I’ve spoken many times to libraries and book conventions about how it is to work with another author. Many questions have been asked about the process. I’ve narrowed the list down to the eight most voiced and will share them with you in two separate posts. Below are the first four questions and my responses to them.

1. What do I know about this author?
2. How will their strengths play to my weaknesses?
3. Can our voices blend to create a third voice?
4. Can they commit to, and keep a writing timeline?

Question one. What do I know about this author?
This isn’t so difficult if the author is someone you know. My last two co-writers, Maggie Pucillo, with whom I wrote, A Spiral of Echoes and Randolph Tower, with whom I wrote, Ice, are both from my local writing group. I am familiar with their writing styles. Even then A Spiral of Echoes almost didn’t happen.

With Darrell Bain, with whom I wrote, Shadow Worlds, the situation was different.

We met online through EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Coalition). I had already read one of Darrell’s books. I liked his style, but I read two more before committing to write, Shadow Worlds, with him. That co-writing went well. No so for another author who I will call Matt. Even though I’d read Matt’s book ahead of time and was intrigued by his characters and suggestions for a book together, it didn’t work. More about that in discussing further questions.

Question two. How will their strengths play to my weaknesses?
This balancing act makes for a great plotline. What does the other author bring to the table?

Randolph Tower is a wealth of knowledge about many things. He was a fighter pilot in Viet Nam, spent some time working with the CIA and traveled to many foreign countries.

What did he need from me? Randolph tends to write in white rooms, no setting, no background, he likes talking heads. I’m good with detail. We balance each other out.

On the other hand Maggie likes too much detail. I kept our writing tight. Along with Maggie came the setting for, A Spiral of Echoes. She has a house on the beach in Baja, Mexico where the book is set. Between Maggie and me, I was the one with the publishing connections.

With Darrell Bain, he wanted to write a science fiction thriller dealing with quantum physics. I knew nothing about the subject. Darrell did. Darrell needed a little help with dialogue and setting from me.

Question three. Can our voices blend to make a third voice?
This is the number one thing two authors should be striving for-a third voice. That was where Matt and I had the problem. He did not want to lose his voice. If that is what you want, then co-writing is not for you. A reader should not be able to tell who wrote what in a co-authored book. With Randolph it came easy. With Maggie it was more work to find that third voice.

Question four. Can they commit to and keep a writing timeline?
It doesn’t make any difference if your writing partner likes to write in the middle of the night, or at dawn, as long as you can agree to meet a writing timeline. Nothing is more frustrating than to have one writer holding up the process. Of course things can happen and you have to be flexible, but this something you should know about the other author before you even start.

Barbara M Hodges http://barbaramhodges.com

I design my characters in the same way you might find out about someone in real life. When you first meet someone new, you form an opinion based on appearance, circumstances and other immediate evidence. As you get to know them, more evidence is revealed to you and your opinion of them may change. Eventually you might discover a dark secret that completely changes your view of them. If you know someone for a very long time, their character may change as a result of their experiences, which may also change your view of them.

This is how I design characters. I usually start with a mind map:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

I love drawing mind maps, and I often use them for note taking when I’m in a boring meeting or presentation (I also create characters, plots, settings etc in meetings using mind maps, but don’t tell my boss).

I put the character’s name or role in the middle of a blank page, then I add 4 radiating lines (see link above for good explanation and method). I might label each line; name, motivation, description and events. But I use many other things for labels depending on my need at the time like; background, job, relationships with other characters, romance, ambition, fears, etc.

I like to draw images and use colours in my mind maps. You can buy software to help you draw mind maps but I like to use pen, pencil and paper, because I find it is more creative for me. I’m not creating a work of art. I’m not doing it to show to anybody else. Drawing a mind map is both a creative process (it helps my imagination) and a record. I keep them as a reminder, aide-memoire and stimulation.

As I write my novel I might do more than one mind map of a character, because, like in real life, I am learning more about the character as the story develops and more evidence is revealed to me. So just before an event in a story I might think “how are these 2 characters going to be involved in the event?” I get out mind maps I have already drawn for them and I draw new mind maps specifically for the event and the 2 characters. This often helps me to solve problems like “how do I get them both there at the same time?” etc because I am very creative when drawing mind maps.

That’s it. I make characters up as I go along using mind maps to help creativity and to record my ideas. If I was writing a series with the same characters, I think I might redraw the mind maps after each book as a record of each character’s role in the book so that I don’t forget.

