Raising Those Stakes

I live a pretty mundane life. My normal day includes sitting in front of my laptop, writing or illustrating, going to work, playing with my rabbit, maybe trying to cook a new vegan recipe or two.

Raising the stakes in my own life includes picking up extra work hours, forgetting that I left on a stove burner, sticking a broom behind the entertainment center to get the rabbit out before she chews the cords, and maybe trying to fit a doctor's appointment in on my lunch break.

Exciting, right? No.

It's especially boring if this is all your characters do.

Sure we're all pretty mundane in real life, but when we read fiction, we can escape the mundane for an adventure. Whether you're writing a giant fantasy or a literary shocker, the stakes for your characters need to be higher than a broken TV cable.

I used to scoff at articles that plead with writers to raise the stakes for their novels. "Pff, I've already got a weird setting," or "Come on, this character is mentally or physically unstable," were things I'd often throw out in my defense.

But I was wrong.

My characters were DOING things, sure. But they weren't filled with enough tension or the consequences of their failures really didn't matter.

Your character can be described as unstable as you want, but if it's never shown - if nothing ever happens with that instability - does it really matter?

So, the next time you have your protagonist yelling at the boss, don't just make his dilemma whether or not he'll be fired. Make it life or death. Make it the difference between his happy marriage or a divorce. Make him feel the consequences and force him to make a decision one way or the other.

Readers will feel more engaged, they'll definitely care more, and they'll keep reading.

That's all we hope for.

Bonus Post: Happy 100!

I wanted to do a short Bonus Post this week to let all of you know that we've just surpassed the 100th post marker! Yes, we've shared 100 blog posts together from the very beginning.

That's a Christmas present I'm happy to receive.

We Won't Go Until We Get Some

If you think of the holiday season, one thing that doesn't normally come to mind is creativity. After all, most of us are too busy and stressed to think creatively at this time.

But someone, at some time, made the holidays the most creative stories out there. The giant Easter Bunny hiding eggs. An old, fat man in a red suit breaking and entering and leaving presents. Rudolph, a reindeer with a glowing nose. Cupid, who shoots people with arrows out of love. Tiny green leprechauns who love money and gold.

So, even if your writing becomes scarce or nonexistent this holiday season, remember, your creativity can still flow without halt.

Take a deep breath, bring out that figgy pudding and let your brain run wild! Your relatives will.

Don't be Discouraged. We're all Different!

I recently purchased a meditation CD to (hopefully) get myself in a routine with meditation. Until now, I thought meditation was done one way: You sit down, shut up, and find some inner peace already.

But the CD changed my mind. Upon it, the instructor (Yogi Cameron) helped me to understand that just as there are different personalities amongst people, there are also different meditation styles. Some do best with visualization, some with gazing, some need to count or chant or connect themselves to a deity.

Not only am I now a better meditater, but I also realized that I could connect this understanding with writing.

We all write differently. Some outline and some write with abandon by the seat of their pants. Some can't move on before every word in every sentence is perfect, and others spend years polishing what used to be a crappy first draft. Some drink when they write, others listen to music, and still others need complete solitude and silence.

So how in the world do we all expect to come about writing the same way?

Every writing book and professor you will obtain in your lifetime details a particular method for THEM. That's why so many children become discouraged early on with writing. Their teachers tell them that there is one way to write (the way that works best for the instructor) and if the child can't find his own path, he will quit.

And we want to be successful.

Knowing this, how do you find your correct writing niche for success? First, like meditation, you have to know yourself.

Do you like lists and organization? Outlines may be best for you.

Are you the most creative person you know? Try writing organically, or "from the seat of your pants".

Don't like commitments? Stick to short stories rather than long, difficult novels.

Do you live your life in metaphors? Try writing literary.

There's no tried and true method that will work for everyone. Because we are all different. So don't worry if your style is different from your best friend's. Don't be discouraged if she finishes a novel before you. And don't worry about choosing the wrong style in the beginning.

As the years roll on, we all change. And our methods may need to change as well.

Pick one method. Try it. Didn't work? Go with another.

Find the one that works for you and you alone.


P.S. If you're also interested in meditation, this is the CD I purchased. It's amazing. I recommend it. http://www.meditatewithyc.com/

Do You Suffer From Premature Resolution?

If you've ever written or read a story that kept your attention to the very end, but then seemed to finish too quickly, you need to read this post.

Trust me. It's a serious condition. (Note: I am not a doctor, but writers can be anything, right?)

You're experiencing Premature Resolution.

This condition can be brought on by two things:

1. (the most common) When the author doesn't allow the resolution of the conflict or story lines enough room to unfold, or doesn't slow the action down enough for the reader to feel a sense of completion. Without this, the reader is unable to contemplate the meaning of the ending while still engrossed in the story itself. It's the, "I loved the book, but the ending sucked," mentality.

2. (slightly less common, but still rampant) When the author attempts to wrap up the main plot line and the subplot lines too quickly or all in the same scene. This is found most often in rushed novel endings or in short stories, when the author is nearing his word count total.

It can be difficult to spot Premature Resolution and to pinpoint its direct causes. Most readers and writers feel nothing but a sense of loss or a feeling that things didn't finish up as they should.

To keep your writing from suffering from Premature Resolution, make sure you give the major moment of climax and ending action enough space to truly unfold and sink into the reader's mind. Also, make sure you stagger the resolutions of sub plots through your novel or story so that everything doesn't end, abruptly, at one time. Not only will you keep your reader interested by offering new plot points throughout the novel so they keep reading (because the end of one problem is always the start of another, am I right?) but they will be able to commit to the climax more readily when they aren't worrying about six different character problems.

For instance, if the main plot of your story is to catch the killer, you don't want your readers also wondering if the protagonist's relationship is going to fall apart after an affair, and if the alley cat he just hit in the high-speed chase is, in fact, his daughter's. Stagger your problems (subplots) and the major conflict resolution so readers stay engaged, active, and rearing for the major reveal.

Merry Christmas, Writer Brain!

Happy December, everyone! Can you believe we're almost through with another year? Where did the time go?

I don't know about you, but with all the stress of the holiday season, family get-togethers, the cold, the snow, the food.....my writing has been a little uninspired as of late.

But do you know the perfect remedy? Critiques.

Yes, critiques.

And though receiving critiques is a wondrous, helpful experience, giving critiques can be just as or more helpful to your writing. For instance, if you're stuck in a writing rut, critique something you wouldn't normally read - like nonfiction or poetry. The sheer act of getting back into the writing brain can spark you back to normal, or give you ideas as to what your next project might be.

So, if you can, carve out some time this month to get back into your critique group or to find a new critique group to be a part of.

It'll be the best gift you give yourself and other writers.