Living the Write Life

How Do I Develop a Character | Living the Write Life

JoeRover Living the Write Life , , , , , , , ,

How do I develop a character?

With a few simple questions you can make the process of character creation easier.

Take this image of a cat from Pixabay.

Black cat staring at camera.
“Meow?”
  • Is it male or female?
  • What’s its name?
  • What’s its goal?
  • Why does it have this goal?
  • What is stopping it from achieving its goal?
  • Does it have any quirks?
  • What do others say about it?
  • What does its best friend say about it?
  • What does its rival say about it?
  • What flaws and strengths does it have?
  • If put into a perilous situation, how would it react?
  • If put into a pleasant situation, how would it react?

The great thing is once you start answering these questions, more arrive. Pretty soon, you have a full character. 

This post is based on opinion and personal experience; it is not to be taken as professional advice.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Got any writing questions? Ask away in the comments! 

The Adventures Continue in the Dogboy Universe!

Action, adventure, and sci-fi fantasy await within the pages of the Dogboy Chronicles.

Join Joe Rover and his friends as they protect their hometown from the forces of evil…and the forces of daily life.

Click below to find a store or follow me on Amazon for book updates.

Find a Book Store
Amazon

Building a Believable Fictional World | Living the Write Life

JoeRover Living the Write Life , , , , , ,

Please consider liking, sharing, and following! Thank you!

Building your fictional world can be daunting. You have to decide on rules–whether magic, science, or other. You got to decide on the look and feel: ancient or modern times, dark, comical, etc.

One thing that can help you on your journey is to look at objects, events, services, or traditions already in place in the real world and ask how it would work in your fictional world. This tip also works well for coming up with ideas for writing warm-ups/exercises.

For instance, lost and found services. Is there a high-tech drone that collects lost items? Is there an organization of wizards who donate their time to finding lost objects? Is there a grand conspiracy involving people who purposefully steal objects so that they become lost?

Another example: wall posters

Do people hang posters still? Have posters been invented? If not, do they have a poster prototype like an alter to worship a celebrity? Are the posters futuristic holograms? Are they somehow portals to other worlds?

It’s the small details, such as how the inhabitants deal with trash collection, that can make a world come to life and possibly create potential stories.

This post is based on opinion and personal experience; it is not to be taken as professional advice.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Got any writing questions? Ask away in the comments! 

Click to see how you can purchase books or help support me.

Check out my links!

Indie Author Problems

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Odds and Ends , , , , , , , ,

One of the activities during a class that I’m taking involved learning how to listen to people, such as not interrupting, not being on your phone while the person is speaking, and paraphrasing what the person said. The activity involved someone from the class sharing a problem or question they have while the others listened. Lucky me got “volunteered” to be the speaker.

The problem I mentioned was trying to get people to buy my books. 

People have no problem buying them when they are free, but they are unwilling to pay even $0.99 for one.

Also, since everyone can publish through blogs or self-publishing there is a lot of noise for you to get through. You have to struggle your way through the thousands of search results and get to the top. There is the added problem of keywords or hashtags. If you choose something that is trending, you know people are searching for it, but you are just one of millions of search results. If you get something unique, you are at the top but no one is searching.

Covers are another issue. Anymore it seems like they all look alike or similar (probably because we use stock images), so it makes it hard to say, “Oh, that looks interesting or unique.” How can you stand out when you look exactly the same?

Most of the time it seems like the cover has little to nothing to do with the story. For instance, it shows an attractive male or female on the cover making some sexy or attention-getting pose. You then check out the book description and there is no mention of a male or female, depending on the cover (i.e. there’s a sexy woman on the cover but the main character isn’t even human).

July 1-31 sale at Smashwords.com
Click to go!

The other issue with covers is that there seems to be all this excitement-noise. The cover is filled with loud colors or filled with lots of action going on. You have to make your cover “loud” enough to be eye-catching, and you have to make your title large enough to be read in thumbnail form. But, sometimes, I feel like all that bam-bam,

pew, pow, look-at-me makes me tried before even picking up the book. I feel like I ran a marathon just by looking at the cover.

