
11. Did you grow up in a healthy environment?
12. What are your skills?

Talent is a natural, God-given ability to see or do something in a certain way.

Sometimes referred to as a “soft skill”, talent is an innate aptitude or skill a person is born with. Talent cannot be taught, although some talents can be improved with practice.

Skill is the ability to do something well.

Able to use knowledge effectively to execute tasks, performance, dexterity, or coordination.

From training or experience, a developed ability or aptitude for doing something. Often, a singular task.

Ten Essential Life Skills:

1. Creative Thinking
2. Critical Thinking
3. Decision Making
4. Empathy
5. Communication Skills
6. Stress Management
7. Coping with Emotions
8. Interpersonal Skill
9. Problem Solving
10. Self Awareness

How he began on his writing journey:

1. Started writing a blog.
2. Then, articles for the Tyler newspaper, and
3. Authored three books.

Why do you write?

1. Always write what you know.
2. Write for your audience who will buy what they are interested in, so you need to know what that is.
3. Write every single day, if possible.
4. Look for side hustles to support yourself and your writing habit.

His themes are always “nostalgia”. He starts with a bang, sprinkles humor, and ends with a “wrap”.

People like trivia, especially about where they grew up. Be consistent, write for your market, and then market the product which is your book.

Social Media is an important aspect of marketing.

Introduce yourself to all in the room when you get together with others.

Make a lot of friends.

Offer to speak to other groups and share with them what you know.

You could tag-team a writing project. He suggested using free thinking when writing. Barter with an editor. Do for them and they will do for you. Don’t write too long an introduction in your first book. Go to Farmer’s Markets to sell your book and other venues. Enjoy your writing and marketing.