Website:

http://www.joeypotts.com/

“She took over my life like she’d stepped into my clothes”.

I always know when a story’s got legs, because the main character keeps stalking me like some cerebral troll and that one line kept repeating in my head like a refrain. When she appeared in my short story, “Dolls”, she became Carol Jones, a wife who’d been deserted by her husband and seen the new woman in his life do exactly what the woman in the magazine feature described. However, this is where fiction departed from fact as the market I was aiming for preferred endings that offered some hope.

When “Dolls” was published in UK magazine, Essentials, the editor changed the title to “Paul’s Playthings”, which suits the story better for it’s written from the perspective of Paul’s two wives. In my story Carol makes a Plasticine voodoo doll of the new woman in her ex’s life. Whatever caught my attention in that feature and made me write that character also caught the attention of readers and “Paul’s Playthings” was syndicated all over the world. As one editor said, “It’s got something that people connect with.”

That something that reaches out and grabs you can happen anywhere and it doesn’t even have to be a character you like. You can be caught off guard and assaulted by some fictitious creature you’d cross the road to avoid. Six months ago, I was tucking into the best cheese cake in Liverpool at the Walker Art Gallery cafe when a generously proportioned and quite aggressive female character invaded my imagination and refused to leave. She stalked me on a tour of my favourite paintings and all the way home on the bus. Why she’d chosen to suddenly appear then might have something to do with the cake I was eating for it figures large in her story.

Eventually I gave up trying to ignore her and left her to rummage and ruminate in my imagination. By the time I put my key in the front door, her narrative was taking shape. It’ll be a while before Maddie’s ready to step out into the world in “The Pudding Club” but I’m having a lot of fun making her acquaintance.

There was another reason though why I remember that rainy summer evening in the doctor’s surgery. Having found Carol Jones, I had no pen or paper to jot down the idea, so I waited until the buzzer went and I was alone and tore the page out of the magazine. I wouldn’t have done it to a book but I still felt guilty enough to remember it years later. I’ve kept that yellowed magazine page. When you find a character you connect with, don’t let them go.

To find out what happens to Carol and the voodoo doll in “Paul’s Playthings” get my e-book anthology – “Love, Life and Holidays”. It’s free on Amazon for 5 days from 20th May 2013 to 24th May 2013 or if you miss the offer, only $2.00 or £1.28.

Here we go for Diane Richards: Head Engineer on The Revelation.

© Pticca | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Diane is my favorite character. I have gotten a few comments thanking me for writing a strong, highly intelligent and at the same time sensual, I am proud to have written a character that so many women relate with or look up to.

Physical Description:  Tan skin with embedded microscales. Beautiful. Sensual. Wavy thick, dark brown hair, big hazel eyes.

Paternal and Maternal: Mixed European

Clothing: On ship: coveralls over a t-shirt, on leave: coveralls over a t-shirt. She wears scented lotions. Off ship: she dresses to the nines.

Character Description: Loving, kind. Social drinker, sometimes likes to have a beer when coming off duty, but never drinks to excess. She is extremely popular with men.

Important note: She doesn’t deal with people’s problems. When she and Harden were building the Revelation, she never tried to make Harden eat, shower, or anything else. She figures he is an adult and lives the life he wanted to live, but he was extremely depressed.  She is Abby’s friend and though she keeps an eye on her and answers questions, she is more big sister than mother.

Education: Doctorate in Engineering

Job: Head Engineer of the Revelation. She also created the oxygen garden. Age when protagonist comes into her life: Early 30′s

Step 4: Relationships: Parents: unnamed

Siblings: unnamed, the Alekoses are her family now. Best Friends with Helen.

Offspring: Sterilized as an adult. Only one son who was sterilized and died of old age.

Romantic Relationships: Primarily Heterosexual, now that she is divorced, she enjoys shoreleave hookups with men.

Pets: Rockford

Sales Links:

“What was that?” Willem-Alexander, the 10-minute-crowned King of the Netherlands, scanned the large state room.

His right-hand man, a strange-looking tall, thin Englishman called Nigel Barron-Smythe, followed his employer’s gaze. “Sorry your… Highness? I can’t see…”

“There! Over there!” the King pointed towards one of the gold and red embossed wallpapered walls.

“May I ask, sir, what I might be looking-”

“There! There! That thing! What is it?”

“Oh yes. I see… well, I don’t rightly know sir. Perhaps it’s a-”

“Spy!”

“Spy sir? I highly doubt-”

“Someone catch it! Over there before it flies to the… you there! Shut the window!”

A page who no-one knew the name of and had almost nodded off during the ceremony which had taken place on the hottest day in the Netherlands’ history, leapt to his feet and bolted for the window. He’d not been able to see the ‘thing’ either but knew he had to do as he told or he’d follow the way of the last page who had missed fulfilling an order and had been turfed out with the recycling. Rumour has it that he’d had to put it out en-route but there had been no witnesses to confirm that, or none that would tell him. After he’d shut the window, he’d felt something buzz past his ear. He swung round to see the tiny flapping of wings and an electronic hum.

“Catch it!” he heard as he watched the ‘thing’ fly towards another open window so he bolted again and managed to get to the window before it reached it. Thwarted again it hovered and spun in circles looking for other exits. Using his initiative, the boy did the same and shut every other window.

The room’s gaze then loomed on the door, seconds before the thing spotted it.

“The door!” the King shouted and two sentries who had been chatting about which maid-in-waiting they’d get off with at the next door after-ceremony party, slammed the front door which such force that it made the 12-tier cake, the centrepiece of the festivities, wobble.

Encouraged by his earlier success, the page ran after the ‘thing’, remembering a bag of treats he had in his pockets for the King’s Smoushonds, he retrieved it, threw out the treats – oblivious to the resulting scurrying of claws along the newly-polished floor – and lunged at the ‘thing’, wrapping it expertly in the bag, twisting the top so it had no chance of escape.

His heart thumped as the object battled to get out. Eventually, the thrashing subsided and the page realised the only sound he could now hear was his heart thumping. He looked up, around the room, and realised that everyone was staring at him. He swallowed, then as the King beckoned him, the page stepped forward, slowly, head lowered, inching step by step.

