They're more than just stereotypes

We see them everywhere. On the television, on movies and they're always the same. Every movie that features teenagers and high schools have some kind of representation of them. There's always the jock, who is more often than not, dating the popular cheerleader (most probably the captain). Then, you've got the bad boy, the goth/freak who's a total loner. There's daddy's princess and the quiet nerd who just wants to fit in with the popular crowd.

No matter what movie/show you're watching, aren't they all the same? Okay, change the name and story they're involved in, but other than that they are all the same. Now, is this because this is the way teens act? Are they actually that easy to classify them? Or, is it easier to just place stereotypical characters into the story, even if they're just in the background?

I have no idea what it's like at a majority of other schools and my high school could have been the exception to the normal 'clique' rule, but the brainy top of the school was among the most popular (she could have been captain if she liked being the centre of attention). Half of the music and drama students were also heavily into sports (me included).

From observing teens in the playground I've noticed that they do tend to group, but mainly the ones that can't stay seated, to the loud and rambunctious and then the quiet and self-contained. I've just never seen a school here in Australia that is as highly classified as the ones portrayed in American high schools in movies.

Just like how everyone in real life is unique and doesn't really fit into any instant mould, so should the characters that fill the fictional world be. Even if they're minor characters that plays a very, very small part, they still need to look and act more than a cardboard cut out would. Giving some of the characters a little bit of role reversal like making one jock also one of the brightest kids in the class (hey, I actually knew a state rep for hockey who was in the top class for every subject), or a computer geek who is failing every other subject (hey what would you know, he was one of my good friends from high school, and thanks to him I topped the school in advanced computers in year 12... mainly because he failed everything else and had to repeat).

Giving characters unique personalities makes them spring to life and creates a new dimension to the world that is slowly forming throughout the story. Anything goes, as long as it still is realistic and believable.

As a lasting question why do stereotypes exist? Are they there because most of the personality traits are common among the majority of the same type of people? Or, did one person create a character a long, long, long.... long time ago and people are just trying to mimic it with no success?

Wind-down Wednesday

Well, another Wednesday has come, and this time I definitely need the wind down. Within a week I've entered final weeks of uni, so I've already sat a test (that I hope I've picked the answers according to the one who's marking the paper because it seems that out of the two tutors there could be two very different answers), frantically trying to find time to finish my assignments, started teaching (well, trying to) a couple of English classes, all the time while I'm still trying to work... so, this is a perfect time for some necessary R&R... since I don't have much time, I've given myself the night off to watch Masterchef while curled up in bed.

So, around on the blogosphere there are always plenty of contests to sink ones teeth into, here's just a small selection of those:

• The Book Pixie has prize pack of books to give away. The contest will finish 16th May. All you need to do is fill out the form, and also be a follower of the blog. There's just a slight catch, you need to have a US mailing address to win.
• Steph Bowe is giving away a $20 gift card to an online boutique in America called Mode 5. All that's required is to fill in a little form. Contest ends 26th May.
• Miss Snark has also announced May's Secret Agent Contest. For all those that don't know, you submit the first 250 words of a "Complete" Manuscript and it is judged by an agent that isn't announced until after the contest. This contest is open to YA, middle grade and chapter books. The contest opens 17th May and opens at 12 noon and closes at 2pm or when they fill the 25 slots (which usually happens within 10 minutes of opening so be quick).

 Also, there's a lot of blogfests happening all over the place. There's one happening next Tuesday, the "Let's talk" blogfest in which you select the best piece of dialogue from your manuscript. To sign up simply go to Fiction Groupie and you'll find the links.

And, now something to leave you on. I thought this video was great, and something that we all wished were that easy. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.

What is it about them that you like?

I remember when I was a kid, I used to fall in love with a book by falling in love with the character first. If I didn't like the character, then the chances of me liking the story was practically nothing. So, what is it about these characters that the reader likes?

Here are some characters that I absolutely adore (and not just from novels) and why I think they make good characters.

The Bad Boy
Okay, this was a toss up between two. As you can see, I'm a sucker for dark, brooding boys that have a bit of bite.

