Writing Exercise: Getting to Know Your Protagonist

                          

Here's a writing exercise from K. M. Weiland's online course. This is from the first module and geared towards helping you figure out your character's lie. I tried it out on the protagonist of my current WIP, so I'm omitting anything too spoilery.


What misconception does your protagonist have about herself or the world?

-                       she thinks she'll only get approval for accomplishments (in a job she detests deep down) and that nobody really cares about her for herself 

What is she lacking mentally, spiritually or emotionally as a result

-                       someone to really talk to

-                       love

-                       professional fulfillment

-                       security

-                       empathy for others

How is the interior lie reflected in the character’s exterior world?

-                       she’s basically a XXX

-                       she was badly scarred by childhood experiences and being forced to XXX

-                       she’s not living, she’s surviving

Is the lie making her life miserable as the story opens? How?

-                       she can’t let people in, and hides behind sarcasm and bravado. The one friend she has, she can’t fully open up to.

-                       She does what she’s told, but she just wants to get out

-             She rebels against XXX and has to deal with the consequences

-                       She can’t see how XXX is making a difference in the XXX. She doesn’t care enough to take sides or to talk XXX out of XXX. She doesn’t want to risk losing her chance at XXX, even though it might cost the lives of the people she cares about

What event will make her uncomfortable in her lie?

-                       the power play resulting from XXX

-                       XXX's danger vs loyalty to XXX.

Can you use qualifiers to narrow down the focus of the lie?

-                       She thinks that she’ll be happy if she’s XXX, and XXX matters more than people

What are the syptoms of your character’s lie?

-                       sarcasm, inability to let people in, a hard exterior, a cold attitude towards suffering, lack of empathy, tendency to solve things with force instead of talking things out

That's mine. Go ahead, try it out on your protag? Did it help?

Writing Course: Mastering Character Arcs with K. M. Weiland

                             

I'm doing K.M. Weiland's course Mastering Character Arcs to Write Stories That Sell over at The Digital Freedom Academy, and I thought I'd share my experiences.

You might have noticed that I'm a big fan of Weiland's writing books and her awesome writing blog. They've helped me a lot. I don't do detailed outlines, but I do map out my stories using the same checkpoints as she uses on her Story Structure Database. (I figure if the bones are there, then I can do whatever I want with the rest.) I've only been writing for three years, so I'm a relative beginner, and even though I've studied character arcs and how they interact with plot, I still have a lot of work to do on building believable characters. I want my characters to feel like real people, that's the most important thing, but I'm still struggling to make plot and character arc really resonate on a thematic level: you know, when everything just lines up perfectly. So that's what I'm hoping to learn, as well as levelling up on my character-building skills in general.

The course cost 299 dollars. In my experience that's about the same as Writers Digest University courses go for, so a bit pricy, but not impossible. The content you get for the price is eight modules broken down into multiple lessons (the first module of seven lessons took me a couple of hours to complete, just to give you an idea) that go through the process of building character arcs step by step. Positive, negative, and flat arcs get their own modules, as well as a FAQ section, theme and character arc, and marketing. There are also writing exercises. Weiland uses videos on her site, and the lessons are in video form here, too, but you can download the PDF file for the lesson and the exercises. There's also a comments section, where you can ask Weiland questions about the lessons and see what other people have asked. There isn't that much interaction with other students, but for those of us with full-time jobs, it's nice that you can go at your own pace. The down side is that you don't have to hand in homework and you don't have deadlines, so it's pretty much up to you to do the work.


Here are some things I learned from the first module:

- the most common mistakes writers make are creating a character who doesn't have the seeds for change in her from the beginning of the story and making the plot and the character's struggle separate

- for incorporating theme, it can be helpful to think of the plot as a metaphor for your character's struggle (Wow! I'm definitely trying this out!)

- at the start of the story, the character tries to fix what's wrong with his life by attacking a symptom of her lie instead of the lie itself (You know, the lie the character believes vs. the truth and the thing she wants instead of the thing she needs.)

- you can break the characteristic moment into pieces to illustrate different sides of your protagonist

In my opinion, the course is worth the money, especially if you're new to writing and not familiar with the subject matter. This will save you hours and hours of banging your metaphorical head against the story wall. You'll probably get there eventually, but this can help you avoid writing stories that are fundamentally flawed and to fix the ones that don't quite work. If you can't afford the course, don't worry: you can check out Weiland's posts on story structure and character arcs on her site for free to get the basics.

