Characters are essential to the story. Their existence answers the question of ‘Who is this happening to’ when one follows the events. They give the reader a POV to use as a reference point. They bring life to the setting and move the plot, which are the other two elements. Many authors also simply love designing characters because they can hold various traits that one might yearn for or be curious about. There’s so much to do with this element that it’s hard to narrow it down to 3 questions. Here we go anyway:
What is your favorite type of character to write/read?
Is there a type of character you’ve tired and failed to write/understand?
What advice would you give about writing characters?
The cheetah can run from 50-80 MPH. It’s synonymous with speed, which is where many people stop thinking about them. Unfortunately, they’re also very endangered. I remember being told that this was because they suffered from a lot of inbreeding, which is what I stuck with for a while. Yet, you have to wonder at some point why they are in that position. What caused cheetahs to have such a limited gene pool?
Well, humans:
Poaching and hunting, including cubs being sold as exotic pets.
Habitat destruction
Killed by farmers because cheetahs can’t thrive in reserves. The reason for this is because reserves have condensed populations, the cheetahs would end up being ‘trapped’ with larger predators who kill their cubs. This would be lions, leopards, and hyenas. So, cheetahs mostly live in unprotected areas, which means they’re threatened by farmers protecting their livestock and poachers.
Something to consider is that while cheetahs are ‘big cats’, they’re the smallest of the entire group. They’re the only big cats who purr like smaller ones. They’re built for speed instead of power like lions, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and cougars. Cheetahs are very anxious animals, which is why many found in zoos have emotional support dogs that they train with. So, they are ‘big cats’ with a lot of challenges.
Go to the CHEETAH CONSERVATION FUND for a lot more information. I’m only doing overviews here and showing the species breakdowns.
There are 4 subspecies of cheetah . . . Hard to tell the difference, but here we go:
Southeast African Cheetah
ESTIMATED POPULATION: 6,000
Northeast African Cheetah
ESTIMATED POPULATION: 950 (Big drop there)
Northwest African Cheetah
ESTIMATED POPULATION: 250
Asiatic Cheetah
POPULATION: 12 . . . Yes . . . 12
Looked for two videos to share here. The first one is going to have a little blood since it’s a cheetah hunting a gazelle. The video has some cool cheetah facts though. The other is cheetah cubs.
All I can say is that this was a week of tragedies and stress. Seeing people suffer one of the greatest emotional blows that can be inflicted on a person hurts. You don’t really know what to say or think. So, half of the week was kind of a fog of just making it to the weekend in order to process stuff. Well, here we are.
Prior to what happened, my week had the usual personal life drama. I managed to get most of the May posts scheduled. Have a few more to go, which clears April for relaxation and starting to get Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Halfling Hunt ready for writing. Thinking a good goal for blogging is to get June, July, and August set up prior to the end of the school year. That way I can focus all of my writing time on my books instead of blogging. Seems doable as long as I can think up more topics. That’s the challenge since I have one in May on ‘magical parasites’. Anybody have any juicy writing topics?
So . . . I really didn’t do anything else. The goal list from last week didn’t really happen other than the simple stuff. Never got to touch any of my books until today. Can I type in 198 pages worth of edits in 2 days? Maybe since the weather is miserable today and I have no interest in going outside. I won’t hold my breath though. Hydration failed last week, so I’m going to try to improve on that this weekend and figure out a way to do it throughout the week. My life really is dull.
I think this is how it’s going to be for a while. This is week 2 of a 6.5 week run with no breaks beyond weekends. So, schools push to get a lot done since everything after Spring Break is met with a level of ‘mentally done’. I have to deal with this as a TA and a parent, so it becomes exhausting. If I can get the edits written up and June blog posts done before the April break then I’ll be happy. ‘Pirate Warriors 3’ keeps drawing my attention, but I’m learning to use it as a reward. Can’t really do any new levels there if my son isn’t around, which is when I can’t do any writing in the first place.
There was one odd milestone. My son and I finished watching the original ‘Dragon Ball’ series and started watching ‘Dragon Ball Z’. This might not seem important, but it felt like a milestone to us. It’s only the second major anime that we’ve finished with the first being ‘Fairy Tail’. For my son to make it through a long series without losing interest is a big thing, especially since he’s already considering watching it again in the future. Shows that he won’t just forget something once he’s done. We finished ‘The Cuphead Show’ as well, but that was a small one.
I’m going to give ‘Peacemaker’ a try this weekend when I need a break from editing. I liked the character in ‘The Suicide Squad’ and John Cena seemed to really enjoy the part, so I think I’ll enjoy it. Sounds exciting enough to keep me awake too. Maybe I’ll do a Sunday post about it, but I’m finding I don’t have it in my to do major reviews. Escapism and erasing my anxiety is the goal, which most shows are doing. ‘Cells at Work Code Black’ might have been a bad choice though. Seeing humanized cells trying to work and survive in a body suffering from stress and other ailments occasionally felt like a personal attack.
What was I doing? Think I dozed off since I’m writing this Friday night before bed. Setting up the next 2 Sunday posts too. I like doing the animal posts, but I’m finding it difficult to find ones to use. More than 9 or 11 species and it gets crazy. That’s why I’m not going to try for sharks and whales unless I find some ways to split them up. We’ll see what happens down the road.
