15 Things I Love About Writing

   So, technically, this is a tag-your-fellow-bloggers thing that's been going around, but I saw it on one of my favorite writing blogs (You should look at it. It's at http://hannahheath-writer.blogspot.com/2015/05/15-things-i-love-about-being-writer.html ) and wanted to do it. I'm also not going to tag anyone, mostly because I don't actually know any other people who have a writing blog. So, if you have a blog, feel free to consider yourself tagged. Now, here are my fifteen things I love about writing--
     1- Characters
         I've mentioned this before, but my characters are my favorite part of writing. Creating them, fleshing them out, filling in character sheets, and then setting them loose on the page... it's incredible. Also occasionally frustrating, when they don't do what you want them to do, but the way they develop a will of their own is amazing. I don't write their stories. I stick them in a situation and see what they do with it.
    2- My desk
         While I do a lot of writing at school, when I'm at home, I usually use my desk. I adore that space. I love pinning random ideas and reference images and quotes to my bulletin board. I love the clay dragons that keep me company, and the dream catcher I hang nearby, because I'm not that superstitious, but it seems like a great way to invite ideas.

     3-The community
        Oh, where do I even start on this? The 'yes! I made my beta readers cry!' moment that we all take pride in. The joking about our search histories. All of us having imaginary friends. I joined the Go Teen Writers Community Facebook group a little over a year ago, and my first post was about character death. I had NO EARTHLY IDEA what I was getting myself into. But those are my favorite people on the internet. They can joke with me about the stranger bits, cry with me when I have feels, and cheer me on when I have a victory.
     4- Plot Bunnies
        Getting random ideas, listening to people talk for snippets of dialogue, and carrying a notebook and pen in my pocket to write them down. I love the a-ha! moment where I get an idea that ties everything together.
    5-First Drafts
         Some writers prefer edits, but I love the feeling of writing new words, creating new worlds and people and describing and developing. Edits are great, but nothing can match the magic of a first draft. Which brings me to my next point...
   6- The magic
      One of my favorite sayings about writing is, "I write because creating things that didn't exist before is as close to magic as I'll ever get." I love that thought, because really, writing is basically telepathy. You take ideas from your head and transfer them into a format that will put them into other people's heads. I think that's pretty cool.
    7- The flexibility
        I am not particularly fond of math, largely because all the hard work leads up to only one possible answer, and if you get something different, you're wrong. Writing is different. With only my fingers and a keyboard, I can craft the same idea in a thousand different ways, and it will never be the same as someone else's, because I'm different from all of the other writers in the world. It's individual. It's creative.
    8- I can give others what books have given me
       My dad read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to me when I was in kindergarten. I've loved books, especially fantasy books, ever since. I love the feeling of being so enraptured by reading that I forget what's around me. I love being in someone else's head and experiencing the fantastical with them. Through my writing, maybe I can do the same for someone else.
    9-Ships
        As a fangirl, I am all too familiar with ships, and all the emotions they cause (I'm still getting over the Doctor and Rose). I take a kind of evil pleasure in giving others the same feels. And writing little bits of romance, despite never even having been on a date. Those are fun.
    10-My crazy dreams can be useful.
        I once had a dream in which I was stabbed in a surprisingly well-developed fantasy world. It was scary, but then I woke up and wrote it down because PLOT BUNNIES! Same with the descendant of Midas, and a thousand other nonsensical dreams.
    11- Random Facts
         I pick up on the oddest little facts when I'm doing research. For example, you can die if you get air in your bloodstream. It's called an air embolism. The earliest forms of biological warfare were people catapulting bodies of plague victims over their walls. Lots of creepy, but cool, information.
    12- Making Collages
       I spend a large potion of my time procrastinating working on my novel by finding reference images on Pinterest and making collages with them. They're rather pointless, but they're fun.
    13-Because I love thinking of the future I could have with it.
       Even if I don't have a bestseller, just being published would be incredible. Holding my hours of work in my hands, in hardcover format, seeing my book on Amazon, reading reviews...it's a distant dream, but so real in my mind. And if I work hard and keep writing, I could make it come true.
    14-Because I can experience anything
         Through my writing, I can fly and travel to amazing places and touch the stars. I can live my character's lives with them, and I can cheer them on and explore. I can have a thousand first kisses (despite not having had one). I can live all of these lives, and see anything, without leaving my home.
    15-Because I don't know what I'd do without it.
       I've only been writing seriously for less than two years, but I've always dabbled in it. I've come across hand-scrawled pages of stories I wrote in second and third grade. I've always had these ideas in my head. Some people can't imagine living without sports. Some people can't imagine living without drawing. I can't imagine living without writing.