Damon Salvatore
Okay, I admit it, I haven't read the L J Smith Vampire Diaries (yet). But, I've seen every episode and I absolutely adore the character of Damon, and the actor who plays him.

From the get go, Damon was clearly the evil brother. But he kept hanging around, always looking out for his younger brother, Stephan (even if he didn't want anyone to see that). A character with his own motives, the main reason why I totally love him, apart from his killer looks, is that he doesn't play around... he always says what he's thinking, and he has a tragic story which allows the reader/viewer to sympathise with him.

Spike
 Who can't say they didn't love Buffy's bad boy. For a character that was supposed to be killed off after three episodes, he ended up lasting till the end of Buffy and then coming back to do a couple of seasons on Angel.

A character that spends most of his time trying to kill the slayer, but ends up in a twisted relationship with her.



The Character You Love to Hate

Severus Snap
What is it about Snape that Readers just love? He was the one character throughout the Harry Potter Series that had readers guessing about what he was going to do. One thing the readers were always certain with was that Snape was always going to be around to make life a living hell for the hero.

Readers love characters like Snape because they create a bit of conflict for the main character and they are characters that would be sorely missed if they were no longer a part of the story. Lets face it, what where would Harry be if there wasn't a teacher who always seemed out to get him?

Simon Cowell Well, technically not a character, but he's one of the only reasons I keep tuning in to American Idol (hey, I'm not even American and I couldn't even stand Australian Idol). His blunt and honest (even sometimes hilarious) comments may appear harsh and get a lot of boos from the crowd... a lot, but this Idol judge is one of the reasons why people keep tuning in each week.



The Underdog

Harry Potter
Who can forget about the little orphan, raised by evil relatives who made him sleep under the stairs, who was destined to save the wizarding world from the greatest, evil wizard ever to exist? Harry Potter was definitely an underdog. He started with nothing, and it was only with the help of his friends and a bit of courage that helped him overcome the obstacles he met along the series.

Readers absolutely loved Harry because he was just a regular kid who became an exceptional wizard. It is easy to relate to Harry, and even when he learns that he's a wizard and is learning neat tricks that come in handy when battling evil wizards he's still going through things that everyone can identify with (school, relationships, self-discovery).


Comic Relief Sidekick

Donkey
I just absolutely love the adorable sidekick of the angry green ogre. Besides the fact that he's voiced by funny-man Eddie Murphy, Donkey is honest and caring, and most of the times he doesn't really think about what he's saying.

I don't know about others, but I adore characters that sets up some of the humour and also plays a role in breaking some of the tension in the story. A story that's been building up... up... up... until the reader is sitting on the edge of the seats is all well and good, but if it's tense all the way through then the reader will feel exhausted by the end. That's when the loveable sidekick comes in... the only downside with such characters is that if someone is needed to get hurt or kidnapped, then they're usually the first ones in line. But, I'm sure the hero will save them in the end.

These are only a few of the memorable characters that are out there. So, what sorts of characters do you love to read about? As writers, do you find yourself making subliminal notes as to what works and what doesn't in characters (or is that one just me)?

Can you see what I see?

I'm sure we've all felt this way every now and again (well, I hope so or I'm just feeling like an idiot). We write a story, one which we can see perfectly and it sounds like it flows well and is full of action... and is definitely a step up from the gibberish that was the previous draft. Then, when someone takes a little squiz at it you hear "I don't get it".

I've been feeling like this a lot lately. I've been hard at work reading through Haven and as I read closer to the end I keep wondering to myself will anyone be able to understand this besides me?

Since we are the ones writing this story we know exactly what's happening whether that is exactly displayed in the pages is another matter entirely. I've received a couple of critiques of my opening few paragraphs and they totally misconstrued what it was about. One even made the comment that I've got too much back story in the opening. The one problem is, I've got absolutely no back story in the first chapter... I actually haven't put a lot of back story there whatsoever.