How do you design your characters and record them? Do you use questionnaires, CVs, data cards, databases? Please feel free to comment or ask questions.

Illustration by Mindmapper4 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 or http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Whether writing a realistic or fantasy novel, the novelist is creating a fictional world where he or she is playing God, and that requires creating a worldview or philosophy and basic rules to govern that fictional world. Writers must know what their philosophy is and what worldview they will sell to their readers in order to create effective, convincing fiction.

Writing fiction requires vision, and the novelist does more than tell a story—he or she creates a world that needs to function under the author’s vision. A novelist plays God, creating a worldview—how the world works. Before starting to write, the novelist should determine what the theme, philosophy, or worldview of the work will be. Making that determination is setting a foundation that will guide the novel so the beginning will progress logically to the conclusion and convey the book’s message or theme.

I can already hear your objections. “But I’m writing a romance novel or a horror novel, not some deep, heavy literary story!” Even so, your story will be operating within the worldview that you, the author, create for it. You need to decide whether, despite the fact that it’s all fiction, you are writing realistic fiction or fantasy, or perhaps some blend of the two. For example, do you believe in ghosts? If you think ghosts are real, you might be writing a paranormal romance where ghosts can happen in a believable manner. Your “realistic” paranormal romance must then be written so it is believable. How about your romance novel—do you believe in a benevolent universe where everything works out for the best, or do you believe life is nasty, brutish, and short? The difference in that viewpoint will determine whether you have a happy ending as in “Cinderella” or a tragedy like “Romeo and Juliet.”

Too often, writers claim ideas just come to them; their writing is spontaneous, even mystical, they are inspired, and the story just goes where it will. Yes, there is an element to that in writing, but good writing needs to occur within a clear set of goals and values so your book has a point. Even if you feel life has no point, that in itself may be your point.

Think about it. What is the worldview of your fictional world? What is permissible, and how does the universe operate? What rules, in your opinion, govern the real world or your fictional world? If you’re writing realistic fiction, will God play any role in your novel? Some readers will think God is fictional, while others will think He’s part of reality. Which viewpoint will you promote in your book, and what kind of God? If you’re writing fantasy, what rules govern the use of magic in that world? If you’re writing horror, what are the rules that govern how zombies or vampires or werewolves are created, or why they are allowed to exist? Is your world controlled by evil forces because vampires exist within it, or does a benevolent God have a place in the universe for vampires?

What theme or viewpoint do you want to express? That love conquers all? That discrimination against gay people is wrong? That we are all the victims of our family environment? That we attract into our lives what we want to have happen? That reincarnation is true? That humans are the playtoys of aliens who created the world and are keeping us here like their personal pets? That God does not care, which is why a nuclear war has left your characters living in an apocalyptic world?

Perhaps what it all boils down to is: What is the meaning of life (from your novel’s perspective), and how are you going to convey that meaning to your readers? Even if your book never addresses these issues, you are creating a sense of that message in your novel—certain rules or beliefs will be implied in your writing. Does your murder mystery show that there is no real justice in the world and evil is uncontrollable, or does it show that people ultimately must pay for their crimes? Does it show that in some cases, murder is acceptable?

While you do not need to limit yourself to specific boundaries, finding your voice as a novelist may have a lot to do with understanding what you believe, stand for, and what you want to express. Consider the following literary schools or movements. Ask yourself which one you or your specific novel might belong to, and where you agree or disagree with different schools. Please note that I have simplified the definitions and that other schools exist. Continue to explore literary philosophies on your own.

Romanticism – (Not to be confused with romance). An emphasis on the imagination and how human emotions and imagination can change or alter people. Often an emphasis on the greatness of man, and looking, not at what is, but what man can be. A proponent of self-esteem. Romantic novelists include Victor Hugo, Sir Walter Scott, and Ayn Rand.

Christian – Christian literature promotes the beliefs of Christianity and generally is intended to reveal or strengthen for the reader a belief in Jesus as the savior, in God’s love, or a better understanding of a Christian mystery such as the Resurrection. Most Western literature is influenced by the Christian worldview and either operates within it, or in the case of existentialism and some other schools, operates as a response or in opposition to it. Similarly, your worldview could be based in another religious viewpoint such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, atheism, or pantheism. Christian novelists include C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, and Lew Wallace.

