Free Kindle Book Today and Tomorrow!

If you have an Amazon Kindle you can download Jill Williamson's By Darkness Hid.

I haven't read this series by Jill Williamson yet. (I was waiting for the first book at my library! Yay! No more waiting. :) )  However, some of her other books have been excellent! If you like Christian fantasy, then this is the series for you.

Feel free to share the link, the more people who download Jill's book, the more people will be able to find out about it!

By Darkness Hid is free today and tomorrow (3/4/13 and 3/5/13).  Click here to visit the Amazon.com Kindle page for By Darkness Hid.

School and Writing: History Edition

 If you are still in school, you can take advantage of what you learn and put it into practice through your novel.

Today is the history edition, I'm only giving one example. (For time purposes)

A few weeks ago I wrote a 1,700 word paper on The Whiskey Rebellion. My book has a rebellion in it, and I was able to break down TWR to it's most basic points and do a similar sett up in my book.

The outline type thing is on the left, and the actual events are on the right.

Guy in power disconnected from people / The government is disconnected from the common citizen.
Does something that messes up the people's "normal" lives / The government passes 25% tax on corn/grain products
The people act (mostly) peacably to get the mess fixed / Farmers try petitions and go to Philadelphia to argue their case
The guy in power refuses to change / Government ignores farmers protests
the people get angry start rioting / Farmers upset and start rioting and refuse to pay tax
the guy in power tries to control the people and makes the mess worse / The government demands that anyone who refuses the tax will be taken to court to be tried. If this happens the farmers crops will be left unattended and will likely die.
the people start going after anyone connected to the guy in power / Tax collectors are attacked in various ways.
Something else sets the rebels off, they cause major damage /  Rebels go after one of the men who encouraged the whiskey tax, they set fire to his house
The guy in power tries to obtain order by force / Over 3,000 soldiers are sent to dispel the rebels.
(Various things can happen after this point, but I'm showing you how the Whiskey Rebellion unfolded.)
The guy in power arrests various rebels and the protestors seem to disappear, the guy in power "wins"/ The government arrests over a hundred rebels, the rest of the rebels dispel and disappear
Rebel's are punished, justice / The rebels are tried in court, however each one is given a presidential pardon.
The rebels ultimately get what they want / The Whiskey tax is removed by President Jefferson

By using this as my basis, I was able to see how a real rebellion unfolds. This gives my book a realism I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Do you have any tips on how to take advantage of daily things, from school to work to chores in improving your writing or story line?

Writing when you don't want to...

There's always that day (or string of them) when you don't want to write. Here's my list of fixes. :)

1. Music
Listen to some music that fits the mood, scene, or character...

2. Talk it out
Find someone to talk it out with, honestly it can work wonders.
Normally my dad is awesome for this, he's a creative genius. However he's crazy busy.
No fear though, I have two wonderfully awesome gal pals who are always ready to help me out.

3. Talk it out 2.
Don't just talk it out, have your friend throw out some plot, character, challenge ideas out for you.
Ex: Recently we created a gangster character for my friend's book, it was fun for me (hopefully) helpful for her, and the three of us got some laughs (bonus!) Someone else inspiration can spark your creativity again.

4. Read a book!
I have a long list of must read books. (Somehow neglected with school and writing goals...)

5. Pray.
Now if you aren't a Christian you don't have to listen to this one, but I find praying for motivation and inspiration can help a lot.

6. Do something else.
I love to do other things besides writing, and doing something else gives my brain a well needed break.
My list:
Chill w/friends
Catch up on emails (Don't shoot me, I'm bad about this kind of thing.)
Blog (again don't shoot!)
Paint or draw
Get outside
Photography
Watch an old Ellery Queen episode <3
Craft something
Etc.

7. Reinvent
Its fun to change up a stale thing. I map out my novel. (Keeps me from going down as many random rabbit trails) So a change of plans can inspire me.
As a fun little example:
I decided to make a boring trip back to the mansion more interesting by introducing a impulsive pickpocket.  It gives one of my character's a chance to be the hero, I get to write a funny little character and I point my characters towards the rebels. Score!

