This week’s posts touched on the theme of character development and how creating layered, three-dimensional characters can add to the plot, spark inspiration, and offer more depth to a story.

To end the week, I’d like to share the story of Annie Summer and how a precocious and smart-tongued 12 year old sought me out, started talking…

And never stopped.

Characters In Development

When I say that Annie sought me out, I believe that to be true. I wasn’t looking for a character like her and certainly wasn’t expecting one to be so vocal. I desperately wanted to start writing creatively again, to regain that passion for something that had always been important to me. But I felt like I was stuck in a rut, dried up, with not an ounce of creativity left. In order to try to rediscover that creative side, I began to browse the internet for song lyrics or titles that would stand out, scream “Inspiration Here!” with neon lights and arrows pointing me in the right direction.

Surprisingly, one did.

I’d never heard the song Laundry Daydreams before and, admittedly, I still haven’t. But the title intrigued me, and as I sat on the bed one weekend morning, fingers poised over the laptop, a warm May breeze sneaking through the open window, pictures and ideas began to emerge in my mind.

Suddenly, there were white linens blowing in a hot breeze, among lush, green grass and the sound of sprinklers interrupting a lazy afternoon. I thought of summer and ice cream trucks and a suburban backyard. And then I changed perspectives and thought of what that would look like if someone was lying in that grass, looking up.

These thoughts took less than an instant, and in less than an instant, that someone turned into 12 year old Annie Summer.

I let her talk as my fingers flew across the keyboard, barely slowing. Suddenly there was a childhood crush and coveted sneakers, baking apple pie and panning for gold with a best friend. Annie had a story.

And, like it or not, she was going to tell it.

I had intended to write separate, complete stories using song lyrics as the inspiration and titles, but clearly Annie had other ideas. One story turned into two, and two turned into a series.

She was kind of like the little kid who poked you over and over until you finally answered, trying to gain your attention. She wasn’t done talking, and she wanted me to listen.

I was more than willing.

As I began to write her story, I discovered that there was something bigger there. Suddenly, there was a neighborhood, a town. Suddenly, there was a family, friends. Setting and plot began to come together, and though I tried to reason and play around with place and time, the story, Annie, had other ideas.

The year, it seemed, was going to be 1979. No way, Practical Me said. I didn’t know anything about the 70s, so how could I possibly write about it? I tried every which way to change it, but as the story progressed, and as the neighbor-to-the-left came into the picture, I began to realize that sometimes, you just have to go with it.

Sometimes, you have to trust your characters.

And sometimes, you have to trust yourself.

I love history because I love the stories of people’s lives, the everyday moments that connect each of us, regardless of year or era. Writing about Annie — her summer boredom, her reluctance to help her Mom bake pies, her sibling rivalry with her sister — was a reminder of this.

So I listened. And wrote. And she talked. And I wrote.

And then she talked some more.

So much that I created a Twitter account for her character. This was an outlet for me as well, a chance, much like the idea of the character interview, to get to know her and experience her life day-to-day. Memories and motivation, experiences and thoughts — it was a way to grow her story and understand where she was leading me.

The series stalled for awhile when she went silent for some months. Actually, truth-be-told, maybe I just didn’t feel like listening. I like to imagine that she stepped aside for awhile, letting other characters tell their own story, but she’s always been there, waiting patiently for me to get back to her. Finally, I gave in.

She hasn’t shut up since.

I couldn’t be more grateful.

When I look back on my other writing, I realize that no other character has spoken more powerfully, more insistently, than Annie Summer. Some call it a muse, some call it inspiration, but I like to think that it’s the characters themselves who finally have a voice.

These characters are there, speaking to you, waiting for you to tell their story.

Are you listening?

Note: This is the conclusion of the three-part post series focusing on character development. Check out the first post on how to listen to your characters and take the Wednesday Writing Challenge as a source of new inspiration.

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Typescript will post a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin, from an overheard conversation to a character profile, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

Yesterday’s blog post discussed how a character interview, that is, learning more about the character through their likes, dislikes, and backstory, can move a plot forward and create realistic, believable characters. Whether you’re looking to start a new story or to propel another one forward, the character interview can provide the spark of inspiration you’re looking for by adding layers to breathe life into the story.

But what if you’re still looking for that story to tell? What if you don’t have a plot or even a setting in mind, nevermind a character. What then?