Realism – The purpose is to depict the “real” world. Realism does not introduce the supernatural and stays away from unusual or unlikely situations such as winning the lottery. Usually, these are stories of everyday people and their experiences with logical consequences resulting from situations they find themselves in. Realism also tends to explore the darker sides of reality, such as war, unhappiness, adultery. Gustave Flaubert and Leo Tolstoy are realist novelists.

Naturalism – Similar to realism, but also experimental. The novelist views his characters like laboratory experiments. For example, if we take a character (short, weak, and old) and place him in a given situation (in a plane wreck so he must survive on a desert island) what is likely to happen to him? Emile Zola, Stephen Crane, and Kate Chopin are examples of naturalists.

Existentialism – Life has no meaning. There is no God. We have no hope for the future. What is left perhaps is that we make our own meaning. Well known novelists of this movement are Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Samuel Beckett.

Postmodernism – Literature is largely a game where the fictional veil is see-through. The narrator will intrude, destroying the façade of fiction to speak to the audience. Lots of irony and word play. Often the purpose is to reveal information about something non-fiction, with copious footnotes to back up the fictional portrayal to show how close the story is to reality. Vladimir Nabokov is an example. James Joyce (often considered part of Modernism, the movement this movement grew out of to some extent) also fits here.

Beyond what you consider your literary school and worldview, what is the worldview of your characters? Do you believe the world is governed by a just and good God, but your main character is an atheist who believes in existentialism? How is his worldview going to operate within your novel’s larger worldview? Will your atheist character end up converted to Christianity? What about a Romantic character who believes in the basic good of people and that the world can be made a better place, but you find his viewpoints laughable and want to make fun of him—then are you writing a postmodern novel? How about a Christian character in a naturalist novel? If you take a fundamentalist Christian and place him in a Muslim city, what will be the natural result?

Knowing your worldview as a novelist, as well as that of your characters, will help you figure out the message of your novel and how to present it to your readers, as well as allowing your readers to know what your point is. Too often lately, books and movies no longer seem to have much of a point and that is due to lack of a clear foundation because their writers did not consider what the worldview of the work would be. While fiction’s first purpose may be to entertain, when a story has no point, it is not entertaining but simply confusing and frustrating. Give your readers something to think about, something to mull over, a viewpoint or philosophy to consider and you will leave a memorable and lasting impression on them.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Recently, one of my favorite authors, a very well known one, published a new book. I always buy her books as soon as they come out because they are often a few years apart, and I can’t seem to get enough of her wonderful quirky characters and their interesting existences. Precisely because I respect this author so greatly, I will not reveal her name in discussing the literary faux pas she made in her latest novel.

The mistake was in regards to the main character’s age. The main character is sixty years old. He is divorced with three daughters, the youngest of whom is still a teenager. At one point in the book, he meets another person who is age thirty-eight, which makes him recall that when he was thirty-eight he had already been divorced and had three children. The math here just simply doesn’t add up since his third daughter is a teenager when he is sixty.

Granted, the error is not as bad as when James Fenimore Cooper switched a character’s name halfway through a novel, but it is still a fairly large mistake. To avoid such errors, authors need to know every little detail about their characters, far more than they even tell their readers, and to keep good records of those details.

Two helpful suggestions for tracking character details are to create a family tree for the characters and to interview each character.

Family trees can be simple or elaborate depending on the story, the number of characters, and the detail required. The tree can be drawn on paper, but I highly recommend using a genealogy software program because much of the required information is laid out in a format for the author. Begin with the story’s main character, creating a listing in the genealogy program for him or her. Most programs will then ask basic genealogy information such as:  First, middle, and last name, nickname, title (Mr. Dr. etc.), birth and death dates, places of birth and death, place buried and sometimes place of baptism. Then a notes section will allow you to write additional information about the character and to provide sources for your information (the last you may need for genealogy but probably not for fictional characters).

Beyond the individual person, the program will then allow you to create a marriage for the main character, another separate entry for his wife, a date and place for the marriage, a box to check if they were divorced, and individual listings for the children. Of course, if the character is not married and does not have kids, no need to do so, but perhaps your novel ends before he meets his future wife, but you secretly know he will marry two years after the novel ends so you would like to create this information anyway.

Almost as important as the character’s current marriage and children is information about his family background. Even if his parents and grandparents do not appear in the novel, I think it’s important to figure out where this character came from. Create entries for his parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Perhaps you had not thought about his grandparents before, but now if you decide they were immigrants from Croatia, it could make a big difference compared to if they were Jews from Brooklyn or Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The family background is what usually shapes the character, his worldview, his motivations, fears, hopes and dreams.