This got me thinking. Is what I think I'm writing actually what is getting read by the readers? How can you make certain the true meaning of the story is being heard and the reader can actually follow along? This is where establishing a good critique group or employing beta readers to read for comprehension is the best way to go.

No matter how objective you think you are over that precious manuscript that you've spent months/years perfecting, your still too close to the story and know all the little twists and turns so of course it makes sense to you.

One thing I've also learnt is that not everyone will like that wonderful, perfect story (or be able to fully understand it), so if you only get a couple of negative comments about a way that a scene is set up, then the best thing to do would be to use your gut instincts as to whether you need to make a change, but if everyone suggests that something doesn't feel right then that should mean drop everything to fix that glaring plot hole before anyone else catches it.

So, does anyone else feel this way? And how do you make sure your story makes sense to more people than just you?

Wind-down Wednesday

To start off another wonderful Wednesday I would love to thank the wonderful Creepy Query Girl for giving me the Beautiful Blogger Award.

The fantastic bloggers I'm going to be passing it on to are:

• Shannon O'donnell
• Lydia Kang
• Justine Dell
• Stina Lindenblatt
• Elana Johnson

And, now for the fun. There are a lot of contests happening out there at the moment:

• Lisa and Laura is holding a contest for a book giveaway of Picture the Dead.
• Shooting Stars is holding another book giveaway.
• Casey McCormick is giving away a copy of Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls
• Jessica Brody is holding a contest to giveaway a Flip Video Camera to celebrate the release of her YA book, Karma Code. The only catch is you need a US or Canadian postal address.

I would also like to congratulate Cole Gibson. She has received an announcement in Publisher's Weekly that her novel, Katana will be published. That's great news, and I can't wait to read it.

And, to leave everyone on this bright day, here's the trailer for Jessica Brody's Karma Club. I can't wait to read it because it sounds like a great book.

Technical Difficulties

Don't you just hate these sort of problems? Everything's going fine when all of a sudden the computer... crashes... freezes... explodes, sending shards all over your room. Take a pick of word.

My computer is acting like a toddler at the moment and continually chucks temper tantrums. Ever since I removed the Blue Screen of Death from the computer, it has now decided that it LOVES shutting down at irregular intervals, especially when I'm working hard on something. I'm pretty sure it also turns on whenever it wants because I come down in the morning and it's on... go figure.

With this "problem" it is reminding me of how valuable backing up work regularly... I'm so glad Blogger saves draft posts or it would take me forever to get one post done.

So, what are some ways to back up files your working on?

The computer:

This may be the easies way to save, but it also puts your files at risk if it's the only place you save it to. If the computer crashes and you can't access the files, then how are you going to retrieve all your hard work. So, the secret here is to save to the computer, but also have a second, third or forth place which have duplicates just in case this way fails.


USB Thumb drives/external hard drives:

Another quick way is to carry a USB drive around (you can get pretty big sizes now) and the thumb drives are portable enough to carry in your pocket or wallet so you have it wherever you go. Just plug it into the computer and transfer the files with a simple click, drag and drop... that simple.

The external hard drive is a good alternative if you have large files or videos that you need to back up.


CD ROM:

Just like The USB, it's another good source to have a backup. It's not as simple as the USB and requires burning software to copy the files, but most computers come with some form of burning software as long as you have a CD burner on the computer.

E-mail:

I use this a lot, especially when I'm not working on my files on my computer or am too lazy to track down one of my USB sticks that I know are floating around the house somewhere (yeah, I'm very organised). The trick is to regularly e-mail yourself the versions of your work and save them in a particular folder that's easily accessible, that way if you ever lose the original file, you'll always have the back up in the email program, you'll just have to track down the e-mail you want when you need it.

Online Backup (Drop boxes):

Just like a USB or hard drive, but instead of saving it to a physical means, you're actually saving it on the internet so that it's easy to access from any computer with internet connection. One example is http://www.dropbox.com/.

Online Communities:

These are just like the online drop boxes, but they also bring together a community of people from across the globe with a common hobby/aim. These places are not just good for uploading your work, but you can also choose to allow other people to see it and accept reviews. These communities are also a great way to find beta readers/critique groups or practice your craft because a lot of people host contests or lessons to help other members.