“Bring it here!” the King boomed and the page quickened along the long old room.

“Run, man!”

So the page did as he was told, the bag bumping in his hands, a squeak escaping from it as he did so.

When he reached the King he stopped, held out his hands and bowed his head.

Not sure what to do now, knowing it would likely escape if he undid the bag, the King called on Barron-Smythe.

“I… er, don’t know sir. Perhaps if-”

“Anyone else?” the King boomed, looking around the room. His gaze stopped on a short red-faced man standing near to where the King had first spotted the ‘thing’.

“You!” the King shouted. “Step forward.”

The flushed-faced man looked to his left, right, then pointed to his chest.

“Yes, you! Step forward.”

The man did as he was told.

“You look familiar. What’s your name?”

“Herbert, sir.”

“Herbert… Herbert what?”

“Herbert Wintergrund, sir… your Highness.”

“Sir is fine. Who are you?”

“I’m your Science Advisor, sir.”

“Oh yes, so you are. You look shifty, what’s the matter with you?”

“I… erm. That…” He looked over at the bag that the page was still holding.

“Yes. Go on! What about it?”

“It’s… I’m sorry, sir, but it’s mine.”

“Yours? Yours? What is it?”

“It’s a new type of robot, sir. A present from the Herschel Space Observatory. For you. They thought you might like one – it does all sorts of clever things – and…”

“And?”

“I was going to put it with all your other presents next door but I was late arriving so I stuffed it into my pocket. The little blighter… sorry, your Highness. It escaped and well, went for the light.”

The man’s face was getting redder and redder, and the page wondered whether he might explode at any moment but then the King burst out laughing. He clapped his hands twice, whistled for his dogs, and announced that there was enough food next door to feed an army and that they might even play pass the parcel before the disco started.

***

Picture above courtesy of morguefile.com.

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I’ve spent today brainstorming some ideas for the general colour scheme of the animation and came up with this sketch. I mostly stuck to autumn colours with a bit of a steampunk vibe. What do you think? Any changes?

That’s all folks!

Carly ^.^

My name is Hyeeun Kim born in Korea.  I am a graduate from Seoul National University of Technology with a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication.

After graduating 2010 I begun my career as a graphic designer and  then I am currently working as a freelance illustrator.

From my early age, drawing is always something that I can be more passionate about and put my energy into.

I get a lot of inspiration especially from fashion photography, portraits and films from 1960′s.

I am currently doing some pieces for an art shop and my upcoming exhibition.

Website:

http://cargocollective.com/glimmer

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kim-Hyeeun/424230457667395

Hey, is it possible for an impact character to influence the protagonist to a point that he/she actually does change in the end, but however, the impact was not like how the impact character intended?

For example, can a protagonist be a archetypal good guy and their impact character is more of an anti-hero; willing to do what is necessary to get the job done. However, when or if the protagonist changes his/her ideals to match the impact character, he/she instead takes it a step further and is much worse than the impact character and not exactly how the impact character wanted to influence them?

Answer: Technically, the main character’s perception of the impact character and his interpretation of what the impact character is doing creates the pressure to change. Sometimes the impact character is trying to influence the main character. Sometimes he’s just following his own agenda and the main character observes what the impact character does and responds entirely on his own. And sometimes the main character can misinterpret the impact character.

For instance, an interesting variation is the Hitchcock film Rope, in which a student who takes to heart the words of a former teacher and conspires to commit murder to prove his ‘superiority.’

The student then invites the teacher to dinner and the bulk of the film consists of the student dropping hints about the murder. (We suspect he again is showing off his superiority and wants the teacher’s approval once the murder is discovered.)

Of course, the teacher is horrified to see how he has unwittingly influenced his student (who probably suffers from sociopathology), and condemns rather condones his actions.

It’s a variation because the film starts at the climax and really is just the fourth act of the story. However, it is an example of how a main character can be influenced by an impact character, even though the impact character had no intention of having such an influence.

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Cuddle (Photo credit: philipstorry)

ca·noo·dle
(k-ndl)

v.intr.

To engage in caressing, petting, or lovemaking.

It’s just a great word, and one I’m using in my latest work.

“My heart swells at the thought of canoodling with Maddie somewhere private in the hospital grounds. I can’t risk a public scene of obvious lesbian affection because Mum doubtless knows half the nursing staff here. No, I have to be patient. There’ll be time enough for me and Maddie to canoodle once we’re safely away from prying eyes. Please, God, let there be canoodling.”

- Martha Robinson, Moving Meditation

You’ll be pleased to hear that the first POV character of Book 3 is coming along very nicely. She was giving me a few sleepless nights, originally coming across as incredibly creepy in her obsessiveness with Maddie. I’ve tempered it slightly so she comes across as more of a desperate, lonely girl being led somewhat astray by another desperate, lonely girl.  You’ll have to wait for me to finish the book to learn if they actually get to canoodle!

Kissing Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Français : Chiens de prairie à queue noire (Cynomys ludovicianus) se faisant la bise. 日本語: キスしてるオグロプレーリードッグ (Cynomys ludovicianus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have a great weekend, hopefully with some canoodling of your own!

I love my family. They mean the world to me. However, sometimes I don’t understand them. I try my best to understand their beliefs and perspectives. I listen to their reasoning. I carefully consider their arguments. But occasionally, I simply can’t understand them. I can’t wrap my head around their logic, so it doesn’t make sense in my mind. In the end, I’m left shaking my head in bewilderment and loving them through it all.

One topic that some of my relatives and I don’t agree on is dreams. These relatives can be pretty superstitious, and they are full of information about the omens in life and dreams. As a little girl, they inadvertently had me convinced that if I died in one of my dreams, I’d die in the real world, too. I overheard them talking about this idea one day, and I was terrified!

Imagine my surprise the first time I died in a dream and I woke up unscathed. At first, I thought that perhaps I had been lucky and that I could still die if it happened again. Well, I am here to testify that I have died a thousand deaths and I’m still breathing. It’s a glorious feeling!

