The trouble with using the alphabet to hang a topic from is that sooner or later you have to tackle X, Y and Z!  So here goes then....

X = X-rated.  In terms of causing trouble, would your character be an X-rated one?  (Yes there are the obvious X-rated stories and characters but here I'm thinking of other forms of fiction and how your character would rate within those).  Does your character delight in stirring up trouble that would be classed as X-rated by the authorities?  And does X-rated carry the same meaning in your fictional world as it does in ours?

Y = Young.  How do  you show your younger characters to be younger without spelling it out?  By the way in which they speak?  How are the young treated in your fictional world?  Are they encouraged or despised? Is there child labour?

Z = Zest.  Do your characters have zest for life?  Where do they get that attitude?  Have they always had it or do the adventures you set them on spark something within them which means they develop this and, as a result, inevitably have other adventures?!

 Does your fictional world have such things as curses and blessings?  (In a magical one, the blessing is when the spell doesn't curse you, back fire or hit the wrong target!).  Who carries out the blessings and/or curses?  Is it automatially down to the most powerful witch or wizard in the area or are there religious ceremonies to be gone through first?  How far back in time do such ceremonies go?

If you want to see examples of curses, do visit the Roman Baths here in Bath in the UK.  Some of them are amusing (though admittedly not if you were on the receiving end).

The images below were all taken by me, Allison Symes. on a visit to the Baths back in 2013.

Now I'm getting to the tail end of the alphabet, finding thoughts on character creation are going to be more interesting I think!

U = Universally Loved/hated/despised.  What box do your characters fit in to here and why?  Is the judgement against them correct or not?  How do your characters handle being universally loved/hated/despised and have any of them managed to go from one category to another?  (I can see stories in a loved character doing something stupid and ending up being despised for it, to name one example).

V = Victim.  Is your character a victim?  I'm not just referring to the crime or horror genres  here.  Regardless of genre, you can come up with characters who are victims or show the attitude which means they are likely to become victims.  Are they self-pitying or do they fight the urge to "be a victim"?

W = Witty and Wise?  Two "W's" for the price of one here!  Do your characters fall into these categories?  Are they loved or hated for it?  How did they develop wisdom - was it by listening to others, learning from their own mistakes or both?

R = Reading.  How literate is your fictional world?  What would their sacred books be?  Can anyone read the books or is reading a privilege for the upper classes only?  For your own hero/heroine/hobbit hero etc, what do they read when they can?  Are books respected?

S = Style.  What kind of style are you looking for in your reading?  I generally look for a nice easy read (it encourages me to keep on reading) and I want the characters to grip me by their "go get them" approach to life.  I think the most single important thing in writing is to be true to yourself.  Your style should be appropriate for the kind of story you're hoping tow ritemow.

T = Timing.  How punctual or otherwise are your characters?  Do any of them have an obsession with being on time for things?  How does that obsession impact on others? 

O = Originality.  It is difficult to come up with a truly unique character because, regardless of what genre we write in, we base our characters on (a) ourselves, (b) people we've come across (suitably disguised if we don't fancy a libel action!), (c) other characters that have inspired us and (d) any combination of those things!  So our characters then are rooted in our experiences and, of course, humanity has so many shared experiences.  Even when coming up with monsters never seen on this world, the writer still needs to know why those monsters are the way they are.  Do they kill for food or for sport or for both?  We need to know what drives our characters so we can write for them convincingly.  Where, I think, the originality comes in is how we, as individual writers, pick the traits, the motives, everything that makes up our characters and how we combine those elements, while ensuring there is something in that mix our potential readers can identify with.

P = Parameters.  I know it can sound odd but parameters can help your characters flourish.  You need to know what they would never do (or more likely say they would never do).  Ideally your story will then put them in a (for them) nightmare situation where they do have to face the prospect of having to do what they said they wouldn't (or die!).  They then have to make the choice of what they really would do to survive and in that you can test how well their boundaries hold up (or otherwise).  You will also then know for certain what their boundaries really are.  It would, I think, have to be a life or death situation to make the characters discover what they are really capable of, though of course, it might not necessarily be for themselves.  What would they do to save someone they really cared about, say?  What is so important to them they really wouldn't sacrifice for anything or anyone?