Be sure you are specific with all the information you provide. In terms of dates, at the very least provide a year. Your character may be thirty years old and you’re writing the book in 2010, but by the time it’s published, it will be 2012. So does that mean he was born in 1980 or 1982, or is your book set in the 1960s, so maybe he was born in 1932 or 1938. You might even want to go so far as to make his birthday April 12 or December 3. Give birth years and possibly birth dates to all the other characters. Is it enough to say the main character’s grandparents were born in England, or do they need specifically to be born in York or London or Penzance? How does where his grandparents were born make a difference to the main character? Even if you never give specific years or dates in your novel, it can only make things easier for you in knowing these details for yourself.

It may seem like you are just creating unnecessary details, but these details will help you avoid discrepancies later so if you can’t remember how old the main character’s third daughter is, you can go back to check, and you can always change the facts in the genealogy program so long as you also change them in your novel. You will also be learning more about your character so he becomes multi-dimensional.

Interviewing characters is another great way to get to know and even to create them. I recommend you make up some kind of standard interview sheet, and you keep one for each character—especially the main character, but minor characters as well. The neighbor next-door character might need his own sheet—he might even need his own family tree. Most of the basic interview questions you would ask should already be in your genealogy program—name, date of birth etc. so the interview sheet is the place to find out not just details but what makes the character tick.

Be sure to include physical descriptions here. Of course, ask the basics about hair and eye color, height and weight, but then also consider how these might have changed. Was he born with blond hair but it turned brown by the time he was twenty? Did she weigh 250lbs in high school but is only 130lbs by the time she’s twenty-five? And of course, how did she lose the weight? What is your character’s most distinguishable feature? Is he happy with his physical appearance? Why or why not?

Find out all the details you can. Ask your character about his or her favorites: What is your favorite movie/book/flavor of ice cream? Find out the character’s past. What jobs have you held and when? What schools did you attend? When was your first date? When did you decide you wanted to be an astronaut?

How do other characters influence each individual character? If the main character’s grandpa died when he was sixteen, how did that effect him? If the main character decided when he finished college to move to Florida, how did his mother in Pennsylvania feel about her son being so far away? When Grandma left Italy after World War I, whom did she leave behind, and did she stay in touch with her family? How did Grandpa and Grandma raise the main character’s father, and how did that in turn effect how the main character was raised?

The questions you can ask are endless. The point is to ask a lot of questions. You are responsible for telling the story of this character’s life, even if the story only takes place over a few days or years. You want to get it right. You want to know the main character and all the minor characters inside and out. Often this additional information can lead to ideas for more books—even sequels or spin-offs.

Be a good data collector. Not only will it prevent you from making a mistake about your characters, but it will create richer, more realistic characters that your readers will enjoy.

The great magic of writing fiction is in the details, and the more you know the better. I have never forgotten the words of E.M. Forster: “Expansion. That is the idea the novelist must cling to. Not completion. Not rounding off but opening out.” You want to create a world that appears real, a world that feels like it will live and continue on by itself even after the last page of the book is read. Keeping good details about characters is the start of making that fictional world appear a reality.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Hello? What was that? Of course I do…..doesn’t everyone? I quickly learned that, no, many writers don’t and that helps spring a surprise ending on the reader. Or, better yet, know who your killer is and then switch it to someone else at the last minute. Sure, you may have to go back and move clues around or find new ways to justify the various locations of where your characters were at certain points in the story but, I’ve tried it and I have to tell you, it’s quite entertaining. In the latest manuscript that I am working on I’ve done it at least once so far – yep – changed my bad guy killer. And guess what? In my mind (though I’ve yet to type it into my computer) I’ve changed him (or her) again. Maybe when the entire work is finished it will be someone that I didn’t even suspect. And that’s what keeps it fresh and exciting – to me and the reader.

An author that I know surprised me so much with the reveal of the murderer in her book that I nearly dropped the book when I read who did it. Seriously. Almost dropped the book. There were two reveals to me that day. The first was the identity of the murderer. The second was that, as a writer, I was boring and predictable, so of course my killers were probably obvious to readers. No matter how many suspects I threw in my readers probably didn’t need a photo lineup.