These death dreams aren’t fun. They freak me out. They startle me awake in the middle of the night or too early in the morning. And they have caused a few sleepless nights because I was too unnerved to fall asleep again so soon. Still, I’ve learned to live with them and now even figured out how to use them to my advantage.

You may be wondering how nightmares could come in handy. They are fertile ground for story ideas, of course! The intensity, the raw emotion, the suspense, and the vividness–they are all perfect for story writing. So, in a sense, I die a little more each night, so I can breathe life into my characters. For a short time, I live through their experiences, feel the turmoil inside of them, and then face life’s greatest unknown right there with them. I get to know them intimately, and I never forget them as I immortalize them in a story. I have to say that this almost makes me wish for more nightmares…almost!

Lost In Thought has a booth at E3.

A BOOTH!

AT THE ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO!

I still can’t believe it! How did this happen you might ask? Well E3 put out an announcement a few months back calling colleges with game design programs to submit one game per school to compete. The top five games would be given access to the expo. So of course me and the team threw our game into the pot, unsure we’d even win out against the other amazing games here at SCAD. By some luck we were chosen to represent the college. We were all very happy with just that, and honestly we thought that was were it’d end. After all we were apparently up against 400 other colleges and their games! However, I just got the email a few days ago informing us that Lost In Thought has made it into that top 5!

Super exciting time for us, such an amazing opportunity. I still don’t know how to wrap my head around it.

E3 is at Los Angeles this June 11th-13th. Myself and a handful of the team will be going to the show and would love to talk to anyone going to the expo. So if anyone reading this post is going, come by, give us a shout out and hopefully we’ll have the new version of the game ready for people to try out!

The great news comes with some great pressure however. I’ll be honest with you guys, the team has been a little off it’s game this quarter, but we’ve been picking things up. Now more than ever, with the good news, we’ll be busting out as much work as possible between here and E3. It’s not just for the grade anymore, its for E3!

Keeping with the tradition of including an image or two in all of our posts I have the first of a few character portraits of our characters!

It’s Keyes and The Mourner! I like this style much better than my first go at the portraits.

See you at E3!

~Ryan

Anyone that has been around Rorus for long knows that there are some people you simple do not let into your home or office.  The results typically end with a broken window, teapot or some other object of value.  As it so happened with our once warrior, now Blacksmith and Brew Master, Avery Riddle a few weeks ago, when he visited his sister, Lady Sammie, and somehow managed to take out a window during his rather frustrating conversation.  Well, we assume it was frustrating, how else would it have been that he broke so many things?  To say anything else would be to imply that he is simply…a klutz.  And if anyone were to see Avery with a sword in hand, the last thing you would want to do is imply he were one.

So it was a few nights later that he arrived in the Infirmary and with a overly confident voice declared that he was ready to put up a scaffold, and repair her window.

Avery: “I’m actually here to repair that window today. I’m pretty good with wood, I mean, how much harder can it be then to metal right? I was a smithy for years and can’t imagine carpentry being that much harder.”

Lady Sammie:  “Avery, honestly you don’t have to do that!” turning I hurry up the stairs mumbling “I’ve seen your work!”

Despite her protests, he did indeed erect a two-story scaffold to repair one single pane of glass in her window.  Now anyone knows, if they have done any simple home repairs, that one does not need a scaffold for such a simple job.  But Avery is not a simple man and by the end of it all, a wall was down, and he lay in the infirmary with a broken leg and a concussion to a head that is so hard it must have defied all laws of logic to even dent

It was only a pane of glass… at first.

The Missing Wall Welcomes An Unwanted Visitor!

And he paid with an emerald that Lady Sammie wears about her neck.

It was not but a few days later that Lady Sammie was in her office, not quite enjoying the panoramic view, nor the breeze it brought, when she heard a snuffling grunt and spun about to spy a very large, smelly, creature climbing the scaffold and climbing straight into her office.   Now everyone knows that Lady Sammie is deathly afraid of large stinking creatures, specifically the ones that have very large teeth and are of the Kur variety.  It is a testament to her resolve that she managed to turn and not faint dead away when she saw the monster standing before her.

Kur: “sunmmi you come fix me”

Lady Sammie: “shivers and feels dizzy terrified i look to the Kur “fix you?? what is wrong with you?”

Kur: “grunts, pointing to his leg, “mes hurt, you fix. Points to hole, “big kur door”

Can you see the terror on her face!?

Well, needless to say, that was the beginning of the end for Lady Sammie and the gapping hole that started as a simple broken pane of glass and ended as a Kur Door.

The Last Straw…

After the disaster of her beloved brother fixing her wall, breaking his leg and the visit of the most terrifying sort of visitor she could have, our dear, long patient healer completely lost it.  She ranted, she raved and all while she was taking her infirmary bit by bit into the brewery.

Lady Sammie: “i don’t care, i’ve had enough!!! it’s been weeks since my so called brother ruined my office!!!!” pushes my chair and table out the window…my blood pressure rising “I will use his brewery for consultations…perhaps put a cot for patients in there too!!! Let HIM be displaced! OR perhaps I will move into the Head Builder’s office!” out of breath i kick the plant out and watches it plummet to the ground with my furniture”

Needless to say, it was not long after that Rider found his way home and the Head Builder put his incredible talents to use putting the wall back where it belonged, shoring up the Kur Door, all panes of glass in their proper place.

And this is…Life in Rorus.

A taxi pulls up beside him and the driver leans out.  ”You called, sir?  Your phone must have pocket-dialed, and I heard you ask for a taxi. I was only a few feet behind you, so I figured I’d help out.  There will be no charge, sir– my last passenger overpaid me, and I feel generous.”

What is this?  It’s a coincidence, of course!  How does one pocket-dial a taxi just when one is about to ask for a taxi?  How does one even know a taxi driver’s number?  How are taxi drivers polite?

And how does all that happen by accident?

These are called coincidences, and they have a bad habit of resolving plot twists too easily.  Your main character needs a gun?  Waddayano, the crate he just crashed through is full of them, even though it just passed through airport security.  He doesn’t know how to shoot it?  It has a little sticker on the side that says “Point at anyone wearing angry expressions and pull little crescent trigger thing.”

