It occurs to me that had I been a classically trained teacher, I would have structured my tips to build on one another. But I’m not, so they’re not. Last time I rambled on about how your main character should have agency in the story: their actions should have some bearing on the narrative especially at the climax. We’re not looking for passive observers here. 

But how do you determine their actions? What should they be?

And that is an excellent question. I like to think of my characters as individuals. Sure, some stories will emphasize their themes or action more. These characters will often times act irrationally or contradictory in order to drive home these other aspects of the narrative the author wishes to stress. Personally, I think the stronger your character and their behaviour, the better your story will be. 

Which isn’t to say no character should be irrational. There are irrational, contradictory people out in the world. You may even know some in your own life. You may even read some of their blogs!

So how do we square this issue?

For me, there is a single primary thing to know about your main character. No, it’s not their name. It’s not where they’re from or how much they make. The single most important thing for writing your main character is drilling down into the core of their being and finding out what they want. All of us are driven by wants. A lot of them are superficial. You may want the new iPhone or whatever doodad Apple is releasing today but that’s not a character want. That’s the behaviour which communicates that deeper want. 

What you really should be asking is why do you want that new Apple product? Is it because you’re an Apple loyalist and buy all their products. Unlikely. Maybe you just like its sleek design and need to upgrade every time its design gets sleeker (you don’t really). No, you want this new iPhone for what it means when you have it. 

That’s your want. 

Maybe you feel like having the new iPhone keeps you up-to-date on the latest technological changes and developments because you’re worried of falling behind in an ever changing world and left at a disadvantage compared to those around you. Maybe the new iPhone is an item which you feel others will look at with wonder and awe thus demonstrating that you’ve achieved the success you’ve always been told you would never obtain. Or maybe everyone else is getting the new iPhone and you’re worried if you don’t they’ll discover you for the phony that you feel you truly are. 

These are character wants. They’re driving motivators which will determine our hero’s actions whenever they come across a challenge. Whether it’s a drive of competition to prove yourself, a need to earn the respect and admiration of your peers or the crippling worries of self-doubt and inability bringing harm to those you love, these are core motivators that keep your character going. They’re what make them react to situations differently than others. They’re what shade their dialogue and interactions and give them that spice of life. 

So it’s important to ask yourself when you’re creating your story what is it that your character truly wants? And then, constantly reask yourself that question as you progress through your narrative? How does your hero agreeing to through the match challenge in the gladiator’s arena achieve their inner motivation? How does the princess betraying her father assuage her own concerns? How does the thief deciding to tag along with the captain of the guard on their rescue mission bring them closer to their dream?

Finally, it’s important to note that not everyone is going to be aware of what drives them. Most people probably don’t possess the introspection to be aware of their underlying motivations. This is where the incongruity between what they say they want and what they do comes in. Maybe your noble knight views their vows and role seriously but is constantly undermined by their inner worries and doubts. The important thing as a writer is that you’re consistent in knowing why your character is acting the way they do, even if that character doesn’t. Obviously, the knight betrayed her Queen because she was sent on a quest that was antithetical to her desire even if the knight thought she could put her own feelings on the matter aside. 

If you’re consistent and clear in your portrayal of your character, the readers will understand. 

You’re basically your hero’s therapist. And how well they listen to you determines the success of their therapy. 

So, when creating your main character and while writing your story ask yourself:

What is it that truly drives my character? What do they desperately need or fear?

Is my character continually seeking their desire or running from their fear especially when it is directly challenged?

Is there some situation or interaction I can include which will really highlight to the reader what my character truly wants or fears?

Welcome back to my little corner of the internet where I share my secrets, tips and hints to improve your writing. Hopefully you’ve read the first tip as it still remains the best that I can give. Here, I’ll share it once more:

Get writing!

Ahem, alright. With that out of the way, let’s actually talk about said writing. This tip is a little fundamental one. You see, there are lots of aspects to writing and to speculative fiction. You have fantastical worlds, daring adventures, gripping mysteries and thought-provoking themes. However, I believe there is really one aspect that rises more important above all others.

Character.

We read stories to get invested in the struggles and trials of people (though, obviously, not necessarily human people). It’s the vessel through which the reader is going to travel down your adventure. Now, there’s lots to say on how to create compelling characters and all that which, hopefully, I’ll be able to explore in later tips. Today, however, I’m going to start with something a little more fundamental. 

You see, one pitfall I’ve seen beginner writers fall into is that they have this really great “big idea” that they got so focused on—be it their twist, theme or event—that they simply forgot the person that’s going through it. You see, main characters are determined by who the writer decides to focus their attention on. The main character should play a “main role” in the narrative. Specifically, they should be an active vehicle navigating the turbulent waters, not thrown around haphazardly by rough currents and sort of washing up on the shores of your conclusion by mere happenstance.

This is what I call “agency” and basically boils down to a single tenant: at the climax of your story, the main character should make a conscious decision to reach their conclusion. 