So I tried the whole switch-your-killer-at-the-end-of-your-book thing. And I fell in love with a whole new perspective on writing mysteries. If you’re like me you try not to listen to the crowd leaving the theater as you are entering in case they drop spoilers. I’m cautious to read movie reviews in case they explain too much. I want the shock value of the surprise ending. I don’t want to know that hand is going to come up from the grave and grab the sweet girl. Or that Bruce Willis was really dead all along. Sorry if you didn’t know about those two.

Write your mystery as if you are really trying to solve the crime, rather than providing a crime for others to solve. Your favorite character may be tricky enough to fool you and cause you to drop your own book when he reveals himself to you at the end. He looks familiar—can number five please step forward?

Loni Emmert is the co-author of BUTTON HOLLOW CHRONICLES #1: THE LEAF PEEPER MURDERS available August 2010 from Mainly Murder Press. She is a member of SinC, RWA and writes articles on writing, reading and other related topics. (http://thewordmistresses.com)

A complaint many reviewers have is that the novels they review are lacking in story or plot, especially in books by first-time authors. Beginning authors often enjoying creating comical, quirky, or interesting characters, and strong, well-rounded characters are definitely integral to a book because they are whom the reader will identify with. Too often, however, authors overlook the importance of creating a strong plot centered in the character and instead create episodic stories that read like a character’s biography.

Stories that are “plot-driven” have gotten a bit of a bad name in recent years. Think of all the car-chase type movies and the special effects used in films that are about the plot more than the characters. If the characters aren’t well-developed, readers aren’t going to identify with them; these films and many action/adventure/suspense books have focused so much on the plot that we lose interest in the characters, and if we don’t care about the characters, then we don’t care what happens to them or to the plot.

A good plot is just as important as interesting characters, but the plot needs to be integral to the characters. Emphasis on plot and characters are really inseparable for a piece of fiction to be successful. Yes, I’ve heard the argument that life does not have a plot and we should create realistic fiction, but I beg to differ that plots are unrealistic. People who feel life doesn’t have a plot often have not chosen a plot, a path, a purpose yet in their lives. They tend to be boring people. What makes our lives interesting is when we have dreams, plans, goals, and difficulties to overcome. However much we might like certain characters, they aren’t interesting unless we have a reason to cheer them on, to hope they succeed.

The bottom line is that good fiction requires that the plot and the main character be intertwined. The plot is essential to the main character. In writing a story or novel, the author must ask him or herself, “What is at stake?” and more specifically, “What is at stake for the main character?” The reader needs to know what really matters in the first chapter, preferably on the first page; the tension created by something being at stake is what will keep readers turning the page.

What is at stake for the main character can be something as simple as deciding what college to go to or as serious as having his child kidnapped. Whatever is at stake has to be something so important to the main character that it spurs him or her on to action. The main character also has to be developed so he or she will react in a believable way to what is at stake. And if that can be done creatively, all the better.

For example, in a bank robbery situation, if the main character is a middle-aged housewife who has never done anything heroic in her life and is afraid of mice and everything else she encounters, it makes no sense for her to tackle the bank robber. However, if the main character is a little old lady, while she may not seem likely to take out the bank robber, if she is developed to have an interesting past, such as she was part of the French Resistance during World War II and shot some Nazis, then she might just have it in her to tackle the bank robber. The little old lady’s heroic action is not out of character while the housewife’s might be.

A good plot will make readers unable to put down the book because they will want to find out what happens next, how it’s all going to turn out, and they will care enough about the main character to want to see him or her succeed. What is at stake for the characters might also be something that is at stake or has been at stake for the reader. Trying to find your place in the community, trying to find love, trying to succeed at something difficult are all situations the everyday person encounters and which will help the reader identify with the character.

A well-known novel that successfully weaves plot and character together is “Gone With the Wind.” Here, Scarlett O’Hara is the main character. The plot includes survival during the Civil War and also Scarlett trying to find love and figure out which man she loves. Although Scarlett O’Hara is not the most likeable character, readers can relate to her quest for love and survival, and they understand that the decisions she makes are based in her need to survive; she wants love, but she has to choose survival, which means marrying men she doesn’t love but who have money to save her plantation. That the man she loves is unavailable to her adds fuel and a small degree of acceptability to her actions.

For authors planning to write a novel, I suggest you start by creating an interesting character. Then ask the following questions for creating the plot:

What is most important to the character?
What does the character want in life? What are his or her goals, desires, or dreams?
What does the character most fear?
How could that fear interfere with the characters dreams and goals?
What would the character do if what is most important to him or her were threatened by what he or she feared most?
What obstacles would the character have to overcome to make things better or return things to normal?
What is within the character’s nature and within the range of reasonable possibilities that can lead to a resolution of the problem?