Suddenly, your main character is waltzing through plot twists, plowing through every problem that presents itself.  There is no conflict anymore– he forces a henchman to tell him the direction of the secret base, hails a taxi by accident, and drops a convenient refrigerator on the villain.  Look at that, the story is finished in three pages.  Is there suspense?  No.  Is there conflict?  No.  Are there stunning plot twists?  No.  Is it a classic good-vs-evil story?  Yes.

Stories have to be hard for the main characters.  What fun would they be to read if they weren’t?   The finish isn’t spectacular unless the journey is, and the journey isn’t spectacular unless it’s hard.

Deus ex machina, on which I recently posted, is just a big coincidence.  The same technique is used to solve both: foreshadowing.  If the main character is in the shipping area of a gun factory, it wouldn’t be surprising if he crashed through a crate full of guns during his battle with a henchman.  In that case, it’s a coincidence that works– he still can’t shoot the thing, but that’s a small problem.

But not all coincidences are bad.  Let’s look at the example again.

Your main character is walking down the street.  Or rather, running.  He is being chased by a large crowd of minions, led by the villain himself.  Several of them are shooting at him, and none of them have such lousy aim that they might shoot each other.  The main character hears the villain say to himself, “This walking business is tiring and inefficient.  I really need to catch up to this hero quickly so I can kill him.  I wish I had a taxi.”  Suddenly, a taxi pulls up and offers its services free of charge.  Could this be the hero’s final hour?

It’s not, let’s be honest.  The hero will succeed, defeating the villain and blowing up cars as he gets the girl with time to spare.  But still, was there suspense?  Yes.  Conflict?  Yes.  Plot twists?  Yes.  Classic good vs evil?  Yes.  All this simply because of…

Coincidences!  Funny how that works.  (Coincidental, maybe?  Let’s not go there.)  But instead of coincidences in the hero’s favor, these coincidences were in the villain’s favor.  There doesn’t have to be any foreshadowing for the villain, either.  He wants to find a recently-sharpened axe lying around a pacifist’s house?  Sure thing, boss.  The main character and the reader might be incredulous at his good luck, but they won’t be put off by such a blatant contrivance.  After all, it makes the journey harder and the story better.

The audience is remarkably callous in that respect.

Coincidences for the main character are bad.  Coincidences for the villain are good.  Know when you use them and know which is which.

“The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.” – E.B. White

So you’ve completed your first draft? Great work!!! The work however does not end there because right when you think you’ve finished comes one of the most key, and at times terrifying, parts of writing…EDITING!!! No writer in the world writes perfectly the first time. Sometimes it can take a million drafts and rewrites to get it into shape and even then it never feels like enough. There are many keys to learning what to edit and what to keep such as reading groups, the inner critic, and lastly self-censorship. If you’ll just bear with me, I can show you what I do to make sure that I am able to edit effectively.

I- Reading Groups – Finding the Right Balance

Though writers are often portrayed as stereotypical loners, if they don’t have other people to turn to they can become a sobbing pile of neurosis. It really helps you to know what is good and bad in your work to have a few objective readers who can look at your work and tell you flat out what works and what doesn’t. The hard part is that you need to find people who can give you constructive criticism but who also aren’t going to tell you everything you write is golden because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. To form a useful and productive writing group you need to find people who are going to tell you the truth and who aren’t going to give everything either a blanket approval or rejection. It’s also a good idea to grow some thick skin. Criticism, even when it’s constructive, can be really hard to hear sometimes. If you worked really hard on one particular piece that you think is really good and you get really attached to it, when it gets any criticism you run the risk of getting defensive. If you get too defensive you run the risk of keeping weak material in your work. When you get criticism, don’t freak out just keep an open mind.

II- The Inner Critic- Help from Within

The Inner Critic- Helpful Madness

Whether or not you are a writer, a lot of the times in life you find that YOU are your own biggest critic. For writers, this voice usually pops up and makes snide comments about what they’ve just written such as “how could anyone write anything so stupid”, “there’s no way that character would ever do that” and of course the ever popular “and you call yourself a writer”. There are two dangers related to the “inner critic” and both have the capacity to destroy your literature. First, if you listen to you inner critic all the time you will end up hating everything you write because you will automatically assume that it’s garbage. Second, if you never listen to your inner critic you will end up automatically loving everything you write, even if it’s not well written, simply because you wrote it. That means you run the risk of keeping a lot of bad material in your work. The solution is simple; listen to your Inner Critic sometimes because sometimes it’s right.

III- Self-Censorship- Learning to Play the Game

When I say self-censorship I’m not talking about the FCC or the “man” bringing the hammer down and trying to shut down your creativity. I am talking about you as the author being able to tailor your own work to suit different audiences. It’s not about taking down censorship, it’s about learning how to push past it and still produce quality work. Also, if they want you to make a cut that will totally destroy the meaning or purpose of your piece then that particular place probably isn’t the best outlet for your work. Censorship might not seem like it really belongs in something as creative as writing, but if you as the writer don’t think about it in some respect, especially if you want your piece to be published or performed, you’ll never get in the door. You have to look into the other kinds of work that the company or magazine has come out with. If they mostly publish work that’s so clean it squeaks, then they are not a good bet to publish something with bad language or sexual content. They will shoot down your work and most likely, depending on the organization, not trust you to censor yourself. Here’s a great tip: Save multiple copies of your work. I usually write plays, so whenever I write one I always save at least one original uncensored copy. Then I can edit for content depending on the theatre, or school, or playwriting competition I am submitting it to that way I always have that uncensored copy to start from.

“No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.” – J. Russell Lynes

The greatest tip anyone can give you about editing is to not worry about it until you have to. If you freak yourself out about it too soon you will only succeed in driving yourself insane. At first just breath, relax and write your story.

Exercise of the Day:

For this exercise I am going to give you two characters, a setting, and a conflict. You need to take the three little pieces I give you and write a scene. Now this can be a drama, a comedy a thriller. It can be whatever you are in the mood to make it.

