7 Things You Should Say to Your Writer

Merry day-after-Christmas! If that isn't a thing, it shall be now. I hope all of you have been enjoying a restful time with family and friends, and that you writers have been reaching your word count each day (which I have not been doing, due to spending time with family and such).

Being surrounded by family means said family will, at some point, inquire after my writings. As a writer, there are many things I do not want people to ask or say to me. These things are often funny, but true. But this is and has been covered by others quite often...

|| Three Ways Museums Make You a Better Writer ||

The day dawned at an early 7:50. For me, at least. I pressed snooze several times on my alarm, turned over in bed once or twice, and finally rolled out. It wasn't a grey day, but the wind promised a chill. 

I rushed to be ready by 8:45, when I would leave for the train station. It was the day I would venture into the city. 

The original visit was meant for frolicking around at German Christmas Market. However, one does not simply go to the city for one event. We made a few other stops. Parks, a coffee shop, and museums. 

Ah, yes. Museums. Those buildings of history and art and culture and the present and the future all combined under one roof. Beautiful things, are they not? I love museums. There's so much to see and learn--no matter how many times you visit. 

My friend and I went to a museum based off of the current state of architectural designs. We were passing by on our way to the next destination, and it was free to the public. So we thought, why not?

As we walked through this place of beauty, there was so much that struck me as story inspiration (which can be anything, really). Nonetheless, there's numerous lessons to gather from visiting a museum:

1. People-watching

This one is pretty obvious. As writers, our job is to people watch. But because it was a cold day and the museum was free to the public, there were all sorts of persons sitting around in the lobby just being them. There was this one guy who had a huge colorful crocheted hat wrapped around his hair. Trust me, this thing was ginormous--it was as if he had an animal hiding under there or something. But he just sat on one of the couches crocheting away at another project. He seemed joyful and friendly. But, being the introverted writerly sort that I am, I just observed and walked away. But that picture is stored in my mind. You can also find large groups of schoolkids running around museums, prissy higher class folks who walk around in their high heels and stand at a piece of art for fifteen minutes, and the everyday joe who meanders along whilst sipping a cup of joe. Use these people to populate your books. 

2. Setting

Museums are often works of art themselves. The architecture is intricate and often not something you see on an everyday basis. Take lots of pictures in these unique places. You never know when you'll want to pull something from a real-life setting scene to use in your fiction. Even just a detail like the gemstone colors used in the tiling. Or maybe the antique lanterns that adorned the walls. Museums are chock full of treasures like these. 

3. Inspiration

Yes, the people and setting are inspiration themselves. But the actual art or history displayed grants extraordinary amounts of plot-bunnies. One usually walks out of a museum with more knowledge than before of something. And abstract pieces of artistic genius fill the walls with questions that you can very well answer in your next novel. Jus' sayin'. 

I might have to venture to the city more often to step into another of these capsules of life.

What about you? Are there any settings/plot/characters of yours that are inspired by trips to a museum?

|| How College Makes You a Better Writer ||

It's the day after my first semester of college has been completed. I sit in partial darkness, listening to a playlist that fills me with nostalgia for some strange reason, and staring at my computer screen while white Christmas lights reflect the contemplative mood I'm currently in.


That was a strange sentence. Nonetheless, the first semester of college was like a whirlwind. I learned things I never imagined I would, had experiences I never thought would take place, and met people that I never could have possibly dreamed of meeting.

Continuing free-writing was difficult during those months of busy schedule in which my free time consisted of Netflix, taking walks, or sitting on the floor and staring into (seemingly) space. I had goals for myself, and I failed. But that's okay. Because I've learned a lot. My brain has probably expanded since I started back in August. At least it feels larger.

Classes, professors, chapel, friends, not-so-friend(ly)s, strangers, adventures, sickness.
Every single one of these things (and more) have added to my knowledge. I've grown.
And here's what I've learned:

1. People are worth your time. 
There's so much you can learn from just one person. Think about how much you can learn from the whole school. I know it's tempting to sit in your room for hours by yourself, but it's worth stepping out and actually interacting with people--or, at least, watching them from a distance.
PS: Professors make excellent inspiration. You know those quirky professors portrayed in movies? They're real.


