Characters Make The Story or Movie or ...

As writers, we watch people. We look at them physically, but we also try to understand what makes them tick.

Why? Because they become the integral part of our stories.

Have you ever read a book without a hero, heroine, bad guys or good guys? No - at least not a fiction book where someone has written a story for entertainment.

Have you ever seen a movie without a hero, heroine, good guy or bad guy? No, again if its one for entertainment. I doubt you ever will.

Even children's books have them. They might be in the form of a hippo, a pig, horse or rabbit, but it's the characters who pull us in and make us keep reading a book or watching a movie.

So, what types of things do we as writers need to develop our characters? Everything!

We have to give them a name. Does it matter what name we give them? No, but hopefully we won't name an English lord Takamoto or a Japanese girl Mary. Do you see a name can give you the first hint about the character?

We have to give them a heritage. Where did they come from? Are they close to parents and family? Did they have a religious background? What job do they hold? Education they have, age, etc. All of these things make up who we are and in turn as a writer, we need to create the same for our characters.

Then we need to know what they look like. How old they are. Height, weight, hair color, eyes and the list goes on and on. Sounds like a lot of work right? Not really, but in order to make them real people that readers want to relate to, we have to make our characters seem real, and this is the way an author or writer does it.

Oh no, we're not finished yet. We need to make them unique. Give them character traits like being scared of spiders, loving to drink tea, etc. They need to have to have likes, dislikes, skills, etc.

I never realized what was involved just to write a story until I started writing one. You can see why so many authors feel like they lost a good friend when they write "The End" and have to move on to another story. We've spent so much time getting to know our characters that sometimes it's hard to say goodbye and move on. But moving on is what we do. We create new heroes and new heroines and give them new issues to deal with.

We're each individual. Think about it when you read your next story or watch that new movie. The characters you meet will be individual. No two will be exactly the same. That's why we like them.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

www.KRBailey.com

I'm in A Deep Freeze!

In Utah, we're in a deep freeze.  Literally, it's cold -- no freezing is a better word.  You know the kind of cold when you breathe out and your breath freezes when you do? The temperature outside is 3 degrees.  Now I know many other areas are colder, but it's mighty frigid here. I have to admit though it's gorgeous outside.  The sky is blue and the prettiest color I've seen in awhile.  The sun is shining, making the snow-covered ground sparkle.  You'd think you are walking in a sea of diamonds.   The fourteen inches of snow crunches under your feet and icicles hang from the rooftops. 

Skiers are loving it.  Ice fishermen are flocking to the lakes and catching fish.  Me, I'm staying warm by the fire watching the flickering flames and writing a new story.  Want to hear a little about it?  Well, I'm going to tell you about it because I love talking about my stories.

Have you ever been rabbit hunting on an empty expanse of desert with an attractive partner?  Well, my story begins just like that --two avid hunters enjoying an afternoon.  My heroine loves to hunt and, in fact, can outshoot most guys.  My hero is an ordinary guy, but he's strong and protective, loving and sexy, and determined to protect her no matter what.  He's a hero in every sense of the word.

As evening approaches, the weather changes and a huge snow storm hits.  Things go real bad when they get two flat tires, making it inpossible to drive out of the desert and get home.  They find some shelter, meet up with two crooks, and must flea through the storm for their lives. My characters have to find a way to survive in the middle of the desolation where there's nothing but sagebrush, rabbits, coyotes and no civilization for miles.   

There's a sprinkle of delicious sex, some danger and suspense.  It's a short story, a great read.  To find out more, you'll have to wait and buy the story.

Well, I'm off to finish writing.  Check my website -- http://krbailey.com -- for more information.

Stay warm.  Read a good book.  Watch for my next story. 

You Can Do Anything

Yes, you can do anything you set your mind to.  I believe it, and you need to believe it also.

I read a small article in the March AARP bulletin and I'd like to quote it.  Great story.

