tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post345411535405338328..comments2024-02-20T12:43:55.753-08:00Comments on R. L. LaFevers: Bag of TricksRobin Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02960833482145500665noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-22025841203514162872011-02-24T08:54:44.929-08:002011-02-24T08:54:44.929-08:00hi, Robin-- very much enjoying these posts!
Also,...hi, Robin-- very much enjoying these posts!<br /><br />Also, I've been meaning to mention a reasearch book for you, if 14th century is early enough for your medievalteenassassin series: Mark Girouard's "Life in a French Country House." <br /><br />It's especially helpful in describing how French and English manor house cultures differed. Since the fantasy worlds I grew up reading were so often based on the English tradition, as a writer, I've caught myself making assumptions that weren't true for France.Heather Tomlinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09426595158131219949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-60654497564367214952011-02-24T08:30:53.522-08:002011-02-24T08:30:53.522-08:00Thanks for your "tricks." I like the ide...Thanks for your "tricks." I like the idea of making a grid and especially the character journal. That got me right to my desk yesterday, writing. It was really helpful.Krystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09364964216801078552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-27195673786935922962011-02-22T08:50:59.694-08:002011-02-22T08:50:59.694-08:00Oh, by the way, after rereading Harry Potter, I ha...Oh, by the way, after rereading Harry Potter, I have a new trick which I call the Erised Method. What would they see if they looked in the Mirror if Erised?<br /><br />If you're better with what-ifs than figuring your character out, like me, I recommend this method.Maenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-79413014571505823742011-02-21T07:55:22.267-08:002011-02-21T07:55:22.267-08:00Paula, I LOVE hearing stories like that. Honestly?...Paula, I LOVE hearing stories like that. Honestly? It makes me giddy, because that's exactly what I'm hoping for with those books--to nab reluctant readers. You have made my week. Thank you!<br /><br />So glad this looks helpful to you, Ruth. Sometimes it's the simple things that pack an epiphanal wallop. :-)R.L. LaFevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14646274781361864901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-34949774359091022282011-02-20T22:05:48.531-08:002011-02-20T22:05:48.531-08:00Thanks for sharing your process. This is really he...Thanks for sharing your process. This is really helpful! I'm going to get my hands on a copy of the Debra Dixon book. Interesting about using psychology books to delve into character.Ruth Donnellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12305109099610123918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-7217364159062835982011-02-20T20:58:22.558-08:002011-02-20T20:58:22.558-08:00I love, love SAVE THE CAT. It's been a huge he...I love, love SAVE THE CAT. It's been a huge help to me also. I'm anxious to take a look at the other books you mentioned. Great post.<br /><br />PS On another note, my son is a reluctant reader. I bought him BEASTOLOGIST (book 1), which he just finished. He LOVED it. He has to read twenty minutes a night and boy does he watch the clock. But he read for forty minutes straight when reading your book and now he can’t wait to read book 2. Thought you’d enjoy the feedback. And thanks : )Paulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00452401401599690217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-32315244524117323492011-02-20T18:12:29.320-08:002011-02-20T18:12:29.320-08:00Mae, those are a lot of great techniques for getti...Mae, those are a lot of great techniques for getting your characters to come to life!<br /><br />I'm sorry to have confused you, Sydney! Personally, I do the exercises as I'm forming the initial idea and before I start writing my first draft. But you can also wait until after your first draft if you feel these exercises inhibit your process too much.Robin Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02960833482145500665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-75591740573996374222011-02-20T17:15:44.134-08:002011-02-20T17:15:44.134-08:00These exercises to discover who your character is ...These exercises to discover who your character is and what motivates them sound interesting, but I'm a little confused as to where they belong in the writing process. Should you do them before you start your first draft or do you only need to do them if you're struggling as you write?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26414616.post-16599348590979528912011-02-20T11:50:12.147-08:002011-02-20T11:50:12.147-08:00I draw them. A good drawing gives you those little...I draw them. A good drawing gives you those little details- like Sammie, a sidekick. When I drew her, I discovered that she always wore too-big boots. <br /><br />Naming them. Naming helps. For example, Avari and Aurora are very different names, both of which might have been the same character. I chose Avari because Aurora was too feminine for her, and a Disney Princess name, and I didn't want that association.<br /><br />One character- June Dalton- followed me around for a day. I discovered what kind of pizza she liked, that she constantly wore this hat, and that she had a motorcycle.<br /><br />Or I just carry them around a bit. Incubate them. Sometimes, characters continue to incubate long into their stories. <br /><br />I like knowing the little things, the things their friends would know. Then I slip inside their mind while I write and discover their past, their motivations.<br /><br />And then there are the characters who just SHOW UP. One book was supposed to have two main characters. Two more showed up, one of which was to give them a free lunch and then stuck in my head, the other to stop them from freezing.Maenoreply@blogger.com