Dear Flyboy,
You are too nice. TOO NICE. Do you hear me? No kid is that nice, that good. Not all the time. Not unless they’re hiding something. Are you? I didn’t think you were the one with the secret in this book but I can’t figure out any other reason for your perpetual Eddie Haskell attitude. If I, the author, am breathing life into you with pieces of me there’s no way you can be that nice. No frigging way. Because I am sometimes a nice person but NOT ALL THE TIME.
What are you hiding? What are you afraid people are going to find out? What do you think they are going to do to you, think of you, when they know the truth.
This doesn’t have anything to do with your dad at all, does it? This has to do with you trying to fake what kind of person you are so you can trick people into believing what you want them to be. But why?
Signed,
Author who is not feeling very nice at all
Dear Plant Kid,
Look, I’m really sorry about Mr. Mac dying. I had no idea that was going to happen until he walked in front of the garbage truck. You keep talking about that “thing” you have and I’m guessing its somewhere on your upper body since I’ve never seen you without your hoodie but I don’t know what it is. And if I don’t know what it is, how can I connect it to the plot line and deepen the theme? And if I don’t connect the plot dots, no one is ever going to get the chance to read your story anyway. And yes, you can have the poppies. All the poppies you want. But later. I’m not supposed to be working on you right now anyway. If you’re really bored, you can help Flyboy pack.
Author with too much time to think and not enough time to write
Dear Character Who is Taking Care of Max,
The gypsy’s back. But she moved. Check out the vacation rentals over by the roller coaster. Whatever you do, don’t antagonize “him.” Whatever he says to you, just walk away.
Author who has your back
I love this. This may not only the best brainstorming, but you may be doing a wonderful job MARKETING the books already! 🙂 I know I want to read all three. I love the idea of the too-good boy, what a great recipe for layering!
I may have to try your technique. There’s a young girl knocking at my brain, and I may just have to sit down and write her a few questions. Like the first: What IS your problem?! 🙂
Thanks, Becky. I didn’t think about it from the marketing side of things but that’s a fun idea.
I just hope all this stuff generates actual words on the page that go somewhere. I keep getting lots of little pieces but nothing connected. And I’m having trouble getting comfortable writing anywhere – my office space still doesn’t feel right.
oooh! Intriguing! Can’t wait till Feb 7th! 🙂
Oddly enough, you may end up with a page from #2 instead of #1.
I don’t know.
I write lots of stuff but it doesn’t all go together. Sigh.
Okay, I had to post one more time. Here’s my first question to my new character: C, why do YOU (not just anybody) want so badly to join the suffragette (sp?) march on Washington?
Ooh, great question?
If you want to brainstorm back and forth we could ask each other’s charcters questions too!
Sounds great! I have some serious research to do to start, and I should probably get at least a brief summary from you about your plots, so I know what I’m talking about AT ALL!
oh, I dunno. We could also do it AS we do it, you know? It unfolds for you as the same time it unfolds for me and vice versa.
If I give you plot summaries (okay, that is supposing I HAVE those, which I do not) you might be predisposed in a certain direction.
Just a thought. 🙂
Sounds good. Just bear with me if I sound like I’m not talking about. Feel free to send away! And I’ll get some questions thinking, too, in the next few weeks. This’ll be good!
Letters to characters
This is so cool. Do you mind if I print this and share it with my classes. I tell them to write letters to their characters and do interviews to get to know them better and these are FANTASTIC examples.
Lois Szymanski
PS – Your dog is cute. He looks a lot like mine!
Re: Letters to characters
I’m honored if you would like to share them with your classes.
Thank you!
I hope your dog is kind. Mine is growing into a crotchety old lady (she bit me this weekend) Sigh.
Re: Letters to characters
I will use it then. Thanks so much!
My dog (an oversized Sheltie) is just three years old and very hyper. I do agility with him so that he gets it out of his system and I get the exercise I need. I call it my GBOC workout (Get Butt Out of Chair). Although crazy hyper, he is sweet and is very loving to my 2 year old grandson.
I’m sorry she bit you. I betcha she is sorry! Lois
Nice Flyboy
For what it’s worth, if anything:
These questions helped me with a character who was too nice.
What does he want that he can’t have?
What can cause him to lose his temper?
These led me to some of the character’s anger, and he quickly became a lot less perfect.
Re: Nice Flyboy
Thanks, Jenn! Great questions that I keep asking Flyboy. I sure wish he would answer though his letter back to me today helped some.
I think with this character I have reached the point where he is so much like me below that surface that I have to go to the “scary writing place” to peel away a little skin. And that’s always hard but it’s what makes a good story.
I’m getting there but it is taking a lot longer than I had hoped.
I love these!
Every time you post these, it sparks ideas for my own struggling WIP…I’ll be writing some more letters to Victor and his cronies tonight. Thanks!
Re: I love these!
Cool! I’m glad to hear they are helping you. I find that each time I do them, thinking they will be light and fluffy “blog fill” I am always surprised.
As I was again this morning when they wrote back to me.