You Potty Mouth: Characters Who Curse

One of the comments I received from one of the judges on my contest entry was that I could lose the curse words--that they are often used as crutches.  Even though no one else had pointed out this issue, I truly took that advice and gave my pages a hard look.  First, because I respect the judge's opinion, but second because I don't want to be an unnecessary potty mouth.

However, here's my quandary: My hero is the lead singer in a rock band--the hard partying, irreverent, flip off the world kind of rock band.  I've been to enough concerts to know those types of guys do not have any qualms about throwing out curse words.  So, in order to capture a realistic voice, I used some cursing (mostly damn, goddamned, but the occasional Sh** and a rare f-bomb, I think there was one in my 25 page entry).  So, I don't have it constantly or anything, but there are times where I feel it's needed.  For example, when he's doing an internal rant or if two of the guys from the band are arguing with each other.  I have a hard time picturing these guys saying darn or heck.

And for the record, in my heroine's POV, there isn't cursing, except for the occasional damn because she's more polite.

So I'm not sure what's more important--making sure I don't offend anyone with language or keeping what I believe is an authentic voice for my hero.  Therefore, I'm throwing out the question to you.


How do you feel about cursing in books (excluding YA books--that's a whole other debate)?  Does it turn you off or is it fine as long as it's appropriate for the voice?  Do your own characters curse?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Dammit (Dirty Edit)" - Blink 182

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

You Look Familiar: Putting Yourself in Your Characters

So everyone's heard the often repeated adage "write what you know."  Most of the time this is referring to writing about topics and settings you're familiar with.  You're a lawyer, so you write a story about a lawyer.  Or, you grew up in the Florida Keys so you write a story that takes place there.  But also, this can mean your characters.

I know I use inspiration from family, friends, and random people I've met in my life to create characters.  I'm sure most of our relatives quake in fear that they are going to pop up in one of our books.  But what about that main character?  My guess is that more often than not, that character has a lot of similarities to YOU, the author. Whether it's done on purpose or just naturally, that MC tends to take on a lot of the author's characteristics.

Don't believe me?  Go make the rounds (if you didn't yesterday) and read some of the excerpts from the Love at First Sight blogfest.  Here's my excerpt if you're interested.

If you've been blogging a while and "know" those particular bloggers personalities, many times you can see those things pop up in their excerpts.  Part of it is author voice.  But the other is that we're writing what we know best--ourselves.

There's many a time I read a book and think to myself--me and this author would get along.  Because I get a feel for the person writing the book through their characters and their writing voice.

But you have to be careful with this.  If your MC in each book is too much like you, then you're left with multiple books that have essentially the same character in them.  Which is okay if you're writing a series, but not so much otherwise.

So think through your MCs and try to keep an eye out for things that keep popping up.  Are all your MCs blonde?  Geeks?  Artistic?  Writers?  Have absent fathers?  Turn to chocolate when stressed?  Whatever.

For instance, I have trouble writing short heroines.  I'm tall (5'9") and have a hard time imagining what it must be like to be "cute and petite."  It's a foreign concept to me.  But I can't make all my MCs tall, it's not realistic.  So that's something I have to work on.

And that doesn't mean you can't put aspects of yourself in each of your characters, but just make sure they aren't the same aspects all the time.

So how much of yourself do you put into your characters?  Do you see themes repeating from one work to the next--which ones?  Have you ever read a book and thought you'd get along with the author?

**Today's Theme Song**

"All of Me" - Buckcherry

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

How to Find Balance Between Character-Driven and Plot-Driven Writing

 Yesterday I talked about character-driven writers and plot-driven writers.  Based on comments it seems we have more character-driven people, but there are a few plotters out there as well.

Now, of course, we all strive to find a balance of both.  The best stories have an engaging plot and memorable characters.  I used the picture above as an example.  Titanic had a major plot driving the characters--that whole ship sinking thing did require a reaction.  However, I still remember Jack and Rose's characters and their personal stories.  And not just because Leo is so darn purty.

But from what I've read, not many of us are going to naturally excel at both sides.  It appears that most writers are going to have a strength in one and have to work at the other because the brains of the character-driven and plot-driven are wired differently.

