What comes first, characters or plot?

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I’m a characters-first kind of gal. My protagonist will sort of jump into my head and demand to be heard. I usually have a strong sense of his/her personality and voice. I know who they are and who I want them to become.

Soon after, the protagonist will reveal his/her love interest, family, and friends. At this early stage in the developmental process, the character may or may not be attached to a particular story. This could mean I don’t yet know what he/she wants more than anything in the world (which I determined in my last post is a fairly important thing to know!).

I like to come up with the “fun stuff” first. (I think it’s “fun stuff,” but I’d be curious to know what you think!). This is physical appearance, age, hobbies, relationships with other characters.

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*A peek at my secret Pinterest inspiration board.

Needless to say, I tend to get a little carried away when it comes to relationship dynamics. The tension/attraction between my protagonist and his/her love interest is always especially interesting. 😉

Sometimes I get too caught up in creating the cliche/stereotypical relationships we see all over the place – twins separated at birth, best friends who are secretly related, a seemingly dead parent who is actually alive, the villain is revealed to be my protagonist’s father. (Seriously, coming up with this convoluted stuff is my guilty pleasure.)

Plot, unfortunately, is not quite as easy.

For those of us who create characters first, how do we get from life-like characters to a plot that drives the story?

The answer, I think, is more eloquently stated by S. Jae-Jones (JJ) over at PubCrawl in this awesome article about turning an idea into a novel.

She also tends to start with character (sometimes it’s nice to know we’re not alone!), and she writes about separating your “story seeds” into three categories: Character, Premise, and Plot. You’ve got to identify which of these three you’re missing.

In my last post, I wrote about the necessity of your character’s greatest desire/goal, and it’s direct effect on the conflict of the story. I also wrote about my frustration over realizing I didn’t know The Point of my story. (I’ve capitalized it here like JJ capitalized it in her article.)

She described the feeling like this:

For years, I lived with these characters; I knew their backstories, their histories, their futures, but what I did not know was The Point. Essentially, I didn’t know why other people should care about these characters. They didn’t have any purpose…

Sometimes all it takes is more brainstorming. Sleep on it. Free write. Combine two or more ideas and see what happens. (This is what ultimately worked for me!)

 

So you tell me – what comes first for you? How do you round up the other story elements? Share your thoughts! Let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to address about this process. 

 

Brooke Reviews: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Where to start with this book?? First of all, I was crazy excited that Ally Carter was writing a new series. I’m a huge fan of the Gallagher Girls, and I love Heist Society. I hoped that, even with different characters and a different premise, Embassy Row might carry on in the same vein.

But All Fall Down is NOT Gallagher Girls or Heist Society, and Grace Blakely is NOT Cammie or Kat. Grace is a more serious, emotionally unstable character. And this first book is very much about Grace’s mental health and her need to come to terms with her mother’s death. For this reason, I couldn’t entirely connect with her character. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like her. As a reader, I’m sympathetic to Grace and rooting for her from start to finish. Nobody believes her – she’s the girl who cried ‘wolf’ – and I’m anxious for her to prove herself.

I didn’t feel particularly grounded in the story-world, either, but it’s something I’m willing to forgive because I appreciated that Grace’s character received more development and attention. I love the supporting characters, Grace’s friends Noah, Rosie, and Megan. And I liked the storybook-villain-feel the “Scarred Man” gave to the book. There’s political intrigue and mystery and hints of future romance.

I thought the ending was great, and there’s definite promise for an even better sequel.

 

Have you read this novel? Share your thoughts! *Also, I’m using a new plugin for my book reviews called the Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin, which I’m still learning to use but think is quite awesome. What do you think?

 

Top 10 Tuesday: Books I’ve Recently Added to My TBR List

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I’ve just added these books to my TBR list within the past two weeks (or so) – after going on a Goodreads spree, stalking everyone else’s bookshelves. 🙂 And one of the (many) things I love about the online book blogging community is the recommendations. I really enjoy reading reviews, and they often influence my reading decisions. So many books, so little time, am I right? So it’s my pleasure to reference the reviews that encouraged me to add the following books to my TBR list.

