My CFT post is Put Three Words Together And...  I look at negative and positive impacts of three words when they're used together (and how those impacts can vary widely from the individual meanings of the words concerned).

As for fiction writing, well we need more than three words for that but you could look at three word catchphrases for your characters. Catchphrases have to be memorable to work, also you need not to get tired of them (and that's even more true for your reader!), and so are best kept short to help achieve those points.

If your characters were limited to three words as their pet phrase, what would they be and why? (I suspect the most famous one here would be I'll Be Back from The Terminator). But what would you choose for your creations?

Would your pet phrase match your character? That is, if they're a feisty character, would their phrase reflect that? Or would they downplay that side of things a bit (especially if they wanted to put off an enemy)? Would they be sarcastic or would their phrase be a cover for what they are really like?

Food for thought, I hope. The important point is to know who your characters are, how they would speak and sound (to a reader) and, if a catchphrase would be appropriate for your characters, to choose one that fits them well.

Image Credit:  As ever, Pixabay.

Character motivations can cover a wide spectrum. There are the "obvious" ones of love, revenge, seeking justice etc but motivations can be more subtle than that - for example the wish to prove someone wrong.

What matters is whatever the motivation is, it is the be all and end all to your character, even if it seems to everyone else they're making a fuss about very little.

A motivated character will do whatever it takes to get what they want and the important thing is to ensure your people are driven enough.

It's not enough for a character to just want to stay out of trouble. But if your character goes to extraordinary lengths to stay out of trouble then  a great deal of humour or tragedy can result from that.

What could be behind that? Maybe they've got a bet on with a friend to stay out of trouble for six days, say, and the friend has always been right in the past but this time our hero wants to prove them wrong and is determined to do so. They're fed up with their friend being right all the time and finally want something to go their way.

There, the motivation is powerful enough and understandable. Your readers have to get behind your character to carry on reading their adventures after all. Naturally your character's friend will know or be able to guess at their friend's motivation here and will do all they can to scupper any chances of success. Voila! Instant clashes and tension as you work out how your hero does or does not prove the friend wrong.

Image Credit:  Pixabay.

I discuss Rules That Need to Exist in my Chandler's Ford Today post this week, but how can we apply this specifically to our fiction writing?

Rules for Writing
When it comes to writing rules, there are specific ones I always follow. These are:-

1. Keep my prose, punctuation, grammar etc simple. It helps clarity and pacing.
2. Always edit on paper, not on screen.
3. Read work out loud.
4. Accept the first draft is only that. Of course it won't be perfect and that's fine. That is what editing and polishing are for.
5. Be entertaining whether I'm writing blog posts, flash fiction, or short stories. I want my readers to engage with what I'm writing and a simplistic, entertaining style is a good way to do that.

Rules for Characters

1.  The character must be someone I can identify with, even if I loathe them and their attitudes. There has to be some spark of understanding why someone has turned out the way they have.

2.  The character must be memorable (whether it is for good reasons and they're the hero, or for bad ones where they're the villain). What they must never be is forgettable, else why have them in the story at all? If you've got a character you think you can cut out of your story, you almost certainly can because they're not contributing anything and your tale will tighten up in terms of word count and pacing if there is no unnecessary baggage.

3.  The character must have at least one distinctive thing about them that can't apply to anyone else or handle situations in ways that are unique to them.

What rules for writing or for characters do you use and why?

Image Credit:  Pixabay. Captions over on CFT.

My favourite types of character are those with bite (and I'm not a vampire fan either!). So what does with bite mean here? I adore characters who:-

1.  Say what they mean and follow up on what they say they will do (equally applies to villains!).

2.  Are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in (and can apply to villains too!).

3.  Have good, understandable reasons for their actions, even if you don't agree with them.

4.  Are memorable. Some will have distinctive phrases but for me the most memorable ones are the ones with attitudes I remember and agree with or loathe. Whatever way it is, they stick in the mind, which is precisely what you want your characters to achieve.

5.  I love characters with a sense of humour (and even more so if they can laugh at themselves).

6.  I adore characters with courage. (Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee and a host of others).

7.  I love characters who fight for their own happy ever after, even if they fail. I loathe wishy-washy characters. I've got to feel the character has done something and that the story would be incomplete without them. If I feel why is this character in here then there's something amiss.

What would you list as the attributes your characters must have?

Image Credit:  Pixabay, as ever.