2. There's something new to realize every single day.
Even if all you comprehend is a new existential question, that's okay. Questions like that inspire creativity. New plots, characters, and worlds can pop out of the ground from those questions.


3. Experiences make up a writer's portfolio.
I know a portfolio is considered a conglomeration of one's best work, but our brains have portfolios too, don't they? Everything you experience goes into those portfolios to be stored and dug up at a later time when your writing calls for it. That one person who when they laugh it sounds like they're about to die? Yeah, your brain kept that. Use it for a character. You were about to die within the first two months of school? Your brain kept that as well. Use it wisely.


4. Essays stretch you.
Most people hate essay writing. I don't. Writing an essay is a wonderful exercise that can cultivate voice, style, and thinking skills. We have to craft essays in such a way that our professors will give us, at least, a B. This means word choice musn't be bulky. Make it flow. Make it natural. Even if it's formal, put something of yourself in there. Ask questions. Make people think. There are endless treasures to accumulate from the adventures of essay writing.


5. Time is valuable.
It's easy to sit and watch Netflix for hours. It's easy to take naps and sleep in for hours. It's easy to sit and ponder. Good things, of course, but when you have free time...write as much as you can.
But also know it's okay to stop writing, save your work, and go on an adventure. Relationships and experiences are like gold and they will create fodder for your stories. #amwriting is an excuse that many of us use to get out of social interaction, but know when your story can be saved and go on the back burner--even if for only half an hour. If you don't make these life connections, you aren't going to have much to draw from. Live.



Have you been to college? What are some things that have aided you as a writer? Are there any certain moments that stick out to you from college?

5 Ways to Keep Writing in College

And lo, the morning dawned bright and early at six thirty-three. A cool breeze tickled upon the rosey curtains, hinting (or maybe teasing) at fall.

Though the hour was early, my mind could not fall back to rest.
And the reasons could quitepossibly have been three.


Of course, after a long night without drinking any water, I was "dying" of thirst.
Then again, I also really had to use the restroom.

But...there was one more reason my mind was active and no longer bent to sleep's whim.
It was the day...
that I would move...
into my first ever dorm room.

A knot settled in my stomach. It was a mixture of excitement, stress, and the urge to shed tears. Yes, you can feel tears in your stomach.

Though I haven't yet started college, or...even moved in to my room yet... I have some tips for maintaining a somewhat normal writing lifestyle.

1. Know your schedule
Know when your classes are. And don't miss them (unless you're sick or something. Nobody wants your germs). Get homework done when you can. Mingle with other students. Don't neglect them.


2. Keep a planner
Write down the times of all your classes, meetings, work, due dates. And then block off time for writing when you know you'll have an hour or so.


3. Make friends
How does this help with writing, Rachel? This only keeps me from writing! I'd rather be a hermit and hide away in my room when not attending classes! No. Just no. People are your best resources. If you want to create amazing, round characters...you need to actually get to know people. Characters are people too, right? Not only does mingling help with personality, but it helps with body language, dialogue, accent, facial expressions, physical descriptions, and, like, real-life stuff...?


4. Goals
Set writing goals for yourself. (ie: a chapter in a week, a first draft by the end of the year, 2000 words in a day, etc.) Set realistic goals you know you can achieve and work towards them like they're homework and you have to turn them in.


5. Join or form a writing group
Great for brainstorming sessions, encouragement, critical advice, and accountability. Make some writerly friends! Just do it! Maybe they can even beta read for you! Keep each other accountable to your goals.

That's what I have for y'all! These are all easy, practical ways to continue writing in college. If you'd like more on this, let me know!

God Bless!

Rachel

And, of course, by the time this is actually getting published, I've already moved in to my dorm, and been at college for two days.

Please Be Weird {Creating a Fantastic Villain III}

You meet two people during the course of your day. One is talkative, eyes lighting up as they tell you about their passions, observations, and how they know at least fifteen bird calls by heart.
The other, however, keeps the conversation limited to day-to-day stuff. Weather, shopping, watching TV. Dull.