Goals of the week:
Type in edits for Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Fate Bracelet
Finish the May blog posts
Watch ‘One Piece: Strong World’ with my son next weekend
Schoolwork
My work
Hydrate!
Rest my weary psyche
Watch ‘Peacemaker’ and then something else.
There was something . . . Crud . . . Laundry!
OH! Big thanks to the review I got on War of Nytefall: Eulogy. I know it was made in February, but I finally mustered the courage to look at my books on Amazon again. It was a much needed spark of light in a really dark week.
Next week, I’m going to be doing a bunch of ‘Questions 3’ that revolve around the elements of a story. Mostly, I’m curious to see what people think. This also stemmed from finding a variety of lists for story elements. The trio was the most basic one, but I kept running into a 7 item list with more depth. Since doing 7 days of ‘Questions 3’ would get old fast, I figured I’d mention them now.
So, what are the 7 elements?
Setting– This is one of the big ones. I noticed that larger lists chop this up into pieces like time and place being separated. Simply put, this is where the story takes place, which you need to describe to some extent.
Plot– Here’s another one of the trio, which gets chopped up even more than setting to make larger lists. Simply put: your story needs a story. There has to be something happening for a reader to be interested. It’s also how you get your characters from Point A to Point B. Your plot doesn’t have to run in a straight line. It can even go backwards at times, but it needs to move until it reaches the end.
Characters– Last of the big three, which everyone understands. You need someone or something to be in the story. Otherwise, you’re just describing a setting and nobody is doing anything. The variety and types of characters depend on what you’re writing, but there has to be at least one. This is because you also need:
Point of View– The reader has to see the story and world through the eyes of someone other than themselves. It could a single character, multiple characters, or a distant narrator. Regardless of the source, a story needs a POV in order to help focus the audience on what is going on. More importantly, the author is able to draw more out of the story and not get distracted. A POV character prevents the author from straying off the path without thinking twice.
Conflict– This one is a ‘DUH’. You need the characters to face challenges. There’s a long list of possibilities too. It can be an external or internal struggle. It can be another person, a beast, technology, nature, or whatever you think will push a character to their limits. Without a conflict, your story may come off as empty and pointless.
Resolution– For some reason, I was initially surprised that this was on the list and tried to find one without it. Then, I realized why I shouldn’t. Authors can forget to end a story. At least, giving it a real one that works. Sometimes it’s rushed or left so open that the audience feels like they weren’t given any closure. You need to seal your story on some level, especially if you don’t intend on continuing it.
Theme– I’m not entirely sold on this one being a necessity, but it’s on a lot of lists. I typically think this is about a lesson, which not every story has. You don’t have to teach a reader about life with every story. Still, most benefit from having some type of theme, which gives them depth. It can be a lesson that the characters learn along the way or something open to interpretation. It’s up to you if you want it to be heavy, but that can take away from the rest of the adventure. So, think about if you’re writing to entertain or teach or both.
Style– I know I said 7, but I stumbled onto this one a few times. Why did I include this? Simply to point out that there is an author/individual element. Even if you’re following all the rules and using the previous elements, you need to add your own flavor. You want readers to see something in your writing that they can’t find in any other book. It could be the way you describe things, your dialogue, the use of POV, unique themes, and the list keeps going. Style isn’t always admired by readers and other authors, but it is what makes you stand out.
Welcome to our little warehouse. Okay, it’s gigantic since you can’t see the walls through the fog. Put on a warm coat and we’ll head into the racks. Here’s a general list of categories with specific brands being more nuanced. As usual, we ask that you drink responsibly once you leave. What happens if you don’t? It’s called jail time and health issues. Don’t be an idiot.
Beer– Transformation magic. Brand and type will determine new form. Too many to list here.
Red Wine– Vampire abilities. Does not guarantee success with women.
White Wine– Ghost abilities. Does not guarantee success with pottery.
Rose Wine– Werewolf abilities. Does guarantee fleas.
Fortified Wine– Mummy abilities. Does guarantee sand in awkward places.
Mead– Teleport to a fantasy world until bottle is done. Always start with Level 1 Stats.
Champagne– Flight. Higher the price, the smoother the flight. (Cheapest will be air travel through flatulence.)
Whiskey– Elemental control. No, you will not become the Avatar. Stop suing.
Vodka– Healing powers. Hair and nails will grow at increased rate until sober. Some brands will revive the foreskin.
Tequila– Raise the dead. Type of undead is determined by brand . . . Drinker will be zombified for 24 hours.
Brandy– Become a fine girl, but get dumped for the sea.
Sake– Temperature control. Differences are in range and aroma of sweat.
Gin– Dragon breath. Type depends on brand. Warning: Avoid Sneezing.
Absinthe– Talk to animals. Does not mean you can order them around like a jerk.
Rum– Out of Stock. Don’t ask why.
Schnapps– Psychic powers. Warning: Hangover is a bitch with these.
Moonshine– Enhanced physical abilities. At least, that’s what you’ll believe.
Legends of Windemere 