Life is made up of stories. And stories involve people. So if plot is what you’re looking for, look no further.

Character Interview

Writers tend to follow a recipe based on generic descriptions when beginning to develop their characters — there’s that girl-next-door with a rebellious streak, that bad boy with the heart of gold. While these might provide the basic identity of a character, finding out who they are and asking why can provide the motivation behind the actions, offering depth and dimension and even propelling a story forward.

Let your characters guide you; listen to their story.

After all, it’s theirs to tell.

Challenge: Use the questions below as a starting point to begin your character interview and spark a new short story or, as a greater challenge, a poem.
(Hints: Try to refrain from answering the questions as yourself. Instead, answer as your character would, be creative and use whatever first comes to mind.)



What is your favorite board game?

What is your preferred method of travel?

What was your favorite subject in school?

What is your evening routine?

What’s your favorite snack food?

What kind of car do you drive?

What’s in your refrigerator?

What was your favorite cartoon as a child?

Who would you call in an emergency?

What do you receive in the mail?

What’s on your bookshelf?

What’s the last place you were in?

What’s a nickname from your childhood?

What’s your favorite letter, word, phrase?

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Characters In Development

One of the most difficult aspects of writing fiction lies in creating believable, three-dimensional characters that come to life on the page. While it’s relatively easy to create the skeleton of a character, characters, like people, have multiple layers that extend far beyond what is originally perceived.

So often are people, and consequently characters, defined by what they do rather than who they are, it seems that this same idea naturally translates when creating a character. There’s the “sympathetic bartender” or the “hardened lawyer,” the “girl-next-door” or the “bad boy with the heart of gold.” These descriptions can provide the reader with the basics necessary for setting a scene or presenting a plot; however, they are still merely the shell of a character.

To create more depth, and thus a more believable, well-rounded character, it’s important to ask “who,” rather than “what,” and finding out the “who” often requires asking “why.”

One of the best exercises I’ve found for development is the character interview. This exercise forces you, as the writer, to really listen to what the characters are saying, to figure out who they are and to get to know them just as you would someone who is originally a stranger. Even if you don’t use all of the information you gain, it will be a starting point (and who knows what inspiration might be lurking in the answers).

What is your character’s favorite vacation spot? What toy did they play with as a child? Who took care of them when they were sick? What is their favorite fruit? What is their favorite piece of clothing?

Don’t stop with one-word answers. Find out the motivation behind the responses. Ask “why.”

Why can that sympathetic bartender be found recommending wine to customers at the hotel bar? Why does the hardened lawyer look back fondly on the Easy-Bake Oven she had when she was six?

Just as there is more to every person than a name and an occupation, so is there more to your characters, with memories, experiences, and influences that can motivate their actions, place them in that setting, and sometimes even drive the plot forward.

Get to know your characters to create the depth and dimension that breathes a story to life.

Characters love to talk.

Are you listening?

Note: This is part one of a three-part post series focusing on character development. Stay tuned for this week’s Wednesday Writing Challenge, which ties into using the character interview as a source of new inspiration.

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Typescript will post a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin, from an overheard conversation to a children’s book full of rhyme, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

Children’s book authors seem to be storytellers and poets all rolled into one, manipulating language and using sound to tell a story on the most basic of levels, for their prime audience. However, even in simplicity, there are lessons to be taught, experiences to be valued, and wisdom to be gained among those barnyard stories and fairytales. Whether in the titles of the books themselves or in the prose, there is thought and inspiration to be found among the rhythm and the rhyme.

Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel is best known for his collection of rhyming children’s books, which he wrote under the pen name Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Oh, The Places You’ll Go are some of his most popular titles, though his writing is widely recognized for his whimsical tales and notable rhymes. While these books might be aimed at children, and while his penchant for making up words and colorful characters may, at first glance, seem a deterrent, there are lines that stand out for their poetics and themes that can inspire a new fictional world…

Challenge: Use one of the following prompts from Seuss’ stories to create a new short story or poem (additional challenge: use one of the following prompts as the beginning line of dialogue):

“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” – The Lorax

“This”, cried the Mayor, “is your town’s darkest hour” – Horton Hears a Who!

“I saw it on Mulberry Street” – And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

“The sun did not shine.” – The Cat in the Hat

“And suppose that you lived/In that forest in France” – Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

“[Life's] a great balancing act” – Oh, The Places You’ll Go

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Typescript posts a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin, from an overheard conversation to a jumble of words, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

Last month, after finding over 300 spam comments in my blog folder containing gibberish in an attempt to sell links and prescription drugs, I discovered that, upon closer look, there was inspiration hidden in these seemingly incoherent strings of words.

