agonyofanuntoldstory:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave Sherlock Holmes a full panoply of supporting characters. There was Dr. Watson, the quintessential “sidekick,” to act as a sounding board; Scottish landlady Mrs. Hudson, to cook and clean and fuss over Holmes; Scotland Yard Inspector LeStrade, to provide a foil for Holmes’ intuitive brilliance, as well as access to official investigations; the Baker Street Irregulars, to ferret out information; and Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s politically powerful older brother, to provide financial and strategic support. Like Doyle’s, your cast of supporting characters should reflect what your protagonist needs.

Balancing Character Traits

An amateur sleuth needs a friend or relative with access to inside information—a police officer, a private investigator or a crime reporter will fit the bill. A character who’s arrogant and full of himself needs a character to keep him from taking himself too seriously, maybe an acerbic coworker or a mother. You might want to show a hardboiled police detective’s softer side by giving him kids or a pregnant wife.

The most important supporting character in many genres, though, is the sidekick. Virtually every mystery protagonist has one. Rex Stout’s obese, lazy, brilliant Nero Wolfe has Archie Goodwin—a slim, wisecracking ladies’ man. Carol O’Connell’s icy, statuesque, blonde Detective Kathy Mallory has garrulous, overweight, aging, alcoholic Detective Riker. Robert B. Parker’s literate, poetry-quoting Spenser has black, street-smart, tough-talking Hawk. Harlan Coben’s former basketball-star-turned-sports-agent, Myron Bolitar, has a rich, blond, preppy friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood, III.

See a pattern? It’s the old opposites attract. Mystery protagonists and their sidekicks are a study in contrasts. Sidekicks are the yin to the protagonists’ yang. The contrast puts the protagonists’ characteristics into relief. For instance, the thickheaded Watson makes Holmes look smarter.

The place to start in creating a sidekick is with the profile you developed of your sleuth, so think about what kind of opposites will work.

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(Source: writersdigest.com)

yeahwriters:

burningmuse:

Lead Staff Note: Read it!

jayarrarr:

I once read a major author’s comments on writer’s block and the work of writing. This author advised that you should just write anyway: Write three pages on a “good” day when the words are flowing and everything’s perfect; write three pages on a “bad”…

I love the point being made in this essay! She’s basically saying, “You know how sometimes the muses bless you with inspiration and you’re whipping out words and you’re just in it, and then sometimes you feel like you can barely piece together a coherent sentence? Regardless of how you feel, you’ll probably produce equal quality.”

Really interesting!

shannahmcgill:

Every scene should have at least one awesome, memorable part.

Every character should do at least one awesome, memorable thing.

If this isn’t true in your story, you may need to rewrite or delete certain scenes and characters.

rhymingslang:

There’s a difference between procrastinating and the dreaded writers block. So here are a few tips to break through the wall and get those creative juices flowing:

1. Music, music, music, music, music: 

I have said it before and I will say it again- music is the best motivator. Once you get the tunes rolling then so will you. Create a playlist based on whatever it is you’re writing, music from the time (if possible), music that reminds you of the characters or just music that you think fits the setting. If you get the block then play the playlist and just listen. Don’t write, just think of what it reminds you of, think of the setting or the context the music reminds you of. Eventually motivation and inspiration should come to you. 

2. Chatting about it:

Talk to someone about it, get yourself excited. Ring up your best mate and have a chat about whats happening in the story, where its going, whats supposed to happen next. Talking over where you’re stuck will help you get yourself out of being stuck, teamwork is the key. Try and find a writing buddy, someone you can call when you’ve drawing a blank and who can call you when they’re drawing a blank. Seriously, help each other over the brick wall of writers block and you’ll feel much better. 

3. Have a break.

KitKats are not necessary but advised. Have a cup of tea, watch an episode of something, check Tumblr (but be careful not to get stuck), feed the cat before she kills you, water the vegetables, check under the bed for monsters. Just have a rest from writing and let your mind settle for a little while. Chill. Once your brain has stopped buzzing then look over what you’ve written and see if you can continue. Remember, if you can’t then don’t force it. Just leave it be for a day and come back later. 

4. Research. 

What are the native american binding rituals from the early eighteen-hundreds? How many walnuts can a squirrel fit in its mouth? How long does it take for a human body to burn? Questions you should have probably asked yourself before you started but have been putting off for a while, take this time to get them answered. It keeps you in the right mindset for writing, gets some research done and helps you figure out all the kinks. Hopefully, once you get it smoothed out then you will be able to carry on writing and, if not, you have at least got some work done.

DON’T FORGET:

No matter what, even if you have a target to work to. NEVER FORCE YOUR WRITING. If you really can’t finish what your doing, or if you’re really stuck then just finish the sentence and leave it alone. Eventually you will come back and be able to continue writing, but as of the moment its better to leave it than force something you’re not inspired by. Forcing writing may, eventually, lead to you getting disappointing in your writing once you read it over and thus losing faith in yourself and giving up. Leave it and come back later- trust me, you’ll thank me. 

agonyofanuntoldstory:

So what’s in a title? Is it really that important?