Trying to do writing, or any creative project, can be frustrating. You have to be like everyone else yet like no one else. You have to be the same enough to be noticed and let the audience feel like your project is safe and familiar; but also, you have to be different so people won’t say, “I’ve seen that before. It’s the same old story.”

There used to be a sense of “you scratch my back…” but many times you’ll end up helping them out through reviews or book purchases and the other person whines about helping you or simply disappears. They are more than happy to listen when it benefits them, but they vanish if they have to return the favor.

One other problem is that some people seem to think that since they are an independent creator, they can do anything they want. They can swear, have gore, or sex in a children’s book because they think they are the boss. They aren’t; the audience is.

I also find it funny when these people end up doing exactly what the big companies have always done. Why re-invent the wheel? There are some things that need or can changed but some things have been around for ages because they work. For instance, it doesn’t matter the era, customers like to be treated with respect and kindness.

Finally, thanks to technology, some know how to cheat the system by using bots or click farms to make it appear as if they’re successful. They can use bots to make their book a “bestseller” when it isn’t or make their social media post trend when no one cares. But, by making it appear like everyone cares, everyone then cares. It is kind of like The Emperor’s New Clothes; everyone said how wonderful the invisible clothes were simply because it made them look important or popular. Everyone wants to feel like they are part of the crowd, even if that crowd never existed.

Please consider liking, sharing, and following! Thank you!

And so it is frustrating because a) something that is supposed to be artistic, entertaining, or enlightening because cutthroat and deceptive and b) here you are trying to do it the right way (being moral, using your talents, etc) you can’t compete because others can just tap a button on their phone and have machines do everything for them, which allows them to publish first or in a grander scale. Just like the shoemaker who builds each shoe can’t compete with the mass producing factory or the news media trying to compete with social media.

The most frustrating part of the activity was that I spent time coming up with my presentation and only got through a third because the people in the class kept interrupting me and not listening. Ugh!

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Rough Draft Typing | Behind the Scenes

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Odds and Ends , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s post is brought to you by…you. Thanks for all the likes and follows. Thanks for all the book purchases. Thank you!

Every job, or hobby for that matter, has its ups and downs. There is always that thing that makes you groan when you think about doing it. It could be having to charge the batteries to your drone’s remote or having to put up with the demands of your clients.

For me, one of things I don’t like about writing is moving my rough draft from paper to word processor. It feels like “didn’t I just do this?” I want to go on to the next chapter; see the next adventure, but you are stuck typing up what you’ve already done. Now I know you can just type a rough draft and not do a handwritten version. I’ve tried that but the story seemed to slow down as I stopped because of noticeable red lines under misspellings; I knew I had something misspelled, and I had to go back for it. Also, there are a lot of distractions on computer screens with notifications and messages.

One way to help me with the transition from notebook to computer is listening to livestreams or music.

The trouble is it matters which livestream I listen to. If the livestream is full of action, such as a superhero video game or a shooter, I spend more time watching the video than working on the book.

stampylonghead

The livestream needs to be a kind of chill one that is almost like a podcast. However, there are some exceptions. For instance, the Valorant livestream by Blitzwinger. It is a shooter game, but the match format allows me to watch one or two matches; get the idea of the game; and listen from then on.

The good news is that if a livestream is too “rowdy” for the typing period, I can always save it for a break period. The longer video format allows me to have something to watch for multiple breaks; I don’t have to keep trying to figure out what I want to watch.

Ironically, if I’m listening to music while typing, it is the opposite. I need to listen to upbeat or thrilling music, much like “Hero of Our Time” by NateWantsToBattle or “Build Our Machine” by Dagames.

What are some of the downsides of your favorite hobby or job? How do you cope with them? Let me know in the comments section.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Like receiving news of when I publish a book?

Follow me on Amazon or Smashwords

Amazon
Smashwords

Q&A: What’s with the Costumes

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Side Quests , , , , , , , ,

Time to answer some questions that you probably didn’t even ask!

What’s with the costumes? Why do superheroes wear those skintight, often colorful, costumes?

