tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post2649960117583456446..comments2023-10-24T05:53:13.006-05:00Comments on Something She Wrote: Gut ReactionJanna Leadbetterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-85843149915417692112009-04-21T16:31:00.000-05:002009-04-21T16:31:00.000-05:00Kat - It's been fun learning that these last few d...Kat - It's been fun learning that these last few days! It's opening up so much direction for my characters.<br /><br />Lynnette - Thanks for the award!<br /><br />Jody - And that's exactly what we want to give them: a page turner! :)Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-61574396891668444672009-04-21T13:38:00.000-05:002009-04-21T13:38:00.000-05:00Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leav...Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment! <br /><br />I agree. It's hard not to step in when our kids are fighting and try to fix it for them! Same with our characters! Especially with our characters. . .they need to fight to the "kill." It's what keeps the reader turning the pages!Jody Hedlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-58403703376163040662009-04-21T12:56:00.000-05:002009-04-21T12:56:00.000-05:00I like to make my characters suffer. hehehe
I no...I like to make my characters suffer. hehehe<br /><br />I nominated you for an award. Check it out on my blog.<br /><br />Lynnette Labelle<br />http://lynnettelabelle.blogspotcomLynnette Labellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-1132000992488352932009-04-21T12:24:00.000-05:002009-04-21T12:24:00.000-05:00Letting our characters fail sometimes or be vulner...Letting our characters fail sometimes or be vulnerable is important, yes -- if we step aside, they'll muck along just as we do in real life ! :) good post!Kathryn Magendiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12863595228298349863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-82069099317034408312009-04-21T09:21:00.000-05:002009-04-21T09:21:00.000-05:00scarlethue - That's true of me, too, of fearing ch...scarlethue - That's true of me, too, of fearing change. I like comfort. Good old-fashioned comfort.<br /><br />Colleen - That's a great idea! And welcome. :)<br /><br />Angie - Indeed, lady. <br /><br />Jenni - It's a huge lesson, ain't?Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-82264925538767184152009-04-21T06:09:00.000-05:002009-04-21T06:09:00.000-05:00I love this post! And you're so right! I was total...I love this post! And you're so right! I was totally babying my characters until I came across a blog that talked about writing an awesome book. the author said if you want to get the most out of your book you HAVE to put your characters in horrible situations. they said to just do it. Don't think about it, you have to be mean to help them grow and develop. After that, I stopped cringing whenJenni Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14340454147439103595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-66863770543458278852009-04-21T00:11:00.000-05:002009-04-21T00:11:00.000-05:00Isn't the Maass book fabu??!Isn't the Maass book fabu??!Angie Ledbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16407006980893727627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-27690741284623438202009-04-20T23:04:00.000-05:002009-04-20T23:04:00.000-05:00When I'm lonely for poetry and haven't written any...When I'm lonely for poetry and haven't written any in awhile I personify it and write to it as if it is a character.colleenhttp://looseleafnotes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-42366221539391253492009-04-20T22:34:00.000-05:002009-04-20T22:34:00.000-05:00I avoid drama and conflict at all points in my lif...I avoid drama and conflict at all points in my life. Sometimes that's meant avoiding change too, even when it probably would have been good for me and usually happens anyway. It's true that some conflict is good for us.scarlethuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04261263598183741538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-38680386423620185322009-04-20T20:01:00.000-05:002009-04-20T20:01:00.000-05:00Woman - I get stuck in that, too; just moving the ...Woman - I get stuck in that, too; just moving the MC from one scene to the next. I have to remind myself there needs to be more depth and more introspection, etc. All that interesting stuff.Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-22646017088218714602009-04-20T17:19:00.000-05:002009-04-20T17:19:00.000-05:00This is really interesting to me. Yes, a novel on...This is really interesting to me. Yes, a novel on the go (I use the word go with a great guffaw, 'cause it's not going anywhere right now) and all I seem to want to do is one day after the other. I know what will happen. I know the trama and all that. But it is difficult to put our loved ones in that kinda difficult situation, to see them hurt. Huh. Glad I'm not alone.<br /><br />Now, bringWoman in a Windowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14747858840088922077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-18969152291421791452009-04-20T15:40:00.000-05:002009-04-20T15:40:00.000-05:00Turk - Good luck with your new beginning!
