Author Heather McCorkle

From the first spark of inspiration to the first words of a novel there is a bit of magic that happens. Whether you're an outliner (writer who works off an outline) or a pantser (writer who flies by the seat of their pants without an outline) there must first be an idea that comes from some type of inspiration. The idea can be based off something that amuses, entertains, frustrates, angers, or inspires you. Regardless of the motivation it must strike a cord within you. Keeping that in mind later as you write the novel will help keep it focused and strong. It will also help you write a one-sentence logline or pitch if that's something you'll need or want. The next part is where the magic comes in, the discovery or creation of the story. I like to think of it as more of a discovery because the way I write is by letting the characters tell me their story. This keeps it organic and natural. If you write this way be careful not to let it distance you though. Telling someone el...

Remaining in the vein of last week's post, we're talking about how to strengthen your character's arc and why it's important. The character arc is the changes your character goes through from the beginning to the end of the novel, how they grow and learn, or change. Take a good look at your manuscript or outline. Is your character arc strong enough to help carry the novel? It should be just as strong as the plot, if not stronger, depending upon your genre. Not every genre will have such a powerful character arc and that's okay, they aren't all supposed to. But if you write character driven fiction like I do, that character better be strong. Think of a novel you read recently that had a really good character arc. How did that character change? What about them did you like in the beginning of the novel and in the end? Readers celebrate with our characters, be it an achievement, revelation, or growth. Without those elements in our characters the reader doesn'...

The key to making your character their own person is getting to know them. You must remove yourself from them. Don't think about what you would do, say, or how you would react. Instead get to know your character enough that they respond to the novel's situation in the way they would, not the way you would. Only then is the story about them, and not just a reflection of yourself. So many people~published authors even~tell me that each of their characters is a part of them. Sorry friends, that's lazy writing. My characters aren't a reflection of me and certainly aren't pieces of me. They are more like people that I've come to know really, really well. It takes a lot of time and hard work to get to know your characters so well. By doing this though you will enrich the novel and make it more than just a reflection, you will make it three dimensional. Only then can it be really spectacular. Everyone sees the world differently. Most people have a dominant sense, b...