It’s the same when I read a book. I expect conflict, complications, complex characters prepared to screw up their lives in the most spectacular of ways. I mean, they can still have a happy ending if that’s where the author feels the story needs to go, but I don’t think it’s reasonable for the perfect couple to meet on the perfect day and have the perfect life forever.

It’s not just unrealistic, it’s boring.

I dislike boredom…

Building Character Flaws

Photo Credit: loungerie via Flickr

As you can imagine, I try to avoid the same things I hate reading in my own writing. I have to say…It’s tough. Sometimes, I find myself feeling bad at how mean I am to my characters and I want to swoop in on my Author-God Pegasus and deliver my creations to a magical garden where there are no problems and call it a day…even if it didn’t work out too well for the first couple who did that.

Of course, then I snap out of it and remember that my job is to make my characters’ lives suck as much as humanly possible before I kill them or give them a happy ending.

Umm…some of my writing turns into a bloodbath…Deal with it.

Blowing Up Character Flaws

In some ways, I feel like characters in fiction can’t just be like normal people; they must be larger than life. I guess writing good characters is a lot like stage make-up. You have to put it on think so that people in the audience can see it.

So, with fiction writing, you must find ways to exploit character flaws if you want the reader to really get it. For example, if you’re writing an impatient character, it’s not enough to have them tap their foot and glare at their foot. Sure, people might think he’s just in a hurry, but to really drive home your point about his impatience, have him constantly interrupt, have him drive way too fast, have him take the stairs two at time.

You get the idea.

Creating Flawed Villains

Photo Credit: J.J. via Wikipedia

You know, I think most experienced authors do a good job of creating flawed heroes or giving protagonists quirks that make them interesting. It’s villains where the lines begin to blur. If you think about it, villains are totally flawed because they’re supposed to be some kind of flawed demon creatures bent on death and destruction.

Except…they aren’t.

Writing the villain who twirls his long black mustache while tying the helpless damsel in distress to the modern day version of the railroad tracks isn’t just boring and cliche, it’s just plain lazy.

Yes, your villains can be bad guys. Yes, your villains can be bent on world domination. Yes, your villains can even be crazy if you like.

But they’ve gotta at least be human on some level!

Think about it, y’all. If you’re writing a whodunit and your sleuth is trying to pick up the trail, it’s not going to be a very exciting book if the villain stands out in a crowd. I mean, not a lot of bad guys in the real world are spitting on kids while kicking puppies and trying to overthrow nap time.

No, in the real world, some of the worst bad guys are giving tons of money to charity and building schools in poverty stricken areas in between corporate espionage. In the real world, hardened killers are tucking in and reading bedtime stories to their kids after a hard day of goin’ a murderin’.

The point is that most villains are more complex than the stereotypes from old cartoons. They’re totally whacked inside their own head, but manage to hold it together on the outside for as long as they need to – or your story needs them to.

If you think about it, the character flaws for villains are the redeeming qualities that make us hate them less or – dare I say it – like them.

How Do You Write Flawed Characters?

Everyone writes character flaws a little differently. Personally, I like to start with my perfect protagonist and find ways to tear him down. For villains, I like to imagine how I would react to tragedy or terror if I wasn’t, you know, a reasonably sane person.

I just tone it down before my terrorist starts tying the damsel in distress to the train tracks.

What do you do when you’re creating characters to ensure they aren’t too perfect?

Until the muse returns…

Sydney

Since the one-month writing goal was 50,000 words, I guess you could say I “lost” or “failed.” Oddly enough – given my over-competitive streak – I don’t feel that way about it.

If you participated in NaNoWriMo this year and fell short of the 50,000 word mark, you shouldn’t feel like a failure or a loser either…

What I learned during the month of November is more valuable than a half-finished, hastily-written manuscript will ever be – to me, at least. I suspect, when you take the time to really consider the previous month, you’ll feel the same way about your writing as well.

Fiction Writer’s Wake-up Call

As a full-time freelance writer and editor, I stay busy pretty well all the time. Some days, my cat walking between me and the computer, yelling “break time!” is the only thing that forces me to relax for a few minutes – or until her attention span wanders to a shadow and she jumps off the desk to kill it. It’s very cute, actually…except when I’m under a tight deadline. This means I have zero time to work on my fiction writing goals on a daily basis.

Truly, y’all, some days I’d just be happy if I could fit in a nap…

But since so many of my friends were participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I thought I’d give it a whirl. Why not, right? Sleep and hair brushing are overrated anyway. Hitting the elusive and arbitrary goal of 50,000 words was always a long-shot for me, but stranger things have happened.

Creating Time for Fiction

Here’s the thing that shocked me: Even though I carved time out of my day – most of ‘em – for writing, nothing suffered. Sure, I didn’t watch as much television as I might have otherwise watched, but my business didn’t crumble. My husband didn’t divorce me. My house didn’t fall apart around me.

In fact, the only change is that I wrote 32,371 words on a novel I might not have written for months, left to my own devices.

Of course, it can’t be all rainbows and bubble gum smiles, so I’ll admit I did run into one massive problem. (Nope, not the mini-kitchen flood that happened on Thanksgiving night) My brain and my muse are on opposite schedules.

