3 Characters You should be Psyched about in Fantastic Beasts

Last time I blogged about Fantastic Beasts, I listed the beasts we need to see in the films. Today I'm blogging about the characters you should be most excited to meet, and why.

Characters

Newt Scamander

Okay, I know this sounds obvious, but can we seriously take a moment and revel in how wonderfully and well done Newt's character comes across in the trailers alone?! I feel like I can already tell you all about him, and I love him! And you should too.

When I saw the first trailer, I also saw a characterization aspect that I love and hope to one day create in my own work: a character that is likeable, but you aren't sure you can trust. And Newt does just that. Just watch the trailer again and you'll see it. And the actor, Eddie Redmayne, brings the perfect subtext and expressions to render this. He's got this kind of smile and unconcerned demeanor. He believes everything will be fine, and he goes with the flow. Newt is not the kind of guy you'll see stressing out over his exams or . . . about his deadly animals wrecking havoc on New York. Or at least not as much as a normal person, and he only shows his stress in subtle ways, not harsh shrill ways.

Read More

Generic Dialogue—Staaaahp

Sometimes when I'm editing manuscripts, and usually this happens in very good manuscripts, I run into generic dialogue. Often it comes from a villain, or a hero in a heroic moment, but really, any intense emotional moment can be prone to it.

Generic dialogue isn't bad dialogue, per se. It's just "blah" dialogue. Sometimes it sounds showy or theatrical, but doesn't feel that way because we've heard it in dozens of other stories. Things like the hero saying, "Pick on someone your own size," or "You're going to regret you ever did that!" and the villain saying things like, "Don't let them escape!" or "You'll wish you had never been born."

They're generic.They're stock. And they don't really do anything for the story.

Read More

A Really Cool Announcement

Hey guys, I have some great news! As some of you who follow my writings tips know, I'm a huge fan of The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. I'm not exaggerating when I say I refer to it almost every week when writing, and if I'm not referring to that, I'm referring to one of their other awesome thesauri. And overall, they just have a really great website for writers: Writers Helping Writers.

Earlier this month my blog got listed as a top writing tip blog on their website, next to other amazing writing blogs that I've gone to and learn from, like K.M. Weiland's. But that's not even the really cool announcement.

Back in September, Angela and Becca contacted me out of the blue about a new program they are doing on their site, where their followers can learn from other writing coaches. And guess what? I'm so excited to say that I'm one of those writing coaches! And all of the other writing coaches are freaking amazing! (Honestly, way more amazing than me.) You can see the super cool line-up here. No really, you want to see everyone else involved. James Scott Bell is a #1 bestselling writer who has published numerous books, both writing craft books and thrillers, and he's taught writing in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Michael Hauge has worked in the writing industry for 30 years and consulted on scripts such as I am Legend, Suicide Squad, Hancock, Concussion, The Karate Kid, and others. Roz Morris is a fantastic writer, and as a ghost writer, she has sold more than 4 million books. She's been working in the industry for more than 20 years.

Read More

Crafting a Killer Undercurrent for Your Story

Sometimes I imagine the plot of a story like a cross stitch, with the front of the stitch being what the reader actually sees; it's the surface of the story. Everything is nice and neat and clear and nearly perfect. But then there's the back of it, where you can see the real work beneath the surface. I like to call that stuff the "undercurrent"--which I guess implies that I also see the plot of a novel like a body of water. There's the surface. And there's the undercurrent.

The undercurrent can be big or small, but it should always be there. In your story, the true plot should be bigger, with more knots and underworkings, than what we see on the surface, otherwise it will feel flat, get boring, and worst of all, leave a reader feeling uninvested in the book.

I see this happen in unpublished stories from time to time. There is no undercurrent. It's a tiny, tiny surface stream of a story. Everything is just as it seems. Everything is straightforward. Everything is visible the first time through. Sometimes with stories like this, readers can't tell exactly what's wrong, but they just know they don't want to read more. They aren't interested. They don't care what happens next.

Every great story has some size of an undercurrent--the backside of the cross stitch, the bottom of the iceberg--or whatever metaphor you prefer. But there is a whole spectrum of sizes.

