The Obsession with Consistency

I've really knuckled down and gotten into my writing. In the last month, I exited a political/sociology masters degree, and accepted an offer to start a Masters of Creative writing. In the entire year, I've nearly written six books, with a small project I'm about to put on Wattpad. I'm learning new things all the time, and I've met brilliant writing enthusiasts who've taught me a lot. I can't wait to continue with this thing, and I'm excited to see what I can do with it.

One subject has been plaguing me, and it's this: Character Development. Two little words which have absolutely started to bug me. There are courses and workshops on this subject, it's been described as an art form, and I'm choosing to ignore it completely.

Bizarre, I know.

I've discovered that as readers, most people are suckers for consistency. Every action and every word seem to require some sort of reasoning. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be reasons behind why certain characters do things (indeed, you wouldn't have a plot if they don't), I'm just saying it's not necessary all the time - and here's why.

I don't like planning what's going to happen to my characters. When I start writing, I myself don't know where they'll go. I feel as if designing how they develop as a character impinges on my creativity, and I don't like a character that's predictable, even to me.

People in real life don't always act the way you expect or think they should. Ever roll yours eyes at that incoming call from that friend you just know has done something stupid? Only to pick up and realise they've surpassed your wildest dreams? Mind you, these are your friends, some of them best friends, and they still constantly find ways to amaze you with their creativity (or stupidity). Sometimes we as humans do things that we ourselves don't understand, why are our character's any different?

If I feel like writing a female character who starts off as timid and shy, but has a flirty streak, why isn't that alright? If she's an angel in book one but an assassin in book three, why isn't that okay? It's as if 'Character Development' encourages authors to design their character around a certain stereotype, and this is a dangerous trap I stress must be avoided.

Emotion is also a property subject to a lot of criticism. Things like anger aren't always a slow build up. Not everybody gradually gets angry before they snap, and they don't have to be a villain to do so. So if my character has an anger meter that goes from 0 to 200 in 0.7 seconds, why is that irrational? Writing about encounters of love are more often then not, unexplainable. If two people are connected from the get-go, why is that an issue? So don't tell me that the way a certain character I wrote was unrealistic - I know my character better than you do, and that's what they did.

I've come up with a personal motto while writing books: Don't blame me for the story, I just wrote what happened. To me, my characters are real. What they did while I was sleeping was real, and when I type it down, I'm basically reporting what happens.

In my writing, I'm trying to perfect how I write. That includes the use of correct grammar, tense, words and techniques. I'm always looking to improve how I write, but not necessarily what I write.

I like reading about characters with oddities, and I like writing about them just as much. I'm a sucker for protagonists and antagonists that get themselves in trouble by acting out of character. If a book doesn't have a character that doesn't have me asking why they do things, then I won't be interested for long.

Naturally, characters have to be likeable, or at the very least, intriguing. If they aren't, then no one will read your work; audience's need to be able to sympathise.

I guess in short - it's not 'Character Development' that I'm so much opposed to, because no matter what, your character will undergo some form of journey that changes them somehow. It's the consistency expected behind Character Development that I refute. Character's don't have to be consistent, and it makes them all the more enjoyable to read.

My First Critique!

Alright-

So I don't know how many of you are part of or have ever participated in one of those online critique forums. I recently jumped on www.critiquecircle.com and man was it an experience!

For those of you who aren't familiar, the basic idea is that you submit your work and let other writers critique it for you. It's a reward system, so let's say for every three you critique you're then able to submit your work online. It's similar to the system bachelor/masters students have to share each other's work when trying to get published, only it's with a large group of complete strangers. It's scary at first, and sometimes you'll feel as though you're too scared to read what other people have to say about your work.

The first critique I received was really nice! They liked my story and my idea, and I felt overwhelmingly confident afterwards:

Its interesting and I think its original also that it fits the described paranormal and mystery genres well.
     Especially since its the prolouge this is quite good and really , truly easy to like. 
     I can't wait to see what else happens in this story.