Using MBTI to Develop Characters

   

   I don't know about you, but developing characters is one of my favorite parts of writing. Figuring out who they are, and why, is incredible, and seeing them run loose on the page is, while occasionally exasperating, really quite cool.
    But sometimes they decide not to talk to me. That's a problem. I know something will happen, but I have no clue how they'd react. This is where Myers-Briggs comes in handy. I can hop onto the writing group on Facebook that I'm part of, type up a quick question addressed to people of the same type as my character, and get some ideas of how my character would react.
    By the way, for those who don't know, MBTI stands for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or instrument, depending on who you ask). Each person will be a four-letter type, and use four of eight functions (which are super confusing and I'm not good at them, so if you want to know about them, google MBTI functions). So, for a quick rundown of the system--
    Introversion/Extraversion- This is where you get your energy. Introverts expend energy in social situations, while Extraverts gain it. Introversion is abbreviated as I, and Extraversion is abbreviated as E.
    Sensing/Intuition- This is how the inner world is structured. Sensors prefer concrete details, while Intuits tend to lean more towards the big picture and what it means, rather than what it is. Intuition is abbreviated as N, to differentiate it from Introversion. Sensing is shortened to S.
   Thinking/Feeling- This is how you make decisions. Thinkers rely on objective reasoning, while Feelers are more likely to 'follow their hearts.' These two abbreviations are easy; just T/F.
   Judging/Perceiving- This is how the outer world is structured. Judgers prefer schedules, order and tidiness, while Perceivers would rather go with the flow. The abbreviations are J/P.
   Each person has one of eac of these, and you put the letters together to make your type. I'm an INFJ, which stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging. My four-letter opposite would be an ESTP, which stands for Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving.
    If you want to find out your type, there are online tests, but those aren't the most accurate. If you have to, use a test that measures the funtions, rather than letters, and then read about types to figure out the best fit.
    To figure out your character's type, follow the same process.
    Anyhow, once you know your character's type, it gives you a good way to figure out reactions you're not sure of. My current main character is an ESTP, so I'm often lost on what she would do. Because I know her type, though, I can either Google it (ESTP and anger, for instance), ask ESTPs I know in real life, or ask other ESTPs on the internet.
   It also gives a framework to work with for your character. While Myers-Briggs isn't a cookie cutter mold, it can give you a good idea of some common traits. When I create a character, the first thing I usually do for personality is MBTI type. It gives me a good idea of some basics, and helps me get a good foundation for further detail.
     P.S. Here are some of my favorite MBTI resources-
     http://oddlydevelopedtypes.com/survival_quiz  This is mostly just fun. It has short stories about each type in a zombie apocalypse, and is...definitely interesting.
     http://www.keys2cognition.com/explore.htm   If you MUST use an online test, this one is decent. It measures the functions, and will suggest the main type it thinks you are, plus the next two.
     http://typelogic.com/fa.html   This gives a description of each type, using functions.
    Do you have any questions? What are your characters' types? What are yours? Let me know in the comments!

Writing Terminology: A Guide for New Writers

    When I first started writing seriously, I looked up tons of stuff online, and eventually stumbled into a Facebook group for writers. Most of them had been writing for much longer than I had, and there was a lot of terminology I didn't understand. So, I'm writing this guide now to help new writers be able to understand their more experienced friends. Here's a few of the more common terms:

Plot Bunny- This is a bit of a story idea. It rarely has any real connection, or even much substance, but they can develop into great stories. It's called a plot bunny because it's fluffy and cute and you want to abandon your current project to chase it.

WIP- Short for Work In Progress. The project you're working on right now.

MC- Main Character. You'll also sometimes see FMC and MMC, which stand for Female Main Character and Male Main Character, respectively.

Ship- This is mostly fandom, but applies to writing as well. When you ship two characters, you want them to end up together, even if they won't/can't. Shipping is the act of having a ship.

Word War- When two or more writers get together and write for a certain amount of time. Whoever writes the most wins.

OC-Original Character. A character you made up.