Some might say that they are similar to costumes worn by circus performers. Hmm, maybe. But, the reason is because they are a physical representation of a person’s chi/aura (aka psychic fingerprint). Much like some tribes would paint/tattoo people with symbols that represented their ancestors or spirit guide. The costume is like a second skin allowing the hero closer access to the phantasmic energy that powers their talents. Much like removing your shoes on holy ground–it removes barriers between you and the divine. I’d rather wear a colorful uniform than have to run around naked.

Also, it allows for things like going invisible without having to de-robe. Or growing in size without ripping your clothes.

Psychic fingerprint?

Our bodies produce electrical currents through chemical reactions and molecule vibration; these currents are determined by genetic makeup, blood flow, personality, and more, so each person’s is different–like a fingerprint. The colors are dependent on characteristics and speed of energy flow. For instance, a cheerful person and a melancholy person could have the same base color, like red, but the cheerful person will have a brighter shade of red while the melancholy person’s will be a darker red. 

Everything (not just transbeings or living beings) has a psychic fingerprint/chi because everything is made of vibrating molecules. The symbol/emblem on a hero’s chest is a representation of their “true name.” Everyone and everything has a similar symbol, you just can’t see it because they don’t go around wearing it. Now don’t go thinking that because you know their true name you can control them–like in some fantasy stories. It just allows you to communicate with the person/thing. Much like in physical life. It’s part of why using a hero’s name while crying for help…uh, helps them hear you; just as saying someone’s name in normal life gets the attention of the person you are speaking too. But it is a deeper connection, kind of like telepathy.

That is how things like telekinesis works. You aren’t commanding the mountain to move; you are asking the mountain to move and it responds because it trusts you. People with plant manipulation talents aren’t forcing the flower to bloom but rather encouraging it to bloom. Just as you can ask someone to help you with the dishes, but you can’t force them to do the dishes. They chose to help you because they care about you or scared of the consequences. Here is the difference between light and dark talents/”magic.” Are you asking the water to hold you up so you can walk on it or are you forcing it into compliance?

Why do some heroes wear capes, some don’t, and some wear jackets/longer garments?

Some transbeings (villains wear capes too) are so strong that their phantasmic energy…”leaks.” Their power is so great that it comes out their backs or stretches along their sides like a jacket or robe. This is why angels are usually depicted with wings. They don’t actually have wings but their phantasmic power is so great that the energy leaks out their backs and looks like wings. So, when it comes time for the costume (which is a representation of a person’s chi) to be made…we get capes, jackets, or fancy robes. 

Why do transbeings sometimes call out their attacks?

Part of it goes back to the “asking the mountain to move” that I mentioned earlier. You are asking the air to heat up or the lightning to strike. The other part is focus and strength. When you need to lift something heavy, you use more muscles, but how to you use more muscles when something is metaphysical? Answer: emotions. Emotions are mental/spiritual muscles. So, you can add more omph to your talent by calling it out. It is the same reason why martial artists will grunt when they strike or block; they are adding more power behind their act. *Most of the time transbeings can just think their attack or wave a hand because what they are doing is within their limits.*

What’s with wearing your underwear on the outside?

First, it’s not underwear; it’s armor. It used to be just part of the tights in order to show appearance/color variation, but now it’s armor. Second, um, I’ll just leave it at “sports cup” and you can figure it out. I mean, we are in battle with villains.

Any other questions? Ask them in the comments below.

Until next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Description and Next Book | Behind the Scenes

JoeRover Living the Write Life , , , , , , , ,

I’ve edited three chapters of my latest work in progress. Now…I’ve just got about 15 more chapters to go. *groan*

In the meantime, I did come up with a working description for the book. Enjoy.

By the time Brian finished his war on grime, Danny returned from the rugby match. He stomped around the lab, shaking off his…Brain’s muddy shoes, and left muddy handprints along the walls and counters. He even went as far as to activate the anti-grav feature in Brain’s shoes and walk along the walls and ceiling leaving muddy footprints in his wake. Once satisfied with his mess, Danny tossed the muddy clothes and shoes in a pile. Before he put on the new set of clothes, he switched Monday’s outfit with Wednesday’s.—Excerpt from “Freaky Friday the 13th”

Ages ago the dragons hid themselves from the humans who hunted them for their power. Now, the monster hunters have again found them; but this time, the dragons aren’t giving up without a fight. It’s up to Dogboy and his allies to prevent a war that’ll leave the Earth scorched.