Now the second was not as warm. It was from a script writer and published short story author *damn*. They really analysed and examined it, and I was left feeling a little frightened to continue working on my novel afterwards. (What I'm about to show you was one of the nice parts!):

First observation: from just a quick scan of the piece, my impression was that the writing was too dense. I have made some notations and suggestions to show as example in the Inline critique. Density of prose can be problematic and should be addressed. I try not to repeat the same observation multiple times even though what I've written may be something that applies to the whole work.

Woe is me! How could I ever consider myself a writer?

My third critique was the best for development purposes. They really analysed my strengths, pointed out where I could improve and what I was lacking:

I really loved the desperation in the second-to-last paragraph. See if you can have just a few more hints of that voice earlier on; I think that will really add to your main character's voice.

Great job! Would love to read more.

After that in-depth critique I felt a little better. I even emailed my second critic and asked for more tough love on my first chapter (and trust me, her critique was even worse than the first time!)

All three of these critiques were really helpful, and as I now have seven critiques I learnt the following:

1. What I was trying to do in my prologue was confusing to 3/7 readers.
2. I repeated myself needlessly.
3. I wasn't descriptive enough.
4. People like my writing style.

My last critique (who I lovingly refer to as good old no.7), was the one that made me feel the best:

I can't wait to read the rest of this story! You have amazing potential... if you continue to write like this, publication may be imminent!

So after having being sceptical at first, I now highly recommend this exercise to all aspiring writers. Sometimes we as writers are too close to our work to see where it needs help. I'm glad to have found a community online that's designed for these things.

So if you're thinking of submitting some work for some critique, here are my five tips:

1. (I know it's tempting to do it but) Don't rush to edit your work after receiving one critique. Wait until you've received several so you know exactly where all your strengths and weaknesses are. Just because one critic saw it that way, doesn't mean that everyone else did.
2. Be careful with what you absorb from the critique you receive. If one person didn't understand or connect with what you were trying to do then their advice probably won't help you.
3. If your story line becomes completely different after your critique then your voice isn't strong enough, and perhaps that's what you need to work on the most.
4. This is a really good exercise to learn how to grow a thick skin. I know your work is your baby, but these critics are a small taste of what's awaiting us in the big bad world of publishing. It provides you some insight into what your agents, publishers and audience are thinking when they first read your work. REMEMBER: You only need one person to be good old no.7 to get published, so don't take what anyone says too badly!
5. Above all -
Don't let what anyone says deter you from writing.
Trust me on this one. Not all of my critiques have been sunshine and rainbows. It depresses me for a little bit, then I get right back on that horse and continue writing.

Don't get the wrong idea, and don't be prepared to be completely slammed by nasty critiques online. It's a wonderful experience for writers, as it can give you the positive boost to keep on going. Just prepare to learn things about your work that you may have never thought to consider.

REMEMBER: You have to give critiques in order to get them, so phrase them in a way that is constructive and helpful. Be honest but not rude; always show respect to your fellow author. We're all struggling and passionate about what we do. Admittedly some writers are better than others but we're all trying to get better, we just need to know where and how if possible.

I do hope you'll consider giving it a go! Please leave a comment to let me know if you've tried, will try, or what your thoughts are about online critiquing forums.

If you're already on Critique Circle let me know - I'll be happy to give your work a read.

Happy writing!

How much is too much Blogging?

Gosh...

I didn't think I'd get into this but I really am.

Blogging is addictive, and I find myself counting the days until I deem it reasonably fit to blog again.

I wouldn't quite say it's a disease or an obsession, but it's definitely an urge and I'm hooked.

I find myself so into it that I can't wait an appropriate amount of days before I can post again. I have about ten or twelve posts already written waiting to be released. Is that sad?

I thought I wouldn't be able to carry out this thing. I had only started it in the first place because I wanted to establish some form of writing platform (see my first blog), but now this thing has become full-blown therapeutic. I get why so many people do it now.

I don't know who's out there interested in this, or who's actually reading it. Apparently there are some - and a big 안녕하세요 to the readers I've randomly attracted in South Korea!

But my question is this: How much blogging is too much blogging?

And now for the continuation of questions -
How often do you blog?
Why do you blog?
How long have you been blogging?
And if you're an unpublished author, do you feel as if blogging is getting you noticed?