Which one is more unique? Which one is intriguing? Which one would you want to talk with again?
Uh, probably the first one.

The fact that the person knows at least fifteen bird calls is quirky.
And the most interesting people are usually the quirkiest.

I'm here today to talk about your villain.
To read the first two installments of the post series click here:
Back Story Time {Creating a Fantastic Villain I}
GIVE IT TO ME {Creating a Fantastic Villain II}



Let me just say a few things:
Please, please, please don't make your villain another run of the mill villain who spouts off their entire plan before executing it, or cackles maniacally after revealing said plan, or who's just evil for the sake of being evil. (I know we all know--or should know--these rules by now, but they're rules we need to remember.)
I'm not talking from just a writerly point of view, but a reader's as well. Anything in that list is generally a sign of laziness and/or bad character development.

Those are the boring villains. I don't like boring villains.
I'm interested in the quirky villains. I want them to act like real, interesting humans (or...whatever race they happen to be).

You might not think that well rounded, intriguing villains are important, but they can make or break your story...and your other characters. Think Loki from the Thor movies, or the Winter Soldier...they're so well developed and their actions actually matter.
And (guess what?) they have their quirks.

Maybe they're insecure, maybe they adore red squirrels with such a fiery passion that they sedate them every time they see one and take it back to their secret lair (so they end up with a menagerie of just red squirrels and they have, like 500 of them so that's why the hero needs to stop them so the red squirrels don't go extinct), or maybe they absolutely have to have coffee from their favorite coffee shop before doing anything heinous for the day (think Gru from Despicable Me--no, I am not condoning utilizing freeze rays on people just to get coffee).

It's important to give your villain quirks. If your hero has quirks, your villain should have nothing less.
If you, as the writer, have quirks, your characters should have no less.

I'm not going to type out an ol' long list of random quirks for you to pick and choose from--there's tons of resources around the internet for that. If all else fails, observe the people around you (I know, scary!)--that's the best place to get the best quirks. Real life...it's a gold mine.

Quirks are important. Quirks are human. Quirks make people lovable and rounded.

To make your villain relatable and adored by readers, they need quirks.

I mean, mine is obsessed with donuts.
And not just any donuts.
Cake donuts with pink frosting and candy sprinkles.
And my villain is a guy.
They're just really good, okay?

God Bless!
Rachel Lester

Are there any other topics regarding creating villains that you'd like me to cover?
Please comment! And it doesn't just have to be about villains. It can be about life, or your dog, or red squirrels, or your blog.

For a personal update:
Sorry I've been gone for so long! I've hardly written anything in over a month. I know, it's driving me crazy. Although college is approximately a week.5 away, I'm getting back into writing even though this next week.5 is full of packing, shopping, and VBS, I'm
trying my best to become involved again before school starts. Prayers welcomed. Immensely.

The Moving Chronicles I {The Statistics of Leaving}

I've moved about ten times in the seventeen years I've been on this earth. And I'll be moving once more this fall, but (hopefully) I'll be there for four years.

And growing up I used to hate moving. I didn't understand how it was a blessing or anything, I was stubborn and I wanted to stay where my friends were. I didn't want to leave the house I'd been living in (I mean, I was pretty good at decorating! ;) Moving is hard.

It struck me that a lot of people don't know what it feels like to pack up their entire house and move across the country. A lot of people stay in one state their entire life. That's crazy to me! The longest I've stayed somewhere is four years. The shortest I've stayed somewhere is six months. I've been on the East coast, the West coast, and into the Pacific.

So this is going to be a series blog posting. This first one is about preparations for moving and all that jazz. There's a lot more than you might think. Of course it's different for everybody, but I'm going to give you a personal, up-close look at how my family does it. As personal and up-close we can get within these next paragraphs, anyway. Hopefully this is helpful for any characters of yours who go through the moving process/move a lot!