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1. Stitching Snow by R.C. LewisOct. 14, 2014 – Read a great review by Shae Lit, AND it’s a fairy-tale retelling. *score*

2. Princess of Thorns by Stacey JayDec. 9, 2014 – Has pretty high star ratings from my Goodreads friends, which means it definitely has promise.

3. Love, Lucy by April LindnerJan. 27, 2015 – I generally enjoy books about traveling – and falling in love. *winks*

4. The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) by Maggie HallJan. 13, 2015 – Stumbled across this book on Goodreads and realized I’d seen it at my local library. So obviously that’s a sign?

5. The Memory Key by Liana LiuMarch 3, 2015

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6. The Start of Me and You by Emery LordMarch 31, 2015 – I really enjoyed Open Road Summer, and I recently read a great review by Awkwordly Emma.

7. Lies I Told (Lies I Told #1) by Michelle ZinkApril 7, 2015

8. Becoming Jinn (Becoming Jinn #1) by Lori GoldsteinApril 21, 2015 – Received a 4-star review from Taylor Lynn, and I’m looking forward to her review for her thoughts.

9. The Game of Love and Death by Martha BrockenbroughApril 28, 2015

10. The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee AhdiehMay 12, 2015

 

Have you read these novels? Share your thoughts! What books have you recently added to your TBR list? 

 

I thought I had an IDEA. I didn’t.

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My last post was an open letter to readers about my new series of blog posts, chronicling my journey to write the first draft of a new novel.

I have an idea.

This is what having a new idea feels like:

My idea is not quite as original as Emmet’s double-decker couch. *Sigh.*

As many of us know, an “idea” is just not enough. But we’ve got to start somewhere, right? And it’s that seed of an idea – a “what if?” question, a character, a unique setting – that inspires a story.

So I have an idea. When it came to me, I immediately wrote it down – just took some quick notes about the characters who popped into my head and what I knew about them thus far. It really wasn’t much. But my interest was piqued, and I knew this was something I’d like to give more thought.

*Tangent – For me, characters come first. (I’ll be writing about this in my next post!) I’ve realized it’s better to wait, to hash out more of the details, before I put my fingers to the keyboard. Because unfortunately, everything else, including the plot/conflict and the story world, is incredibly vague at this point.

The Notebook.

When I realized I wanted this idea to be my next novel, I decided it needed it’s own notebook. I’ve tried to keep my notes about WIPs in my idea journal, but it just doesn’t work. I like to have everything in one place – so why not designate a separate notebook to the idea with potential?

(I take notes/outline/brainstorm on paper. I draft on the computer.)

And since then, anything/everything related to this idea has made it’s way into the Notebook. (It shall be capitalized from here on out, to emphasize it’s immense importance in this endeavor.) Also, I’ve spent way too much time on Pinterest creating a secret inspiration board. *This is procrastination at its finest, my friends.

The frustration.

I soon came to a realization. I had to admit that the story I’d been so excited about didn’t actually have a point, and this was embarrassing. I didn’t even have an antagonist.

It’s really frustrating to think you have something and then realize you actually don’t. And this feeling of frustration was even greater for me, because this same problem was the reason I reached 30,000 words in my previous WIP and then shelved it. I didn’t even finish, because I realized I didn’t have a plot, and the plot should have been established before I ever started writing.

This is not to say you’ll have everything all figured out before you begin a first draft. But I strongly believe there are important structural elements you should know before setting fingers to the keyboard.

Is my idea solid enough to move forward?

So here’s the thing – you’ve got to know if your idea is workable. I struggled, for a while, figuring out what this meant. How would I know my idea was solid enough to move forward?

Here’s the decision I came to:

  • I must know what my protagonist WANTS (more than anything in the world!).
  • I must know what my antagonist WANTS (more than anything in the world!).
    ^These desires should be at odds. This creates conflict!

And if you have at least one of these two elements, it becomes easier to establish the other.

I realize this is a gross simplification of all the elements that make up a story. But if I can’t answer the questions “What does my protagonist want?” and “What does my antagonist want?” with more brainstorming, it’s probably a sign I shouldn’t be moving forward.

(P.S. I didn’t come up with that on my own! Some very helpful writer friends hammered it into my head, so I thought I’d pass along the favor.)

