Character Thoughts

I attended CONduit this weekend, a small but lively little SF&F convention held annually in Salt Lake city. In addition to seeing many good friends and making some new ones, I had the opportunity to attend some excellent sessions on writing.

One in particular stands out. Tracy Hickman discussed the craft of story, and mentioned again that our stories don't exist until someone reads them. We don't write to be published, but to be read.

I love that advice. It changes the entire landscape of what we are trying to accomplish and how we go about our business. It's not just about the numbers game, but about the craft and about sharing our stories in a meaningful way.

I believe it was also Tracy who talked about the important role of character. As you know from some of my previous posts on character, I've really been placing a lot of my recent writing education on character and why it's to important to story.

Well, Tray mentioned that we may not remember the plot or stories years later that we've read, but a really good character will stay with us.

That has proven entirely true in my case. I can remember characters from stories I read 25 years ago much better than the actual plot. In fact, I recently reread a book and had completely convoluted the plot in my mind, but the character stayed with me and was basically accurate.

Why is that? And why in some stories does the character just disappear?

I think this question involves that characters are put in situations that really cause them to think and challenge themselves. But it's more than that.

It's characters that have been well thought out and described and come to life. But it's more than that.

It's characters that have flaws they have to work through or deal with. But it's more than that, too.

Why do some characters have a greater impact than others? I think it's a combo of all those things: plot, setting, situation, conflict, and resolution that both speak to us and challenge our own way of thinking, and done so in a way that we both want to be like the characters and don't want to be like them.

And that is a quest we all must figure out, each time we write.

Vote for the Title of My Middle Grade Fantasy

Last week I posted about receiving my first ever official fan mail, a letter complete with two drawings of the mythical creatures in my middle grade. Also interesting to note from this 12-year-old young man was that he didn't like using the name of the main character, a girl named Lizzie Peterson, as the name for the book.

I've always liked using her name in the title. It has a nice ring to it, a sort of 'Harry Potter' feel as well, that lends itself easily to series.

On the other hand, two sisters, an 11 year old and a 13 year old, reported back today they both liked the title as it was.

So here's what I'm hoping from you: Vote on the titles. Let me know what you think. Which one would be most successful in marketing the book and the series? Which one would appeal to boys as well as girls? Just boys, or just girls?

I'll post the current teaser copy as well so you have a feel for the content.

Proposed titles:
Lizzie Peterson and the Places of Naming
or
Legends of Kyreo: The Places of Naming

Here's the blurb:

Lizzie Peterson craves adventure. Well, who wouldn’t if your secret pets—a unicorn and a flying horse—helped raise you to believe you might be a child of prophecy in a far off world? Yes, somewhere beyond her Ohio home is the magical world of Kyreo, where eleven-year-old Lizzie dreams of going someday to meet the cunning gnomes, the mystical faeries, and the hungry hippogriffs, and to see the five moons and the lands of crystal and cloud. And, of course, to find out what that prophecy really is all about.

But when the Shadow Wizard attacks Lizzie’s family, she and her brother Jack must flee to Kyreo just to stay alive. The world they find is not nearly so fanciful and fun as Lizzie had hoped, for the Shadow Wizard has conquered the heroes and champions and enslaved most everyone else.

Dark forces begin to hunt them almost immediately as Lizzie, Jack, and their magical horses set out to find new heroes to defend Kyreo. If they fail, their lives, the world of Kyreo, and even Earth itself may hang in the balance.

Lizzie Peterson (or) Legends of Kyreo is a middle grade fantasy and is complete at 65,000 words. This stand-alone story has series potential and will appeal to readers who enjoy the Fablehaven and Percy Jackson stories.

So, what do you think? Which series title? Lizzie Peterson, or Legends of Kyreo? And don't forget to tell me why!

Next post: the results, and a discussion about Character.

Interesting Read on E-Books

Some friends sent me this link from portfolio.com with an article talking about shifts in e-publishing and what that means for authors. Thought you might find it interesting, folks.

I think more and more each day that e-publishing is a viable route for new writers.

Interview with Deirdra Eden Coppel

I was interviewed by Deirdra Eden Coppel, another talented writer! Very cool. If you're interested, you can check out the interview entitled "Interview with Author and Senior Editor, Joshua J. Perkey."

Let me know what you think.

I'll have a follow up interview featuring Deirdra sometime soon. If you are interested in an author interview on my blog, let me know and we can chat!