We have been talking about a lot of world-building lately. We see it as a very vital part of writing, especially when it comes to creating your own world. The detail behind your creation should resonate with your reader, and describe a place they will be sucked into. Some of our authors at HRM gave us a look into their ways of building and we thought it would be nice to share with a writer who hasn’t quite gotten the grasp of piecing together their fictional world.
I have my system (basically pages and pages of journal entries attempting to consider every element of the society as it goes across books), but a streamlined version would probably be a bit more coherent. 😉
I have a notebook for each novel/series and write all of my little world intricacies down. Most of the world-building I layer in after the first draft. Touch, sights, social differences, currency, sayings, speech patterns, etc. I try and make the world-building almost unnoticeable.
I use a single Scrivener project for a whole series, so all my notes are in there. Before I start writing, I gather up enough to make me feel like I know the place well enough to live in it for a few books, and then add/revise as I go along. Everything from the magic system to what they eat. Also maps. So many maps.
Writing is already tough as it is, but the thought of character development or simple character creation makes it all the more harder. What happens if you, the writer, want to create and develop a main character who is of the opposite sex or gender?
As humans raised in a society where the social construct revolves around binary gender identification (so, male or female), we tend to think we have the other side figured out. Writing the opposite gender can bump the difficulty of your novel-writing up to 100. Personally, I applaud trans or androgynous characters because although I said our society currently revolves around binary gender IDing, the world is slowly changing and becoming more accepting of such. Why do we have to choose to be one gender, Social Construct? HUH?
Instead of going on about gender identity for a whole blog post, I’m here to try and help you writers out there understand the gender identity of your characters and how to portray them properly without offending anyone. I’m only focusing on men writing female characters and women writing male characters today!
Dudes writing dudettes?Always remember, if diving into the female POV, make sure she has a personality. Girls are people, too. People who have personalities as well experiences which shape them into who they are.
Beyond her INSANElyaverage looks is a deeply complex and developed being, she’s starts to become a person. Not that cardboard cut-out character who is tasteless and has no real meaning to the story.
A few key points about writing a girl:
Girls are empathetic, which is what heightens their emotions.
A girl usually wants to know that someone cares for her, which is why she wants to hang out with her SO all of the time or it seems like she’s always with her friends.
Looking into things is a girl’s MO. Girls do ask each other what they should wear to go out on a date, or what to say to someone.
For a bit more detail into those things I mentioned and a bit more, see this blog. The author of this blog really describes the nitty gritty details of the points she finds most noticeable in a female character, particularly in their POV.
Moving on!Dudettes who are writing their hunk of burning love…remember, he’s not real. He can’t be Mr. Perfect. If dudes can’t write women up to be super warriors with gigantic breasts and long legs, there should be no reason to write up a six pack with bulging muscles. Not every guy is tall, dark, and handsome.
Name that movie!
Following the same rule earlier, give this guy his own unique personality. After that, you can add some good looking qualities, then the flaws. Make sure the guy is as realistic as possible because if you’re trying to reel in male readers…you’re not going to get it by stabbing his ego (just like a guy could do to a female reader’s self-confidence).
Want some key points here, too?
Feelings. Women tend to think men don’t have them but they’re most certainly wrong. Men have feelings. They’re just bottled up, until they’re ready to blow.
Want to evoke raw emotion? Mess with his brain.
If you’re main character is talking to his friends or his love interest, make sure he’s blunt and to the point. He’s not beating around the bush. He wants what he wants, so he’s going to get it.
That same blog from earlier also did a peek into how to write a guy’s POV, featuring a friend. It’s pretty interesting and worth the read!
*We had to repost this blog, yay for technical difficulties!*
Hello dear subscribers!
A couple of months ago, one of our authors wrote a eye-opening article on world-building and fantasy. As a preface: it is not particularly about the physical world-building, our author focuses more on the concept of sexual intercourse and the relationship it has with fantasy. Since I’m not trying to spoil anything for you, go read it for yourself!
Beware: there are spoilers for his novels in this article. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.