Q = Questioning.  Curiosity killed the cat, according to the proverb, but what would a questioning approach to life do for your characters?  Some careers call for this attitude (journalism I think being the obvious one - there's no such thing as a reporter who isn't questioning things and people whenever they meet them).  Do your characters ever put their nose into things they shouldn't and, if so, what made them do this and what are the consequences?  Does finding out the answers to their questions make things worse or better for them?

L = Learning and Libraries.  Two for the price of one here!  How educated are your characters and, even where education is a possibility, do they take advantage of it?  Are they keen to learn and improve their knowledge or stick firmly to doing things the traditional way? Are libraries a common feature in your world setting? If so, do your characters use them?  Are booklovers respected or mocked at?  Your character's attitude to learning could well reflect on their attitude elsewhere.  If they look on learning with contempt, for example, it's highly unlikely to be the only thing where they have that view!

M = Murder.  The fate of many a poor character!  But if your character is going nowhere and dragging the story down as a result, it is time for them to go and you really can murder your darlings.  If you write crime, or if a murder is a major part of your story, why was the victim selected?  Look closely at your murderer's motives - are they strong enough?

N = News.  How does your character react to breaking news?  Do they take it calmly or does the prospect of change throw them into a panic?  Does your government try to take over any broadcasters?  Does your world have journliasts checking things out?  Locally, who distributes the news?  Are you using the town cryer system?

Lots to be working through there I think!

I = Imagination.  Just how imaginative are your characters?  Can they think on their feet or do they need time to work things out?  Do they like reading works of imagination?  Do they appreciate and/or take part in the creative arts?  Can their imagination lead them into trouble, danger even?  Definitely stories to be written up from answering those questions I think!

J = Justice.  How do your characters feel about justice?  Do they campaign for it or only worry about it when they have been the victim of an injustice? In your world setting, is justice valued?  Is justice usually done or do your people live under a tyranny?  If the latter, what do they do about it?

K = Kudos.  Do your characters have any kudos in their species, their world or amongst the other characters in your story?  The Ugly Duckling clearly had none until nearly the end of the story.  How do  your characters react if they are despised etc?  Do they turn bitter or does it spur them on to achieve greatness?

F = Fiction.  What else?!  But the best fiction has its roots in reality (no matter how fantastical the world the story is set in) and its characters must be believable.  They don't have to be likeable but readers must be able to see where your characters are coming from in terms of motivation and actions.  If not, you lose your readers.  Your characters are the stars of your books and stories so you have to get them right.

G = Genre.  It is my belief most writers have one, maybe if lucky two, genres we're particularly drawn to in reading and writing.  I'm a firm believer in playing to your strengths so would never attempt to write in a genre I don't love deeply.  (I think that lack of love would show through in your writing and you can't fool readers a second time).  Characters in genre fiction can be subverted (Terry Pratchett was brilliant at this) or you can write them "straight" but with added twists of your own, something that makes your dwarves stand out for example.

H = History.  Not only is there the history of your fictional world to consider (how much of it is behind the events you are creating for your story?), but history in reality can be the source of much inspiration for stories and characters.  Obviously there is historical fiction and the what-if novels as I like to think of them.  What if WW2 had not been won by the Allies for instance?  So how can you use history to create your characters? What is their personal history?

Part 2 of character creation then.

D = Destiny.  Do your characters believe in destiny and, if so, how does that belief shape them?  How does it affect their behaviour?  Are they fitting in with the majority on their world or not?  Can destiny be cheated?  (I personally think not but there could be some good stories here of people trying and failing to cheat destiny!). 

