Fab news that one of our Florence Art of Writing October writers was picked up by UK literary agent, Kate Hordern, at KHLA! Woo-hoo-a-triple-thousand-times! I bounced around my living room with joy while sending that e-introduction. Is there anything more satisfying than connecting a writer with an interested literary agent? Not for me. As part of the Art of Writing we ask all writers to send either a story summary or bio. The summaries are sent to our guest speaker literary agent. If interest is expressed, I connect writer and agent!
This is also why in-person learning is important, rather than zoom learning. Being with like-minded people gets you excited. Chatting with agents gets you super excited. And I am all about the excitement around career writing.
On that note, what have I noticed this week with my book coaching? Character! Dagnabbit! That pesky business of the writer thinking that we know their character, when actually the reader is kind of, hmm, I think this is what the character is like. The writer has not gone deep enough.
Superficial Character: a flat person who only has external stuff going on. Like their surface qualities, visible attributes, and obvious actions or responses. Flat characters have stereotypical qualities. You can predict what they will do because their actions are nothing out of the box. These characters have classic problems, normal fears. Sometimes their past life does not reflect their current life. Sometimes they don’t have a past life, or backstory (yikes!). Very little is going on between their ears or in their heart – as in, there is little inner reflection and subsequently no inner dialogue. There is no BRAIN CHAT, as I call it. They need more brain chat! With emotional conflict and doubts and worries and complexities.
Our internal brain chat is going on all the time. You know what it’s like, you think of this, you think of that. Thoughts are constantly pinging in your brain. And thinking of this or that makes us feel sad, or good, or elated, or connected to my friend, or satisfied with work -- whatever. We all have constant BRAIN CHAT.
Your character must have BRAIN CHAT too. Because those internal thoughts help your reader understand your character’s deepest concerns in a more emotional way. BRAIN CHAT is how you show your character’s internal conflict. You can only show your character’s fears up to a certain point. Then you must go inside their heads so that we can listen to their thoughts.
Some ways to do this? A tip or two on getting into your character’s BRAIN CHAT?
Trying giving your character a morning or evening ritual. A regular routine, that is almost ritualistic, shows exactly the kind of person they are. Fill in their movements with internal dialogue, or an internal monologue.
What are they reading? Give them something out of character. They’re trying a different genre. Go into their heads about why they don’t like it or do and didn’t expect to. Remember your goal is to reveal deeper character with this BRAIN CHAT.
Make them listen to music. What do the lyrics make them feel? Or think? Or remember? Maybe they are tone deaf and sing loudly. Every now and then someone calls out ‘oh, please be quiet,’ or ‘SHUT UP!’ or ‘For the love of God, give us a break!’ Who do they live with? Does your character stop singing? How does singing make them feel? Why? Are they introverts who never sing in public? Or are they extroverts?
Please think of some deep ways to show your character’s BRAIN CHAT.
If you’ve got a good idea of how to bring in BRAIN CHAT, ping it to me by email and I can put it in the next Blog. Let’s share our ideas and help each other.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Art of Writing Brisbane retreat is next -- March 6-9. Please join us. Our literary agent is Zeitgeist Agency, with Samuel Bernard and Benython Oldfield. Drop me a line for the full program. Our Florence retreats are ready for bookings for June and July, 2025. You can make your booking for Brisbane and Florence here below.
Time to Write sessions will start up late November, as I’m find settling back into Australia more time consuming than I thought. But we will start our Sunday night/morning writing sessions soon. We will!
What am I reading? WE SOLVE MURDERS, Richard Osman’s new book after THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB series. I regularly find myself laughing out loud.
What am I listening to? Not much really in the way of podcasts. I listen mostly to music. So am no help to you there at all.
Hope to see you in Brisbane!
Lisa