What emerged was the Wednesday Writing Challenge: Word Play, where writers had a bit of fun and let their imaginations wander, sparking creativity, igniting something magical…

With spam comments filling up the folder once more, we’re ready for Word Play: Take Two. What inspiration will you find this second round?

Word Play

One of the most fascinating aspects of writing is the ability to manipulate words and language to convey your intended meaning. Words have so many meanings within their own definitions, and coupling them with others can produce something not entirely expected but altogether magical. There are a thousand ways to describe an object, person, or place, and so, too, are there thousands of stories just waiting to be plucked out of the imagination and put to paper. Sometimes all we need to create that initial spark of inspiration is a word (or three)…

Challenge: Use one of the following couplings of words to create a new story or poem
(Note: many of these have had minor alterations to make a little bit more sense):

Sometimes there she reported

Celtic line faded photograph

With sky always needed

The secret happy girl

He forgot haste

Generate continuous young flowers

Then introduce museum pieces

Who wants the world

Hidden chambers devour time

Satellite recorded a curious kind

Jealous of the early the prisoner

The subway was but rocks and rolled

Here are cities darkened

Gravity means unruffled

One place was interconnected

Sometimes knowledge is more sociable

Bonus: String a collection of words together to create your own prompt!

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Every month, Typescript will post a new giveaway, with recipients chosen at random on the 15th of each month. Submit your name and email in the comments below and you’ll be automatically placed in the drawing. Please only submit once; if you’re chosen, you’ll be contacted for your shipping address.

If you have a book or product you’d like to see featured in a future giveaway, feel free to contact me.

Permanent Visitors
by Kevin Moffett

This month’s giveaway comes from Lynn Holmgren, whom I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know through a local community writing group. Lynn is a short story writer who writes fantastic, in-depth reviews of short story collections and fiction on her website, Long Story Short. To share a story or collection that you’ve enjoyed, feel free to email Lynn.

Many thanks to Lynn for her donation of Permanent Visitors and for her contribution of the great write-up below:

Kevin Moffett, author of the short story collection “Permanent Visitors,” was born and raised in Daytona Beach, FL and writes a monthly column about zoos and amusement parks for FunWorld Magazine. These details alone tell you that his stories are going to be filled with a cast of colorful characters in ironic settings. With a masterful hand he takes the quirkiness that one can assume is natural in such a setting and makes it uniquely his own.

In “Ursa, On Zoo Property and Off,” a man uncovers new truths about his coworkers on a company trip to the zoo, and goes home with a young waitress in a bear suit. In “Tatooizm,” a man with hopes of owning his own tattoo parlor tries to convince his young girlfriend to let him use her body as a practice canvas as she imagines what her life will be like when she breaks up with him. In “Space”, a boy comes to terms with the death of his mother after an odd encounter with a stranger on a bus finds him in a mall department store shopping for a proper dress to bury her baby girl in.

Moffett surprises readers with his delicate interiors, eye for metaphor and odd details. In “Permanent Vistors” he successfully owns the landscapes of his childhood. He showcases his keen ability to pick two wild cards from the deck and find their common vulnerability.

Reading this impressive debut collection by a recent MFA grad assured me that the art of the short story is an achievable goal, not to be dismissed merely as practice for the novel. It has a distinct right to stand alone and be heard.

Also, for anyone interested in reading more short stories: Anthologies and literary journals are a great place to discover fresh talent and stories by novelists who you didn’t know wrote short stories. I came upon Kevin Moffett after reading a story of his in New Stories from the South 2008 (edited by ZZ Packer). The annual Best American Short Stories Series hosts a different guest editor each year so it remains an eclectic mix worth reading. One Story is a unique literary “journal” that features one short story, no frills, every three weeks, with a supporting website for an interview with the author.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Matt Cheuvront, recipient of Typescript’s June giveaway!

Thanks again to Lynn for the contribution of this month’s giveaway as well as her great review of Kevin Moffett’s Permanent Visitors. Be sure to check out Lynn’s blog, Long Story Short for more fiction reviews!

Check back soon: giveaways will be back on July 1st with a new selection.

(Note: recipients are chosen based on a random drawing.)

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