The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

On races, running, and pain

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

To anyone who ever competes in a scavenger hunt race–stretch first. Otherwise the next day you’ll be hobbling around with the grace of a 90 year old but without the walker.

I was genius enough to do just that.

But as my legs burn and ache, it got me thinking. In stories, we rarely ever see the physical pain characters go through after (and while) running for their lives. I for one would like to see this written more often.

Writing should evoke the discomfort that characters go through. It’s one thing to say that “His legs hurt from all the running.” It’s a completely different beast to say, “With every step, he felt as though sharp sticks forced their way into his shins. His knees didn’t want to bend, and he walked with one hand against the wall for support. At least he could breathe with relative ease.”

So, the moral of this story is to stretch and keep in shape before attempting to run over a mile (and walking several more). And if you don’t, incorporate your pain into writing.

On character development (part III)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Voice
1. Does your character speak in a high or low pitch?

His voice is tenor in pitch.
2. Are they a loud or soft talker?

He is a soft talker.
3. Is there a wide range in the voice in volume, pitch, quality, or is the voice consistent and even?

His voice is very consistent, except for when he gets very emotional. Then it gets higher in pitch.
4. Is there good resonance to the voice? Is the voice throaty, chesty, heady, or nasal?

His voice is very full.
5. Is there tension in the voice? Anxiety? Emotion?

He tries to speak tension free, but emotion often seeps into his voice.
6. Is there an accent? Anything unusual in pronunciation? Emphasis? Phrasing?

His voice definitely has an American accent, leaning towards New England. Not quite Boston. He sometimes mispronounces words, like “intestine” as “in-test-teen” or “epitome” as “epy-tome.”
7. Is it a trained voice or just natural? Does the character “try” to speak well or just “however it comes out”?

He tries to speak well.
8. Is the speech clear or muddy? Do they mumble? Are they distinct?

Despite his best efforts to speak clearly, he mumbles a lot.
9. Is the voice comforting or irritating? Reassuring or disturbing? Are they self-conscious when they speak to others? How large a group could they speak to before they become self-conscious?

He is very self-conscious and shy, but has no issue speaking in front of people he’s never met. Through him in front of his classmates and he stumbles over what he says. His voice is pleasant to listen to.
10. What is the first thought one might have after hearing your character speak?

That kid has a voice? He sounds nice, I guess.

Names, culture, and 42

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I enjoy poking about through the Yahoo!Answers Books and Authors section on occasion, and often find questions of people asking what to name their characters. One such question asked for names to be used in a science fiction novel. The inquierer only had that these characters were from a different planet and wanted the names to sound cool.

When writing fantasy or science fiction, I find its a good idea to come up with a culture/world before coming up with names (although sometimes I have a name for a character a build the culture around that…a little counter intuitive, but it works for the rough draft). I also try to ask myself these questions: What sort of world do your characters live in? What are their values? How are their names formed? Is there any particular reason as to why I’m naming him this?

As I said, sometimes I work counterintuitively. I had a name for a character and a setting, but his world didn’t have a true culture, or even a naming practice. So I took what I had for his name and based the world’s naming practice off of that. Roman first names, Dutch last names. It was simple enough, but from there I was able to think about the values and work ethic of his culture. Another character in the same story had a completely out-of-left-field name. It didn’t fit the world at all. So I changed it, and he better “meshed” with what I was trying to create.

Picking a name just because it looks cool isn’t a good idea. Be sure that there is at least a reason for it. In the world of typical medieval England fantasy, it does not make sense for an English serf to be named Reiko or Victoria. Names should reflect the culture, and vice versa.

On another note, this is post 42! The meaning of life, the universe and everything is no clearer to me now than before this.

Inspiration strikes at the weirdest hours

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Early yesterday morning (at about 1:30), I started to write. Its a compulsive habit. I need to before I go to sleep, otherwise I’m all thrown off.

Strangely enough, my mind was rather clear. I started to plan out my next novel. I should be working on See My Way (the current one), but instead I decided to write up a quick background on the political situation in The Other One. No, that’s not the working title. It has nothing to do with the story. I’m just rather guarded about the topic.

But it is futuristic speculative fiction.

I’ve never tried my hand at speculative fiction before. I don’t think I’ve read more than one or two stories in that genre.

But I’m trying something different with this one. I’m going to plot everything out to begin with. With an outline. And pre-created characters (with their own character sheets!).

Sometimes inspiration attacks at 2 am. I guess I have to listen to my muse.

On character development (part II)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Clothes
1. How many clothes does this character have?

Not many. He tends to wear the same outfits all the time.
2. What kinds of items are in their wardrobe?

Jeans, Oxford shirts, band tees, a suit
3. Do they have favorite articles of clothing?

His band tees–The Who and The Kinks
4. What colors are their clothes, is there a wide range? Bright or dull? What are their favorite colors to wear?

His clothes tend to be dull or dark, blues, greens, greys, browns.
5. Are their clothes old or new?

Newish for the most part. He doesn’t wear vintage.
6. Were they bought or homemade, hand-me-downs, expensive tailored-made?

He bought them in a store.
7. Is your character at home in their clothes or uncomfortable?

He feels very comfortable in his clothes.
8. Does your character care for their clothes, kept up and neat, do they worry about how they look?

He’s a neat freak. His Oxford shirts are always ironed.
9. Does your character have to dress a certain way because of his job or position? Is it a uniform? If so, do the clothes fit their real, basic character, or are the clothes worn as a symbol or mask?

When at work, he wears his uniform–polo shirt and khakis. He dresses the way he does because he was brought up being told to look neat, and also because he just likes to be comfortable.
10. Do they dress according to a self-image of themselves? Is this self-image conscious or unconscious? At what age was this self-image set, and what circumstances dictated the image?

He dresses for comfort, and wanting to look professional, which he decided upon entering college (at 18).
11. Discuss adornments, jewelry, or trophies that your character might wear. Are there tattoos, piercing, brandings, or ritualistic scarring, and what were the events, rituals, or circumstances that lead your character to having them.

He’s afraid of needles, so no tattoos, piercings, etc. He does have a scar on his wrist after shutting his hand in a car door, and a scar on his knee after falling off of his bike.


12. What kind of underwear does your character wear?

Boxers (with ducks on them).

On vampires in fiction

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Sorry Twilight, I think you killed vampires in fiction. At least for the next 10 or so years, until they’re retro. They’re getting very over done, in my opinion.

I think it is time that we find a new mythological being to overexpose.

How ’bout goblins? Not much is written about them. I can see it now:

She glances across the room, her eyes locking onto the pale, yellow green ones of the small man in the corner. She can’t look away. “Who is that?” she asks one of the passing students.

“Oh, that’s Matthias,” replies the student. “But you wouldn’t be interested in him. His family is very, very strange…”

It would be a real Beauty and the Beast type story.

Or come up with your own kind. It worked for Highlander. We’re talking first movie.

So, today’s prompt is to write a story/scene featuring a non-traditional mythological being. No vampires. No werewolves. No weird hybrids.