Writing Fights

Even though it seems ironic for me to be writing about fight scenes, I'm doing it any way. 

I've struggled with writing good, intense fights from the very beginning. If you do too, maybe what I've been doing will help you out as well.

Problems with Fight Scenes and How to Solve them:

Problem #1: I don't know about you, but one of my biggest issues with fights is that I've never been in an actual fight. How the heck am I supposed to write something so intense when I have no idea how it feels?

Solution #1: There a couple of things you can do. The big thing for me was to live through others in order to experience fights. Since I was writing a sword fight, I looked up scenes from Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, along with other movies that had sword fight scenes. I also looked up scenes from favorite books for inspiration and to see how they kept things moving. Even though it doesn't have any sword fights, Divergent was a great source to see how to keep any fight moving. 

Problem #2: My second issue was that I didn't know how to keep the fight going. Things always seemed too rushed and it made it move too quickly for most readers. 

Solution #2: Again, Divergent was amazing for this. I read scenes, analyzing how the author would keep the fight going long enough. Here's what I discovered: Keep a scene flowing with more moves when they fight, imagery as the fight goes on, and the character's reactions and thoughts throughout the fight. Another thing I did was take it piece by piece. Since I needed to slow it down, I needed to slow down the writing process. I wrote a page or even less a night, picking up where I left off the following night. I'm still not finished but I am much happier with how the fight is going.

Okay! So I hope this was at least semi-helpful. Let me know if you have any other suggestions or other comments.

Thanks all!

Unleash Your Creativity

"I wish I could write a book..."
"I wish I was creative enough to write a book..."
"I wish I was creative..."
I hear these kind of things all the time. People are always telling me they wished they were more creative than they were. Honestly, I don't understand. Creativity can come naturally but it doesn't always. Just because you weren't born creative does not mean you can't be creative. Creativity is a choice.
Of course, if it doesn't come naturally, you can't just sit around and expect that to change. Here are some ways to boost (unleash) your creativity:
1. Read a book.
2. Go for a walk.
3. Take a break.
4. Listen to music.
5. Exercise
6. Take a nap.
7. Paint or draw.
8. Do something with your friends.
9. Make something.

What do you want to know for today's How-To?

So does anyone have anything they want to hear about as far as writing tips go? I plan to share a little advice later on in the day. :)

How To: Make your characters REAL

Making characters seem real can be really difficult, especially for new writers. But there are some things that all writers can do, new or experienced that'll make their lives easier.
The idea behind a real character is that the reader can feel for them. Readers need to sympathize with the hero, hate the villain's guts (or possibly be confused by their actions), and hope the romance lasts or ends. Readers are in for a ride, and it's your job to give it to them.
The trick behind doing that is making your characters as real to you as your best friends are. You will most likely know more about them than your readers, at least at first. Don't try to reveal everything about your characters all at once. It just overwhelms the reader and they can't remember it all.
Characters also need to be fallible. No one is perfect, not even your favorite character. Their faults only add to them, and readers love them even more as they sympathize.
Example:
Edgeshifter is a good person, and we love her. She always does the right thing, even if it hurts her. We sympathize with her as she struggles and we hope for the best for her sake.
It also helps when we add little quirks and habits that bring the characters to life and make them more memorable.
Example:
Edgeshifter is nicknamed "Edge" by friends and family. She is white-scaled and has piercing blue eyes. These are little things that don't really affect her personality but fit right in with it.
Questions on how else you can make characters come to life? Write a comment! I love feedback.

How to: Explode a Moment

BOOM!
Ha, just kidding. That's not what it means to explode a moment, although you could definitely use an explosion as a scene to explode in a moment. Exploding a moment means you take a scene and go into extreme detail and zoom in on it. Typically, these are intense or dramatic scenes. For example:

Zandra swallowed hard, nodding. “She’s still on the gurney. Follow me.” Zandra led them down the hall and into a single room.

Even though he’d known what he’d see when he stepped inside, Zane still felt so broken at seeing the limp body on the gurney. Her eyes were closed, her head lolled to one side, and her face looked almost peaceful. She’d stayed calm to the very last breath. She’d been so brave.