You bet it is. Would you rather your job resume say “salesperson” or “marketing representative”? “Clerk” or “service specialist”? “Repairman” or “technician”? One sounds commonplace; the other sounds impressive.

Let’s go a step further. Imagine Boys’ Life billed as Youth Experiences. Or Nightline as Ted’s Late News Roundup. Loses a little something, right? And it’s hard to picture 007 introducing himself as “Dinkins. Arnold Dinkins.”

The same thing applies to story titles. An enjoyable short story or novel might never get read by the public (or, more to the point, by an editor or agent) if the title doesnÕt do its job. In the publishing world, a good title is like a good opening paragraph: it should be interesting. It should attract the reader’s attention. At the very least, it should be appropriate to the rest of the piece.

And remember this, too: the title will be what represents your work to the rest of the world, now and forever. When people see your story in bookstores or in an anthology, take it the beach with them, and talk about it to their friends the next day, the first thing they’ll read or speak will be the words in your title. Choose it wisely.

But that’s pretty vague advice. The question is, how do you do it? What makes a good title?

A Few Rules of Thumb:

Titles should not be dull. When you browse a shelf full of novels, or a collection of short stories, aren’t you drawn first to the more unusual titles? So are editors, when they look over a stack of submissions. Not that “The House” or “The Tree” won’t be a good story; but titles with a bit more originality stand a better chance. Examples: Gone with the Wind, The High and the Mighty, “The Tin Star,” The Silence of the Lambs, The Maltese Falcon, Watership Down, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” Fahrenheit 451, The Color Purple, Atlas Shrugged.

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jellicleoverlord:

In my experience, RPers and Writers alike enjoy one thing: Making characters suffer. This little guide is supposed to help you with keeping injuries and the First Aid - in case you want to patch your character back together - realistic. 
I am no medical professional, but I dare say I picked up a thing or two during my First Aid school-medic training ;)

Under read more for length! Also, trigger warnings for blood, I suppose?

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writeworld:

(Larger Image)

(Larger Image)

Seriously, click the link and go read the article. Seriously.

Also, check out our post on the Hero’s Journey and monomyth!

(Source: a-writers-help)

mark-gaytits:

Some resources for those writing medieval-type stories:

• list of medieval jobs
• more medieval jobs
• lords of the manor
• ladies of the manor
• medieval ladies
• medieval weapons
• medieval names
• more medieval names
• guide to medieval terms
• more medieval terms
• how to write sword-fight scenes
• armor

ari-thehelper:

Whether you’re writing a para or a novel, it’s easy to just slap in some words that may fit the situation, without necessarily even thinking about the motives behind what the character is saying. That is what this guide-ish bites into.

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(Source: easyreadingisdamnhardwriting)

mooderino:

The recent post I did (HERE) on condensing your story into a line or two received some interesting feedback so this follow-up post will take a deeper look at the techniques involved in summing up the story into  something short, easy to understand and yet interesting. And the pitfalls along the way.

Bear in mind the idea isn’t to come up with a beautifully crafted slogan that makes people want to rush out and buy the book on the strength of the logline alone. Your job isn’t to invent bubblegum that tastes like a three course meal. If people want to experience those flavours they should just eat a three course meal.

This will be more about telling somebody what the story’s about, whether they be an agent or your mother.

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(Source: amandaonwriting)

livia-carica:

Reblog if you’re currently writing a novel, even if it’s only in your head or scribbled in the back of a notebook somewhere.

Think about how many books don’t exist yet.

spineye:

amandaonwriting:

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) - Resource for Crime Writers

SOURCE

well you never know when this might come in handy.

thank you into forever

writewild:

Characterization is one of the most important elements of fiction.  While literary fiction requires a more complex treatment than does most genre fiction, all writers must people their works with interesting, believable characters.  

1.  Know your character’s past without explaining it to the reader.  Since we are all driven by our personal histories, it makes sense that believable characterization would contain this component.  However, the reader does not need to know everything you, the writer, does. Beginning writers often supply lengthy exposition and details that have no bearing on the scene.  Reveal your character’s past on a “need to know” basis only.

2. Characterization should be a force behind the plot.  Ask yourself:  Why can’t this story happen without this character?  How does this character add to the conflict?  How would the story change with a different set of characters

3. The personality and peculiarities of your characters should emerge through their actions.  The old “Show, don’t tell” advice is particularly useful here.  Instead of explaining motive, emotions, and realizations, let the reader draw his conclusions based on behavior.

4. Don’t use characters as mouthpieces.  A character should never exist solely to convey information.

5.  Find the contradictions within a character.   Maybe a detective who is precise with his investigations lives in chaos at home.  Or a middle-aged woman listens to hip hop music.  Don’t create contradictions for the sake of them, however; they need to reveal something deeper about the character that is relevant to your story.

6. Place your characters in situations that challenge their traits.  For example, what happens to a borderline obsessive-compulsive person when he must forgo his rituals?  What happens to a psychologist who must question her own sanity?

- Debbie Lee Wesselmann