Read More

7 Fantastic Beasts We Need to See in the Films

"A Wizarding World movie comes out next month" is something we can say now. And I'm getting super excited for Newt Scamander. ^_^ And of course, to see some magical beasts! I wrote this post weeks ago, but it's so timely that a new trailer came out last week that showed us a BUNCH of magical beasts. Here are seven of them I need to see.

Swooping Evil

When the plot for the first movie was released, I wasn't the only one making connections to the Pokemon franchise--and the Swooping Evil just cements that.

The Swooping Evil is a new beast added to the Wizarding World. It's some kind of butterfly creature that comes out of a cocoon or small object. You can see it come out of said object in Newt's hand above. How cool is that? It seems like a friendly beast, one that would be useful in the movie. . . . In much the same way Pokemon that come out of pokeballs are useful to their trainers.

Lethifold (a.k.a. Living Shroud)(a.k.a. Your Worst Nightmare)

If you don't want to have nightmares tonight, I suggest you skip this creature. But personally, I love having the dark, evil, and terrifying things make an appearance in stories, and I know the Lethifold is set to make its appearance.

Read More

The Privilege of Picking Your Problems

My dad has a mantra of sorts when it comes to life: "It's never as bad as you think it's gonna be, and it's never as good as you think it's gonna be." And while you will find exceptions to this rule, it's actually pretty accurate.

A few months ago, I was reading a book that pointed out there isn't a golden threshold where you've "made it" and everything is near-perfect in your creative career. Instead, the reality is, you just exchange one set of problems for another set of problems.

Read More

Rendering Temptations

I'm not sure how I got on the topic, but today I was thinking about temptations in fiction. Unfortunately, when I hear people talk about "temptations," I automatically think of shallow or cliche temptations used in fiction. In fact, usually I think of the sex symbol love interest you can often find in blockbusters that have a lot of action but little character development. Sometimes, though, I think of a protagonist who is having an affair.

But good temptations aren't shallow and they are heck-a-tense when done right. Sure, we understand that Frodo and many other people are tempted to keep The Ring for themselves--but that temptation becomes very powerful when employed in a key moment, like when Frodo makes it to Mount Doom, and no longer wants to throw The Ring in. You may have heard the story enough times that that moment of temptation might not have such a significant impact on you, but think back to the first time you witnessed it. After all the struggles and hardship, Frodo finally makes it Mount Doom, and we see him tempted to keep The Ring. We hate it. Maybe we almost even want to hate Frodo, but we can't really, because we understand it.

Temptations aren't just for the sinners, villains, and weaklings. Everyone has them, even people we admire, and they can be used for a powerful effect in fiction.

Read More

Salt Lake Comic Con Highlights and Pictures (2016)

As many of you know, I went to Salt Lake Comic Con recently. I absolutely loved it, even more than last year! Last year was my first year doing panels. Ever. This year went better because I knew what to expect and didn't have to do two panels back-to-back (with the second including a powerpoint). Instead, I had one thing each day. (Perfect.)

But I did have a new first this year: I moderated a panel--one on Fantastic Beasts. I think I did all right--either way, I got some good experience doing it. (And got to show some Hufflepuff pride by wearing Newt Scamander's scarf ^_^.) The fun part about that one, is we showed the trailer and everyone cheered after. I love Harry Potter audiences.

Read More

6 Things I NEED to See in the Fantastic Beasts Film Franchise

As I've been getting ready for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them panel for Comic Con, I've also been getting really excited for the movie in November! In fact, it's led to me reread the (text)book and to write a few blog posts about the upcoming films. Here's the first one.

#1 -- Newt gives Dumbledore his Phoenix.  

Please! I need to see this! Dumbledore is the only professor who believed Newt shouldn't be expelled. How cool would it be if we could see the story of how Dumbledore got Fawkes? And Newt gave it to him? This definitely has some great, touching potential.

#2 -- Fantastic Beasts being Used to Battle the Antagonist and Help Newt (there will be death . . . probably.)