Canon- Also fandom but may be useful for fanfic writers. Canon is the events that happen in the original books, movie, or show. Some people also include later content by the author, like J.K. Rowling's extra information on Pottermore.

MG- Middle Grade.

YA- Young adult

OTP- One true pairing. Your favorite ship.

POV- Point of view. The character whose eyes the story is told through.

Feels- When your story gives you too many emotions. This one's also used commonly in fandom.

AU- Alternate universe. Placing your characters in another world.

     I think that about covers the main ones. Are there any I missed? Which terms confused you most? Let me know in the comments!

Motivation is Everything: Writing Believable Antagonists

         

  Last year, my school put on Happy Days as our annual musical. I was in the ensemble, so I was at practices. I learned the songs, the dances, and some of the lines. One lyric in the opening song, Welcome to Wisconsin, caught my attention and made me think.

            Every story's gotta have a hero; he's the most important person to the plot.

            It made me wonder, who is the most important person to the plot? Which character could the story not exist without?

            The protagonist is important, as are the best friends, the love interest, etc. But I would say that the antagonist is actually the most important character.

            Your antagonist provides the conflict. He or she directly opposes the main character. Without the antagonist, your main character wouldn't have a problem. They wouldn't be forced to become heroes, and they'd have no stories to tell.

            So how do you create this all-important character?

            My rule of thumb, for any character is this--Motivation is Everything.

            Your villain sees himself or herself as the protagonist. He doesn't believe he's evil. (I'm going to use one or the other pronoun at this point, since the he/she stuff is getting long) She has a reason for her behavior that's just as valid in her mind as your protagonist's. Your protagonist is the antagonist to her.

            Evil for the sake of evil rarely works. Villains who are evil for no reason often end up flat or cheesy. Plus, the best villains are the ones who truly believe they're doing right. If you can understand his logic, you might see a bit of him in yourself. In my mind, that is what makes a villain truly terrifying. Seeing the evil in a fictional character is one thing. Seeing it in yourself is a completely other thing.

            Some common villain motivations include lust (the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera), Justice (Javert in Les Mis), power (Voldemort in Harry Potter), or revenge (Darth Vader from Star Wars). But you can push it further. What if you had a villain motivated by love? Not lust, but actual love? Trying to protect their family? What about a villain motivated by desperation to escape her mundane life? Villains are people, too, with motivations and hopes and fears. Make sure to treat them that way.

            What are your villains' motivations? What problems do they cause for the protagonist? Tell me all about them in the comments!

The Case Against Cursing

          

          Cursing in books is a much-debated topic in writing. As with any issue, particularly when one or more of the groups debating feel that morals are involved, many people cling to their opinions like lifelines.

            I'm here to express mine.

            Writers and readers who support using swear words in novels have their arguments-- cursing boosts authenticity, some people curse regularly, so characters should be the same, and a well-placed swear word can heighten tension.

            Personally, I'm against cursing, for several reasons.

            First of all, I believe that swearing constantly doesn't let you show off your amazing vocabulary. A creative writer can invent new swear words for their sci-fi and fantasy worlds (I used blazing once, and to this day it's still my favorite substitute). If you write realistic fiction or real-world fantasy, you can still be creative.

            For example, in Heather Frost's Seers, the main character's best friend has a swearing habit that she's trying to break. Every time she wants to swear, she substitutes a random word, such as Oreos. You get the idea that she swears or used to swear often, but you don't actually read a curse word. Shannon Hale's narrator in Dangerous censors the swear words of a character with the word bleep. The quirk even provides a humorous moment when she says it aloud in the place of a swear word.

            And, of course, you have dozens of real-life substitutes. Dang it, freak, and crap are all more appropriate substitutes. Or you can just say, "She swore," or, "He muttered an unrepeatable word." You don't need swearing to get the emotion. That's the wonderful thing about language. You can craft the same feeling in a thousand different ways, and 999 of them are clean.

            Secondly, it offends a lot of readers. I once opened a book. Every fifth word was vulgar. I didn't make it through the first chapter. I rarely read a book that swears constantly. I'll tolerate a couple of tastefully placed curses, but more than that and I'll return it to the library. I've never heard of a reader putting down a book because it didn't swear enough, but everyone I know has stopped reading at least one because it was too vulgar.

            As to the argument of curse words heightening realism, I don't read to be taken somewhere realistic. I read to be taken somewhere fantastic. Somewhere better than this mundane world. And for me, clean language is a part of that incredible place.