The Phoenix and the Turtle

Here's a poem to start your day right. You can't go wrong with Shakespeare.

The Phoenix and the Turtle

Related Poem Content Details

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Let the bird of loudest lay 

On the sole Arabian tree 

Herald sad and trumpet be, 

To whose sound chaste wings obey. 

But thou shrieking harbinger, 

Foul precurrer of the fiend, 

Augur of the fever's end, 

To this troop come thou not near. 

From this session interdict 

Every fowl of tyrant wing, 

Save the eagle, feather'd king; 

Keep the obsequy so strict. 

Let the priest in surplice white, 

That defunctive music can, 

Be the death-divining swan, 

Lest the requiem lack his right. 

And thou treble-dated crow, 

That thy sable gender mak'st 

With the breath thou giv'st and tak'st, 

'Mongst our mourners shalt thou go. 

Here the anthem doth commence: 

Love and constancy is dead; 

Phoenix and the Turtle fled 

In a mutual flame from hence. 

So they lov'd, as love in twain 

Had the essence but in one; 

Two distincts, division none: 

Number there in love was slain. 

Hearts remote, yet not asunder; 

Distance and no space was seen 

'Twixt this Turtle and his queen: 

But in them it were a wonder. 

So between them love did shine 

That the Turtle saw his right 

Flaming in the Phoenix' sight: 

Either was the other's mine. 

Property was thus appalled 

That the self was not the same; 

Single nature's double name 

Neither two nor one was called. 

Reason, in itself confounded, 

Saw division grow together, 

To themselves yet either neither, 

Simple were so well compounded; 

That it cried, "How true a twain 

Seemeth this concordant one! 

Love has reason, reason none, 

If what parts can so remain." 

Whereupon it made this threne 

To the Phoenix and the Dove, 

Co-supremes and stars of love, 

As chorus to their tragic scene: 

                 threnos

Beauty, truth, and rarity, 

Grace in all simplicity, 

Here enclos'd, in cinders lie. 

Death is now the Phoenix' nest, 

And the Turtle's loyal breast 

To eternity doth rest, 

Leaving no posterity: 

'Twas not their infirmity, 

It was married chastity. 

Truth may seem but cannot be; 

Beauty brag but 'tis not she; 

Truth and beauty buried be. 

To this urn let those repair 

That are either true or fair; 

For these dead birds sigh a prayer.

Source: http://www.poetryfoundation.org

If you're scratching your head and wondering what you just read, here's an analysis from the Guardian.  

Etymology Expeditions: The Bird is the Word

Let's look at names of birds this week.  

You probably guessed which one we're doing first: mockingbird. The earlier form was mock-bird, so mock + bird.  "Mock" comes from Old French mocquer "deride, jeer." The word mock is of unknown origin, maybe from Vulgar Latin muccare "to blow the nose." It was apparently a derisive gesture. (The word sounds a bit like "mucus," doesn't it?)

Here's a personal favourite: Raven comes from Old English hræfn from ProtoGermanic khrabanaz, from PIE root *ker-, imitative of harsh sounds. (Also he source of Latin crepare "to creak," for example.) You can hear the raven's croak in that, right?

Here's another one: eagle comes from Middle English egle, through Anglo-Norman and Old French from Latin aquila, which might be related to aquilus "blackish, the colour of darkness." Cool, right?

The word bird is an Old English word of uncertain origin, but I did learn where the expression "to flip the bird" comes from. It's slang from the 1860s, originally give the big bird meaning "to hiss at someone like a goose." It was kept alive in vaudeville slang, but the middle finger thing came to play only in 1960s. The gesture is much older though. According to etymonline.com, the anatomy section of a 12th century Latin bestiary in Cambridge describes the middle finger as that "by means of which the pursuit of dishonour in indicated."


Sources:

http://www.etymonline.com
https://en.wiktionary.org/

Reading the Classics: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

     

Image from wikipedia.org

Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, and it became a huge success, winning her the Pulitzer Prize. A classic of American literature, this has been on my reading list for a long time. Somehow I had the idea that the book would be a tough read and really dark, and it is, in a way, but I was surprised by how engaging it was. The writing is immensely readable and immersive, and Scout, the first person narrator, immediately sympathetic. And Atticus Finch is my new hero.