Buy “Dragon Reign,” the latest Dogboy Chronicles story, for sci-fi adventure, fantasy action, and a little bit of silliness.

In between editing breaks, I’ve been working on the book after Dragon Reign. In one of the chapters, the main characters, Joe and Sally, are on a date at the movies. One of the moviegoers overhears what movie they are seeing and begins to tell them all about it. Thanks to a new feature in their Omni-Cuffs, a holographic gag with the word “spoilers” is slapped across his mouth and he is muted (only to them). Once the moviegoer is finished spoiling the movie, the gag is removed.

I tell you some days it’d be nice to have that technology in real life.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Buy the books!
Follow me on Amazon

A Reader’s Journey

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Odds and Ends , , , , , , , , ,

A while back I worked on a list of my Top 10 favorite authors. I had a hard time picking the ten; there have been so many enjoyable reads. For the most part I chose those that had a big or lasting impact on my life.

Encyclopedia Brown and Wayside School got me interested in reading. They were the first books I did for book reports–much to the mocking of my classmates. Ironically, I would later figure out that they probably didn’t even read a book. I also got some grief from my teachers who saw pop culture literature as “low.” They also didn’t like sci-fi or fantasy, not even the classic fantasy or science fiction. That left the classics. Frankly, they were boring.

It wasn’t until the Wishbone series that I started enjoying the classics. The series made the classics more interesting, relatable, and understandable. 

Then when Wishbone and Animorphs ended, I had to look for something else to read. I did read books based on DC and Marvel characters; but since the authors for those change with each book, I couldn’t find any more. 

Eventually, I wondered the aisles looking for something (that couldn’t be found). Later, a made-for-TV movie aired called Sole Survivor. I watched and found it interesting. Soon, I learned that the movie was based on a book by Dean Koontz. As soon as possible, I headed to the bookstore. I found another book by Koontz called Odd Thomas. I tried it out; found it great; and wanted more. Too bad there weren’t any more at our local bookstore.

Seemed like my adventure was over. 

Enter the library book sale. I found some other books by Dean Koontz. But it was one book that interested me in particular: Mr. Murder. I knew of this one. As I looked at the other Koontz books, I learned that I’d read others of his and enjoyed them. I’d been a fan before I knew it.

The trouble was Koontz was still a contemporary author. According to pretty much everyone I knew, if it wasn’t a classic…it wasn’t good. Or if it wasn’t some deep-thought story or some story that could make you look good by reading it, it wasn’t “proper.” So in the beginning, I kept my interest secret; but eventually, I said, “I like what I like. Get over it.” You can like the classics or the philosophy stories if you want, but I liked these.

I find it funny to this day that while growing up when I told people I liked stories with werewolves, vampires, wizards, and zombies, they would laugh at me or call me a loser. They would again say that I wasn’t spectacular like them because I read the “low forms of writing.” Then, one day…Harry Potter. Everyone loved wizards and then vampires and zombies. Science fiction and fantasy became popular.

So, I had to give Dean Koontz the top spot on my list because if I hadn’t found any of his books, I probably would have given up on reading. It is really difficult to find a new book to read when you don’t know any author names or don’t know what kind of genre you like. Or in my case, everyone telling you that the genres you like are “not good enough” or “lowbrow.” It really doesn’t encourages people to read when you tell them the stuff they like is uncouth and silly.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Today’s Amazon Affiliate links: 

I get a percentage from any qualifying purchase; doesn’t have to be the ones listed below. Thank you for helping to support my blog so I can continue to tell stories, write reviews, and more.

From Dean Koontz…comes an epic thriller about a terrifying threat to humanity and the singular compassion it will take to defeat it.

Buy now

For the first time in twenty-five years, Wayside School is back in session in this brand-new, fourth installment in the perennially beloved and bestselling series by Newbery Medal-winning author Louis Sachar.

Buy now

What’s a Sidekick?