I think this could be revenge for all the real crime TV I make them watch…

You see, my muse doesn’t go into overdrive until late evening. I’ve always been a night owl, so that makes sense, but lately my brain has decided to go on strike around midnight. So, while the muse is ready to play, the brain makes the fingers forget how to move across a keyboard.

Breaking Down the Lessons of NaNoWriMo

Back to those precious 32,371 words of pure awesome that my muse and brain did collaborate on.

• 32,371 words is 1,070 words per day. That only takes me maybe an hour to write…if that
• I didn’t write every day because of work and brain rebellion
• Those 32,371 words came from 20 days of writing (probably only 15, but I don’t want to over-inflate my stats here)
• 32,371 words over 20 days is 1,618 words per day (2,158 words per day with the more accurate 15 days)

I’ll stop geeking out about the numbers now.

The real point of all this is that those 32,371 non-winning words taught me that, even during my busy months – and November was busy, y’all – I should be able to keep plugging away at my novels. In fact, I should be able to knock out the first draft of any of my novels in 3-4 months. (2 months when I’m writing series/category romance since they’re much shorter)

And you know what, y’all? Now that I know this, I’m going to do it.

Okay, but the actual goal will be 30,000 words per month. 32,371 is a strange, random number when I think about it.

Until the muse returns…

Sydney

Write 50,000 words in 3o days and “win.”

Okay…awesome. So, what happens if only write 30,000 words or 49,999 words? Does that make me a loser? Am I to believe that I’m somehow less of a writer – less legitimate – if I can’t hit the arbitrary 50,000 word mark by the end of November?

Is that how you should feel if you try your hand at NaNoWriMo and are unsuccessful?

No. Hear me say that again…NO.

The Arbitrary Nature of NaNoWriMo

Here’s the thing I think we all lose sight of as we work our butts off to get 50,000 words on the page: 50,000 words does NOT a novel make…not a standard novel, anyway. So, while everyone who completes NaNoWriMo may walk around calling themselves “novelists,” in actuality, they have a novella or the beginning chapters of their novel…or perhaps they have a bare bones outline of their novel with a bit of dialogue that will double in size once they flesh it out with all the rich detail that makes a manuscript pop into life as a novel.

Now, let me be clear: I’m not knocking people who complete novels during NaNoWriMo – how hypocritical would that make me since I’m a 2010 participant? – but I am saying there’s more to crafting the “Great American Novel” than spitting out 50,000 words of prose.

I’m aware that NaNo creator Chris Baty says he didn’t pick 50,000 words at random. The story goes that he pulled a number of fiction books off his shelf and estimated the word counts based on pages – most of which gave him roughly 50,000 words.

What books does he have on his shelf?

The thing that strikes me about this justification is that most books I read are close to double that in word count. In fact, all the books I write are well beyond that, ranging from 85,000 to 115,000 words based on my four completed manuscripts. Of course, I suppose National Half-Novel Writing Month – NaHaNoWriMo – doesn’t have quite the same pizzazz.

And how many aspiring writing would sign up to write 100,000 words in 30 days? For people with day jobs and families…well, I won’t say it’s impossible, but fewer people would “win” for sure.

The Real Goal of NaNoWriMo

I think instead of focusing on this arbitrary word count goal – and it truly is arbitrary, justification or no – we should concern ourselves with the real “wins” from this month long exercising in literary insanity:

1. Building the habit of writing fiction each day
2. Learning how to make the most out of small chucks of writing time
3. Shutting off the internal editor so you stop stifling your own creativity
4. Understanding that it’s okay to carve time out of your busy day to further your dreams.

Let’s face it, writing an entire book in a month is a cool concept. You know what? So is writing 1/4 of a book. Or half a book.

Think about it. If you can write 25,000 words in a single month, you’re on pace to finish a standard 100,000 word novel in four months. FOUR MONTHS. That word count may make you a NaNoWriMo “loser,” but in my book, it makes you a novel-writing rock star.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be a rock star than the winner of an arbitrarily set contest.

Then again, all of you overachievers like me will probably keep striving for the 50,000 word winner mark. That’s okay, too. It’s good to have goals…just so long as we don’t lose sight of our own awesomeness, regardless of word count.

If you’d like to check up on my NaNo progress or learn more about my project, visit my NaNo profile.

Until the muse returns…

Sydney

Just a little food for thought about starting a new novel

As some of you know, I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year. In a nutshell, National Novel Writing Month is a time when crazy fiction writers like myself pledge to write 50,000 words towards a brand new novel in only 30 days. Editing, researching, reality checks…all those things can wait until December. November is strictly for getting the words on the page, even if it’s largely a string of nonsensical babble.

Basically, it’s a living nightmare for the orderly planner perfectionist authors among us…

That said, NaNo is an excellent exercise for getting in the habit of writing each day. Yes, as a freelance writer, my days are bubbling over with writing time, but it’s not always of the fiction variety. That’s why I’m participating this year. It’s time I proved to myself that I can wear my writer/editor hat by day and crazed author hat by night. (crazed because my author hat is covered in silver sparkles…)

So, how am I doing on my quest to 50,000 words?