8. Make a writing goal!
Now this normally doesn't work for me. I'm the over achieving, perfectionist, procrastinator type. I tend to make crazy over the top goals I could never reach and then give up on them. (There will be a post up on writing goals within the next week) However, set the bar lower and work up to a higher daily word count or whatever. Most of us don't have hours to muck around in writing I get a set amount of time write my heart away and then get back to life.

9. Daydream a little, think of how you'll feel when you finish your novel. Or whatever else that would excite or motivate you.

10. And now for some fun, do a writing exercise!

A. Take two characters who dislike each other and make them go shopping together. (Girly exercise, but oh so fun.)

B. Get two people who usually get along and have them at each other's throats. (Literally of figuratively)

C. Have one of your characters painting a picture and two other C's (Characters) are trying to figure it our without hurting the painter's feelings. (Or maybe one of them doesn't care and the other one is very sensitive.) 

Now for the hard part, make these things happen in character, and for a reason.  For example with number B. I could get my two MC's to fight if one of them verbally attacked the other's family, even if s/he has a viable reason. Or they could just be in the sparring room, as they both are quite competitive.

Well there you go! How do you stay motivated by writing? Whats your favorite writing exercise?

Giving Characters Playlists

One of my favorite things to do is create "playlists" for each of my main characters. (and minor ones, give those extras a little love! :) )

For me this adds another level to my writing, and gets me in that character's mind set.  (For the record I write with only one POV, but I do like to get in my other characters head so they don't all sound like my MC's clone)

I'll give a couple examples.

1st up, I have some cocky/stubborn/etc. characters. However this one fits two of my character's perfectly.  (Lexi Above and Ash bellow)

A friend recommended this song for my reckless MC Lexi. (Bellow)

Here's one for Jayden (Bellow) He's the villain/betrayer.

And just an awesome Tintin one! (Not one of my characters :) )

There are a ton for each character. :) My friends often are better at finding these than I am. Do you ever listen to music when you write, or think "This song is perfect for____." ?

Generating Story Ideas

Where do story ideas come from?

There have been many times that the well of ideas have been dry. Then there are the times that the well is full and overflowing. Here are a few ways I generate ideas:

Music: Listening to some good music. I listen to Kari Jobe, Britt Nicole, Brandan Heath. I listen to them when I draw as well.

Dreams: Sometimes a weird dream gives me a good idea or two. Sometimes there are just to crazy to get anything, however its worth a shot and its fun t laugh over of dreams. Look into keeping a dream journal. I need to get back into it.

Reading: Reading a good book is one of the best things. Don't be afraid to read outside of your usual Genre, breaking out of the usual helps me sometimes.

Memories: I remember stories, past experiences and work from there.

New Experiences: Take advantage of any kind of new experience, being a page, traveling to California, visiting relatives.

That's all I can come up with of the top of my head, what do you do to generate story ideas?

Turning Experiances into a Story A.

How to. Turn experiance into a story.

Ever hear the phrase, write what you know? I never liked that phrase, I like to write outside of my experiances. My life is relatively normal, I want to write about anything but normal.

However I've learned you need to balance the familiar with the creative, there are times where you need to write what you know.

My question is how do you turn what you know, experiances, into a story.

It's sometimes easier than you think.

First example: I've been entertaining some ideas for my next novel surrounding a poor girl who makes it into an art school by scholarship. It's based on two things, one my love for art, I know a lot about art, and two, an experiance I had when I was twelve. I met a bunch of girls who were good at art, better than I was,(one of them said they had sold a ballerina painting for $300) I felt inferior at first but it spurred me to get better. Remembering this made me want to write about it in a story, about a girl who was always the best when there were no other artists, but when put with twenty other girls finds herself more in the middle.

Second example:
Adding what you know to make it more realistic.
Ive gone to lots of farmer's markets and see bartering first hand here in Africa, this makes writing a market scene much easier for me, I've experienced the pushing crowds, rough barters and people grabbing for your attention. Add in what I know about picking the best produce I can make my character seem knowledgable when she shops in a market.

Third example:
Gathering ideas.
Here in Africa I have a lot of chances to experiance. Foods, people, houses, customs. I record these for later use. I can describe the taste of goat, how laundry was laid on teabuhes to dry, how the women carry anything and everything on their heads, how a length of fabric becomes a tied skirt. I have a lot of chances here, but there are a lot of chances where ever you are.
I take phrases and conversations and turn them into story.