I’ll expand on this in my next post! Please share your thoughts and let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to address. Until next time!

 

Top 10 Tuesday: Books From Childhood

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I am NOT a rereader, but these are the books I lovingly pull out every now and then to skim and to dive back into my favorite scenes. I am quite happy to give them the recognition they deserve!

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1. Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace – My grandmother gave me this book. 🙂

2. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

3. Nancy Drew series by Carolyn KeeneI’ve read every single one!

4. The Anybodies by N.E. Bode

5. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

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6. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley PearsonFantastic prequel to Peter Pan. 

7. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

8. Artemis Fowl series by Eoin ColferThe antagonist (villainous boy genius) becomes the protagonist, and it was great. 

9. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

10. Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter – Confirmed all my secret suspicions that I have what it takes to be a spy.

Blog Series: Writing a New Novel

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DEAR BLOGGER FRIENDS,

I’m writing a new book!

I would tell you what it’s about, but I’m in the very early stages, and to be quite honest, I’m not entirely sure yet myself.

But I’d love to share the journey with you. I’ve read several blogs which have done something similar, so this isn’t an original idea or anything, but I’m not necessarily trying to be original with this new blog series. My goal, actually, is to solicit your help.

I haven’t finished a writing project in a long time. Fear has held me back – I’m a perfectionist, and I’m not a huge fan of failure.

But I’m ready to break some barriers. And I think, with a little accountability, I can finish the first draft. At this point, it’s really just about spewing the words on the page so I actually have something to work with. I think you know what I mean.

And my secondary purpose in blogging about the step-by-step process of drafting this book is to keep a record of what’s working and what isn’t. I am going to be completely honest about every success and every setback. I’ll reference all the resources I’m using to tackle this project.

Hopefully, when it’s done, I’ll have something to come back to when I take on a new project. Because even the best of us know that the fear can creep back in even after a completed third, fourth, fifth, or even sixth novel.

I’m excited, and I hope you are, too. I’m not entirely sure where this is going to take us, but I’ve decided to embrace the unpredictability of it all.

If you have ideas or suggestions, I’d really love to hear them. Leave a comment, shoot me an email, or reach out to me via social media! Also, if you have questions you’d like me to tackle, I say bring it on. I’m totally willing to try new things and let you know how it goes – anything to reach ‘the end’ of this first draft.

So it’s a little ambitious, as I’m not quite as fast as some of my other writer friends, but my goal is to finish the first draft by May 1. Let’s do this!

Top 10 Tuesday: My Spring TBR List

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

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1. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall – This book has all my favorite things – secret societies, conspiracy, romance 🙂

2. All Fall Down by Ally Carter – So excited for this new series by Ally Carter! I’m a huge Gallagher Girls fan, so I’m hoping I’ll fall in love with Grace’s story just as I did Cammie’s.

3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer – The surprise twist to the futuristic fairy-tale-retelling series? The villain’s story? Sign me up.

4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

5. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski – Currently reading! The Winner’s Curse was my first read of 2015, and it’s a new favorite.

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6. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins – April 7

7. Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik – April 21

8. Rogue by Julie Kagawa – April 28 – Just finished reading Talon, so I’m glad the wait for book 2 is short!

9. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – April 28

10. Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart – May 5 – Looking forward to reading this ARC! I’ve really enjoyed the other books in the If Only series.

 

Have you read these books? Thoughts?? Reading recommendations to add to my ever-growing TBR pile?

Brooke Reviews: Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas

Top Ten Clues You're CluelessTop Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my word, I loved this book. *squeal*

 

Summary:
Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day
5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market
4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi
3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm
2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)
1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees— of stealing upwards of $10,000
Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

Top Ten Clues is original and fresh and funny. The events of the novel take place over the course of a day (Christmas Eve!) in a grocery store. How’s that for an interesting setting? And it was believable, too. I’ve never worked in a grocery store but Chloe’s experience felt real for me – the monotony of bagging groceries and working the cash register, being polite despite the weird customers, etc.

Chloe is totally quirky – but in a completely relatable way. (Her awkward moments = my awkward moments.) Her lists actually made me laugh out loud.

