There’s Only One God, Ma’am…

…and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like “Shakespeare in the Park”. Doest Mother know you weareth her drapes?

Excuse my inaccurate quotations.

Guess what we’re talking about today.

Clothing!

Yeah, characters do wear clothes, you know. Lots of clothes, usually. Sometimes, not so many. After all, some characters just can’t wear sleeves, because they have to show off their ham sized arms!

I love Avengers, by the way. LOVE. Especially Hawkeye, because he’s a guy with a bow and arrows. If he was a girl, I’d be like “modern Katniss get out of my sight!” Unless she-Hawkeye had curly red hair, in which case I’d say, “Prithee, Merida of the here and now! Shoot thy cupid’s bow into the mercury-stream of yonder robotic alien who seems set on destroying this thy earthly abode!”

Enough digressing, as much as I enjoy it.

While names are chosen for a character by others and are subtler hints (if you like to be a writer who puts extra meaning into everything,) clothes are chosen by the character. They are a direct reflection of who the character is…or who the character wants to be seen to be.

Let us take, for example, the notorious Discworld business rivals Reacher Gilt and Moist von Lipwig. They both know the importance of outward appearances.

Reacher Gilt. Look at him, with his long, dark, curly hair and beard, his eyepatch, his parrot, his flamboyant clothing…there is a business man! Well actually, he looks very like a pirate, and pirates are murdering thieves. But he couldn’t possibly be that, because he looks it! Here is the genius of Reacher Gilt, according to Moist. He tells the world what he is (through his appearance) and they keep giving him their precious pence and clacks messages. A villain who looks a villain and is a villain is too villainy to be true.

Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__7s9GUTM-oY/TAh5dIVjPqI/AAAAAAAAREs/BPnnJAG6GHI/s1600/Going-Postal-19.jpg&imgrefurl=http://enchantedserenityperiodfilms.blogspot.com/2010/06/going-postal-loved-it.html&h=364&w=570&sz=32&tbnid=VrP8oVr8_EkNpM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=141&zoom=1&usg=__yRqS6gNHvw4O_yMfOKzEJ757xik=&docid=UxPdOHbwuupDMM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ufAiUOvRN-q5iwKqqIDoCg&ved=0CGoQ9QEwBA&dur=3173

I love Discworld.

Oh, wait! Here comes the Postmaster, Moist von Lipwig! Appointed by Lord Vetinari himself! He’d be completely unmemorable if it weren’t for the blinding gold suit, winged hat, and captivating smile. He looks to be an avatar. He acts like a conman. He is a conman, and he works for the tyrant of the city. That is the genius of Moist.

Picture (minus winged hat):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Making_Money_Lipwig.JPG

And the genius of Terry Pratchett. He has created two business rivals who are both the same sort of person, and through their accoutrements alone you can tell who they are, both as villains and as characters.

How do you dress your characters? Is it in line with their personality, or the one they are trying to portray? Do they change the way they dress as their personality changes? Like Violet, in The Incredibles….

I digress. Again.

There are other things to consider, of course, like culture, money, time period…but I don’t want to digress on those right now.

Cheers!

What’s In A Name?

Character names are considered very important. There are whole books about finding the right name for your character. Whole websites. Tons of forums. Are names everything? Or are they nothing?

“A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” So a name is just a name, right?

But names have associations. Names have meanings. So do names make or break you story?

It depends on how you feel about meaning and branding. What I mean by branding is the characteristics and stereotypes associated with a name. For example, what is the brand you think of when you hear or see the name Scarlett? Or Edmund? Matthias? Johanna? Ariel? Prince Charming?

Snicker. I know, eyes rolling. Moving on.

Let’s take Edmund as an example. When I think of the name Edmund, I immediately think of Edmund Pevensie, the just king of Narnia. I think dark, with beautiful eyes (thanks to Skandar Keynes). I associate it with betrayal, and redemption. Edmund is a beautiful and heroic name to me.