Zane went to the bedside, numb. He glanced back at the others, sure they were feeling the same way. Zandra was staring at the ground, tears running down her cheeks. Then, Tatyana turned away. “I’ll be outside.” She left the room, standing just outside it. Jay followed her. Zane turned his attention back to the body.

He lifted her face, cradling it to his chest. Last time, the woman he loved died, he’d never been given the chance to say goodbye. This time he could. And he wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

This scene is dramatic and scene seems to drag on.
Thanks for reading!

How to Use Flashbacks

These are my notes from my 11th grade English class. There are a few different ways to use flashbacks in a story:

1.       Recollection: Most common technique; Using back story in fiction to weave bits and pieces of recollection throughout the narrative as they become relevant. Keep it short. Be consistent throughout the story.

2.       Full scenes: extended recollections with dialogue and action. Long and detailed. Separated from story.

3.       Italicized inserts: short italicized inserts. Occasionally, a direct address

4.       Letters and journals: character might write or read a letter to import (personal) historical info. Sometimes in italics.

5.       Dreams: can feel forced, not as natural. Use carefully and seldom.

6.       Frames: “story within a story.” Entire story is a flashback.

*Integrate small bits of back story early on if possible

*Trigger memories with five senses and emotions

*Transition to flashback with subtle phrase

*Transition out of flashback with actions, or other phrases- be subtle

Story World Template

This is really good for fantasy writers, as you have to create an entire world:

Geography:
I typically make a map of the land for this one.
Cultural Groups and Races:
What races are in your story? What groups of people?
Example: In Segolia, there are the elves of Segolia, the elves of Broen, the desert people, naiads, dryads, dragons, etc.
Plants:
Are there any unusual plants in your story world?
Example: dryad trees in Segolia
Animals:
Are there any animalistic creatures in your story?
History:
What history of your story world is important to the story?
Example: the history of the war between dragons and elves in Segolia
Political structures:
I go through each cultural group's political structure. So I write a paragraph about dragon politics, Broenian elf politics, Segolian elf politics, etc.
Economic Structure:
Again, I go through each cultural group. I write a paragraph for each group's economic structure, like if they use money and how they earn their keep and what jobs are available, etc.
Example: Dragons do have jobs, assigned by the dragon leader, but they have no use for money.
Social Structure:
Go through each cultural group, going through their society. What are accepted truths of society? What kind if ceremonies, educations, etc. are part of a race's society?
Example: Dragons have a coming of age ceremony.
Foods and Drinks:
What kinds of things do the groups eat? For example, dragons eat large game, whereas an elf might eat similarly to a human.
Languages:
What languages and dialects do the people speak?
Entertainment:
What does each cultural group do for fun?4
Sexual Roles:
In each cultural group/race, what are the different roles between man and woman?
Example: Elven women are expected to stay home, away from war and politics. Men make all decisions and fight.

All this information may never appear in the story but the more you know the better.

How-to: Character Profile

Character profiles help writers create real characters. Here's how I do mine:Name
Age
Biography (Family, friends, what brought the character where they are now, etc.)
Height
Weight/Body type (Are they skinny or heavy, lean or just slender)
Face Type (heart, oval, round, square)
Complexion
Eyes (color and shape)
Hair
Clothing style
Speaking style (fast, quiet, loud, careful, etc.)
General demeanor
Career
Prejudices
Best Qualities
Worst Qualities
Hobbies
Talents
What they see (when they look at the world do they see violence or hope, etc.)
Perceives the world as something... (change, save, end, etc.)
Setting
How do they react to a new environment?
Introspection (what they need to realize, whether they do or not)
Confidence (high, low, too high)
What do they hear? (rumors, gossip, compliments, etc.)
What they really think/say when alone?
Pet phrases and slang
Liar? (yes, no, about what)
Silence (do they like it, how do they deal with it)
Reaching for what in life
Goal
Heart's desire
It'd be nice to have...
They need...
Where they're going through story
Wants...
Action willing to take to get what they want
Obstacles
Overcomes obstacles by...
Stands with/for...
Believes...
Fights for...
Will die for...
3 Wishes
3 Fears
Flaws
3 Heroic qualities (even the bad guy has some!)

This template may seem like overkill but the more you know about a character the better. They become real to you and to your readers!!! Feel free to use!