Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: David Mesick

Perfect characters kill tension with ruthless efficiency. It’s really hard to get interested in what they’re working through, because it’s obvious they’ll succeed. Characters that overcome obstacles despite a serious handicap seem stronger than ones who don’t. It’s a lot more impressive to battle giant spiders if you have a paralyzing fear of them.

Flaws change the story’s tone and how your audience sees your characters. Here’s six possible options, each of which will change how the story will unfold.

1. Aversion

Spiders, frogs, worms, blood, dirt, corpses, disease. These are all things people have trouble dealing with. Your character could have intense feelings that hinder them, keeping them from interacting with something in a normal way.

For example, if a character cannot stand dirt, they might obsessively clean their house until they drop from exhaustion. Perhaps they even clean other people’s houses without permission, making them seem rude and patronizing. A character with an aversion to dirt that gets lost in the woods will have a tough time, in a way that someone comfortable missing a few showers wouldn’t.

When should you utilize aversion as a flaw?

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. Authors, leave your literary success up to something other than luck http://ow.ly/yzgvb
  2. How to Build A Contact List To Grow A Relationship With Your Readers | Digital Book World http://ow.ly/yzgyk
  3. Six Subtle Ways to Increase Tension in Your Writing | WordServe Water Cooler http://ow.ly/yzgG5
  4. Exploring Story Worlds - How to get the most out of your research - Writers Write http://ow.ly/yzgIV
  5. 33 Unusual Tips to Being a Better Writer — Medium http://ow.ly/yzgKi
  6. Mythcreants » Six Types of Character Flaws http://ow.ly/yzhd2
  7. Martha Alderson aka Plot Whisperer: Thematic Significance Statement Defines Every Story Decision http://ow.ly/yzhnn
  8. Author, Jody Hedlund: Hurrah! You Wrote a Book. Now What? http://ow.ly/yzhpE
  9. Dissecting Your Characters with Terri L. Austin | Romance University http://ow.ly/yzhqS
  10. The Writer Diaries: Tuesday Topic: How to Critique Others' Writing http://ow.ly/yzhs0
  11. 5 Mistakes You'll Make on the Way to Publishing Success http://ow.ly/yzhtj
  12. Divas Recommend: Trust Me, You Need A Good Editor - Write Divas http://ow.ly/yzhuv
  13. 8 Ways to Beat Writer's Block - A Writer's Journey http://ow.ly/yzhwW
  14. I’m Totally Formidable When I’m With You* | Confessions of a Mystery Novelist... http://ow.ly/yzhxM
  15. Novel Rocket: 5 Tips to Set a Better Scene http://ow.ly/yzhzg
  16. Find Dialogue Daunting? (Part 2) – How to Vary Your Characters’ Voices | Lit Central | O.C. http://ow.ly/yzhBI
  17. Writability: Scene Break vs. Chapter Break: How Do You Know? http://ow.ly/yzitJ
  18. Themes That Develop Organically in Your Novel | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/yziwH
  19. Content Marketing Is 88 Percent Less Effective Than Public Relations | Chad Pollitt http://ow.ly/yzkpj
  20. Writer Unboxed » How I Got Published in the New York Times On My First Try (And What Happened Next) http://ow.ly/yzksv
  21. Want to traditionally publish? Here are 8 things you need to know. | Words, Words, Words http://ow.ly/yzkAh
  22. How to Write Female and Male Characters | Words, Words, Words http://ow.ly/yzkDS
  23. Things Beta Readers Should Know | Words, Words, Words http://ow.ly/yzkHP
  24. Top 10 Mistakes Every Author Should Avoid|Small Business PR http://ow.ly/yzkSn
  25. Seven Blogs Every Emerging Author Should Read! | Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/yzwMK
  26. Fiction University: The Joy of Discovery: Keeping Readers Hooked Through Story Revelations http://ow.ly/yzxTM
  27. Writers On The Move: Tread Gently - 10 Steps To Provide a Helpful Critique http://ow.ly/yzHRX
Happy writing and running, Kathy

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