Thanks for checking back in with me and following these things. I love the conversation it starts, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

SIDE NOTE: I've seen and written the word 'blog' so many times it now looks funny.
DOUBLE SIDE NOTE: I just realized I'm blogging about blogging. Lost it.

Mood Swings: Why I want to take my pen and stab myself!

Okay, so from about April of this year my writing went into full swing. I opened up the Word program on the laptop and ever since I've been writing everyday.

How obsessed I am with it is starting to alarm me as I've even appointments just to stay home and do it.

I just love writing. I get so lost in it. I start to believe my plots and get angry at my characters for doing things I forced them to do.

Of course what I'm going through in my everyday life affects my writing, but I'm finding that my writing is actually affecting my mood greatly.

I'm a frantic editor. I feel like no matter how much I read and re-read my work I always have some form of mistake or error - or a hundred errors that still appear there no matter how many times I've checked and re-checked! 

Sometimes I absolutely love my work, I adore it. I find what I've written or the idea I've had so compelling I can't stop re-reading it or talking about it to the one person who is closest to me. I love my overall story and concept.

Then I'll start from the beginning and re-read from chapter one. As I'm reading I slowly start to become dejected and suddenly I hate this damn trash I wrote! I go out and read the published work of other authors and feel like my work is a child's finger painting trying to stand out in a world of Picassos.

I have put my novels in a USB, and by now I can't count how many times I've thrown that thing into a cupboard, out a window or across the room. It's even come on a journey with me where I had meant to throw it in a public trash can, but after getting talked of the ledge I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Not only that, but my first novel got scrapped four times before I had the final story that I'm rigorously working on. I wrote 80,000 words then tossed it. 60,000 then deleted it. 100,000 words then started again. The last word count before getting canned was 63,000. Even though I like the shape of how the first novel starts now it still is never good enough! I loved the direction my second book took, but then the third book took the same fate of the first and is on it's third re-write.

I feel mental. I feel like a nut case. I feel like what I'm writing is useless and what I'm doing is hopeless.

Why am I writing this junk? Why am I doomed to be the only person who finds this interesting? Why do I waste so much of my life on it? Why can I not bring myself to stop?

I'm in a negative space right now, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one. How do people deal with this sort of thing, and does anyone have any advice for me?

The Fascination with Fan-Fiction

I don't get it.

Why do people write such mass volumes of fan-fiction?

Okay, maybe I get it a little. When I was fifteen or sixteen I fell so in love with Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind and it's more controversial sequel Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, I then attempted to write a few chapters of what happened next. (If I'm honest with myself Scarlett is just overblown authorized fan-fiction, so I guess I have a love/hate relationship with it).

Don't judge me. Gone with the Wind is awesome, and frankly my dear I don't give a damn who knows it.

JUST TO GET DISTRACTED FOR A SECOND: STUFF CHRISTIAN GREY- I'm still hoping Rhett Butler is real.

But seriously - what makes a person so devoted, that they waste a tonne of time and energy, and then have the courage to post it online?

Now I'm not judging you. Really I'm not. On one hand it's great that the characters authors create inspire so much enthusiasm that their fans simply can't stop thinking about them. There are some authors who don't mind that sort of thing like the legendary J.K. Rowling (so long as it's kept PG). Whereas authors like Raymond Feist and Anne Rice are strongly against it.

Now let's not cry about it - authors aren't mean people who don't appreciate the support of their fans. Considering authors like Feist and Rice have built entire concepts, universes and relationships, the worlds they write in have the potential to expand all the time. It is as if they're writing a story that's never ending, and at the end of the day they have the right to fight fan fiction, as no one else knows their characters better than they do. Could you imagine someone ruining the legendary Lestat? Uh-uh. No thank you.

But fan-fiction is a big monster of a thing. After all, Fifty Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fan-fiction (I've never read the Twilight series but to my shame I have read Fifty Shades). So I am still undecided on whether Twilight was a gift that kept on giving, or whether I should be sorely disturbed that it inspired an erotic romance that made billions.

So what is your opinion on fan-fiction? Waste of time? Or way to keep the characters you love alive?

+Anne Rice +Fifty Shades of Grey +Twilight +Harry Potter +Gone With the Wind