E = Effort.  How much effort do your characters put in to achieving their goal?  Do they fight for every victory or are they unable to withstand pressure and crumble when things become "tight"?  Do your characters receive rewards for their efforts and, if so, what form do these take?  Do any of your characters stand out from the rest for special effort?

I thought for this mini-series of blog posts, I'd look at how I've created characters etc, using the alphabet as a convenient peg for topics.

A = Aliases.  I don't use aliases at all for my characters, to avoid potential confusion by readers and myself (!), but I can see the point of them, especially for crime stories where an alias may be crucial.  Golden rule is to establish early on a character is  using an alias and repeat it every so often so it "soaks in".  The reader gets to know Character A is sometimes known as Mr Smith or what have you.  As long as there is clarity here, aliases shouldn't be an issue.  What you don't want is the reader having to thumb back through the book to remind themselves Character A is sometimes called Mr Smith. If readers have to thumb back, you risk losing them.

B = Beauty.  So who are your beautiful characters?  Is this beauty in terms of physical appearance, character or both?  Especially for science fiction and fantasy writers, you will need to establish what your world's standards of beauty are.  This can make for wonderful writing if  your world's criteria are significantly different from ours (and I would hope they would be), as you can look into why your world thinks having three noses is lovely, one is odd etc etc.  Details like this, fed in suitably, will help make your world seem more real.

C = Class.  I refer to class here in terms of social standing and as to how classy your characters are (or otherwise!).  Again you will need to establish what social classes exist and can people move across from one to another?  Do the classes mingle well together or, much more likely, are they poles apart?  What is the history here?  As for classy characters, what does your world recognize as being classy?  Being able to read well and be articulate?  On a more practical based world where engineering, for example, is the prized skill, the ability to handle a blow torch (or equivalent) might be enough for a character to be classy.

One of my long cherished dreams came true today.  I had my first book signing for From Light to Dark and Back Again at my local railway station.  I will be writing more about this for my next Chandler's Ford Today post (Adventures of a Newbie Author Part 1, perhaps!) but the event was huge fun. 

I talked flash fiction, read some of the stories and sold some books too!  There were many laughs and a lot of lovely chat (and tea!).  Now I hope what happened today is the very beginning of a new chapter in my writing life.  I am writing the follow up book (though at the moment finding it hard to balance marketing with writing but I know I'm not alone in finding that balance difficult to get right.  It will come with time I'm sure).  Today is the start of something special then, I hope, with more books and signings to come in due course. 

So when things go right for your characters, when their dreams come true, how do they handle it?  Do they find their own personal fairytale coming true to be all they hoped for or more, or does it become a nightmare and they find they can't handle it at all?  Is there a price to be paid for having the fairytale come true and can your characters pay it?  Bound to be some very interesting stories there, I would have thought.

I remember feeling thoroughly fed up at times when all I seemed to receive were rejections and all the writing advice was to keep going and not give up.  The first thought was always along the lines of "well, that's easy for you to say, you're a published author".  Has any writer NOT felt that way at times?  Anyway, the advice is true!  I've been writing seriously for 20 years (and really aiming for publication for about half that time or thereabouts.  For quite a while I was happy just to write for me - and that's absolutely fine to do but I felt the need to try to move on, to at least give trying to get published a good go.  I wanted to make sure I had no writing regrets.  If it didn't happen, I would know I'd at least given it my best shot.).

Did I get annoyed when people said to me "got anything published yet"?   You bet!

Image Credit:  The first three pictures below were taken by me, Allison Symes, on 8th July 2017.  The last one was taken by my lovely Chandler's Ford Today editor, Janet Williams, also on 8th July 2017.

Never, ever work in marketing if you ever find yourself in a magical world.  Why?

1. Dodgy deals are the norm.  By nobody's standards anywhere could swapping a good cow for a handful of beans ever be considered a good deal.
   
2. As with anywhere, people will tell you tall stories to get the deal.  Magic beans?  Really?  Okay... so they might be but where will that lead?  To adventure and trouble where death by giant is a very real possibility.  Are you sure you need that in your life?  And of course the magic beans story could be just that - a story.  It doesn't matter what world you're in - people will lie if they think they can benefit from it.
   
