Labotomy of a Writer

Ahh the Free Spirit. The carefree girl that rides on the wind!

Here is a reminder of what I said in the first post when the ladies stripped.

The Free Spirit
This woman dances to the beat of her own drum. She is very playful and fun loving. She stops to smell the flowers whenver she caan and admires the colors of the world. Ruled by pure emotion, she follows her heart rather than her head.

Now, let's really get to know the Free Spirit!

The Good Side

>Full of charm
>Extremely helpful to others
>Full of seemingly endless energy
>She has great instincts, her gut leads her right
>Sees everything and everyone just as they are

The Bad Side

>Very often late for things
>Whimsical, head in the clouds
>Doesn't make good or solid decisions
>Can hurt those that love her as she lives moment to moment without thinking first
>Doesn't conform without a fight (a loud one)

Remember, some of the good traits can be bad ones and vise versa depending on how you want to use them. Take them to extremes and see what happens!

Examples

> Cher Horowitz in Clueless (played by Alicia Silverstone)
> Dharma Finkelstein Montgomery in Dharma & Greg (played by Jenna Elfman)
> Lucielle Ball in I Love Lucy

What other examples of a Free Spirit can you think of? Do you have a Free Spirit in one of your stories?

Remember that these archetypes are simply the basic materials to help you mold your characters. Many characters fall under more than one archetype. Think about some of the great combinations you can create for your characters as these posts continue.

Coming Next: Heroine Archetype - The Nurturer

(left arm)

(right arm)

The Seductress is also called the Bad Girl, the counterpart to the Bad Boy (obviously).

Here is a reminder of what I said in the first post when the ladies stripped.

The Seductress
This lady knows what she wants and gets it - her way. She sizes up every person whenever she enters a room. Her charming smile hides her distrust in people. Often mysterious and manipulative. Her survivial means she'll go to any lengths to make sure she comes out on top. Cynicism rules her actions.

Now, let's dig a little deeper!

The Good Side

>Is often cynical
>Has an understanding of her own and other people's motives
>Often uses her sex appeal to get what she wants (but not necessarily sex)
>Easily manipulates any man (especially those in her way)
>Her eye is always on the prize

The Bad Side

>Often comes from a poor family and trying to move up the chain
>Easily holds a grudge - for a long, long time
>Will stab anyone in the back to get her way or reach her goal
>Sort of a loner, doesn't have many friends
>Very possessive of her property (or people)

Now of course some of the good points could be considered bad if taken too far and the bad ones can be considered good if done the right way. It's fun to play with the traits that way, especially when it can create a plot twist or two!

Examples

> Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (played by Linda Hamilton)
> Selene in Underworld (played by Kate Beckinsale)
> Eva Perón in Evita (played by Madonna)

What other examples of a Seductress or Bad Girl can you think of? Do you have one of these types of girls in your stories? Tell us about her!

Remember that these archetypes are simply the basic materials to help you mold your characters. Many characters fall under more than one archetype. Think about some of the great combinations you can create for your characters as these posts continue.

Coming Next: Heroine Archetype - The Free Spirit

Today, I decided to give you guys a tour of my office. Yes, it's spic and span just for this occasion, but normally, there are papers and candy wrappers scattered all over the place! Enjoy!

Important Links:

• Guest Post at Elizabeth Mueller's Blog
• Guest Post at A Gypsy Writer Blog
• The Character Cafe Blog
• Cornerstone Deep by Charlene A. Wilson (Seriously! Go buy it! I'll have a proper review later this week or next week.)

People Mentioned in this Post:

• SM Blooding "Frankie"
• J.D. Brown
• Dawn Embers
• Charlene A. Wilson
• Mia Mayson

Happy Friday everyone! It is time for another Fantastic Friday Writers post! This one is one of my favorite things to talk about, as many of my older followers would know.

How do I connect with my main characters on a personal level?

Most all of my stories are very character driven. My characters come to me and say "Hey, I have a story I want to tell you." Then I just write it down as they tell me. I do think of plots and play the "What if" game, but usually those ideas continue to sit in the idea notebook. It seems I can't write any story until I have the characters talking to me about it first.

In order to get to know my characters after they initially introduce themselves, I do a short interview to get the basics. You can see an example of one here that I did for a blogfest about a character that showed up unexpectantly in one of my stories.

Then I sit down and write a very detailed character sketch. I did a few posts a while back about the character worsheet I write up and you can find the first one here. The character sketch also includes an avatar that I make for a general visual of what the character looks like. Sometimes I might also search for images for the character - either a protrait or just a symbol that represents them. I cut them out and glue them into the margins of the character sketch sheet.

Recently, I have also done timelines for the characters. The timeline (done with an excel sheet) covers every moment of their life from when they were born. Now, I don't get crazy detailed with this, but it does help to keep track of important things like graduations, weddings, or even a time when they broke their arm. You can read more details of the timeline setup I use here.

After the 'paperwork' is out of the way, I just sit down and talk to my character. I'm usually writing the story at this point. I always learn new things about my characters as time goes along. I take notes of anything new I learn that might be important or if it spurs an idea for a scene. Then I add in the scene or idea as I'm finishing the first draft or I wait until I'm editing.

I think the most fun I have with getting to know my characters is simply talking to them. My best friend Jen and I also have 'character parties' where she brings her characters and I bring mine and we watch the fun unfold as they interact with each other. It's great fun and I've learned a great deal about my characters this way - since it's all on the fly and in a situation that mostly likely won't happen in my actual book. (Esp considering my characters are faeries and her are vampires.)

But it is still information I can use. It helps me really get to the bottom of who and what their motivations are. Jen and I have way too much fun with this actually, and we even created a blog where our characters can let it all out. It originally was called Life and Times of Imaginary People on wordpress. But we have since moved it to blogger and changed the name to "The Character Cafe"

My characters are very real to me and they all have become some of my very best friends. I'm a firm believer that if you don't love your characters, than neither will your readers. And what better way to fall in love with them, then to talk to them and REALLY get to know them?

Now, I do conduct a little bit of research into some of my characters. I do this in order to try and break the "norm". Like my faeries for example don't help things grow or change the seasons and they are nothing like Tinker Bell or the ones in Fern Gully. I did this on purpose.

How do you connect personally with your MCs?

Don't forget to hop over to the rest of the Fantastic Friday Writers!

It's now the day after NaNo and while everyone is recovering, enjoy reading the NaNo Poem I wrote for the occasion.

How did everyone fair for NaNo anyway? I reached my goal and then some with a total of 53,549 words written! *throws confetti* Congrats to everyone to gave it a go this year! You're a winner just for trying!