The nature of this decision, naturally, will vary depending on the type of story that you’re telling. But it is important, no matter what type of character your protagonist is, that they make this final choice. Even if you’re writing a story about a coward or timid individual. Let’s be honest, Frodo wasn’t the bravest hobbit to leave the Shire but he still had his moment of choice in the belly of Mount Doom. 

And Frodo’s agency is an interesting one because ultimately, he chose poorly. He wanted to keep the One Ring and let darkness descend upon the world. If it wasn’t for Gollum’s own greed then things wouldn’t have turned out well for the heroes. But that’s kind of the point Tolkien was going for. Despite Frodo’s choice not impacting the final outcome of the epic, however, he still had agency until the end. Imagine, instead, an alternative Lord of the Rings, where Frodo sort of just passed out from malnutrition and exhaustion before entering the volcano and simply awoke later to be informed that it was Sam who heroically fought off Gollum upon the craggy precipice in order to throw the ring to its final demise. As a reader, you’d probably want to read about that rather than have Gandalf dictate it to Frodo in an unending epilogue that could really use some editing down. 

So keep a clear reminder of who it is that your story is about. How do they personally intersect, react or impact the final moment of your narrative? Ask yourself if this person is really making a critical choice at the peak of tension and, if not, perhaps they aren’t the main character you wish to use but rather there’s someone else that will work better. If we’re, as readers, going to be sitting through your entire story about this individual, we want some reason to be invested in their success or failure. 

After all, even cowards make choices that can have tremendous ramifications. Sometimes, it’s the most impactful.

Hey everyone, I’ve got a little something new I’m going to be trying here. After speaking with my publisher (hi Kait!), she suggested that I stop neglecting my blog so much like it’s some unwanted pet that likes to chew the curtains. One of the issues, outside of having trouble managing my time, has been coming up with wonderful content to throw up on this here site. It’s surprisingly hard to ramble and rant about things without falling into repetitive topics as the mundanity of life grinds away your inspiration and spark. 

And then, of course, once you start neglecting something, it’s sort of hard to get back to it. I mean, it’s already been a large chunk of months, what’s a few more? Plus, I’ve actually been busy, having published a book in a new genre (check out the Nancy Sharpe mystery!) and finishing up yet another Red Sabre story. So I’ve been working just not on this. 

Anyway, Kait’s suggestion was to turn my blog into writing tips and lessons. I’ve accumulated some amount of knowledge and experience about the art of writing, surely there’s some little nuggets and pearls of wisdom I can dispense to the curious. So, we’re going to try and focus this place on giving those interested in writing some tips and suggestions to improve their skill. 

Now, I’m by far a master at the craft. These are just things I’ve learned over the many numerous years I’ve been plugging away at this art with hardly any guidance or scaffolding. Will all these tips, tricks and suggestions work for everyone? Of course not. Creativity and art is a deeply personal process that has to speak to the creator rather than follow blindly in the footsteps of others. So take my suggestions as that – suggestions. These aren’t must do practices but more like ideas to help you find your own way in expressing yourself. 

And, as the title suggests, my first tip is going to go a little against the grain. This writing suggestion is pretty universal and very easy to remember. Here goes:

The number one way to improve your writing is to write more. 

That’s it. It sounds simply but it’s the truth. Scientifically proven, too! Writing is a skill and it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master any skill. When you start, things aren’t going to be easy. You’re going to envision grand plots, complex characters, gripping mysteries and exhilarating reveals. And when you sit down and try to conjure them onto your pages and word documents, you’re going to fail. Things are going to come out awkward, confusing or even a little bland. You may even sit down and not think of anything or write a bunch of scenes, dialogue and interactions and find that it’s not going where you want or how you thought it would.

All of this is ok, though. We didn’t master the bicycle when we first got on it. We had to fall many times before we could ride. 

But we keep at it. You will never improve your writing if you don’t keep writing. For me, when I was first taking my writing seriously, I set word goals. They can be daily or weekly. But no matter what happened – rain, shine, sickness, unforseen tornados or even surprise parties – I had to get my words in. If I failed one day to meet my goal, those missing words got moved to the next. If I had a busy work day or a vacation coming up, I write extra before I got bogged down with other things. There are no good excuses for not writing because it is the single most important way to improve. 

Write. 

Write some more. 

And keep on writing. No matter what. No matter how bad what you’re doing. No matter how frustrating or discouraging it gets. Even if you have to abandon projects to start new ones, it ultimately doesn’t matter. You just have to keep writing, writing, writing. 

Even now, after years of practice, I still keep to this tenet. I no longer have the daily word goals I did when I started – I’ve shifted to daily goals for certain projects and otherwise to deadlines for editing and whatnot. But it’s hard for me to go for long stretches without writing something. If I’m on vacation, I’m writing long emails to friends and families about my adventures. Even if I get burnt out with work and life, after a couple of days, the itch comes back and I start pounding away at some short story ideas, character sketches, descriptions or one off novels. If I hit some “writer’s block” for a project, I simply shift gears and work on something else. 

It doesn’t have to be good. 

It doesn’t even have to be shared with anyone. 

All that it takes to be a writer is to write, write, write.

So stop procrastinating on the internet by reading people’s blogs and get cracking on something. Anything!