Let’s add another layer. Did you know Edmund means Wealthy Protector? We’ll take the protector part first. Think of Edmund’s act of sacrifice in the great battle against the White Witch. When he slices through her wand with his sword and subjects himself to fatal injury at her hand, he is not just trying to prove himself. He is protecting his people. Think of when Shasta meets Edmund and Susan in Tashbaan. What was Edmund doing there? He was there to protect his sister, and that is precisely what he did.

Next, let’s look at the wealthy part. In what ways is Edmund wealthy? Besides being one of the kings of Narnia during the Golden Age, of course. Obviously he had lots of jewels and gold and fancy swords. How was he wealthy in Aslan? Or by his siblings? Was he wealthy in the love and respect of others? Did his wealth come from his jewels, or from the wisdom and care he received from those he gave himself so selflessly for?

So, names are definitely important. On the other hand, I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect name for a character. Names add depth and layers to a character, but there are alternatives in every case. For example, a tough, life-loving survivor (female) could be named Zoe, Eve, Ayisha, Aoife, Keisha, Liv, Nona…Katniss…Tris…June…yeah, yeah, whatever. The point is, names don’t make or break a character. They do define character and have important implications that must be considered.

Which is a good thing. Because my name (my secret, real life name) means Black One, or Dark. If you knew me for real (and some of you do) than you know black one/dark does not describe me. At all. Period. I should have been named Angelica, or Blythe, or Felicia, or Hana, or Joy, or Lacey, or…well, you get the picture. Something light and fluffy. Oh! Is there a name that means fluffy?

Apparently not, unless your name actually IS Fluffy. 😦 Sad.

 

What do you think about names? Can you give any examples of names whose meaning or brand stick out to you?

 

Cheers!

Belle’s Genre Definition List

Note: this is not ment to be a comprehensive list. XD

Contemporary–normal stuff in dramatic mode

Dystopian–future twisted societies with control issues

Fantasy–magic stuff

Historical–stuff that happened way back when…really

Mystery–smart (or dumb) people puzzling over theft, kidnapping, murder, et cetera

Romance–lots of angst and kissing

Science Fiction–techie stuff, not necessarily limited to starships and intergalactic wars

Supernatural Thriller–Angels and Demons in various forms

Young Adult–starring teen(s) with identity issues or love triangles

 

Cheers!

Hana: Transporter

Variety E. Discipline 501 in progress.

Project Kitsune

A top secret government organization producing lab specimens demonstrating particular abilities in hopes of forming stealth agents capable of tracking and observing a mysterious rising power.

Security Grade Omega-Sigma

This is really secret stuff. It even has Greek letters.

Variety E

This variety of stealth agent was developed to be a transporter. It is most highly skilled in Set 5 of the Disciplines.

Subject 4.6

Fourth generation stealth agent. Both parents are third generation stealth agents. Preferred Name: Hana. Codename: Eos.

Discipline 501

The lowest level of Set 5 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Telekinesis. Subject is able to move any object with mass using controlled will power.

Discipline 502

The second level of Set 5 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Teleportation. Subject is able to transport herself and anything she is touching at the time of transportation to another area within a set time and dimension.

Discipline 503

The highest level of Set 5 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Dialation. Subject is able to open a hole in space and/or time.

Akane: Warrior

Variety D. Discipline 401 in progress.

Project Kitsune

A top secret government organization producing lab specimens demonstrating particular abilities in hopes of forming stealth agents capable of tracking and observing a mysterious rising power.

Security Grade Omega-Sigma

This is really secret stuff. It even has Greek letters.

Variety D

This variety of stealth agent was developed to be a distraction. It is most highly skilled in Set 4 of the Disciplines.

Subject 1.0

First generation stealth agent. Neither parent is a stealth agent. Preferred Name: Akane. Codename: Pele.

Discipline 401

The lowest level of Set 4 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Destruct Mode. Subject is able to produce a phosphorescent substance of red and orange hues which burns like acid.

Discipline 402

The second level of Set 4 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Healing Mode. Subject is able to produce a phosphorescent substance of blue and purple hues which acts as a trigger for swift healing.