Character-driven writers tend to be more right-brained and, as a result, are more likely to be pantsers.  They get the spark of the idea and start writing, letting the characters lead the way.  Plot-driven, on the other hand, are more likely to be plotters who outline, chart, and know the conflict and turning points of their story before they put pen to page.  Each of us can learn from the other.

If you are a character-driven pantser...

• Try a very rough version of plotting.  The thought of coming up with a detailed outline gives me hives, so I know that won't work for me.  But it doesn't have to be that detailed.  

• Here's a suggestion from author Liane Gentry Skye:

Start w/ your hook, 2-3 plot turning points, and the ending.  (These can all be one sentence items).  So for an 80k book, up to 20K sets up beginning, 20K marks first turning point, 40K turning second point, 60K final turning point/complication and on to resolution near 80K

• Heidi Willis offers a similar suggestion with a bit more detail.

PercentageMethod

Stage1 (10%) draw reader in, identification with hero

TurningPoint (10%) new opportunity, new journey often followed by MC refusing totake the journey or by into the opportunity

Stage2 (15%) hero reacts, formulates plan

Stage3 (25%) hero is overcoming obstacles

TurningPoint (at the 50% mark) hero must commit, there is no turning back

Stage4 (25%) goal is more visible, stakes are higher

TurningPoint (at 75% mark) Major setback, a do or die moment

Stage5: (15%) Final push; conflict becomes overwhelming, MC must giveeverything; accellerated pace; MC determines his or her own fate.

Stage6: Aftermath, what life are they living now

• And for even more detail of this method, check out this site.

If you can get those major points out of your head and onto paper, this gives you a rough guide of what your characters need to be directed toward.  And it also helps you avoid the following pitfalls of the character-driven, panster:

• Characters who are wonderful but wander around and do a whole lot of nothing besides navel-gazing
• A plot that is flimsy or contrived.
• A plot that is full of holes.

On the other hand, if you are a plot driven writer...

• You need to play therapist with your characters.  If you were their counselor and had them in for a first session, you would first complete a personal history.  Know where your characters have come from.

• And I don't mean their favorite color.  I think those character sheets you can fill out can be great, but they are often surface questions.  You need the deeper stuff.  What were the three defining moments in the character's life that made them who they are?  If they are sarcastic and push people away know why.  If your MC is afraid of dogs, there better be a reason.  

• You don't necessarily need to dump all of their backstory into the book, but you need to know that information so you can know how they will react in certain situations.

• Don't slack on your secondary characters.  You may not need to know them as deeply as your MC (although I try to), but you need to breathe life into them.  Their personal history is that breath.

If you don't do these things, you'll fall into the pitfalls of the plot-driven writer:

• Flat characters
• Stereotypes--bitchy blonde cheerleader, wise old man, quirky best friend, etc.
• Characters who act inconsistently or unrealistically because they are being bent to fit the structured plot
• A story that is exciting but doesn't connect with the reader because they feel no attachment to the MC
• Characters who do not change internally by the end of the story--no emotional arc

Alright, I hope that helps.  I may give the rough plotting a try because I am a hopeless pantser.  Hopefully I don't break out into a rash.  :)

So if you're a pantser, have you attempted an alternative style of plotting?  What works for you?  If you're a plotter (oh how I envy you), how do you make sure your characters are two-dimensional and memorable?
 
 
 
 

**Today's Theme Song**

"I Will Remember You" - Sarah McLachlan

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

Step One: Write a Great Story

I spend a lot of time on here talking about the different things we should look out for in our manuscripts. However, you can have a novel free of adverbs, participial phrases, wordiness, melodrama, and dialogue tags but still fall flat. Why? Because if you haven't written great characters and an interesting story, then all you have is a big stack of nicely edited words.

People often point out all the bestsellers out there that break the simple rules. "Look at all those -ly words! Oh my gosh, dialogue tags all over the place! That plot point would never happen." But what about story? Did their story capture you? Did the characters pull you in? Did the voice reach out and grab you?

Let's take my new favorite show Glee as an example. (Btw, if you're not watching this show, you are so missing out.) Now, I understand that Glee is a satire and many things are done tongue and cheek, but I'm going to look at a few points.