Character A- a 35 year old mime

Character B- a 45 year old detective

Setting- an art gallery

Conflict- someone is trapped

Have fun with this and I will see you next time!

Question: I have a habit of writing strong female leads or just ‘normal’ women with ‘normal’ confidence levels, but I’ve recently stumbled across a bit of a problem. I am writing a story where the protagonist is male and his introduction to this ‘minor character’ is rescuing her from another man. I have written her to be somewhat vulnerable, fearful of things out of her control, but I want her to be likeable and don’t see how I can accomplish that with a personality that, to me, might make the reader think ‘leave her alone, she’s too much work for you, protagonist!’

I’d like to be able to find a good place in her personality where readers will understand how vulnerable she is, how the protagonist takes advantage of her fears, or how he strengthens her, without them getting bored of her tentative personality and maybe even liking it. I want to make her feel like she is worth both the protagonist’s effort, and the readers’ time.

Answer: Different types of personalities have advantages in different situations or in coping with different types of problems. The thing that makes male/female relationships work is when each person can offer the other a perspective or an approach that they would never come up with on their own.

For instance, there are…

Linear thinkers: those who look for the biggest concern and concentrate on addressing that to the exclusion of all lesser concerns.

Holistic thinkers: those who consider all concerns, large or small, and try to bring them all into balance.

Sometimes the linear approach is right. Solving the biggest problem is the shortest route to happiness. On the other hand, sometimes that approach has unwanted side-effects that make things worse.

The holistic approach helps to eliminate unwanted side-effects, but it is slower and less direct, so sometimes it is less effective (and sometimes it is more effective).

Then there are…

Do-ers: characters who try to address problems by taking action to change something in the world around them or change other people.

Be-ers: characters who try to address problems by changing themselves to fit in with other people or their environment.

Again, sometimes do-ers are right. Other times, they are like a bull in a china shop. Sometimes be-ers are right. And sometimes they seem to sacrifice too much of themselves in trying to fit in.

Traditionally, Western culture has admired Linear Do-ers. Most traditional male protagonists fall into that category, while female romantic leads have tended to be Holistic Be-ers (and undervalued, I dare say).

If your female lead is a be-er, the trick is to put your two leads in another situation where her talents, her approach, is effective and his isn’t. That way, he can appreciate her and learn from her.

Or, if she is a holistic thinker and he is linear, you can put them in a situation where her intuitive ability to weigh up many little concerns leads to the right solution faster.

No one character can perceive everything. No one can cover both ends of the spectrum. But there can be areas where your two characters see eye to eye. What makes a great relationship is where two people have some shared perception that lets them trust each other. Yet each is also capable of perceiving things the other is not – so they can help and respect each other.

In other words, you can make her strong in her own area while still being different than him. Maybe she can’t punch out the bad guy, but maybe she can help her hero navigate interpersonal politics or a situation where success depends on being a certain way.

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The skill tester – an individual playing for the sheer joy of committing to whatever ordeal the gameplay-designers (I know I shouldn’t use the “g” word anymore) got in stock for him, be it an opportunity to prove own capabilities or a simple mean to have some fun with friends. Thus, he may be dead serious about the whole gaming thing, sacrificing hours and hours to the savoured hobby, or see it as no more than an occasional time-killer. The common point between the two stands is a similar approach towards the games, in both cases regarding them as a kind of entertainment ultimately different from books or movies, aimed not as much at providing the plot-related content but rather as a sort of virtual playground. So, yes. I’m putting the “hardcores” and “casuals” into very same bag. How bold of me!

The emotion seeker – the one playing to fully immerse in the fictional realities and remotely live through the journeys designed by the creative teams behind the games’ plots to the fullest. He never skips a single cutscene, tries to unfold every dialogue line possible and read each of the scattered notes/records/engravings etc. to get even firmer grip on every nook and cranny of the fictional world’s reality. And yup, that’s me right here.

Obviously, claiming to be able to precisely fit every living player to either of the introduced profiles seems pretty far-fetched. All in all, even the individual identifying himself with one of them as firmly as I do tends to occasionally take a break from his favourite story-heavy niche and drift away for a while to have some fancy arcade blast. Still, if you ask yourself: “why do I keep playing in the first place” or “what is it that I’m looking for in a game mostly” I guess you will face no issues with finding yourself accepting one of the depicted takes as your own. Think about it as defining the gaming-oriented rendering of the raison d’etre – I guess we could call it the raison d’jouer. By the way, now you may see why I went as far as to group together the self-proclaimed “hardcore gamers” and the so-called “casuals”. What they seek in a game specifically is just an engaging challenge of sorts. No matter whether they find it in a nerve-wrecking skirmishes with other players conjoined with fervent levelling up or just occupying themselves with a bunch of relaxing mini-games doesn’t really discern them according to the point I’m planning to make.

Ok, so what’s the division for, then? Well, if most of the time players keep picking up the positions best adjusted to their specific needs, it’s clear the authors should consider in what manner they may satisfyingly honour those differing demands, one at a time. I believe any given game should aim at meeting the expectations of either the plot freaks or the skill testers exclusively. The misguided efforts to lean towards both groups’ demands equally within the confines of a single production seldom prove fruitful. In the previous entry I explained what amendments to the currently endorsed game-making formula I see necessary for the upcoming titles to score higher with consumers representing the first kind of audience. At the same time, I questioned whether the plot is a feature even necessary to include in the skill-based games dedicated for the latter of crowds. Now, I’m going to address this final matter little more thoroughly. I could’ve come up with quite a few arguments to ascertain why this type of games would’ve been far better off free of the dull attempts to adorn it with any scraps of the story – for the “scraps” are as much as it may get after all. The most vital of those points wouldn’t however be the obvious fact that the core players enticed to such games usually don’t care for the plot at all, inexorably passing on every cutscene or dialog line. I don’t plan to expatiate on how huge a waste of money the fabrication of those movie interceptions and the overly lacking scripts proves neither. Not to even mention that crafting a valuable, consistent story is a feat almost destined for a failure with the utterly confined creative latitude determined by the stiff nature of generic gameplay. No, the main reason the story should go is the fact companies carry on exploiting it as an excuse to rip the consumers off their precious money – and that on a massive scale.