3. Helping out can lead to trouble.  NOT helping out can lead to trouble.  If you help out an old crone, they are likely to be a powerful witch in disguise.  Yes, they will reward you but you will probably have to go on a quest first.  It is highly unlikely to be a "safe" quest - there really is no such thing.  If you don't help them, no reward or trouble BUT you may be transformed into something unpleasant for being such an unhelpful, selfish being.  Your call..
   

The problem with magic is it can be used to solve all evils in a story, so in a way it could kind of kill itself off.  A wave of the wand and all your problems go away...  No problems = no conflict = no story.  (From the reader's viewpoint, deadly dull and why bother carrying on reading?  They want the drama, the conflicts and so on).

So the way around this problem is to limit the use of magic or only have certain characters being able to perform the really powerful spells.  The latter means you automatically set up conflict as other groups/characters are bound to resent not having the power themselves.  The former can lead to certain characters deciding they are the one to break the rules.  What are the conseqences?

The famous advice, of course, is to "kill your darlings" but to work out if it is worth putting the character you originally had in mind in your story, you could ask your character(s) the following questions.

1. What is the point of you being in this scene and what do you achieve, directly or otherwise?
   
2. Would you be missed in the scene/story if you were written out and, if so, is the impact decisive enough to justify you're going into the story in the first place?
   
3. Do other characters depend on you and, if so, why?
   
4. If you're not the hero or villain, what is your purpose? 
   
5. What are you adding to the story?
   
6. Do you learn from the mistakes you make in the story and therefore contribute to the tale that way?
   
7. Are you the "warning to others" character or the one others inspire to be like?  Equally, are you crucial to the hero's/villain's success (or otherwise!)?
   
8. What are your main virtues and faults?  (No cardboard cut out characters here, thank you!).
   
9. Do you help drive the plot?  (Crucial thing here is not to bring it to a halt!).
   
10. Is the information you have/find out critical to the plot?
    

I think by the time you got even part way through this  list, you'd have worked out whether your character was performing strongly enough.

Sorry for the break in posting - this has been due to family bereavement, a much needed holiday and, finally for writing reasons, I am glad to say I've been setting up my first book signing for From Light to Dark and Back Again.  This will be at Chandler's Ford Railway Station on Saturday 8th July from 9.30 am to 12 noon.  Given you can never know in advance how these events will go I am both looking forward to it and feeling a bit nervous all at the same time!

As for editing...  this topic has come about as a result of a recent interview I carried out with local children's author, Anne Wan.  She loved and loathed editing and I thought I'd look at why I love editing for this post.

1. The story will improve.  You will get rid of wasted words.  My bugbears are "very", "that" and "actually".  What do they add to the tale?  Nothing!  So easy way to cut the word count and tighten up the story.
   
2. On re-reading the story, you will remember why you wanted to write it in the first place.  I think this is quite important.  Especially in a long work (or a long collection, say), you can forget why you ever began it as you get towards the end.  The re-read, after a suitable break away from the work, means you come back to it with fresh eyes.  Yes, you will spot the errors.  Yes, you will spot where you can do better but then that is the whole idea.  You will also realise what you've written has its merits as well as its failings.  It is good to remind yourself of that to drown out that horrid nagging voice telling you all you write is rubbish.  It isn't!  There is very little that can't be improved with a damned good edit or several...!
   
3. You have something to work with.  For one thing you have proved to yourself you can complete a story.  (Not everyone does.  How many would-be writers are out there?!). 
   
4. With the story as good as you can make it, you have something to send out to competitions, anthologies etc.  Very little gets published on first acceptance but if you can send work out to where you can ask for feedback, do so.  Especially if a few people tell you the same thing about your work (good or bad!), this can be invaluable for improving the work still further so you have better chance of publication next time with it.  Equally you can pick up general writing techniques from this kind of feedback which will help you with the next story you write.