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Odds and Ends, Prompts , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s joke is brought to you by the Haddy The Creator’s monthly prompt over on his Discord server. If you are interesting in joining his server, check out his latest videos.

This monthly prompt was to draw a “reliable sidekick.” So just what is a sidekick?

“As Timmy from The Fairly Odd Parents said: a sidekick is someone who is at your side that gives you the kick you need. I’m paraphrasing of course,” I said.

Brain sighed. “Is every bit of knowledge you possess from games, videos, and comics?”

“As Wilson from Home Improvement once said…’I don’t know.'”

Brain covered his eyes with his hands.

To sum it up, a sidekick is someone (or something) who is by your side. Someone who is there to support you–to aid you. They are your friend, your companion, and more. We are all someone’s sidekick. There is someone out there that we care for and support. Someone we want to see succeed; we want them to be happy. Being a sidekick doesn’t mean you are lesser than the “hero;” it means you care.

Once Haddy The Creator showcases my drawing (I hope) in his Monthly Prompt video, I can share the illustration–or at least the video link.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!

Today’s Amazon Affiliate links: 

I get a percentage from any qualifying purchase; doesn’t have to be the ones listed below. Thank you for helping to support my blog so I can continue to tell stories, write reviews, and more.

Releases March 24, 2020
It was a dingy, stormy day; the kind of day that makes everything seem black and white. Johnny Blewz played his sax over the radio filling my office with jazz music. 

Buy Now
When I was in my mid-teens during the late 1950s, I would often see my father, Jan F. Drewniak, sitting at a desk late into the night in our house in Fall River, Massachusetts. 

Bizarre Batteries

JoeRover Living the Write Life, Odds and Ends , , , , , ,

I went to turn on my TV, but it wouldn’t. I thought, “Time to change the batteries.” I removed the back; the batteries had exploded. The whole compartment was covered in dry battery chemicals. It was so bad I could barely get the batteries out.

I finally removed the batteries and went to retrieve replacement ones. When I got to the box, I found that all those batteries had leaked too.

What are the chances that all my batteries would leak at the same time?

It was as if some villain broke in and used an energy weapon to cause all my batteries to break.

Sigh. At least I got a plot for a story from all this. Now, I just have to figure out why someone would use a doomsday weapon to make people’s batteries explode. Maybe I can mix in the news about North Korea announcing a “Christmas gift.” Or maybe something about some villain destroying batteries so children’s Christmas toys wouldn’t work. Is it too early to start planning for next year’s Christmas special?

Do you have any weird stories? Not necessarily paranormal, just…strange. Let me know in the comments section.

Until next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Plot Hole Fix

JoeRover Living the Write Life , , , , , , , , , ,

At first when I watched the Game Theorists video on why electric/lightning Pokèmon aren’t that great, I was like, “Oh interesting.” Also, finally someone explained volts, amps, and ohms in a way that wasn’t completely confusing. But then as expected, at two in the morning my brain was like, “Oh my gosh! Air resistance!!”

In the video, it explains how air has a high ohm factor, which means that it is a very good insulator against electricity. Like they said in the video, “It’s why we don’t get electrocuted every time the wind blows.” There needs to be a lot a build up before a lightning strike. This mattered to me because I could use it in my science fiction books.

My main character has the power of telekinesis. From this I get people saying, “Why does he need to get in close to fight his opponent? Why not just toss him from afar or drop a car on him?” I explained part of this as a battle of wills. A person generally does not like to be thrown against a wall, so the foe’s will is fighting against the protagonist’s will to throw him, which drains the hero of energy. But now, I can add in air resistance/insulation. The further away the protagonist is from the opponent, the more resistance there is for his “psychic” energy. So to conserve his energy, he needs to fight hand-to-hand.

Now, I can respond with something other than, “it’s fiction; give it a rest.”

And they say you can’t learn anything from video games.

Do you have a strange story of inspiration? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next wormhole…thanks for reading.

Join in the adventure as Joe and company deal with everything from waking up in the morning to stopping an alien invasion in the Christmas themed eBook Gift of the Minion. Releases Dec. 3. Preorder for $0.99, regular price $2.99.