Stereotypical characters:

Mean blonde cheerleader

 

Bullying football player

 

Flamboyant gay guy

 

Outcast heroine

 

Unbelievable plot lines:

• Wife fakes pregnancy and husband doesn't know (i.e. never sees her naked or touches her stomach, doctor plays along with ruse)
• The football players are willing to do the Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance on the field in order to win the game (hilarious, btw).

 

• They allow a thirty something year old woman to come back to HS and join Glee

 

• The counselor agrees to marry the coach but only if they live in separate houses and don't tell anyone.
• The pregnant high schooler finds out the sex of her baby at a 10 week sonogram (my doctor must have been a hack because I couldn't find out until 20 weeks when I was preggers.)
• I would say the Cheerleading coach is beyond belief, but I actually worked with someone who was frighteningly similar, even looked like her. Seriously.

 

So, on the surface, you would look at this and think the show is terrible. But it's not. The characters are lovable, the humor is spot on, and you really care about what happens. And that's what matters most.

So when you get stressed out over the mechanics and nuts and bolts of writing, remember that you are trying to write a great story. Worry about the details after that goal is accomplished.

Can you think of any other examples (books/movies/tv shows) that break the rules but still work? Do you find yourself getting tangled in the mechanics and losing site of your story?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" - Beyonce

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

Character Therapy

Characters are the hearts of our stories. We don't fall in love with plot (usually), we fall in love with the people. So when creating the characters for our stories, we need to pay careful attention to create three-dimensional believable ones. Our characters should have full, rich backstories of why they act the way they do. (Even if this backstory does not make it into the actual book, we need to know it.) If we treat them like real people in our head, then hopefully they will translate as authentic people on the page.

When I start crafting my characters, I often begin with a simple sketch. This usually involves a big circle with the characters name in it, then branching arms as I list their qualities. Very high tech, I know. However, once this is done, I'm only left with a two-dimensional person. Okay, the guy is pig-headed, impatient, paranoid, etc. But why? This is where the work comes in. What made him that way? None of us exist in a vacuum, we are the way we are because of our experiences. So how do you dig deeper and find out?

One day when I was struggling with this, I started rifling through my psyc books from college. Then, I stumbled upon a paperback I bought when I first started interning as a counselor at the college counseling center. I was in panic at the time because I didn't feel prepared to offer people therapy yet, so I started looking for books that would help explain things in layman's terms. A cheat sheet, if you will.

I still feel sorry for those who were subjected to my inexperience during that year. The students knew they were seeing a grad student, but still, I was terrible. My first marriage counseling session with two grad students ended with the guy throwing his wedding ring at his wife (after she admitted to cheating with their roommate) and storming out with a threat of suicide. (I stopped him from leaving with the help of my supervisor, he was alright--although, I wasn't.)

Anyway, I bought the book Think Like a Shrink

to help. (Insert snort at the name--I know.) However, this has now turned out to be an invaluable resource for character backstory building. The chapters are barely a page long and cover the reasons why people act like they do. Some of the title chapters:

 

Those who don't remember their childhood may want to forget it

The ills of the mothers, or fathers, really are visited upon the children

Boundaries define people the way borders define countries

The way people feel about sex is critical to their psychology

Women do not suffer from penis envy nearly as much as men do

Needy people immediately create chaos in relationships

Don Juan had an absent father

An extramarital affair is less important than what led to it

Beware unsolicited denials

We can tell alot about people by the way they say goodbye

What is one the outside is often the exact opposite of what is one the inside

Vain people marry accessories

Those who can't get comfortable in their own skin may claw at others

People regress to earlier behaviors under stress

Doing nothing can be very pushy

I don't agree with everything this guy says. He can be a little Freudian at times, but a lot of it rings true. And anytime I pick it up it gives me great ideas for characters. I highly recommend it.

So what do you do to make your characters three-dimensional? Do you interview them? If so, how do you decide on the answers?

For Love of the Bad Boy

I just recently finished reading Motley Crue: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band . Even though I usually stick to fiction, I picked up the book for a few reasons. One, I'm a big fan of the band. Two, my current WIP's male protagonist is a lead singer in a rock band, so this was helpful research. I'm not going to go into a detailed review. But I'll say that I really enjoyed the book. It was an unapologetic look into the proverbial world of "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll." So, if you like rock music, don't mind an r-rated (nc-17?) book, and can handle the overuse of the word "dude" in the Tommy Lee chapters, then I would say go for it.