1. Housing 
Once we find out where we're moving, we generally look at housing in the area dad will be working in. It's nice to find a house before you get somewhere. Not all people do that, I'm sure, but it's nice to move in right when you get there. Sometimes we'll even take a trip out to look at houses before we move. We did that when we moved to Colorado because my parents decided to buy a house.
However, this last move was a bit different. We had to wait about a month to get the house we wanted, so we were in a hotel for weeks.

2. Packing
So this works differently for different families. What we do is secure a packing company to come and pack our stuff into boxes. They wrap Every. Single. Item. with multiple sheets of that packing paper stuff. But it's weird because sometimes they'll wrap a little doodad (ie: a random game piece that was laying around) like five times and then wrap the fragile vase only once.  They put the things into boxes, label the boxes according to which room they belong in, tape em up, then they're gone. This usually takes hours, but doesn't go into another day.
+ Randoms about packing day
a.) There's usually about three or four packers from a company. They'll separate into the house and each of them will take a room. This means there's going to be like four different kinds of music blaring through your house and you can't do anything about it. Last time I believe we had country, rock, and some sort of rap or something. And then my mom was in the kitchen playing Christian music. It was crazy.
b.) They won't pack liquids or valuables like jewelry. I can't remember why liquids are a no-go, but if you have paint, shampoo, soap, anything liquid, they won't take it. Jewelry and the like is a no-go because they don't want to be held accountable if something comes up missing. They won't pack up costume jewelry either. But it's really for their protection and yours.
c.) Besides the liquid and jewelry thing, anything in sight WILL be packed up. We usually stuff a closet or room full of the stuff we're taking on our move (luggage, instruments, anything we're going to need after our stuff is gone, during the trip, and before our stuff arrives at our new place). So if you don't have your stuff set apart, it's going to get packed. Even your dirty clothes will get packed. It's happened to me before. *facepalm*
d.) When they're done, you're going to have boxes. Boxes everywhere. They will be piled high to the ceiling so you think they're going to fall on you.

3. Movers
These are the people who come the day after or even up to a week after your stuff is all packed up. And usually (seriously almost always) movers are late. They should come earlier in the morning so they can finish by night, but sometimes they don't come until afternoon and it goes until eight or nine at night.
They roll out plastic to protect your carpets, and the doors are flung wide open for easy in and out access. So if you have pets, you better make sure they're secure someplace or at a friend's house. The movers process is involved. My dad usually has a checklist to make sure everything is going good and everything is accounted for. (Though I can't remember if this is just for receiving the stuff after the move, or both).
+ Randoms about the movers
a.) It's polite courtesy to feed them during whatever meals they're at your house for. We make sure water bottles are handy and Gatorade to replenish whatever they're losing as they work. It's heavy-duty work to move the boxes and furniture. Fruits like watermelon are refreshing for them.
b.) When they're done getting your stuff into their ginormous moving truck out front of your house, that's the last time you're going to see your stuff for a long time, depending on where you're moving.
c.) If you can't get your stuff right away (if you're staying in a hotel for a month or something), your stuff will be stored in a nearby storage unit. And when you're ready, the new movers (for unloading) will pick up your stuff and bring it to your house.

4. Cleaning
I'm sure you can hire people to deep clean your house before you leave, but after living in it for however long, it'll need to be cleaned. Everything is open now. So get ready to vacuum, clean bathrooms, clean windows, baseboards, fill in holes in the walls, paint, etc. A lot of times we'll get somebody to come in and do the carpets, I think. There's a lot of stuff to get ready for the next people. Even if nobody is moving in after you leave, it wouldn't be cool to leave behind a dirty house.

5. Road Trip!
After all business is taken care of and the house is ready to go, it's time to head to the next destination! Hopefully the hotels/camping areas (wherever you'll be staying during your move) have been taken care of already. If you have pets, you have to make sure the hotel you're looking at staying in lets pets stay too. If you're going to be staying at a few hotels along the way, it's nice to have a special hotel bag with clothes in it that's easily accessible so you don't have to unpack the entire vehicle looking for whatever you need overnight.
We usually have any valuables with us that we didn't want taken. This includes laptops, video gaming consoles, and instruments, as well as personal information like bank stuff, insurance stuff, and important papers. Don't forget medical papers!