A good plot will not only cause a character to take action, but it will help the character to grow and change, often in surprising, but ultimately affirming ways.

In writing a novel, don’t forget the character development, and don’t forget the plot, and especially, don’t forget that they are really one and the same.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Don’t forget the backstory. The backstory consists of those events that happened prior to the main time of the novel. Usually, those events are in the background—they may not be mentioned or even known by the characters, but the author mentions them to the reader, sometimes in just a sentence or two, sometimes in a hint or an image, sometimes as a prologue, sometimes as a flashback or in a character’s memories.

Here are a few simple ways that the backstory makes a novel richer:

Backstories Build Character Motivation

A simple example of a backstory creating character depth and motivation is in Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence.” The novel focuses upon Newland Archer who is engaged to May Welland and eventually will marry her, but Newland finds himself attracted to May’s cousin, Countess Olenska, married but separated from her husband. Early in the novel, Wharton briefly mentions that Newland had previously been attracted to a married woman. Most readers might forget this point, but it reveals depths to Newland’s character that foreshadow and explain his desire for what is forbidden—to be with Countess Olenska.

Backstories Allow for Plot Twists

Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” is about an orphan boy trying to survive in Victorian London. But Oliver had to become an orphan somehow—the backstory is that of his parents, and ultimately, it leads to secrets about his parentage being revealed. A recent film version of “Oliver Twist” even went so far as to begin with the story of how Oliver’s parents met and separated, turning the backstory into a prologue.

Backstories Foreshadow Events to Come

In the “Harry Potter” novels, we are told that Voldemort killed Harry’s parents, and Harry even has a scar on his forehead as a sign of the battle. The backstory of Harry’s parents set up this seven novel series so that Harry ultimately must do battle with Voldemort and avenge his parents’ deaths. That showdown is never lost focus of as a result of the backstory planting the seed.

Backstories Create an Expanding Universe of Possibilities

The backstory fulfills what I have long considered one of the most important observations upon writing fiction ever made. In “Aspects of the Novel,” E.M. Forster states, “Expansion. That is the idea the novelist must cling to. Not completion. Not rounding off but opening out.”

One of the best examples of this expansion exists in the backstory of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” series, and it is one that novelist Gregory Maguire, most notably, has capitalized on with his novel “Wicked” and its successors. Film viewers know Dorothy goes to visit the Wizard who is a humbug and came to Oz in a balloon, but readers of the books know that many things happened in Oz prior to the Wizard arriving. In Baum’s second book “The Marvelous Land of Oz” the backstory comes forefront when a young boy is discovered to be the enchanted rightful princess of Oz. In subsequent novels, Baum left further hints of Oz’s backstory—how it became a fairyland, how the wicked witches gained power. In “Wicked,” Gregory Maguire reinterpreted this backstory to tell the story from the Wicked Witch of the West’s perspective, allowing the witch to justify her actions and to show that the Wizard in many ways was the wicked one.

Many novels, which we can loosely term “postmodern” today for their desire to play with earlier literary texts, have equally capitalized on existing backstories in novels, or in trying to create backstories based on hints in the original texts. The classic novels by Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Charles Dickens, and many others have had numerous prequels and sequels and spin-offs written in recent years to capitalize on their backstories. For example, in “Wuthering Heights,” Heathcliff is an orphan boy whom Mr. Earnshaw brings home to raise, but was Mr. Earnshaw honest about Heathcliff’s background? Could Heathcliff really be Mr. Earnshaw’s bastard child? If that were the case, the backstory becomes richer and the main text of “Wuthering Heights” inherits many new overtones.

Suggestions for Creating a Backstory

If you are trying to add interest to your novel, consider adding a backstory to it. Here are a few suggestions for backstory ideas that can enrich a storyline:

1. Secrets: Nothing makes a good backstory like family secrets revealed. What is the secret? Who knows it? Who finds it out? How is the secret discovered? How does knowing the secret change the main character’s perspective, goals, or decision to act? Lost diaries, forgotten manuscripts, old family heirlooms, courthouse birth and marriage records, or a dying woman who wants to unburden her soul are all great ways to introduce secrets into the novel.

