Search Results for: character

Conflict and Character

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Conflict is determined by your main character or your main character is determined by your conflict. Sometimes you get the character first and sometimes the conflict comes to you first. Either way, one will determine the other.

In order to create an arc for your character you can find a conflict that plays off one of their weaknesses or flaws. For example, you have a character whose weakness is extreme shyness you can put them in a position to overcome that shyness OR you can put them in a situation where they learn to turn this into an advantage and use their strengths to overcome the obstacle.
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Character Description-1 Big Mistake and 5 Alternatives

~ Kathryn Fletcher

As explored last week, characters are the heart of our stories. We gravitate toward like minded people, even fictional ones. Some of my best friends, the ones who get me, who think like me, who yearn like me, are fictional characters.
Think of Anne of Green Gables. Who hasn’t made mistakes before? We promise to not make mistakes again, only to turn right around and make an even bigger mistake! Who hasn’t had a Mrs. Blewett in her life, or contrastingly, a Matthew Cuthbert?

AJ Kormon’s Revision Process

~ Kathryn Fletcher

The revision process is a mystery some people. Some hate it. Some love it. For me personally, I’m still finding my groove. Right now, I’m 28k words into a 50k novel, so before too long, I’ll be in the revision stage again. Part of me is biting at the bit to get started on fixing some major problems with the story. Another part of me is dreading it because there is so much to fix with this story.
I’ve talked to a lot of authors over the last 5 years or so. No two authors write or revise the same way. Some write very cleanly in their first draft and need very little revision and editing before publication. Some revise as they write. Some overwrite and some underwrite in their first draft. For some revision means just fixing some things, but for others it means completely rewriting the whole story from page one to the end. It can even change from story to story. Once I get through with the revision on my current novel, I’ll share my current method. Meanwhile, AJ Korman shared with me her method of revising her novels. AJ is the author of The Halloway Hills Middle School Mysteries.
She has a ton of great advice for revision! Here is what she wrote:

Book Review: The Bone Maker and the Heroine’s Journey

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Kreya lost her husband 25 years ago. She said she’d destroy Eklor’s book of forbidden knowledge, but she didn’t. She has been using it to try and resurrect her husband. She is almost there and just needs human bones to complete the spell. Of course, she is not going to murder anyone to get the bones; that would be crossing a line. She knows where she can get human bones, the battlefield, but she can’t do it alone. When she last saw her team, they were all grieving the lost of their dear friend, her husband. And she was supposed to destroy the book, not use it! She doesn’t know if they will forgive her or help her after 25 years of being a recluse.
has been keeping all these years. One that she’s not sure the five of them can overcome. What can we learn from Sarah’s story?

Save the Cat Story Cards!

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Outliners and Discovery Writers, do I have some information for you!! You are going to love this! First, if you are not sure what a discovery writer or an outliner is, check out this post. https://quillandbooks.com/2019/01/04/discovery-writer-or-outliner/

Before I begin with this review, let me tell you how this might work for you. Outliners you can use this tool as a planning tool along-side your outline or as your outline. For discovery writers, you can still use this tool, but not before you write your first draft. Most discovery writers tell me that it totally kills the story if they do any planning prior to the first draft. I get it but that doesn’t make this tool useless, it just changes when you use this tool. You can use this a tool for learn what is broken and what needs a little tweaking. Or you can use it if you get stuck. Many people who get stuck or get writers block in the middle of the story, actually have something in their subconscious telling them that something is broken with the story which is why they can’t move forward. This tool can help you find that thing your subconscious is fighting with, and fix it! Read more….