So that's the end of the first installment of The Moving Chronicles! I hope it was helpful and you can add some realism to your oc's moving experience!

The next post will (hopefully) cover some behind the scenes stuff (emotional reactions to moving).

God Bless!
Rachel

A Paradoxical Personality { Characters Who Aren't Hanging Over a Cliff I }

In the series I'm currently working on (A Different Kind of Legacy), I follow the stories of some...humans. With super abilities. I have a sound manipulator, light manipulators, a mindreader, an invisible girl, a guy with Sherlock Holmes type powers, and a girl whose families are trait borrowers.

Ruby Cacera's family are experts in the realm of borrowing personality traits from people they touch. It's like they have this little extra container space in their brain for 'stolen' personality traits. They can pull out any trait at any time and combine it with others to create a whole personality. This is handy for undercover missions. They can become a completely different person from who they really are. Expert actors...and it doesn't really require any hard work. It kind of just happens.

As you might imagine, this can cause conflict between characters who interact with this family. My main protagonist, Darcy Wood la Van, often wonders if Ruby's being completely real with him. She can be anybody she wants...so who is she really? She can easily hide things.

Tragedy happens.

Ruby hides what she's really feeling. Everybody thinks she's doing great. She's laughing, having fun--being her normal weird self. Okay, so she's over the bad stuff. She's moving on. She has God and she's all good. That's what onlookers think.

False.

She's actually really depressed. She isn't eating much of anything. She doesn't know what to do or how to get over this. She would love to just sleep and eat cotton candy. But she pretends for the sake of others.

While Ruby has the superpower to become anybody she wants, whenever she wants, I think we can take away something from this for everyday normal characters.

A person can be scared but brave at the same time. A person can also be humble while proud. Somebody could be a cold-hearted killer...but...still be a warm-hearted parent or friend. Hmm.

Ruby's a naturally brave person. She is, at times ( a LOT of times), reckless. I mean, she goes off into the woods by herself. And at night, no less. She gets hurt all the time, but she takes it all. She's seen worse. She's always seen worse. But...that doesn't mean she isn't scared. Just because she has like 100% bravery, doesn't mean she isn't deathly afraid.

There's tons of things she's afraid of. Maybe she accidentally borrowed fear as a trait...and she just can't shake it. Maybe she's just afraid and can't help it. Maybe it's false fear and there's no need for it. But it's there, nonetheless.

Paradoxical Personality Traits are important to keep in mind while forming a character. It gives depth. Instead of being way over the edge one way, it can add balance.
It's something to think about. What does it mean to have paradoxical personality traits? How will that affect somebody?

Does this make sense? I don't know if I had a plan on where this post was going. Anyway...

I LOVE comments!
So I have a question--do you have any characters with paradoxical personality traits?
What are the traits and how do they come into play?

Picture courtesy of Pinterest and Pixlr...:D And, yes, that is Ruby! (In case you were wondering...)

BACK STORY TIME / Creating a Fantastic Villain I

        Gather around the hearth, dears. Today's story is a Back Story. Or, rather, the importance of it.
We focus a lot on the hero's story. The hero's back story. The hero's life.
But...what about the villain's life? What about the villain's story and past? Do we incorporate that into our story?

• Why does our villain do what he does? Is he just plain evil? Why is he evil? Somebody doesn't just wake up one day and decide they're going to be evil. I mean, some people might, but for the most part...no. That'd just be weird. 
• Tragedy, loss, heartbreak, revenge...what fuels your villain? Good villains have depth. They have a life, they have a story. 
• I like to look at Loki as one of my main villainous inspirations. His back story, his life, his motivations (in the Marvel movies). What drives him to do what he does? Frankly, it all started when Odin breathed Asgardian breath onto a little Frost Giant baby...making him...Asgardian. It's all really cool and kind of confusing and weird, but it's all a main part of the story. Loki grows up in the shadow of Thor's hero greatness. Then he learns he's not even Odin's son. He's a Frost Giant. That's pretty awful.