The book handles the heavy subject of a false rape accusation and racism with a firm hand, mostly leaving judgment to the characters while the author doesn’t lecture. The only part where I felt she was laying it on a bit too thick was the scene in the classroom where the teacher talks about how the Nazis had no reason whatsoever to hate the Jews in a horrified tone and some time before we saw her acting racist at the trial.

The first person narration works well, mostly, but at times Scout seems a bit older than her years. The parts where Scout wasn’t actually present and the narration slips into a flashback from another character also feel a bit jolting, but these are minor quibbles.

Mockingbird feels like an important book in how it handles social issues, racism, class differences, and gender roles, but its heart is in the warmth of Scout’s relationship with her brother and her father. Even the minor characters come to life, and a lot of them aren’t what they appear to be, Boo Radley in particular. The vivid descriptions of life in the South during the Great Depression are beautifully done; you can almost taste the crackling bread and smell the camellias Jem ripped up. 

A major theme is the loss of innocence and the realisation that there is no justice in the world. Jem takes this particularly hard, and feels like he loses faith in the goodness of people. Is it futile to fight a battle you can't win, even if it's the right thing to do? Maybe that's what makes it important?  Sometimes it's scary and takes a lot of courage. Not all of us are as brave as Atticus. 

Over the course of the story, Scout learns to put herself in another person's shoes, an important lesson in compassion. It's an uncomfortable thing to do, because sometimes it reveals things about you or your loved ones that you don't like or are ashamed of. That's one reason why reading is so important; it lets you climb inside someone else's skull and see what his or her life is like, and that changes you.  I get why this is a book that kids have to read at school.

A great book, one I'll probably re-read many times. 

Classics read: 28/100

Knights in Shining Armor

                            

Rohan Stables holds a tourney every year at the Turku Medieval Market, but this year was a special anniversary show with a new program.

                            

                               Here's the master of ceremonies. He was hilarious.

                        

                                                   Medieval air guitar!

                                                               Jousting with real lances!

                                                            Behold the awesome!

                              Only one of the knights was a lady, but she was twice as fierce!

                                

                                  The knight getting a favour from a lady in the audience.

                      

Here he is in action, throwing a spear. It tipped some kind of lighter fluid into the fire so the flames jumped. 

                    

                              

Here they are hitting each other with batons, trying to knock the feather thingy off the other's head. 

                              

                                        There's just something about men in armour...

                                 After the show the kiddies (and adults!) got to pet the horses. Awww!

Rohan stables is doing more shows this weekend, but if you can't make it, here's their itinerary for the summer tour (these are all in Finland, but they do shows all over Europe):

• Historiallisen ratsastuksen ja taistelun SM 2016 16. - 17.7. - Turun Linna
• Hollolan Keskiaikamarkkinat 29. - 31.7. - Hollola
• Verlan Aika 6. - 7.8. - Kouvola
• Kokkolan keskiaikapäivät - 3. - 4.9. - Kokkola
• Keskiaikaiset saaristolaismarkkinat 10.9. - Taalintehdas

They also do courses, even private ones. Want to try your hand at knightly skills? These sound so cool.

At the Medieval Market

                        

Turku hosts an awesome medieval market every summer. It's kind of like a Renaissance fair, but with a Finnish flavour. I go every year and eat as many candy apples as I can manage. (My record is five in two days, but maybe I'll break it this year.) There's also a jousting tournament by Rohanin tallit (Stables of Rohan), concerts, feasts,  all kinds of little skits happening at Suurtori, and the museums all have special activities for kids and adults alike. If you really want to get into the spirit, you can even rent a medieval costume on site. With a little imagination, you can pretend you're in your favourite fantasy book on a feast day.

                                 

                                                    Yep. They fry an entire pig every year.

                                

                    Some kids screamed "Follow the Archbishop!" when this guy went by. 

          This year the market's from June 30th to July 3rd. You can see the programme here.

                                

                                                            The blacksmith's shop.

                     

                                                                         Viiiikings!!!

                                      

                                                                    Candy apples and pears.

                                      

           Awesome art. I really, really want those inn signs, but I have absolutely no place to hang them.

                                      

                                   
                                                             More books from Salakirjat.

                                     

                                                                        Deerskins and rabbit pelts. 

                                     

                                                Beautiful garments decorated with fantasy art.

                                   

                           Weapons for the kiddies. My nephew got a working bow. That'll end well.