To clarify what’s on my mind here let me bring up probably the most overt example of this rigamarole. Each year the producers decide upon delivering yet another instalment to the breaking the sales records Call of Duty franchise. However, every lucid consumer would probably admit that what they keep doing basically equals recycling the very same title over and over, with no more than few blatantly cosmetic changes to the endless shooting’s background themes. Now take a moment to think: which element of the game exactly serves as an excuse for them to come up with a “new” entry? Since no game mechanics essentially change between each part and most of the game modes remain untouched as well, what actually differs? Oh, it’s the story. That’s right. Telling another chapter of the warfare tale or coming forth with minor shift of the action’s time period paves them a way to compound the fistful of a “new” content with the old stuff and charge you the very full price for the whole package. Given so, I wouldn’t mind it at all only if the Call of Duty campaigns each time proved engaging, well-written and, hopefully, satisfyingly lengthy experiences. As for the reality, I think we all know how the matter stands. Suffice to say, Modern Warfare 2’s main campaign wrapped in more or less 5 hours flat. And, sadly, fully ommitable at one’s will, Russian airport section is the one and only part of it anyone probably remembers anyhow. Most fans of the franchise would probably stop me right here and say: “pish, nobody plays the CoD for the story, it’s the multiplayer that matters”. Sure, but then do you need to keep on buying the same thing every year to enjoy it? Or is it all about the few new maps introduced each time? What is it in that box that’s really worth kissing the whole sixty bucks goodbye just like that?

And look, as the series’ narratives had been getting even shorter and more shallow, the producers started going as far as to offer some scrub to the actual renowned Hollywood actors for them to voice over certain parts of those mediocre scenarios, thus artificially increasing repute of the lacking plots. That’s how Gary Oldman and Kiefer Sutherland got in, for instance. But, were these talented fellows given an opportunity to make use of their brilliant craftsmanship within the borders of the portrayed roles? Let’s take a while to reflect on that matter as one of the involved gentlemen speaks:

Fumingly shouting the commands over the clamour of ravaging explosions on and on? Sure, that’s clearly what an actor as great as Gary Oldman was cut out for… There’s simply no need other than the high promotional value of that ploy to include the individuals of such calibre to fill in the boots of the underdeveloped, paper-thin characters. Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with any of the mentioned actors receiving the paycheck for the work they’ve done in the game – for every opportunity for this talented guys to earn their living seems fully legitimate to me. Especially if their involvement itself may ring out across the non-playing audience, maybe even drawing some individuals to the gaming. Nonetheless, my goal is for you to see that the main purpose in hiring those celebrities lies nowhere other than in strengthening the whole “story” bleak façade – the exact factor using which the companies keep their never-ending wheedling ordeal prospering. Oh, look! The new DLC for the Black Ops 2 came out! And it has the badass zombie horde mode included (come on, how much dumber can this series get?). Yet, knowing what we know, I wouldn’t hope for nothing more than few short cooperative missions to stand behind the “mode” label here. Yet, we get a couple of dialogue lines in it read by Michael Madsen and Ray Liotta, so let’s shut up and enjoy, right? What a sham…

Ok, but devoid of the narrative set-up (existing solely to justify further draining off this best-selling series), what would’ve the Call of Duty become? If you ask me, just what it should be – a strictly online production offering the users a variety of locations and modes derived from the franchise’s vast legacy – from the classical arenas of WWII to the futuristic battlefields of the newer incarnations. The idea is to make a player pay for certain feature only once. It’s the constantly provided additional content – like new maps, weapons or modes that would’ve gotten any right to be charged for then – and even that for only as much as they’d be really worth. No more forcing the consumers to each time pay for the 80% of what they already own and just 20% of what by a long shot may be considered a substantial extra. With that being said, let’s go back from the CoD’s playground to more general level of the discussion. What I was meaning to say in the first place is that if you’re not planning on making a story-focused game, be brave enough to drop off the plot entirely, since it’s not what we’ll eventually come running to your work for anyway. And it’s simply a decent practice towards us, the paying consumers, to be offered a new skill-based title for its full price only if you can come up with the original gameplay content rather than hide the sorry copycat continuations’ true ugly mug behind the convenient justification of continuing the predecessors’ story. Well, isn’t it?

First up: The Mentalist, season five. The one I detest. Oh, taken out of context it’s actually a well written plot with an interesting mystery attached while moving the main plot forward. But if taken in context, it becomes yet another episode that stretches out the main plot to further ridiculous lengths. The big “moment of discovery” that occurred at the very end of the episode was one that should have happened two seasons ago. Lesson learned: don’t keep stretching out the plot just to provide tension, because it gets old and stale and boring and rather than drawing the viewer along, it encourages one to quit the whole show before it gets worse.

Second: Community, season four. Hmm. I actually haven’t thought about this one. What I’ve learned more from the series as a whole is don’t be afraid to keep bringing back familiar images, make fun of everyone equally, and don’t be afraid to show just how petty and small-minded your characters can be, because that makes the good moments all the more impacting.

Third: Once Upon a Time, season two. I really, really liked this one but I’m still not sure if that’s because it was just that good or I was just that mad about The Mentalist still. At the very least, there were a lot of elements to appreciate as a writer. First, wrapping up the season-long plot and introducing a new one, so the old story doesn’t get stale. Second, introducing new bad guys even as the old ones finally turn to the side of good. A good story always needs a bad guy. Third, I applaud the fact that the show worked out the moral dilemmas of the conflicted antagonists, because I was worried about that the whole season, but the conclusion of it all was obvious and connected well with the struggles they’d been having. So lesson learned: character development takes time, but there should always be a definite result to the struggles, either good or bad.

Fourth: Arrow, season two. The villain is one of my favorite villains now because he actually beat the hero by not pinning all his hopes of destruction on one overly-dramatic gizmo but actually had a backup. Also, all the good guy characters had some beautifully sacrificial heroic moments. Lessons learned: it’s okay for a villain to be smart and competent, and it’s also okay for the heroes to be unapologetically noble.

