The Intersection of Good Storytelling - Latest BRP Article

In my latest Blood-Red Pencil commentary, I talk about storytelling and the importance of developing a good plot and good depth for the story. I call these Horizontal Road and Vertical Road, respectively. Check out the commentary here, and leave comments!

GREAT CHARACTER with Author Edward Dean Arnold

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Our next author chose a rather unique way to pitch his novel to top literary agents and though unconventional, landed one (which you can read about here: author Edward Dean Arnold!











Reminiscent of The Best Man, with the solid, sexy, urban style of Love Jones, Lovin' Mrs. Jones is a romantic drama filled with regret, betrayal, and irreversible outcomes. It explores what happens when you finally meet the love that is really meant for you...but you've already said "I do" to another. What do you do?

Meet Gabriel Washington. To all who know him, he has his act together -- financially secure, spiritually grounded, and he's just five days away from marrying his college sweetheart, Tracee Andrews. Despite her sharp tongue and sometimes manipulative ways, Tracee represents everything any sane man would want in a woman - ambitious, stunning, and has a gorgeous figure that intimidates the most confident of men. But as Gabriel will discover, the appearance of having everything is sometimes not enough when it comes to love, and definitely can fall short when it comes to being in love. So when this soon-to-be groom meets Alexandria Jones, a soft-spoken woman whose marriage to her husband just happens to be on shaky ground, a mutual, irresistible attraction will quickly transform Gabriel into a reluctant brotha just days prior to when he should be saying "I do".

At a time when things are seemingly perfect on the outside, Gabriel is conflicted on the inside whether it's worth risking a future he's somewhat certain of in exchange for a moment that may hold no promise. He will find out that falling for a married woman in the midst of her own marital breakdown comes with serious consequences. Falling for her on the week of his wedding, well...creates even more drama than he can imagine for an already complicated situation. Add to the mix Gabriel's not so innocent bride-to-be, Tracee, who has a few hidden skeletons of her own and Alexandria's husband, Lionel, who has been secretly covering up his ultimate betrayal for years. But it's only a matter of time before all secrets are revealed and lives are taken on a rollercoaster ride and turned upside down in more ways than one. And in the process, both will leave you personally invested in their lives and the choices they make beyond "The End".


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now and check out Edward's insightful thoughts on great characters, and read an excerpt from Lovin' Mrs. Jones! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!


And here's a [permalink] of the feature!

GREAT CHARACTER with Author Samara King

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Kicking off March's GREAT CHARACTER series is an author I'm proud to call a sister. With every story she writes, she brings sassy, sexy, sensual characters to the forefront--and it doesn't hurt that she's an excellent poet to boot, author Samara King!








A masked lover
A year ago, Club Reign owner, Belinda Gilles threw the first Grown & Sexy Masquerade Ball without a hitch – that was until she encountered a masked man whose touch made her forget about her past. Did she dare to believe that her masked lover would show his face again?

What lies beneath…
When Jordan Harris discovers that Belle is the woman he encountered under the mask a year ago, he sets out to make her his, even if it means opening old wounds she’d vowed to never forgive him for.


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now to read Samara's thoughts on great characters, and delight in the tasty treat she offers in an excerpt of Hot to the Touch! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

And here's a [permalink] of the feature!

Building Character

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, there are over twenty definitions of “character.” Here is one that is particularly important to us writers: “the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.”

Throughout the course of a story, your character [main character(s)] will undergo change(s), and it is through his/her features and traits (the things that make up the character) and his/her actions and speech that will illustrate the change(s) for the reader.

What do you know about your characters? Hopefully more than what’s in the book or books your readers devour! As creator, we should know our characters inside and out. Their fears, their desires, their likes and dislikes, everything. Of course, we don’t put all of these things into our books because readers would cry with boredom, and we would never get to the point of the book – the actual STORY. When we know from which our characters come, it helps us to develop strong, complex, well developed characters that readers can read about and say, “Man, that character is so real. I know a person just like that.”