The book is largely about her relationship with her coworkers, and their developing friendship (and maybe something more with one coworker in particular *wink, wink*). After they’re accused of stealing donation money, they’re forced to stay after closing and thus spend a good bit of quality time together.

And so they learn ALL sorts of things about each other. The stereotypes are revoked.

There’s a good bit of diversity in this book, and it actually becomes a topic of conversation for the characters. But it isn’t forced or exaggerated – in other words, there isn’t diversity just for the sake of diversity.

I liked that this book is sort of like a mystery novel – there’s the anticipation of waiting for something to go wrong, and several subtle clues, and then the characters’ attempt to solve the case and clear their names. (Chloe is a fan of mystery novels and identifies with Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars. To which I say, you go girl, because you’d be hard-pressed to find role models less impressive than those two.)

OVERALL – I really, really enjoyed this book. I give this book a free pass to jump to the top of your TBR pile.

View all my reviews

 

If you’ve read this novel, share your thoughts! What was your favorite of Chloe’s lists?? 

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Heroines

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 

As I could go ON and ON about my favorite heroines, I’ve chosen instead to keep it short and sweet. I will describe each of these impressive young ladies with just ONE WORD – GO!

 

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1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) – INTELLIGENT.

2. Luxa (Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins) – BRAVE.

3. Tessa (Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare) – THOUGHTFUL.

4. Katsa (Graceling by Kristin Cashore) – SELFLESS.

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5. Liesel (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak) – CLEVER.

6. Sydney Sage (Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead) – RESILIENT.

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7. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) – RESOURCEFUL.

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8. Cress (Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) – SWEET.

9. Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater) – LOYAL.

10. Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas) – FIERCE.

 

What words would you use to describe these heroines? Who are your favorite female characters? 

Top 10 Tuesday: What I Like/Dislike About Bookish Romance

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

LIKES

1. Slow build / friends first

Realistically, you have to get to know someone before you fall in love with them. It’s just unrealistic when two characters fall head-over-heels in love over the course of a day. I want to see the attraction build! I want to see the friendship grow into something more!

Ex.) Graceling by Kristin Cashore – Katsa & Po

2. Honesty / communication

I really appreciate it when characters communicate with one another, especially when they’re honest about their feelings. This is not to say they don’t have misunderstandings and get frustrated with one another, it’s just that their obstacles are not a result of miscommunication.

3. Witty banter

*SWOON.* I love the witty banter between love interests. I will actually giggle aloud when the back-and-forth begins.

Ex.) The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (She is the master of witty banter)

4. Opposites attract

I think it’s adorable when characters balance each other out – their personalities are complementary. I’m not talking about characters that have nothing in common. I’m talking about characters who have something to learn from one another.

Ex.) Best example of this is Hermione & Ron (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)!

5. Love triangles

LET ME EXPLAIN! (If you scroll down you’ll see that I also have this listed as a ‘dislike.’) I don’t mind love triangles when they’re done right. I always think it’s interesting when a character thinks he/she is in love with someone, but realizes later they’ve actually fallen for someone else. I think love triangles work when the characters actually make a decision in the end – none of that indecisive stuff.

Ex.) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Celaena & Chaol & Dorian

DISLIKES

6. Insta-love

I don’t even think this needs an explanation. But if you really want one, I encourage you to take a look at ANY other TTT post, because I assure you it’s there. 😉

7. Assumptions / excuses

Miscommunication, GAH! When a character sees his/her love interest in the school library whispering with someone else and thinks they’re cheating but refuses to talk to him/her about it. And then avoids love interest for a week and gives some dumb excuse. (Turns out it was actually the love interest’s COUSIN, who randomly arrived in town only minutes before.)

8. Author gimmicks

The characters have fallen in love and have expressed their feelings for one another – but there are still 30 pages left! And there must be one last obstacle – a reason they absolutely CAN’T be together! No. Please, no. This is just a gimmick.

9. Jealousy

Jealousy is a very common human emotion. Sometimes we just can’t help it. But it’s not attractive.

10. Love triangles

It can be tacky when it isn’t done well. When a character can’t make up his/her mind, I want to bang my head against the wall.