#IWSG July 1st Post Character Traits
My News
Stormdance Publications News: So far we are on schedule to publish Grumpy Old Gods Volume 2 end of July. We have started the selection process for Grumpy Old Gods Volume 3 Halloween Edition.
We have plans to post calls for submissions for Grumpy Old Gods Volume 5 Cupid-Grumpy or Anti-Valentine and Grumpy Old Gods Volume 6 Grumpy Trickster Gods around November 2019 to publish in February and April 2020.
I am doing Camp July NaNoNoWriMo 2019. I am writing as many short stories and flash fiction as I can manage. One completed so far.
OPEN CALL
SPECULATIVE FICTION AUTHORS
Next
Blog Hop
July 31st, 2019 (Wed.)
LINKS DUE July 26th
RULES & GUIDELINES
STORYTIME QUARTERLY BLOG HOP
JANUARY, APRIL, JULY & OCTOBER
It’s a summer writing party!
“This 3-month writing event that will let participants use any of Holly’s paid or free classes or workshops, as well as any of the free PDF workshops Holly has on her personal site.” Set your own goals and pick the events you are most interested in. Find out more here.
July starts the second month but you can still join and participate anytime during this three month period.
INSECURE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP
FOUNDED BY
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
IWSG Description from their Newsletter: A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG
Website / Facebook Group / Twitter / Book Club
Twitter is @TheIWSG Hashtag: #IWSG
Co-Hosts:
Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!
OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question:
What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?
Sometimes my characters have similar likes like me. Or, they have the traits I wish I had. I tend to relate to them on an emotional level sometimes in what makes them tick. The deeper and darker workings.
If I get too close or similar to the character I shut down and can’t write them at all so I avoid that by making them what I would like to be rather than like me. Or I like to write cute characters which aren’t so much like me, but they come from a place I connect with, e.g. I love animals, and babies, and people with quirky characteristics. Maybe they are like me, don’t know.
ADDENDUM: I visited Pat Garcia’s blog and she got me to thinking about the question better. I don’t know why did think of it yesterday, duh.
MY Answer to Pat and expansion on my answer here: Well, I can say probably the faults of my character for the most part come for me, lol. Now that you made me really think about it, their loyalty, sometimes the I’m game if you’re game attitude, their deep attachments, and love.
Which is why I have such a hard time making my bad guy stay bad cause I forgive him, lol, and help him to be better<–that has me ROTFL @ self, but that is too true. Not sure why I did not think of that when answering the question.
Ways to figure out and find character traits: I wrote a post about using Astrology and personality tests to discover characters traits and conflict for your characters. I use astrology and other personality tools to create characters with more rounded characteristics. Any basic astrology site works and there are a lot of free sites, and they usually have articles explaining other aspects of the Zodiac too. Astrology Answers is one for easy access.
Just for fun. My personal stuff is as follows: My astrological sign Sun Sign is Sagittarius. Myers-Briggs I test INFP. The Color Code, My color test Blue. The Archetypes. You have three types each in percentages. You can find mine in the article.
My article: Using Astrology to Create Characters There is a bonus cheat sheet at the end of the article.
Insecure ANGST:
I worry about making my writing interesting, telling a good story. I worry about structure, beginning, middle, and end. I worry about creating a great hook. I worry am I starting the story too soon or too late and so on. I realized I have started worrying about that stuff too much and letting it steal the joy of writing from me. Sometimes all the rules can be intimidating.
So I have started trying to focus on just getting the best story told first time out, and worry about the rest later. I go through periods when I get over stressing over it, and then boom, it’s back. This kind of worry has a yo-yo cycle. It has been a little better lately.
Guidelines & Rules:
Word count: 3500-5000
Genre: Middle Grade Historical – Adventure/Fantasy
Theme: Voyagers
Submissions accepted: May 1 – September 4, 2019
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.
The next #IWSGPit will be in January 15, 2020
8:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 15, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.
Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch – it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.
Our book selection for June/July is:
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
This book was voted on by our members as a great example of Dialogue. The discussion will start July 24th and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you’re able.
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHTS
Do you love Dragons? Check out Riders of Fire Series by Eileen Mueller
WANT TO BE A FEATURED GUEST IN MY AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT?
Author Spotlight Guidelines
LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP
July 31, 2019 @ 09:21
Grumpy Old Gods anthology series is growing! Congrats!
I had to pop by, even though I’m rather late… ? love the energy here at your place…
July 16, 2019 @ 20:02
Wow! Congrats on all the upcoming Grumpy Old Gods anthologies. My main characters tend to be me or an earlier me/the way I used to think/be.
July 8, 2019 @ 01:28
I like your idea of giving your characters traits you wish you had, though that does risk making them too perfect (I mean, I’d like to be perfect…). I also think your list of worries is about spot-on. We all worry about those things, and we should!
July 6, 2019 @ 17:50
In a way those worries are good. They mean you won’t put out something that could be better. It means you care. It’s just we have to remind ourselves to write that ugly first draft without worries because anything can and will be fixed later.
July 6, 2019 @ 10:56
Ooo…thanks for the Episode 21 announcement! 😀
I can’t remember if I replied to your post about using astrology to help create your characters. I used to do that as well! I don’t remember why I stopped and now I have a whole new way of working it out, but at the start doing it that way made it so much easier.
July 5, 2019 @ 11:43
I have trouble making my villains too evil, probably because I don’t know any people evil enough to be a guide. So I tend to just make them misguided instead of truly evil. Glad you’re keeping busy.
July 5, 2019 @ 08:24
Focusing too much on the writing “rules” at the start of creating the story totally paralyzes me. Sure, we need the rules but not until later. 🙂
Good luck with Camp!
