TECH: Hey, Buddy, Have You Got A Goal?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 30 December 2008

Writing with a Partner

Writers Digest, June 2005, pages 45 and 46 have an article by Jennifer Lawler and Bev Bachel, with the title, "Who's Your Buddy?" The subhead tells the story: "If self-discipline isn't your strong suit, pairing up with a goal buddy can help you keep your writing goals on track. But make sure you pick the right partner."

Jennifer and Bev start out by remarking that writers have something to work towards -- whether it's getting a byline, having that novel published, or just finishing a short story. And most of them have concrete, manageable goals to help keep us pushing along. A writing quota. Sending out queries. Spending time at the computer. But at least some people find it easier to stick to those goals if they're working with a partner. They do suggest some guidelines for getting the right partner:

1. Seek a like-minded partner. Sharing some interests and being roughly at the same stage helps. Similar goals makes it easier to help and support each other.
2. Accept no excuses. Keep each other on track. Accountability is what the partnership is for. Don't let the other person down -- hold their feet to the fire and help them make that goal.
3. Agree on the rules. Decide how you're going to do things together.
4. Be open with your goals. Partnerships are based on honesty. Share your goals and be honest about them. Tell your partner what you want to do, not what you think people expect.
5. Be free with support and information. Share the resources, share the encouragement, and enjoy it.
6. Report and track your progress. "Measure what you want to improve.... For each goal your goal partner has, ask for a regular progress report..."
7. Take a holistic approach. "Goal partners help each other achieve their goals, but they also help each other deal with the roadblocks that get in the way of success, such as perfectionist tendencies and fear of rejection. Sharing your nonwork issues with your goal partner will help you clear the way for achieving your goals."
8. Celebrate each other's success. Reinforce success with rewards. Congratulate each other, celebrate reaching a goal or a milestone. Motivate the other person! Sometimes we have trouble recognizing our own success -- a partner can pat your back without you feeling embarrassed about it.

I think it's really a good idea. One of the difficulties of writing often is the solitude -- a partner, someone to talk about goals and direction, someone to help stay on track, can help with that. Notice that this isn't a writing partner that you share work with necessarily -- this is just someone that you tell about your deadlines, your quotas, your goals -- and then they help you by cheerleading and reminding you to meet those.

So try setting your goals with the buddy system. Just like in swimming, you're less likely to drown that way.

(So, have you got your resolutions ready? Which way do they go, which way do they go? I must follow them, for I am their leader?:-)

TECH: Bit Parts?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 31 December 2008

No Small Characters, Only Small Writers

"No matter how small their roles may be, minor characters deserve major consideration." That's what James Scott Bell says in the Fiction Essentials column in Writers Digest, June 2005, pages 16 and 17. He starts out with an example of a bartender, who provides the hero with important information, but all of his actions are cliche. And it's boring to the reader. Bell describes it as "a cliched minor character doing cliched things, who adds nothing to the tension of the story. He exists only to convey information, to give your protagonist a link so he can move on to another scene."

It's a waste of words! Minor characters should add to the novel, not make it boring. "Well-conceived minor characters add an extra spark..."

1. Allies or Irritants. Supporting players need to either help or hinder the main character. Choose up sides, and use those encounters. Even the "little people" -- the doorman, cab driver, bartender, receptionist, and all the other people that we meet every day, that your protagonist has to deal with can help move the story along and develop character.

2. Sound and Sight. "All your minor characters should be individuals -- no stereotypes allowed. Giving them distinct speech patterns and physical traits is a great way to start." Learn to hear characters in your head, with distinct voices and believable syntax. Physical characteristics -- body, clothes, habits, quirks and all that -- are an inexhaustible resource. Make sure each minor character has their own unique details.

Here's your checklist for minor characters:

• what's his purpose in the story?
• what traits are you going to give him?
• how can you make each trait unique and memorable?
• how are you avoiding cliche?
• how can this character help the plot? Can they add a twist, a revelation, a setup, a premonition or foreshadowing, or a mood shift?
• how can this character irritate the protagonist? How can they help him in a unique way?

That's James Scott Bell's points. Even the smallest character has a part to play. Are they helping or hindering? What sets them apart? Remember, they are the stars of their own story. As the actors would say, what's their motivation? Don't just have them walk across the stage -- let them strut, let them tapdance, let them show us just who they are, even if it is a walk-on part. And smile!

Exercise? Take your work in progress, and pick out the minor characters. Look at each one. Is it clear whether they are helping or hindering the hero? Do they have their own unique personality? If you've taken one from the bag of plastic people and inserted it in your story, spend a little time talking with them. Find out who they are, what they're doing in your story. Then let them come to life -- add the dialogue, adjust the action, and let them drop soup in your hero's lap. See what happens then!

(with a hearty hi, ho, happy New Years! Cheers and all that!)