Fifth: Elementary, season one. Loved the twist the writers gave on traditional Sherlock Holmes narratives. But as for what I learned about writing, I learned that it’s entirely permissible to actually have the main nemesis defeated. With the option of coming back later, of course, but having the season end on a hefty win instead of a cliffhanger is quite refreshing.

I suppose the main thing that I’ve figured out it that characters in books and TV shows are allowed and even expected to have something that we real humans don’t get: an ending. Whether evil or good, neat or messy, vague or concrete, sad or happy or bittersweet, all characters get to see an end to their tale.

I have been doing small watercolors of birds for a project I am working on. Here are a few.

coverwhiz.com

Bestselling writers know that image counts according to The Guardian and they make a few good points about the importance of vivid imagery. While I agree it helps to have a character that is physically distinctive, it shouldn’t replace of the construction of what should be a well-rounded character from the start. Image is a lot, but it is not everything.

Robert Langdon for me is a case in point here. I don’t think he is a particularly strongly illustrated character; cheaply drawn as far as I am concerned and I wasn’t surprised when they went for the lazy choice of Tom Hanks to play him. The only thing I remember about his physical description is the Mickey Mouse watch. I never understood it but at least it did its job because Langdon sticks in the mind. He is otherwise portrayed as a maverick academic, arguably a stock character in the first place. The watch sets him apart from the rest.

Harry Potter is distinctive for his glasses and for that scar on his forehead (the scar is a major plot point, the glasses are not). He stands out as a literary character, he is identifiable even to those who have not read the books or seen the film and have no interest in doing so.

I use those two characters above as a contrast. Harry Potter is a well-constructed character who grows, learns and blossoms through his seven years at Hogwarts. We watch him go from wide-eyed child who does not yet fully comprehend the burden he is about to be put under, to brave yet sometimes reluctant hero. By this time, his physical appearance becomes irrelevant anyway. Dan Brown makes reference to the Mickey Mouse watch in all four of the books I have read. At no point does it become part of his character, it is there merely as a quirk. But… as the article states, was this a deliberate quirk, a deliberate attempt to “look wrong like the classic crime fighters”? Was it a tool to demonstrate that wrongness? It is possible but I’m not sure that Brown really gave his character that much thought, the idea of presenting him as a modern Sherlock Holmes or Marple I find as much amusing as in poor taste.

Good characters certainly need a visually striking image but that should never come at the cost of a well-developed and interesting characterisation that will surprise the reader and have them pondering on his or her finer points for years to come.

10. Marlon (Shizui) – “A bigger splash than the sea!”

The newest Gym Leader so far and the second Water-Type Gym Leader in the Unova region. Marlon is a bighearted and carefree guy and knows close to nothing about Team Plasma, the game’s villains. Outside of the gym, he is a fisherman and catches Water-type Pokémon, which he could possibly use in future gym battles.

I really like his personality, not to mention his relaxing gym. The calming music and a decor, that reminds of Super Mario Sunshine’s Noki Bay a little, are a perfect match! After the battle, he jumps into the ocean and swims away. Nice change from most of the stuck-up last Gym Leaders. But well, Humilau city in general has that atmosphere.

9. Winona (Nagi) – “The bird user taking flight into the world.”

The second gym leader who specializes in Flying-type Pokémon. While they didn’t really give that much background for the gym leaders in the older games and Winona isn’t an exception, I really like her design. She’s also quite tenacious and very devoted to her bird Pokémon. She later appears in Black & White 2, just like all the other gym leaders, in the Pokémon World Tournament.

8. Skyla (Huuro) – “The highflying girl”

Another Flying-type specialist, but quite different from her colleague in Generation III. Skyla’s gym is the sixth to be challenged by the player, but the gym isn’t the only thing she has either. Actually, she owns an entire airport which is right next to it and is a pilot like her grandfather was. Also awesome enough to fly you to places and battles the Seven Sages with the Unova gym leaders near the end of the game. She’s also good friends with Elesa and apparently Elesa’s change between Black & White and Black & White 2 is thanks to Skyla.

7. Koga (Kyo) – “The poisonous ninja master”

Ninja huh. Shouldn’t really even require any more explaining why this guy made it to my list, but fine, here’s a bit more.

Koga specializes in Poison-type Pokémon (he likes the despair and horror that Poison-type Pokémon can inflict on others), although not with such a great variety when it comes his party (2 Koffings, 1 Weezing and 1 Muk…). After the events of Generation I, he becomes becomes part of Johto’s Elite Four (and fortunately has a better party…) and leaves the gym in the care of his daughter, Janine, who we see in Fuchsia city’s gym on Generation II/IV. Koga also makes his own medicine for his Pokémon and serves as a teacher. Many people come to him to learn about Ninjutsu and Pokémon, his own daughter Janine being one of the students.

His gym is also quite interesting to me. It has invisible walls and Koga has made a maze out of them. While being clearly visible in the center of the gym, you have to battle some Jugglers and Tamers, who are his students, in order to get to him. Koga’s battle style is also not very direct, unlike with most gym leaders. He likes to uses status ailments to waste your time and possibly the whole battle. Irritating, but also a nice change. “You shall feel the despair of poison and sleep techniques!”, Oh I sure did…

6. Brock (Takeshi) – “The rock-solid Pokémon trainer!”

Who could possibly forget Brock? The great wall to many beginning trainers in Generation I/IV and that’s precisely why he got in this list. Like his title suggests, he is a Rock-type Pokémon trainer, most known member of his party being Onix. He is one of the few gym leaders who are truly dedicated to their work. He is tough and people in Pewter city respect or even admire him. In Yellow, he talks to the Player about his dream of becoming a Pokémon Breeder in the future, just like his anime counterpart. Breeding was impossible in that Generation though, oh well. All in all, when someone makes you think of a gym leader, you know Brock is the first one that comes to mind (or if not him, then Whitney with her Miltank….).