Author, Author
Jim Henry conquered illiteracy in his mid-90s.  Now he's the author of a book at 98.  "Never, never give up on anything even if what you're doing feels impossible," says Henry, a retired lobsterman in Mystic, Conn.  His self-published In a Fisherman's Language recounts his life through 29 stories.  The first two printings sold out, but his website, fishermanslanguage.com, is accepting orders for a third printing.  (author unknown)

Isn't that just the best thing you've read lately?  I know sometimes I get discouraged, thinking that I started too late in life to get published.  Sometimes I spend my time envying other big name authors like James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Karen Robards, and RaeAnn Thayne.  Sometimes I feel that I just don't have the time, the energy, etc, to succeed.  But then I see something like the above article, and I kick myself back into my computer chair and start working again, because I can succeed.  So can you.

Now, I didn't say it was easy.  Hey, is anything ever easy?  Not usually.  Every dream takes some work to achieve.  Every goal requires stamina, stick-to-it desire, and work to accomplish.  Tell yourself you can do it -- and do it.  Take baby steps and soon they'll turn into giant leaps.

One of my favorite says is:

 If it is to be, it's up to me.

 I love that saying because it is so true.  Every time I think I can't, I read that and remember, I can if I want to and if I'm willing to do what it takes.

I retired after over 30 years.  All those years I dreamed of writing and seeing one of my stories in print.  I joined Romance Writers of America.  I signed up for a few classes, and I started writing. I attended some writing conferences and listened to success stories.  I fought envy and then remembered to tell my friends congratulatons.  One day I decided to submit a story.  A friend talked me into it late one night as we were working on a contest.  I bit the bullet.  Sent in the query letter.  After some rewrites, edits, and lots of work, it got published.  I jumped for joy, then sat back down and kept on writing.  I feel I'm succeeding.  So can you.

Remember:

If it is to be, it's up to me.

Repeat that over and over again.  Post it next to your computer, your easy chair, wherever you spend time and need some encouragement.  Then put a plan into action.  Take the first step.

Good luck.

Are You Moving In The Right Direction?

Where you stand is not important -- its in what direction you are moving that counts.
------Unknown

I love that thought. Too often I think people worry that they haven't accomplished their goal, they aren't where they want to be in life, or that they may not be successful. But I think this thought says it all. It doesn't matter where you are. You just have to take small steps each day and one day you'll accomplish your goal and reach your dream. Don't have any? Then take time today and set some goals, identify your dream. The small steps will add up. Believe me, they will.

If you talk to various authors, they have a goal of writing a small number of words or pages each day. They know that eventually they'll complete that story or novel. Christine Feehan says her goal is writing seven pages a day. RaeAnn Thayne strives for three short period a day to write. They aren't all at once, but throughout her day, she tries to find small increments of time to put words on pages. They are moving in the right direction. I strive to find at least an hour each day on my computer to write and I admit alot of the time it is at midnight after my husband goes to sleep. Another thing that I find helps is to always have a notbeook with me. I am constantly playing with story ideas, developing characters, or plotting my story wherever I'm at. For me it works.

Someone on a diet knows they must lose a pound or two a week and over time it adds up to ten, twenty or more pounds lost. They know small steps lead them to success.

You can accomplish anything as long as you do it a piece at a time. Don't let disappointment or stumbling blocks cause you to slide backward.

Remember: If it is to be, it's up to me!

Utah RWA Conference - Out Out Damned Plot

Last weekend was our Utah Romance Writers Conference in beautiful Park City, Utah. The conference was at The Grant Summit Hotel at the Canyons Resort in Park City - beautiful facility and we just happened to be there when the Porsche Club was there so we saw some awesome cars too!

The leaves were in color, the weather was cool and nice. We had a great time. Christine Feehan was our luncheon speaker, along with agents Steven Axelrod, Laurie McLean and Amy Moore-Benson. We had editors Candace Salima from Valor Publishing Group and Heather Osborn of Tor/MacMillan, and Sue Grimshaw, book buyer for Borders. Marketing specials, Shahar and Mashlah Boyayan from Buzz Boosters gave us some great tips on marketing. All fantastic people with so much knowledge about the publishing business.

One of the perks to our conference this year was having Erin Summerill -- a professional photographer from Orem, Utah, take pictures not only of the conference but also head shots for each of the authors there. She is so good at what she does.

What a great way to spend a weekend. Only bummer was when I got home my internet was down and I had to spend three days waiting to get a new modem -- E. E. Cummings said, "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." Guess the only thing I can say is I got to laugh at my predicament.

But the conference was worth all the headache when I got home.

Keep smiling.