1. Someone from the Past: A former lover shows up unexpectedly, creating memories of the past. An old enemy returns to seek revenge. Suddenly, the main character finds that his past has caught up with him, or perhaps his children discover something new they never before suspected about their father.

1. Forgotten Memories: A psychiatric patient remembers her true identity, or she remembers being molested as a child, or finally sees the face of her rapist, or a psychiatrist finally pinpoints the event in a person’s past that led to her split personality disorder.

1. A Tragic Event: Science fiction novels are great for backstories. In an apocalyptic setting, what happened to make the world the way it is now—a flood, global warming, a nuclear war, an attack by aliens? Or in more realistic novels, does someone’s death in the past still hold sway over characters in the present?

1. Conspiracies: “The Da Vinci Code” is a great example. For two thousand years, Jesus’ true bloodline has been kept secret. Or a hidden treasure has been guarded for hundreds of years. The truth behind humanity’s origins is suddenly revealed when an alien spaceship is found.

The backstory can be incorporated into your novel in many ways. Hint at it in the beginning, and then gradually provide more hints so that all can be revealed at the end, or use it to provide character motivation for events to come. Create a mystery and momentum with your backstory that will leave readers totally enmeshed in your novel, anxious to discover secrets from the past, and eager to learn how it will all turn out.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Let’s start with a premise: a kid has a math test on Monday. Exciting? Not really. But ask two simple questions, and you can add conflict.

• Why is it important to the character? The stakes should be high. The longer the story or novel, the higher stakes you need to sustain it. A short story character might want to win a contest; a novel character might need to save the world.

• Why is it difficult for the character? Difficulties can be divided into three general categories, traditionally called man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus himself. You can even have a combination of these. For example, someone may be trying to spy on some bank robbers (man versus man) during a dangerous storm (man versus nature) when he is afraid of lightning (man versus himself).

Back to the kid with the math test. Here’s what we came up with when I did this exercise in a workshop: If he doesn’t pass, maybe he will fail the class, have to go to summer school, and not get to go to football camp, when football is what he loves most. That’s why it’s important. Assuming we create a character readers will like, they’ll care about the outcome of this test, and root for him to succeed.

Our football lover could have lots of challenges—he forgot his study book, he’s expected to baby-sit his distracting little sister, a storm knocked out the power, he has ADHD, or he suffers test anxiety. But ideally we would relate the difficulty to the reason it’s important. So let’s say he has a big football game Sunday afternoon, and is getting pressure from his coach and teammates to practice rather than study for his test. Plus, of course, he’d rather play football anyway.

We now have a situation full of potential tension. Let the character struggle enough before he succeeds (or fails and learns a lesson), and you’ll have a story. And if these two questions can pump up a dull premise, just think what they can do with an exciting one!

Fears and Desires

As this exercise shows, conflict comes from the interaction between character and plot. You can create conflict by setting up situations which force a person to confront their fears. If someone is afraid of heights, make them go someplace high. If they’re afraid of taking responsibility, force them to be in charge.

You can also create conflict by setting up situations which oppose a person’s desires. If they crave safety, put them in danger. But if they crave danger, keep them out of it.
In my Mayan historical novel The Well of Sacrifice, Eveningstar never dreams of being a leader or a rebel. But when her family, the government, and even the gods fail to stop the evil high priest, she’s forced to act. In my Haunted series, Jon would like to be an ordinary kid, fit in, and stay out of trouble. But his sister constantly drags him into trouble as she tries to help ghosts without letting the grown-ups know what she and Jon are doing. The reluctant hero is a staple of books and movies because it’s fun to watch someone forced into a heroic role when they don’t want it. (Think of Harrison Ford as Han Solo.)

Even with nonfiction, you can create tension by focusing on the challenges that make a person’s accomplishments more impressive. In my book Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker, written under the name M.M. Eboch, I made this incredible athlete’s story more powerful by focusing on all the things he had to overcome – childhood health problems, poverty, a poor education. I showed his troubles, and not just his successes, to help the reader understand just what he achieved.

Here are a few more tips on setting up conflict:

• What does your main character want? What does he need? Make these things different, and you’ll add tension to the story. It can be as simple as our soccer player who wants to practice soccer, but needs to study. Or it could be more subtle, like someone who wants to be protected but needs to learn independence.
• Even if your main problem is external (man versus man or man versus nature), consider giving the character an internal flaw (man versus himself) that contributes to the difficulty. Perhaps your character has a temper, or is lazy, or refuses to ever admit she’s wrong. This helps set up your complications, and as a bonus makes your character seem more real.
• Before you start, test the idea. Change the character’s age, gender, or looks. Change the point of view. Change the setting. Change the internal conflict. What happens? Choose the combination that has the most dramatic potential.