The first thing to ask yourself is: Who are my main characters? These characters will be “round” and “dynamic”, meaning these characters are complex, realistic. These are the character we care deeply about – we want to see them succeed (or fail if they are despicable characters…or change if they are despicable characters). There is a depth to their personalities that is reflective to how we live in the real world. They are not perfect; they are flawed, and we often see those flaws. They have conflicts, and sometimes, they do not make the best decisions on how to handle those conflicts. These characters make massive changes from the beginning of the story to the end. As the writer of these main characters, of these “round” and “dynamic” characters; you have to think about them in the physical, mental, and emotional realms – what do they look like, what do they think, what do they feel, and how do knowing these things help to develop the character and (PLEASE REMEMBER) to move the story’s plot along? Why do I stress the story’s plot here? Because – as I stated earlier – it’s not necessary to know every nuance of how a character looks, nor is it important to know every dirty secret in your character’s closet. What’s important is the realness of the character…as he/she relates to the story being told.

The second thing to ask yourself is: Who are my minor characters? These characters, oftentimes, will be more “flat” and “static” than the main characters. This doesn’t mean that minor characters should not have detailed, rich characteristics. It does mean that they typically have fewer traits from which to characterize them by; therefore, they won’t be as complex as our main characters – they won’t be the ones we are flipping the pages for to get to the end of the story. This also does not mean minor characters should be stereotypical or “stock” – you don’t need a Latina who is always loud and wisecracking, you don’t need a sistahgirl who knows how to pop her neck and get down with the getdown, and you don’t need a gay best friend who always snaps his fingers and says the most insanely inappropriate yet “right” things. We know that stereotypes have some basis in reality; however, readers want to feel that your characters – all of your characters – are integral and organic to YOUR story. Ultimately, minor characters, typically, do not undergo major changes in their lives; they are there to support the main character’s endeavors.

If you already have a completed novel, it’s a good idea to read your novel for character development. Pinpoint your main characters and minor characters. Analyze their development – do we see the physical, mental, emotional components of your main characters? Are these components tied to the story’s plot and not just added just to be there? Are your minor characters as developed as the minor characters? If they are and they are not undergoing significant change in the novel, consider cutting some of the development. Does a minor character sound stereotypical? Consider revising the character’s personality and give him/her a unique trait.

If you haven’t written the novel yet, or if you’re in the developmental stages of the novel, then consider sketching out your characters.

Usually, at some point in the writing process, I write dossiers for my main characters. I tend to do them like “job applications” – name, age, sex, weight, height, eye color, glasses, fears, favorite colors, parents, education, friends, biggest disappointments, desires…etc… One thing I love to ask about my characters is WHAT DID YOUR CHARACTER DO “JUST” BEFORE THE START OF THE STORY. By answering that question, the character becomes “alive” before the start…as if he or she had always been there.

An example of a character sketch chart can be found at The Scriptorium E-Zine for Writers [http://www.thescriptorium.net/sketch.html]. I have used this sketch for years to develop my characters.

Remember, characters are vital to your story; they ARE the story. Without them there, who can a reader cling to, support, love, rally behind?

Writing in 140: Connecting with Characters

Featuring guest star, author Miki Starr Martin [website].

Shon: How do you connect with your characters?

Miki: I become the characters. They’re not external beings for me. I’m not an observer writing things that I see. It’s like acting. An actor/actress becomes the part they are playing and so it becomes real for them, the emotions, reactions, gestures. In the moment of telling the story, it IS my reality. How do you connect?

Shon: I work on character dossiers. A dossier may have images of what the character looks like, the car she drives, the house she lives in, siblings, parents, etc. I write about where the character was just before a story begins, her fears, joys, memorable moments, morals, etc. Sometimes, I jump into a story without these things, but I always find myself coming back to develop dossiers.

How do you connect with your characters?

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Writing in 140 is my attempt to say something somewhat relevant about writing in 140 words or less.