One community I have been an active member of is Writing.com. This website is committed to helping other writers improve. There are a range of activities that one can join that ranges from contests to classes to review/critique groups. I have met so many good writers there through the YA critique group I am a member of.

So, here is a list of possible options available to protect a piece of work that you spend hours/days/months/even years in some cases perfecting. The secret with backing up a file is to make sure it's saved to two or more places (just think, the more places it's saved, the least likely it is going to be lost if technology is out to get you one day... and it does happen).

How do you back up your files? Do you constantly save, or am one (like me) who constantly forgets to save their work until the worst-case scenario hits?

Don't call me your Mary Sue

The definition of a Mary Sue, as written in Wikipedia (since Wikipedia is never wrong) is:

A fictional female character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader.

Let's face it, nobody is perfect. Yes, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but everyone has flaws (even if that flaw is believing you're perfect) and humanistic behaviour. And when trying to create a character the writer must think of such flaws to help create a realistic and believable character.

So, how do humans behave?

• Humans are curious:
  Last night at work out the front looked like a crime scene (seriously with police tape that blocked half of our outside seating, about a dozen cops, security and ambulance, even forensic guys wearing masks and taking pictures), and we still had to continue working... surprisingly we were really busy during this time, mainly from people ordering one drink and having their eyes fixed on the action unfolding behind us. Everytime I walked past someone they grabbed my arm, litterally, whether I was carrying a heavy stack of plates or not, they asked what had happened. When I couldn't answer them they said they would ask the cops (you know, the ones doing their job).
  
  Humans just have a "need to know" attitude, the can't help themselves. And, don't worry, no one died... it turned out to be a fight.
  
  
• Humans are liars:
  I hear you say, I don't lie. Well then, answer me this, is someone says "does my bum look big in this?" or "how does my new hideous hair cut look?" or even "how are you?", you can't tell me that you don't tell exactly what they want to hear. That, in my dictionary, is still called lying even if it is for a good cause.
  
  
• Humans need a feeling of self-importance:
  Everyone needs a purpose, they need to feel like what they're doing is important. Count how many times you use the word "I" in your day. Every time we think, it's mainly about ourselves, even if it's helping others "I'm going to help with...", "Do you want me to..."  This is all in effort of making ourselves feel more important. And, that ego inflates as soon as someone acknowledges it.
  
  
• Humans laugh at pain:
  Ever heard of the Gladiators who were in fierce battles while people looked on and cheered, especially if they were being slaughtered, that hasn't changed (well, except for the slaughtered part). Football games, car races, etc, people go to cheer on their teams don't they? But, you can't tell me that people would rather a clean game where they just played with little contact, or one where there were fierce tackles, big crashes in car races and a lot of blood.
  
  Sometimes they even laugh at their own pain... well, I do. The other day I slipped on the stairs and slid (more like crashed) to the bottom. I got up, looks of horror from my brother and mother who were looking on, and my first reaction was geez, that hurt. Then, after about five seconds I burst out laughing (don't ask me why... seeing as I was in pain). I have seen people get back up and laugh at themselves after a fall. I still don't have a rational excuse as to why they do, I guess it's just another mystery in human behaviour.
  
  
• Humans don't like to lose:
  Nobody does. If you lose, there's mixed emotions of hurt, anger and rejection. But, do you give up? If an obstacle appears, most people will find a way to knock it down and triumph over adversity, even if that means being constantly hit in the face until that one solemn chance comes along to win.

 So, why do writers write characters that appear perfect? Is it a secret desire of being that character? But, it's not that simple. How can any reader really relate to that character when there's no identifiable trait? I love characters who are underdogs or the ones whose flaws are really getting in the way of accomplishing their task. I love writing those sort of characters as well. Where's the fun of writing a character who is always winning or can defeat any challenge and is picture perfect?

How do you handle your characters flaws? And, do you like reading Mary Sue stories?