A great way to build realistic character development is to interview your characters. There are many different ways to go about interviewing a character. You could do a very basic overview (from the outside, looking in) and answer basic questions in a simple character template format.
Full Name
Birthday
Eye Color…etc.
So basic.
It’s like you’re filling out the census for them, except you don’t have to worry about bubbling your answers in. . But, let’s say your character goes beyond that straightforward template, especially if it’s one of your main stars. What would you ask yourself about your character?
Do they have a goal?
What’s their biggest flaw?
Do they have a religion?…etc.
You get the idea. We’re starting to dive a bit deeper here. Now you’re starting to take a step back and are starting to put yourself in their shoes to better understand their fictional life. They’re starting to come to life…THEY’RE ALIIIIIIVE!
Interview your character like I would interview Chris Hemsworth (as Thor) about Asgard or Gal Gadot (dressed as Wonder Woman) about forming the Justice League. Sorry (not sorry, it’s very relevant because of Infinity Wars) about the comic book/film references… moving right along!
Envision your character sitting across from you. Catch a glimpse of their mannerisms and body language in reaction to the personal questions you may ask.
Are you lying to yourself about something?
How did you meet your best friend?
What do you want your tombstone to say if you don’t survive this mission?…etc.
The more realistic the character becomes, the more you’ll question whether they exist or not. Make your reader believe!
“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention.”
As writers continue to write, editors continue to edit, publishers continue to publish, and readers continue to read…we all know that one person in this circle of publishing life who puts their finger to the page, looks up and says, “There’s supposed to be a period here.”
Oh, the punctuation that puts all other punctuation symbols to shame. The period, the dot, the endless black abyss which, ironically, ends it all.
Have you ever had that writers’ block moment where you seem to forget all your basic elementary school punctuation lessons and what purpose they serve you? It’s always a little embarrassing to see that one Amazon reviewer point out the silliest of grammar mistakes. There are so many different grammar rules, exceptions, and do’s/don’ts that well…who can keep track, right? Some grammar mistakes are so small (literally) that it’s hard for the author themselves to notice, especially when they are more focused on the actual story. Today, we are going to break down that dreaded black dot for you:
Multiple Punctuation: For one, I am GUILTY when it comes to accidentally putting more than one punctuation at the end of a sentence. Most of the time, it’s without even thinking. Plenty of people get mixed up in this business, but let me clear it up for you: if you’re ending a sentence with a book name or company name (that includes another punctuation like a question mark or exclamation point in the title), the period isn’t needed anymore! The same thing happens with a sentence ending in an abbreviation. Begone black abyss!
Direct and Indirect Questions: Direct questions end with a question mark. Indirect questions end in a period. What a way to end an implied question – leave your reader hanging and wondering about the question you put before them, without even asking!
Proper Placement…: This part is broken up into two: proper placement with parentheses and quotation marks. The period becomes confusing when it comes to proper placement with symbols that set parts of the sentence apart from the rest.
Parentheses: If the parentheses are being used within a sentence, to embrace a bigger part of the picture, the period will follow the (closing)(On the contrary, if whatever content is being held within the parentheses can stand alone, then the period is used before the closing parenthesis.)
Quotation Marks: Ending your sentence in quoted material? The period stays within the quotation marks and not outside of them. The same thing goes if the quote ends in another punctuation. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t use the period – it’s being dismissed!
Abbreviations: Since I briefly mentioned ending a sentence with an abbreviation, let’s talk about the abbreviation alone. Some have periods, some don’t. Why is that? I don’t know the answer to that necessarily, but I do know when to use a period within the abbreviations and when not to. The only time you should use a period with an abbreviation is if the letters involved are lowercase or mixed-case. But pay attention to the content of the abbreviation. Ask yourself if it’s scientific or technical. If it is, you won’t need the period. Uppercase abbreviations, like an academic degree following an individual’s name, may include a period.
Even after going over the basics of the period, thinking about where it goes and when to use it still makes me put a hand to my forehead, shake my head, and say, “Oh, the English language. How complex can you be?”
“The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying ‘Faire et se taire‘ (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as ‘Shut up and get on with it.'”
