Fi Phillips

One of the problems I have always had with my protagonist, Steve is wondering whether readers will like a grumpy teenager. He isn't a magical like Blessing. He isn't gung-ho like Hartley. Steve is trying his best to find his way in a world that is constantly changing. Writer, K M Weiland discusses this topic in her article, Worried Readers Won't Like Your Character?  Have a look and tell me what you think.

I know, I know. I'm late in getting this post on here this week, but the joys of the Easter school holiday and the challenge of the April Camp NaNoWriMo writathon have kept me busy. One of the hardest concepts that I've had to face as a writer (and I still find it difficult) is that of the character arc. The two point of  view characters in my novel both change but it's subtle and I'm unsure whether it's enough for the reader, or authentic. On the Helping Writers Become Authors site, K M Weiland discusses just this topic in her post The Hardest Part of Writing Good Character Arcs - and How You Can Make It Look Easy! . It's well worth a read. How do you approach character arcs?

One of the questions I asked myself when plotting my novel, Shadowbinder, was how I could make things hell for my protagonist? And then, how could I make it worse? The next question I asked myself was how could I make the story's outcome matter to him? Writer K M Weiland discusses this same topic in her article, When Your Story Stakes Aren't High Enough . Have a read.

What kind of beginnings do you like to your novels? Action? Mystery? Description? K M Weiland gives her opinion on what makes a good start to a story in her article,  Why Avalanches, Wolves, and Lightning Storms Aren’t a Good Way to Begin Your Book . Have a look.

Camp Nanowrimo is proving very motivational in the re-write of my novel but I'm always open to more help. K M Weiland's article 4 Reasons You Might Be Missing Out On Your Best Plot Ideas runs through plotting problems. Have a look.

The re-write/edit/revision of my novel is breaking my head. I have an updated chapter plan, not so different to the original but requiring a number of new chapters and a lot of juggling around of pieces of existing writing. Putting together the chapter plan was like tackling a challenging but do-able obstacle course. Once I got into my stride, it was fun. With the first fence past, I could see where I was going. I still can. Writing the new chapters, however, is proving less attainable. I think my problem is that in my head, at the end of the last draft, I thought "that's it - done, finished" and of course it isn't. I'm taking up the reins of a stallion that I thought was happily bedded down, when in fact it was just taking a breather before the next race. I know I can do this. In fact, I've already written the first new chapter, but the voice in my head, the one that prods, criticises and distracts, has bought itself a loudspeaker. I find myself trippin...

Working on the first draft of my second novel for NaNoWriMo , I've already had to write two fight scenes and I've come to realise that there's a definite knack to it. K M Weiland offers wonderful advice on just this topic in her article 5 Keys to Writing Epic Battle Scenes . Have a look.

As soon as I read this article by K M Weiland - The Impact Character: Why Every Character Arc Needs One - I thought of my own character, Hartley Keg. He flags up Steve's inner conflicts, creates all kinds of trouble and adventures by his actions, and generally throws Steve's world up and all over the place. This is a brilliant, well written and informative article that's well worth a read.