Take advantage of feelings, work your emotions into the story. The bitterness of betrayal, the sweetness of friendship. I base a lot of friendships between certain characters on relationships with my family and friends. (they'll never know which, ;) )

I even took advantage of a nasty sunburn to write about how it feels. Might never use it, but it helps. Next time your really hungry describe the feeling, we've read it described as a gnawing we need something original!


Have you ever turned an experiance into a story?

Creating a Dastardly Villian

First, I love the word dastardly. :)

Now back to the post. The villain, the antagonist, the person who keeps the hero from moving forward. The villain is important, even more so than the hero in some respects. If you want a good book, you need a good villain. One that strikes fear in the heart, of not only your hero, but your reader as well.

 I've always liked the villain, writing him at least. However, he was often cliche and one dimensional so I've been working on creating a memorable villain.

One thing before I start, the scariest kind of villain is the one who seems so normal, but so evil. Someone who is insane and a villain has the advantage of being unpredictable,but isn't as scary as someone sane doing dastardly things. He knows exactly what he's doing and he still does it. His thoughts might be slightly twisted but he hasn't gone over the edge.

 You want the secret to a memorable villian?

Make him human. Easy as that. :)

 Let's break it down. A “Dastardly Villain” is a complex, convincing, and memorable antagonist.  He, She or It must:

Have a story goal. Everyone has one, including the villain. This goal is even better if it contradicts the hero's story goal, or if they get in each others ways because of their story goals. Give it depth, maybe the villains goal isn't to take over the world, but to get a new promotion.

Give him motives, your villain shouldn't do anything without motives and should have a consistent motive in every scene.

Suffer through Inner/External Conflicts (in every scene) that threaten his success/story goal (why do you think the villain hates the hero? he's one more thing that threatens success.)

 Be well-rounded and fully developed  

 Experience growth (but not as much as the Hero)

 Have an individual identity (what makes your villain different?)

Fail to achieve the story goal in the end  (I know.  So sad.)

A Villain must be memorable without being overpowering. (It’s the Hero’s story, after all.)  A Villain must also retain at least one minor, redeeming characteristic.

 Remember:  vulnerabilities humanize your Villains and make them interesting. They also give your Hero a shot at winning in the end.


How does your villain show his humanity? I like to have a few smaller things and a larger one. Such has my villain, Krale, loves tea. That's small, but it makes him more human, he's not all about power, he enjoys the little things. A common thing is to have the villian care about someone or something(an animal) to show he has a heart. I'd only do this one if it fits in with my character.

http://amadeo-amadeo.deviantart.com/art/Jafar-197986165

One last thing, description. Two ways to do this. A normal looking person with one or two cruel qualities. Or an all out fierce looking villain. Think Jafar from Aladdin, or a centurion scared by battles, a king gaudily dressed with fierce eyes.

Here are a few examples:
(1) If it hadn't been for his eyes, I wouldn't have remembered him. His eyes were fiery as he took in the country with a sweeping gaze. He never blinked, which must have been why he reminded me so much of a serpent.

 (2) He moved slowly, deliberately. He seemed old and weak, but moved with a strength that showed he needed no one. The cruel lines that formed around the corners of his mouth were the only hint that this man was not as grandfatherly as he seemed. I sensed a quick temper simmering under those calm blue eyes. I did not want to cross the line, the line that turned the tranquility into fire.


 I came up with these on the spot, these first two are normal looking men who are really villains. The second one has contradictions in the description, I rather like that. The first one is comparing the man to something seen as bad, a snake. A kind of cheat to get the reader to start giving him a personality without me saying much. Another example of this is naming the character after someone famous I only do this with minor character, such as a mouse I named Romeo in one of my stories. It gave him a depth he didn't have.

 Here's an example of an all out looking villain:
(3) His eyes burned with a hatred that no man would wish to experience. His hair came to a sharp point near his temples that added to the cruelty carved into his features, hardened by the dreads of war. This man was not one you wanted to cross, nor meet under any circumstance. Let alone the one I was in now.

How do you describe your villain? What techniques do you use? What do you do to make your villain memorable?

Oh, and to help me out, which description do you like the best?