Not only is it cool that Newt has all these fantastic beasts with him, but I need to see him putting them to clever use. Is Percival the Auror chasing him? Use a Crup to nip at his ankles and slow him. Need to find something shiny? Use a Niffler to find it. Need to reach something up high? Use the Swooping Evil to get it. We all loved when Hedwig attacked the Death Eater in the Deathly Hallows movie, so give us more. And maybe . . . maybe . . . if we feel like having our hearts wrenched out (and we won't admit to it, but we kind of do) show one of Newt's loyalist beasts sacrificing itself to save him. Or, if the antagonist is pure evil, the antagonist killing it (which makes me already hate the hypothetical guy).

Read More

Come See Me at Salt Lake Comic Con! Here is my Schedule:

Next week is Salt Lake Comic Con, and I spent a good part of last week getting ready! And I'm getting excited. Salt Lake Comic Con is the third largest Comic Con in the world, and I get to be a presenter, moderator, and a panelist. ^_^

Here is my schedule:

Thursday, September 1st

2:00 p.m.

Room: 253A

15+ Tactics for Writing Humor

Learn the secrets to writing humor with over 15 methods that make readers laugh, with examples from The Office, Harry Potter, The Amazing Spider-man, The Fault in Our Stars, Zoolander, Enchanted, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Emperor's New Groove, The Series of Unfortunate Events, Elf, and more. Come prepared to laugh. Leave never having to feel clueless again.

Read More

Pairing Behaviors with Odd Demeanors for Originality

When it comes to characters, writers, especially new writers, tend to match their characters' demeanors up perfectly with their behaviors. The bully is a straight-up jerk. A class clown is always laughing and joking. Someone who is brave tends to be a bit loud-mouthed.

But the reality is, people aren't really that clear cut and standard. Honestly, it's been since elementary school since I met a bully who was straight-up jerk. But we tend to want to match up demeanors and behaviors stereotypically.

Read More

Traditional Publishing: Short Stories and Poetry

This week is my last installment in my publishing post series, and this one is about the small stuff. Here is how to publish short forms of creative writing.

Short Stories

1. Write the story.

A short story is a narrative under 7,500 words. Keep in mind that short stories that are on the shorter end tend to have a greater chance of being printed, if you are seeking physical publication. This is because it's less costly for the magazine. If you are only getting published online, word count probably doesn't matter as much. If your short story is accepted into a printed anthology, word count will depend on the anthology. Whatever the case, make sure your story is short enough to stay interesting, but long enough to cover the important parts. Sometimes I see unpublished short stories that are too short--the story isn't properly developed or fleshed out. Other times they are too drawn out, the author including too much information. When writing short the powers of implying and subtext are your friends. But this post isn't about how to write a great story. It's about how to get one published.

Read More

So I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . . . (Book Review)

(No Spoilers in this Section)

Initial Reaction to the News

When I first heard about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I had cautious expectations, and maybe even some skeptical ones.

First, adding more to an already satisfyingly complete story can do more harm than good.

Second, I know J.K. Rowling is listed as a writer, but she didn't really write the script, just gave the other guys a few ideas to run with. I've seen this done with another franchise I love and the result was terrible.

Third, it's really hard to pull off something like this. The audience usually has high, but very vague expectations, which makes it very difficult to deliver.

As for actually reading the book, well, there's a problem. It's a script. And really, scripts are meant to be watched, not read. I'm an English graduate, so I've read a few scripts in my day, and I almost never enjoyed it. The only exception was Dr. Faustus. So, again, I was skeptical, but I mean, let's be honest. This is Harry Potter, of course there's going to be something I like about it because I'm so biased toward it. I love plays themselves, I just don't like reading them.

I considered not reading it and waiting until the play came to the U.S., but I only considered it for a few seconds--I'm going to Comic Con next month as a guest, and people will expect me to have read it.

So, basically, I wasn't sure what to think about it and personally didn't expect much. But then months ago, I accidentally-on-purpose read some of the spoilers, because honestly, how much of a "spoiler" could they be? The main story is complete.

Man, was I wrong about being unspoilery. The two I read I did not see coming--and I loved them. So two points to Cursed Child on that--and I was excited to read it.

Read More