The Roundup, Episode 2: Knowing More

Since it's been quiet on the blog lately, how's about some writing links?

So I've got some fun links today that kind of go hand in hand with a lot of the philosophies I take up when writing Fates, and I can't wait to share!


How to Crush It As a Writer: The Weird Trick

Pretty quick little read about how to change it up and make your writing a little more interesting, but remember, if you're going to follow this advice, don't go overboard.  The tricks suggested in this article are pretty great, yes, but in too much abundance, they can be cutesy and trite.  This is one of those "Add lightly for seasoning" tricks!

Building Character: Know More Than Your Reader

Here's a fun fact about Fates: everything you see on the final page is pretty much just the tip of the iceberg.  Even minor characters are only given a little sliver of themselves to show to the final audience, but that doesn't mean I can't tell you at least five little fun facts about each of them that will never make it onto the page.  Why do I bother going through the extra work?  Well, for one thing I'm a nerd and I love knowing things about behind the scenes stuff.  But mostly?  I feel like it makes even the character with the smallest amount of screen time more rounded if they go beyond just what you see on the page.

This article explores that phenomenon, as well as how to give your character an effective inner monologue, and it's a pretty good read/thing to consider.

Twelve Dos and Don'ts of Your First Page

Act First, Explain Later.  In the series, how do we first see Chuck?  He isn't sitting down staring at a computer screen with a pencil clutched in his teeth, typing away.  Nope, instead he and Morgan are on a black ops mission--to escape his own birthday party.  We don't see them sitting down with a map to play their escape trajectory and back-up meeting points in case they get separated; instead, we come in right in the middle of the action...and Ellie catching him.  We don't actually find out much about Chuck's aspirations and hopes until the third episode, when he tells Sarah exactly what happened at Stanford and how he had hoped he would be Carmichael.

I don't quite agree with every single rule on this list, but it's a great read to consider.  After all, in publishing and fanfiction, you've got to have a strong start to draw people in, or you're going to lose them before you even have them.

There are more links to come eventually, but this is just a fun Sunday morning read!  Hope you enjoyed!

Frea