Discipline 403

The highest level of Set 4 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Creative Mode. Subject is able to produce a phosphorescent substance of green and yellow hues which replicates any inorganic object contained within it.

Sam: Illusionist

Variety C. Discipline 302 in progress.

Project Kitsune

A top secret government organization producing lab specimens demonstrating particular abilities in hopes of forming stealth agents capable of tracking and observing a mysterious rising power.

Security Grade Omega-Sigma

This is really secret stuff. It even has Greek letters.

Variety C

This variety of stealth agent was developed to be an infiltrator. It is most highly skilled at Set 3 of the disciplines.

Subject 1.0

First generation stealth agent. Neither parent is a stealth agent. Preferred Name: Sam. Codename: Anansi.

Discipline 301

The lowest level of Set 3 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Stillpix. Subject is able to create a still illusion, like a three dimensional photograph.

Discipline 302

The second level of Set 3 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Movepix. Subject is able to create a moving illusion, like a three dimensional video.

Discipline 303

The highest level of Set 3 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Sensepix. Subject is able to create an illusion that engages all five senses.

What Happens After June?

June is coming to an end. After the pressure and pain–which is synonymous to the joy of creation for most writers–what comes next?

For me, it will be a composting period. I will be splitting my time between Red Flower and Shining Moon, building my worlds and finding the stories within them. The reason?

I have no idea what the stories actually are.

Oh yes, I have a vague idea of a government defense project gone wrong for one, and a war with three sides for the other, but those are just the basis around which each story must be built. Therefore, Red Flower and Shining Moon (or Project Kitsune, or Operation Kitsune, or Kitsune Initiative, or whatever I decide to call it) are going into composting mode.

I believe there are three pieces to the puzzle of being a writer.

The first is enjoyment. You have to love what you are doing, and be excited about you are writing. If you don’t enjoy writing it, no one is going to enjoy reading it. Also, if you are excited about what you are writing, you will produce much faster and at a higher quality level. I discovered all this a few weeks ago, when I switched from Zuki’s POV to Sam’s POV. I was excited about writing from Zuki’s POV, and discovering the mysterious world of Yokai Academy with her. When I tried to insert Sam’s POV, though, I got majorly stuck. It’s not that his voice wasn’t interesting…I just didn’t get him. I didn’t understand him, and I didn’t really care about him.

The second piece is regularity. You have to write every day, or you’ll fall into the same trap I did, which was the I’ll-just-go-to-this-BBQ-and-catch-up-on-writing-tomorrow trap. I also went to the Avengers movie at a drive-in theater. Twice. Hey, drive-in theaters are a vanishing form of…er…movie watching. So write every day. But don’t just write whenever. Experiment, until you find the time, length of time, and place at which you are the most productive.

The third and final piece is knowledge. Know what you are doing! Take the time, before you start writing, to think about what you’re going to write for the day. Before you start your writing time, do your research and find out all the little details you need. Make a few notes about eyecolor on post-its and stick them on your computer screen. Well, that’s not exactly what I do, but I’m not a pantser, so….

In conclusion–heheh…I hate that phrase–I am going to spend the next few weeks putting together the pieces. Knowledge, regularity, enjoyment.

And character sketches. Literal character sketches.

 

Cheers!

Zuki: Dreamrider

Project Kitsune: Variety B. Discipline 203 in progress.

Project Kitsune

A top secret government organization producing lab specimens demonstrating particular abilities in hopes of forming stealth agents capable of tracking and observing a mysterious rising power.

Security Grade Omega-Sigma

This is really secret stuff. It even has Greek letters.

Variety B

This variety of stealth agent was developed to be a messenger. It is most highly skilled in Set 2 of the Disciplines.

Subject 2.2

Second generation stealth agent. Both parents are first generation stealth agents. Preferred Name: Zuki. Codename: Luna.

Discipline 201

The lowest level of Set 2 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Dreamriding. Subject is able to recreate herself inside another person’s dreams and communicate with them.

Discipline 202

The second level of Set 2 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Chaining. Subject is able to recreate herself in reality an indefinite number of times and operate independently of her original body.