5. Tate and Liza (Fu and Lan) – “The mystic combination!”

The twin gym leaders of Mossdeep city’s gym. These two became some of my instant favourites, just for the fact that it’s a double battle. Generation III was one of the more difficult ones to begin with, but it was here, where I realised that I’m in need of some training and also really started to think about double battles more than I did before. The twins specialize in Psychic-type Pokémon and are the only Psychic specialists, who don’t use Abra’s evolution family. They don’t really have a background, but it’s their title as the only double battle gym leaders so far, that I like. In Black & White 2 however, you battle them separately.

4. Lt. Surge (Matis) – “The lightning American!”

Electric-types have always been my favourites and so it’s only natural that Surge made it in this list, even if not all Electric-type gym leaders still didn’t. He fought in at least one war (which I sure would like to know more about) and apparently was quite strict and cautious commanding officer. He also used his Pokémon to power his planes, which once saved his life. He also saved one of his Trainers once, who was in the army at the same time with him. He likes trainers, who got a lot of guts. Such a bad ass in general.

His gym is full trash cans that have 2 electric switches hidden inside of them. If you fail to get both of them in a row, you have to start all over again and the switches change places. Frustrating, but still better than to just walk straight to him.

3. Volkner (Denzi) – “The shining, shocking star”

Another gym leader who specializes in Electric-types and also is the last gym leader to be battled in Generation IV. He is good friends with Flint, an Elite Four member, who asks the Player to beat Volkner so his passion for battling would come back to him. He is apparently a cut above the rest of the gym leaders of the region since he became depressed of the weak challengers. While considering challenging the Elite Four himself, he spent most of his time renovating the gym, which later caused a blackout in the city because of all the electrical equipment the gym had. Fortunately we are always there to cheer up the guy, at least I hope your party is/was ready.

In Platinum, you can meet him and Flint after the Pokémon League and they will challenge you to a double battle. It was actually quite challenging when I first experienced it. A really nice addition.

2. Elesa (Kamitsure) – “The shining beauty”

The third and last Electric-type specialist in this list. Outside of battle, Elesa is a supermodel and has a very level-headed personality. In the story of Black & White, she convinces Bianca’s father to give his daughter a permission to pursue her dream. Elesa, like other gym leaders, also battles the Seven Sages near the end of the game. She is good friends with Skyla and has fondness for bad puns. “Cofagrigus is so cool! Don’t you *cough* agree, Gus?”

In Black & White, her gym is full of roller coasters, which the Player has to use in order to reach Elesa’s location, but in Black & White 2 the gym is even cooler. It has a catwalk, where the Player battles some of the models and eventually reaches Elesa. It has an awesome screen on stage and Elesa herself gets a new design. Her battle style involves heavy use of Volt Switch when her Emolga is out, but other than that, she’s pretty average. Definitely one of the best gyms overall.

1. Blue Oak (Green Okido)

Shouldn’t require any introductions, but Blue is the Rival and Champion of the Generation I games and Generation III remakes, which are pretty awesome by the way and Viridian city’s gym leader in Generation II games and their remakes, thanks to Giovanni leaving the gym empty when he disbanded Team Rocket in Generation I. But enough about history, why did I put him of all characters as the number one?

While Blue is very cocky and unfriendly character in the Generation I games, he has changed considerably in Generation II and the remakes. First and most importantly though, he still does not specialize in any particular type and therefore has a much stronger team compared to Giovanni’s just going by types alone. This is what I would very much like to see more of in the future games as well as the double battles, like with Tate and Liza.

Despite Blue being a gym leader now, he still travels a lot, which causes a lot problems for the challengers. The Player has to locate him on Cinnabar Island and a have a chat with him before he decides to head back to the gym for a battle in Generation II. The remakes are almost the same, except that the Player has to have the rest of the gym badges in his possession before Blue agrees to a battle, making it very clear that he isn’t interested in just any wimps. Gary ¤%#%” Oak, always forced to be behind Red….guess I should play FireRed for a while now that this post is done.

So what is your Top 10? Any good memories out of all these characters? Share your thoughts in the comments!

…Which is to say that it still has to be proofed and edited. And I have to finish the cover. And format it for paper and digital editions.

In any case, this means I can get back to the blog. I’ll get to that soon, but first, here’s something that should interest at least some of you. I keep copious stats on all of my projects, and I’ve spent the morning compiling them for my own edification. Stick around for a few weeks, and you’ll learn plenty about these characters and their little universe.

Significance of Each Major Character, As Measured by Word Count

1. Will Scarbrough (Blue Group)
2. Aaron Bellamy (Red Group)
3. Diana Liston (Yellow Group)
4. Paul Liston (Yellow Group)
5. Ben Jameson (Yellow Group)
6. Aya Garrett (Blue Group)
7. Derek Brawney (Blue Group)
8. Sara Mills (Blue Group)
9. Jack Burlew (Red Group)
10. Zack Finn (Red Group)
11. Ted Parsons (Red Group)
12. Darrell Garrett (Red Group)
13. Sophia Jameson (Red Group)
14. Sondra Peterson (Red Group)
15. Sam Scarbrough (Red Group)
16. Jedediah DuFresne (Red Group)
17. Martin Frye (Red Group)
18. Zoe Mulroney (Red Group)
19. John Bellamy (Red Group)
20. Micah Edwards (Red Group)

Kind of what I expected. De facto lead Will is the most significant character, followed by recurring antagonist Aaron and the rest of the Illinois Trilogy main cast.  A few of the characters near the bottom are actually more important than their sparse appearances suggest (namely Sophia, Zoe and Jed) and I’ll certainly have plenty to say about them.

Portion of the Book Dedicated to Each Major Plot Thread

The Blue Group is the titular crew, who set a lot of the story in motion. The Red Group covers the town and lab and comprises about six subplots. The Yellow Group involves characters from the previous novels and ties up some plot threads. All things considered, it’s actually pretty big.

An Analysis of the Plot Structure

So I devised my own little plot structure for Paradise Gardens. How does The Sunshine Crew fit in?

• I: Introduction
  
• II: Elevation
• III: Advancement
• IV: Climax
• V: Aftermath

…Not a great fit, though not as far off as I thought it would be.