But in addition to being a fun read, this book also got me to thinking about bad boys. They show up all the time in fiction, especially in romance and YA. It's one of our favorite alpha male types both in books (and for some of us, real life). After reading this true life account of four seriously bad boys, I started to wonder why we're so drawn to them and why certain bad boys are appealing and others appalling.

The Motley members were drug addicts, womanizers, and, at times, criminals. Yet women flocked to them even before they were famous or rich. Therefore, something about them was inherently appealing.

Then there are guys like Wes on the current season of The Bachelorette. He's considered the bad boy of the show. And based on last night's reunion show, he was wildly unpopular with the female viewing audience (including me.)

So what's the difference? Where is the line between uber hot and uber jerk? What traits make a bad boy sexy instead of scary? When writing, how do we create that delicious bad boy that will make our reader not just swoon but fall in love in with the character?

I think the key probably lies in the character's motivation. Your bad boy can't just be bad for the hell of it, just because he thinks it's cool. (Yes, Wes, I'm looking at you.) You have to explore the reasons why he is the way he is with your back story. He also has to have some crack in the armor that the heroine can pry into and heal. Because, otherwise, why are we reading?

Since the Motley Crue guys maintained their appeal (in my mind) even after wildly egregious acts, I'll use them as an example of some appealing types of bad boys. (I'm leaving Mick out because he is not an alpha male.)

The "I've always been pretty" bad boy (Vince Neil, lead singer): This is the bad boy who knows he's hot. Girls have always liked him. Attention has come easily. He can get whomever he wants, which can make things boring for him. It can also lead to going through girls like they're disposable. He's not used to being told no.

Crack: He ain't that confident. Sure, he knows he looks good, but he's not convinced the person underneath the looks is all that great.

Other Examples: Eric in the Sookie Stackhouse books (a personal fave of mine), Keenan in Wicked Lovely, Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life (to pull out an old 90s reference)

What he needs: A heroine that isn't afraid to knock him down off that pedestal and challenge him.

 

The "Up for anything" wild child (Tommy Lee): This guy appears to have no fear or impulse control. Seeks thrills and fun at all times. He's ruled by the Id. Doesn't take anything seriously including silly things like rules, laws, or social mores. Sees relationships as something that would hold him back from thrill-seeking.

Examples: Jules in Erica Orloff's Freudian Slip (who is basically a good-looking version of Howard Stern), Barney on How I Met Your Mother (although his thrill seeking is limited to women)

Crack: He's actually a sucker for long-term relationships. He's so passionate about everything in his life, that when he finds the right girl, he will give himself over completely to love. Tommy Lee turned lovesick both with Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson.

What he needs: Someone that can keep up with him, but is also a calming force. A heroine who incites enough passion in him that he seeks thrills with her instead of separate from her.

 

The Wounded Soul (Nikki Sixx): This is my favorite to write and read about. This guy's motto is "get them before they get me". He's been hurt deeply somewhere along the way, and now has locked away all true feelings from others. He's easily angered and shuts down when anyone gets close. He can be the most formidable of bad boys because he doesn't care enough about himself to avoid danger.

Examples: Julian in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Fantasy Lover, Edward in Twilight, Jace in City of Bones, Wrath in J.R. Ward's Dark Lover, Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing

 

Crack: He feels unworthy of genuine love. Nikki Sixx was abandoned by both his parents early on. So later, when people in his life showed him love, he didn't believe them. He'd push them away before he had a chance to care.

What he needs: A super tough girl that can push through that seemingly impenetrable wall. A woman that will call him out on his crap and not be intimidated by his flashes of anger. A woman that will love him fiercely.

So there's my theory. The only bad boys worth writing are the ones that offer a challenge, but that can ultimately evolve. We don't just want to read about the bad boy being bad, we want to see his character heal and reform so that he can keep the good parts (fun, attitude, touch of danger, daring) while taming the undesirable parts (lying, cheating, illegal behavior, etc.).

So, what's your opinion? Do you like a bad boy character or do you think they're overused? What makes you like one better over the other? Who's your favorite bad boy?