Now, there's a lot more to Loki's story and I would go further in, but it's not really the topic of this post. That was just a small example.
Sadly...
Okay. Try to stop thinking about the overwhelming sadness of the poor alien.

• Back story is what often drives the will-be villain to being a villain. Somebody who grows up being hurt and hurt and hurt throughout their life might handle it good or bad. Villains obviously handle it badly. Somebody who is brainwashed (why were they brainwashed??), abused/tortured, or lied to--how do they handle that? (Obviously those who are brainwashed don't have much of a choice, if any). Or is there another reason? Does your villain just love to hurt people? Why do they love to hurt people? There has to be a reason. Even when it comes to aliens, methinks. 
• My main villain, whose name shall not be mentioned here, has a tragic back story. None of h(is/er) friends know about the suffering this person went through until they cracked. Abused physically, verbally, etc. Nobody helped and they felt stuck. Hated the world, hated life, hated God. Now (s)he just wants to protect angel of a mother and get revenge. 

There's more to my villain than that, but I'm trying to not make this an extremely long post.
But when we understand a villain's back story (or anybody's for that matter), if often gives us a glimpse into their soul. Their current beliefs, reasoning, motivation, values, (EVERYTHING) is going to in some way be affected by their past.
There are a few things you should ask/keep in mind/answer when creating your villain:

1. What family structure did the villain grow up in? (A lot of back story starts at home)
ie: X grew up in a family of four. His mother was an alcoholic and more often than not, came home swearing and being physically abusive to X and his two siblings. X's oldest sibling picked on X until X broke. X's younger sibling clung to X. X's father was never around, and when he was, he was never mentally there or he was always fighting with X's mom. (And how will these things affect X?)

2. What was a normal day for your villain?
A normal day for X was being scared of being hit, yelled at, or being taken from his home. Though he was constantly being abused, he still loved his family, somehow (yes, this is possible). He would go to school and pretend he had a normal family to go home to. After school, he'd pick up his little brother from school and go to the library. He couldn't bear to be at home. Later, he would get physically abused because he didn't come home from school right away. At night, he would listen to his mom yell drunken phrases and argue with his dad. (How will this affect X?)

3. What is the worst thing that has happened to your villain?
4. What if the worst thing that your villain has done? 
5. What is it that your villain does that's so bad?
6. Why did your villain go off the deep end compared to somebody who's gone through the same thing but conquers what's happened to them and turns it for something good?
6. Why is your villain so bad? 
(Remember, there HAS to be a reason of some sort...even if it's a weird reason like:
B adored funnel cakes. Until that fateful day...October 8...the day the clown at the fair stuffed his face into her freshly powdered funnel cake. Now B hates clowns and funnel cakes--she's out to destroy all the clowns in the world and put all the funnel cake businesses out of...business. (There must be some psychological damage inflicted by the clown here, otherwise it's kind of extreme...unless B was already heading off the deep end...or this has happened multiple times...maybe a hundred or so?).

No pure evilness. If you want a developed, deep villain that people can connect with and understand, there needs to be reasons.
BECAUSE OF REASONS!

• You really have to get into the mind of your villain and find out what makes them tick. That doesn't mean becoming your villain. Please don't do that. That would be crazy and WEIRD. (Unless you're cosplaying your villain for some...reason? o_o still weird...).  
• But, don't forget to leave some things up to your villain. Let them choose! My villain decided he/she is obsessed with pink donuts that have candy sprinkles on them. (That's another post, though.) 

Obviously there's more that goes into creating a villain than this post that delves more into creating a back story. If nothing else remember:

1. How does the back story affect your villain?
2. What are your villain's reasons for doing what they do/being evil?

Let me know in the comments:
+ What do you like to keep in mind when creating a villain's back story? Is there anything really big that I've missed?
+ Do you have any suggestions for another "Creating a Fantastic Villain" post?
+Otherwise, please comment anyway! I love to talk to people! (especially online because I'm horrible at formulating sentences most of the time when talking to people in person. I really should work on that.)

Tallyho!
(photo thanks to stuff on pinterest...and pixlr editing)