Creating Characters
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Character Building Workshop
What’s on iTunes: Way Down Yonder in New Orleans by Harry Connick Jr. I’ve been asked in Agent Interviews before what really draws me into a story. The one thing that makes me request more pages from an author. I’ve even mentioned in my submission wishlists what I’m really looking for. And it all comes down to compelling characters. When I look at the books that have moved me the most, it’s those with unforgettable characters accomplishing amazing things. And I will be the first to admit I ship book boyfriends hard core, from Jace Wayland and Will Herondale to Jon Snow and Gilbert Blythe and James Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.…
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Updates & Announcement
What’s on the radio – Lightning 100 and 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson First a little update. I am up to April 1st in the query box. I do still have a considering file with queries from January on. I do still have partials and fulls from December. I will be reading through those in the next few days. Now for a little announcement. I am offering a month long online writing course! I’m synthesizing a few workshops I’ve presented at Killer Nashville and for the Music City Romance Writers group, plus adding tons more I have picked up over the years. The course is intended to introduce…
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The Kick-Ass Heroine vs. The Meek, Yet Strong Protector Heroine
(Originally posted to Blogger on 2/1/2013) It’s only fair, after devoting 3 posts to the Hero, that the ladies should get some equal posting time. When I mention kick-ass heroine, I imagine most envision this….. Or this….. I think of this….. So what qualities make up the K-A Heroine? 1.) They don’t need no stinkin’ man, at least they’ve started out thinking that. They’re quite capable of stealing Death Star plans and smuggling them off their ship under attack. Or infiltrating an evil spy organization at the same time working as a double agent to help the CIA. Or surviving the jungle, or a televised death match, or demon…
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Bad Boy vs. the Anti-Hero part 1
This was originally published on Blogger 8/16/2011 What’s on iTunes : Awakening by Switchfoot Last weekend a Twitter conversation had me thinking all week. Author Gwen Hayes was reminiscing about the good ole days of Days…Days of Our Lives…and the resident 80s bad boys Bo Brady and Steve “Patch” Johnson. They were so bad that they were sworn enemies, that is until Bo’s sister Kayla changed Patch for good. (Hence the reason I loved Patch and Kayla more than Bo and Hope). Days’ resident bad boys were the epitome of the term. They rode motorcycles, carried switchblades, lived on boats and in lofts, kidnapped their love interests, fought dirty,…
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The Anit-Hero vs. the Bad Boy part 2
Originally published on Blogger 8/23/2011. Unfortunately the original comments can’t be transferred, but you can always add new comments. What’s on the iPod : Beat the Devil’s Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Last Saturday I posted about one of our favorite characters, the Bad Boy, and what makes him tick, that undeniable list of qualities that just about any bad boy I can think of has. Today, I want to address the misunderstood Anti-Hero and the possibility that he may be way badder and perhaps closer to our hearts. What got me thinking about the difference between these two character types was a google search for a Han Solo character analysis.…
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The Bad Boy’s Ride
This was originally posted on Blogger 11/5/2011 What’s on the iPod : Footloose by Blake Shelton This week I thought I would continue talking about the Bad Boy. Why? Because I love a Bad Boy dressed in leather, a little bit longer hair, and rebellion oozing from them like too much Drakkar Noir. Why not follow up with the Bad Boy’s ride. He gets around, and I don’t mean that in an innuedo kind of way, well okay, maybe. He’s a guy that’s driven by purpose and that purpose is usully dragging him some where. So how does he get from Point A to Point B? Let’s examine those drool…