Bad.

Real bad.

As I type, I should be at a happy word count of 13,336. I’m not even close. 10,095 is all I have.

So, like I said, real bad.

But this is still a learning experience for me. I could blame my poor word count stats on my regular workload. I could blame it on being sick. I could even blame it on a browser game I spend a few minutes here and there playing throughout the day.

The truth, however, is that I’m having trouble with this new story because I failed to plan my perspective. Well, okay…I failed to put together an outline or character names as well, but that’s not causing the problem. It’s perspective.

Whose story is it?

Okay, yes…mine, but beyond that. Which character drives the plot from scene to shining scene? Is it the killer? Is it Detective Kyle Sharp? What about Agent Avery St. Clair?

Here’s the kicker: It’s all of them. You heard me. Three different characters are critical to this novel’s plot. Take any one of them out of the mix and the plot ends up with major holes…and not the yummy doughnut kind, either. Speaking of which…I wonder if the leftover doughnut holes from the weekend are still good…

Anyway. Since I’m writing the entire novel in 3rd person limited POV, it’s not the end all, stop the presses – if we still had presses – type of issue. Now, if I were writing in 1st person…yikes. Can you imagine never knowing from one chapter to the next whether you’re a cop, a Fed or a killer?

Final Thought

As I leave you tonight to return to my convoluted manuscript of By Slivered Moonlight, I encourage you to take a page out of my book on what NOT to do. It’s one thing to open a blank document and let the muse bravely lead you into your next piece of brilliance. It’s something else to be 10,095 words into your novel and still be determining whose story it is.

So, even if you’re not a planner, maybe that’s one area you can plan in advance. Let’s face it, you can probably figure it out while you scarf down a few delish doughnut holes.

Until the muse returns…

Sydney

Photo Credit: Food Nut.com

The objective was simple: Bring infamous bank robber Raptor to justice. At least, it should have been simple.

When the FBI has no leads on the man who destroyed her life after two years, Skylar Montgomery decides to take the law into her own hands. Using her unique set of talents, she submerges herself into Dallas’s seedy underworld, looking for anyone who can help with her obsession. A chance meeting brings her to a man who has the connections and the desire to help her, but can she trust him?

Con man Parker Ramsey has been in hiding for two years since the First Alliance Bank & Trust heist went bad. As vengeance comes within his grasp, he draws Skylar into his well-constructed web of cryptic half-truths. What he can tell her may take her closer to her final objective, but what he withholds may well destroy her in the process.

For FBI Special Agent Jackson Caldwell, relocating to Dallas was the fresh start for his career and love life he needed most. Unfortunately, being assigned to a 2-year old cold case and a partner with more secrets than the perp has doesn’t bode well for his career. To distract himself from his touch and go relationship with the woman he loves, he vows to stop at nothing to put this case to rest.

After two years of playing by the rules, Raptor is ready for his next score. Just as before, no one can stop him – not Ramsey, not the FBI and certainly not Skylar Montgomery. And he’ll put a bullet in the heart of anyone who gets in his way, whether it’s a cop or another con.

All the world might be a stage, but when none of the players have anything left to lose, can any of them make it to the final act alive?

The Alliance

Part 2 in the Undercover Series

From the Author:

The Undercover Series takes an unexpected turn…

In The Freelancer, we met FBI Special Agent Jackson Caldwell. We learned about his issues with authority. We learned that he’d do whatever it takes to get the bad guy and close his case. We learned that he could screw up a relationship with style.

We also learned that Jackson Caldwell is the irrefutable heart and soul of the Undercover Series…

Yet in The Alliance we focus our attention on Skylar Montgomery, the infamous Raptor and a cast of con artists, hackers and thieves. Why? Because when Skylar’s quest for revenge intersects with Jackson’s unwavering sense of justice, they’ll set into motion a course of events of dire consequence, the reverberations of which will be felt throughout the rest of the series.

People will die.

Lives will irrevocably change.

And everything you think you know about Jackson Caldwell will be called into question…all because of a chance meeting one frigid morning in the park.

Once Jackson and Skylar meet, everyone’s fate is sealed…For better or worse.

As lines are drawn, where will your alliances lie?

When FBI Special Agent Jackson Caldwell is sent to Dallas to thwart a vague terrorist plot against DFW International Airport, he assumes it’s either a hoax or a test to determine if he’s ready to get out from behind the desk and back into the field. Either way, he wants to close the case quickly and get back to DC. Too bad his new partner is more interested in chasing skirts than chasing bad guys…

Chad Blackstone is a man teetering on the edge of genius and madness. For far too long he’s been the punchline in life’s jokes, but each step of his plan begins falling into place, bringing power and respect finally within his reach. No one can stop him now. Nothing will stand in his way. Nothing.

Jenna Monroe is a woman whose past is shrouded in mystery. Her mundane life marches forward like clockwork until the condo across the hall is rented to a man with dangerous good looks and deadly secrets. As the two men in her life play out a lethal game of chess, is she just a hapless pawn?

Or is she pulling all the strings?

The Freelancer

Part 1 in the Undercover Series