Discipline 203

The highest level of Set 2 of the Disciplines. Commonly called Timing. Subject is able to place her dream recreation or her reality recreation in whatever time and place she chooses.

Kitsune

Kitsune are fox spirits from Asian folklore, particularly Japanese. They aren’t spirits in the same way ghosts are; the term simply defines them as having a dominant supernatural side, rather than a dominant physical side like normal foxes.

A kitsune is said to possess unnatural intelligence, long life, and magical powers. The most common of magical powers attributed to kitsune is shapeshifting. A kitsune can learn to take the form of a human when it reaches a certain age: 50-100 years old. Other powers kitsune may manifest are the ability to generate fire or lighting from their mouths and tails, the ability to purposely appear in another’s dreams, the ability to create complex optical illusions, and invisibility. The most powerful kitsune can drive people mad, bend space and time, and shapeshift into massive objects such as a second moon or a tree that reaches into the celestial sphere. Kitsune are also terrified of dogs…heehee.

Some ways a kitsune is revealed in its human form is a fox-shaped shadow, or a reflection in a mirror–in which it will look like a fox, of course. Kitsune also have star-balls, or fox-fire, that they have to keep with them at all times. This is usually manifested as a glowing, floating ball near their person. Sometimes the fox-fire can be contained in pearls or other gems. The fox keeps part or all of its magic inside the star-ball, and is helpless when separated from it.

The color of a kitsune is important in knowing what sort of kitsune they are. White foxes are, of course, good. Black foxes are also considered good. Gold foxes are the oldest, in possession of all of the nine tails that are so commonly associated with them. They are either incredibly benevolent or decidedly evil and vicious. Red foxes are young foxes, and can be either good or bad. There are also wild foxes, who don’t have a specific set of morals, but they are not associated with a particular color. Kitsune in general tend to be quite ambiguous when it comes to morality. Also, air kitsune are the most ultimate of evil kitsune.

 

A lot of good material there! Of course, my kitsune will be vastly different from the original kitsune outlined here, but still…kitsune are pretty cool! Way cooler than elves, if you ask me. Of course, I have this little button when it comes to elves. If it isn’t Tolkien, it had better not have a tall, beautiful elf. You know?

What is your favorite (not overused) magical creature?

 

Cheers!

Story in a Hat

Keep working on Red Flower or start a new WIP for Camp NaNoWriMo like I promised? This question was killing me, until I found a new story in a hat.

I mentioned previously that I had purchased a writing book by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant, and Tavia Stewart-Streit, called Ready, Set, Novel! Thanks to its wonderful brainstorming section, I decided to fulfill my vow and write a completely new story for Camp NaNoWriMo.

One of the exercises was to write a list of words you liked, things that excited you, and things you liked to read about in stories. Next, you picked your nine favorites. You wrote each of these words/phrases on a separate scrap of paper, placed them in a hat, and drew out three. You repeated this procedure twice more. When you were done, you had three groups of three words/phrases which you were to “What if” into a possible story idea. I’ll use my results as an example.

 

Novel 1–family secrets, unusual magical creatures, special powers

Novel 2–strange eyes, secret societies, magic jewelry

Novel 3–harps, hidden clues, alternate worlds

 

Of course, I couldn’t possibly confine myself to just one of these novel ideas. I had to combine them all! Like so.

 

What if a certain song played on a certain harp opened a tiny pocket of an alternate world in which rested clues that, when put together, opened an even bigger portal protecting a magic object?

What if the magic object was a piece of magic jewelry that was being sought by a secret society identifiable only by their strange eyes?

What if a teenager found out that her family were the secret guardians of the harps, but the secret society had found out, too? What if she and her family were actually refugees from the alternate world the harps opens? What if they are actually unusual magical creatures with special magic powers?

What if the secret society members are humans who have bound their souls to musical instruments, which gives them the ability to sense when a harp is near? Or maybe when a guardian is near?

What if the magic jewelry is just one of many magical objects hidden by refugees on Earth?

 

My story-sensors are tingling! What do you think? Have you ever tried this exercise?

 

Cheers!