July 5, 2019 @ 06:59
I haven’t thought about this month’s question like that, either. Quite interesting. Congrats on working on various short stories during Camp Nano — and good luck! And thanks for the shout-out 🙂
July 5, 2019 @ 06:51
Thanks for dropping by my blog! Your ideas on how to give your characters more personality, individuality were great. I never would have thought to use astrology!
July 4, 2019 @ 21:52
I like how you take your own traits and then change them to create characters, similar, but different from you.
July 4, 2019 @ 18:58
That’s a lot of worries. But I think all writers have every one of them. I just started writing a new book today, and I’m thinking, “this is boring as hell.” But I know that it will be fixed during the rewrite. LOL.
July 4, 2019 @ 18:45
I can relate to that yo-yo cycle. It can definitely drive anyone crazy. I am trying too to just focus on getting the story down and leaving the rest until later. So far, so good.
Good luck with Camp NaNo! I hope you get lots of stories done.
July 4, 2019 @ 12:22
I tend towards giving characters traits I would like to have, also. I do not, however, have any trouble writing bad guys/gals. I always give them the opportunity to choose good, but many do not.
The worries you’ve laid out are what paralyze so many writers from making any progress. I spent far too many years writing the same three-four chapters over and over. And switching from one project to another. I’ve finally forced myself to just keep writing the first draft through to the end, and deal with the technicalities later. No worrying about the perfect first sentence until I’ve written ‘the end.’
July 4, 2019 @ 13:28
Thank you. I know that is great advice if I can convince myself to just do it. I am getting through short stories somewhat. Thanks for visiting.
July 3, 2019 @ 22:27
I think what you said at the beginning of your post shows how much synergy plays into the way we think and the way we change. Reading another post that set you to thinking shows how effective this kind of exchange can be.
July 4, 2019 @ 11:43
Definitely. Good point.
July 3, 2019 @ 22:10
I try to get the bones down of the story and barrel right through it without thinking about anything else, but the story. But….I get side-tracked every time and start thinking about the character’s reactions and if they’re right. But then again, once I get to the end of the story, I’ll know for sure if the emotions and reactions are true. It’s a Catch 22. I like your idea of writing as many short stories as you can at camp in July! Best wishes for success in that project!!
JQ Rose
July 4, 2019 @ 11:42
Thank you.
July 3, 2019 @ 19:41
I have a feeling you are too hard on yourself. You have some very good qualities. Kindness is one of them. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
July 4, 2019 @ 11:40
Ah… thank you. HUGS
July 3, 2019 @ 15:21
I hear ya about the worries. We can get mired in them, for sure.
I also try to help the villain sometimes. At least I try to give the villain a plausible backstory for his or her naughtiness.
July 3, 2019 @ 16:25
LOL, I have to watch out or my villain will take over the story. as the protagonist.
July 3, 2019 @ 13:47
Good luck with camp. Usually avoid camp because something always seems to go wrong during that time for me. It’s like I’m jinxed.
I’m always worrying too. That it’s crap, boring, etc. But a little praise helps to get out of my head and see that maybe it’s not as crappy or boring as I thought.
July 3, 2019 @ 16:24
Thank you. Yeah the more I know how it works the more I worry it doesn’t work or is crap as you say. Thanks for visiting.
July 3, 2019 @ 12:57
I agree with all your worries, Juneta. It was almost nicer when I didn’t know what I was doing, thought whatever I wrote was wonderful. And then I got schooled.
July 3, 2019 @ 13:02
Right, lol, Exactly, that is the crux of the matter.
July 3, 2019 @ 12:50
I just get the story on the page and take care of all that in editing. Otherwise I’d go nuts with anxiety.
July 3, 2019 @ 13:01
I try to do that but does not always work out for me, lol.
July 3, 2019 @ 12:34
Hi,
You are busy and it sounds like you are happy being busy.
As for your characters, I get the feeling that you have them just as you want to have them and that is what counts. Being true to yourself is being true to your characters also.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
July 3, 2019 @ 12:49
I do like when I have something going writing-wise. I do. I can get attached to them like old friends. I have one I have been writing since 2000 that has been redone for stories yet is essentially that same character. Yes, you said it well, being true to yourself. Honest for you and honest for your character until that is a trait that needs to change cause he is the opposition or villain. Shalom Aleichem
July 3, 2019 @ 10:42
I worry too – in circles!
What about Grumpy old gods vol 4?
I nearly had something for 3, but was having serious trouble laying down the first draft and had to leave it in the end. Maybe I’ll have better luck if I come back to it for vol 5 or 6!
July 3, 2019 @ 11:04
I am going to PM you on Holly’s site or contact you on your blog about GOG4 soon. I always love to see your stories. I hope you are planning on doing Storytime July 31st too. I really enjoy your stories. We miss you when you don’t.
July 3, 2019 @ 09:39
I’m off to read your astrology article. I’m always looking for ways to make my characters more well-rounded. I like MBTI as a tool for that as well (INTJ here).
July 3, 2019 @ 11:06
Yeah. I hope you enjoy it and find it useable. I really like using it as a tool and its fun and interesting. It has also given me stories before.
July 3, 2019 @ 09:05
You make them what you would want to be – that definitely makes sense!
July 3, 2019 @ 11:06
I find it fun and it gives my characters real depth.
July 2, 2019 @ 23:24
I worry about the same things with my writing too even when it’s going well.
I like your idea of using astrology to round out your characters. I worry my characters aren’t interesting enough . I may try it
July 3, 2019 @ 11:07
I think you might find it fun and inspiring for that. I know I do.