Lori - ...Turk - Good luck with your new beginning!<br /><br />Lori - Any parallels for you?<br /><br />And Janet, we absolutely need more merciless mothers! We'd be a better place if that were the case.<br /><br />T. Anne - Ooh! I didn't realize he had a new one coming out. I'll have to check into it.<br /><br />Wendy - Teach me your ways!<br /><br />Melanie - I'm certainly intrigued!<br /><br />Sharla - Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-2944507881011198972009-04-20T13:58:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:58:00.000-05:00TOTALLY the same way! I have to fix everything fo...TOTALLY the same way! I have to fix everything for my daughter, and it drives her up a tree. And I never realized until reading your post that that's what I do in my writing too. Bells!!! Wow! I have so much trouble putting conflict in, I want to make their lives easier. I never put the two together. <br /><br />Now, I had to laugh looking at the posts...Janna, look at how you have to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-21938419214091438822009-04-20T13:04:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:04:00.000-05:00I adore that book and that is such good advice. Ma...I adore that book and that is such good advice. Maybe I'll flip through it again this week.<br /><br />I'm glad you've realized what you need to do for your characters. I've changed one big thing in my first chapter that makes everything more difficult for my MC, and I'm about to do something else to him in Chapter 2. Both are new since you read it. :)<br /><br />The things we do for an Melanie Hooyengahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08781235493983907234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-23499276206585621802009-04-20T12:04:00.000-05:002009-04-20T12:04:00.000-05:00I'm so mean to my characters! Let's see, what woul...I'm so mean to my characters! Let's see, what would really be horrible for her? I'll write that!<br /><br />I'm not that way with my kids, I promise!WendyCinNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15548500219172368038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-38501215783660850522009-04-20T11:40:00.000-05:002009-04-20T11:40:00.000-05:00I am too always on the look out to create the perf...I am too always on the look out to create the perfect tension. Much easier stated by Mass than done, right? I'll be purchasing his new book as well, hopefully that will offer more clues. LOLTanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10518718614911804428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-90157854142576897322009-04-20T10:25:00.000-05:002009-04-20T10:25:00.000-05:00LOL. Yup, relieving discomfort as soon as it appea...LOL. Yup, relieving discomfort as soon as it appears makes for comfortable living and boring reading. At one point my protagonist and his wife were making plans. Good plans. It was going to keep them safe and solve a lot of problems. And even I was getting bored. So I asked myself, what could go wrong here and really mess things up? And then I did that to them. It made for a much better Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-74673634973226296622009-04-20T09:54:00.000-05:002009-04-20T09:54:00.000-05:00That's a really interesting perspective. I never t...That's a really interesting perspective. I never thought of it. But in real life I do tend to let the kids learn to solve their problems by themselves (whenever possible). Now, my characters... I have to ponder over that.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17708851895104018255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-64748462193337382192009-04-20T09:52:00.000-05:002009-04-20T09:52:00.000-05:00I was just thinking about this very thing with my ...I was just thinking about this very thing with my WIP#2. I stopped half way through writing it because I was BORED. This morning I conjured up a whole new beginning. (Something more compelling.)JLChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05405559509794744714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-76434313640198420972009-04-20T09:31:00.000-05:002009-04-20T09:31:00.000-05:00Jessica, you big meanie. ;)
Cindy - Yes! My MC ha...Jessica, you big meanie. ;)<br /><br />Cindy - Yes! My MC has been so passive and forgiving, in a sense, that she just lets stuff roll right off her back. I'm trying to make her more realistic - because none of us is that "perfect" all the time - and give her some dimension. Every circumstance shouldn't float by with no waves.Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-52159733955274953642009-04-20T09:24:00.000-05:002009-04-20T09:24:00.000-05:00What an interesting post! I didn't realize but I t...What an interesting post! I didn't realize but I tend to do that with my characters too, sometimes. Or if they do something wrong, the character they wronged tends to forgive them so quickly and easily. Sure that happens sometimes, but it's not always that simple in real life. And even so, it helps to create tension in our novels and then show a great development in our character when they have Cindy R. Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13488732331021750408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-21511208101033829172009-04-20T08:56:00.000-05:002009-04-20T08:56:00.000-05:00LOL Janna. Great tie-in. I love making things diff...LOL Janna. Great tie-in. I love making things difficult for my characters and sometimes I let my kids fight. LOL I'm meaner than you. :-) YOu're so right though about our kids learning how to problem-solve, compromise, etc.Jessica Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365768876905444157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-12827956935041585242009-04-20T08:53:00.000-05:002009-04-20T08:53:00.000-05:00Jewel - I guess you're off the hook since it IS fi...Jewel - I guess you're off the hook since it IS fiction. ;)<br /><br />Joanne - I've definitely experienced that before, when characters surprise me with something. I just want them to stop being so sissy! ;)<br /><br />Kelly - Oh my, there's quite a bit of horror in those things you mentioned! :) It's all a matter of putting yourself in the situation, in thought, and working your way out as you Janna Leadbetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339705935553160673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-5469822848310797582009-04-20T08:39:00.000-05:002009-04-20T08:39:00.000-05:00Absolutely. I was just thinking about this during ...Absolutely. I was just thinking about this during the morning commute, how I sometimes overly-comfort my daughter when she needs to learn those conflict-resolving skills. It's easy to do when they're young, too.Melissa Amateishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16086267508858187716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178848256551614320.post-79459694729421867542009-04-20T08:30:00.000-05:002009-04-20T08:30:00.000-05:00This is so true! Another blog I read is all about...This is so true! Another blog I read is all about murder/suspense/kidnapping/etc. Don't know if I could write about those kinds of things-- but I'm sure there are some minor catastrophies I could handle. Let's see... fender bender, no 2% milk at the grocery store, diet w/ no brownies. Yep. I've got this covered.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03488085866386084469noreply@blogger.com