Some writers tend to start with plot ideas and then develop the character who’ll face those challenges, while others start with a great character and then figure out what he or she does. Regardless of which style you prefer, remember to work back and forth between plot and character, tying them together with conflict.

Chris Eboch is the author of the Haunted series for ages eight to 12, about siblings who travel with a ghost hunter TV show. See more of her writing tips at her blog, Write Like a Pro! A Free Online Writing Workshop: http://chriseboch.blogspot.com/ or visit her website at http://www.chriseboch.com.

YOUR STORY AND THE READER’S

Oh, yeah, there is always more than one side to a story. I’m sure you heard that one before. Well when it comes to writing there is the story you’ve written. The story that’s in your head, and the story that the reader reads.

The best part of reading a book opposed to seeing a movie is that no two readers play out the exact same story in their head when they read. Having people test read your writing shows you the things you forgot to tell them. Let’s you know when you tell too much. Picks out the times you forgot to show the story.

As an author, we know the story we want to tell in detail. And those parts that are our tough spots – places in the tale where we get too lazy to figure out. The reader picks up on them with clarity and reminds the author to fix those vague spots.

WHY WRITERS SHOULD BETA

In order to turn your caterpillar of a story into a butterfly, don’t skimp on the Beta Readers. I have several sets of beta readers that I use. I break them up into groups and my expectations for them are different. I also find that coming up with questions for that group or a checklist helps them to focus their reading and gives them permission to be nitpicky.

AUDIENCE – This is the age, gender, group that the book is written for. I usually get a hand full of kids to read my YA books. They usually flush out lags in the story, dialogue issues, believability and story likeability.

PEERS – These are fellow writers. This is my secret weapon. Other writer’s are really good at picking apart grammar issues, plot holes, character issues and structure problems. They are golden and definitely never let anything go out without running your stuff by this group of beta readers at least 2 times.

RANDOM READERS – This is usually adults I get to read my middle grade and young adult books. They don’t usually read YA, but can give me a good indication of hidden audiences. If the story is strong enough to transcend the intended group and go mainstream.

AUTHORS SHOULD BETA TOO

As an author, beta reading others’ work is invaluable. I’ve become a better writer, editor of my work and others through beta reading. Also, it is a give and take. I love doing beta switches with other authors and critique their work at the same time they are critiquing mine. It ensures that they have an invested interest in helping my story succeed as much as I do in theirs.

LM Preston, author of The Pack and Explorer X-Alpha, www.lmpreston.com and http://lmpreston.blogspot.com

Some are inspired to start writing for the first time. Others are inspired to finish something for the first time. Some, like me, find that writing at breakneck speed produces a lower quality of work that doesn’t reflect what is normally produced when writing within your own timing.

There are ways to make speed writing more effective. The overall goal, is to produce more in a shorter period of time. If you keep this up, who knows, speed writing may become a habit.

Prepare for it

When you set out to write a novel in a short period of time, outlining is your friend. Take a few weeks to write a detailed outline of the story. It will help to work out most of the kinks before you even sit down to write. Create character profiles of the main characters and review outline before the start of your writing marathon.

Plan it

If you are going to focus on spitting out as many words as possible a day, then plan it. Block out your writing time for the month. Figure out when you are most productive. Is it in the morning, at night or midday? Make a rule – no sleep unless you have kicked out a minimum of a certain amount of words. Make sure you schedule extra time for working out of corners or temporary writer’s blocks. Make your schedule somewhat flexible so that you don’t get burned out and give up.

Write it

With a printout of your outline next to you and a bullet list of your character profile – start the race. Follow your outline. If you want to go rogue, go ahead, write until the roadblock. If you reach a road block – write anything, take some time off to think on it, then re-work your outline and get back to it. Whatever you do – don’t stop writing. Remember, you will always have to edit it.

Don’t look back

Whatever you do, don’t read over what you’ve written until you are finished. That is an easy way to get distracted. Remember, you’ll have to edit the thing many times before your piece of art is perfected. Just write forward, don’t make corrections, don’t read over it, just push forward and write.

by: LM Preston, author of The Pack and Explorer X – Alpha, www.lmpreston.com and http://lmpreston.blogspot.com