Character Work

As much as I love my leads, I actually relish writing my supporting characters. Especially in a crime drama.

I mean, come on, we've all seen the blustery police lieutenant/captain. Whenever I encounter a chance to write such an iconic character like this, I think, how can I make them 'pop?'

I mean, I need a stern supervisor to bust my Hero, Kent's, chops, but how can I write them so that you don't feel like you have 'seen' it all before?

In Plain Jane I wanted the guy (I could have chosen a woman for this role , but I liked Nicole - Kent's Love Interest - awash in a sea of men) to bring something extra to the table.

That is when I came up Captain Glick. I combined a more standard male captain, with all of his prerequisite impatience and anger issues, but infused Glick with a more traditional female insight.

Most of the time this cartoonish Captain character fights the current that the Hero generates. He even at times denies the current is even tugging him and everyone else downstream.

So I thought, I want a more proactive Captain. I want a Captain that knows there is not only a current but a dangerous undertow beneath it. He not only knows it but his job is to steer the ship so that everyone doesn't run aground.

And though Glick may balk at the speed and danger of the trip, he also realizes that without Kent and his riptide, they would never get to their destination.

Want to see if I accomplished what I set out to do with Glick?
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I have officially lost my mind.

As I mentioned on the stream I am working on a new project. Writing nearly 16 hours a day, trying to make up for someone else being 5 weeks past a dead-line (guess it was more of a 'we might kill you'-line).

I am eating, breathing, and dreaming of this story. I love it, but...

It seriously has taken over my brain.

I was thinking about going out in the ocean in a new swimsuit and honestly thought to myself...

"No," she thought, "I will debut it tomorrow when the surf is calmer." Of course the fact that she was simply delaying wearing the bathing suit did not escape her. No matter her sincere intentions, that suit would not see the light of day tomorrow or ever.

Okay, I just want to be clear that entire paragraph, I thought... about myself! In 3rd person no less!

I had to stop myself and say 'think thoughts' rather than pre-writing them in your head!

You know it is bad when you have to remind yourself your life is not a fictional novel.

But I can't complain. The new story is going great. I am doing what I love (maybe a little bit too much as evidenced by this blog) and so far I have caught myself before such words actually escape my lips in public (you guys don't count :-)

How has writing affected you? How has your story warped your brain?

Leave a comment!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hopefully everyone knows that Plain Jane is available as an eBook in every format known to mankind at smashwords: Where you can read 50 pages for free. View a kick-ass book trailer or listen to an entire chapter's audio excerpt: http://bit.ly/b60jVe

And I am on GoodReads and would love to hook up with you there! http://bit.ly/adBugf

Police Procedurals

How I love them. Well, how I love to YELL at them.

If I am going to watch a show based on, oh I don't know, police procedure, I would like to see... actual police procedure.

Folks, this isn't the X-files. You can't just make up the science and then expect me to believe it.

Ok, for the procedure 'lite' shows like Castle, The Mentalist, etc, fine. Do what you want. I am not watching those for the nitty gritty realism. Honestly I am watching for the hot lead and fun dialogue.

But come on, C.S.I., L&O, etc. You guys should know better.

One of my absolute pet peeves is when cops burst into a house or room and 'clear' it. Without, of course opening a single closet, or looking under the bed. Then they are like, SHOCKED, when a suspect attacks them.

Um, you do know that criminals have the ability to, I don't know... HIDE.

Or they find a child witness holed up in locker. Um, again, maybe we should have looked there first before we heard the whimpering.

Basically if a space is larger than a bread box, how about we check it, just to be sure?

I don't know. Just a thought :-)

But until then, I guess I will just have to keep yelling at the television!

P.S.
Hopefully when writing Plain Jane I practiced what I just preached :-)

To watch the book trailer (it has been described as super creepy and evocative) or listen to an entire chapter's audio excerpt (narrated by amazing actor @actingnodrama) or read up to 50 pages of Plain Jane for free, follow this link: http://bit.ly/b60jVe

And just for reading this blog, here is a 100% off coupon code! ZQ53W

That's right! Just for being so awesome and checking out my blog you can read Plain Jane for FREE! All I ask is you leave a comment below that you cashed in the coupon and then once you've read it, please post a review on Smashwords (and GoodReads if you are a member).

Good, Bad, or Ugly, I don't care. Just give your honest review!

Thanks so much!