I JUST HAD AN IDEA.
For anyone who doesn't know me in real life, I get really, absurdly excited when I get an idea. Read that first line with as much enthusiasm as you can envision.
TO THE IDEA!
To help out fellow novelists and aspiring writers, I'm going to start posting some of my tips and tricks that helped me get through Among the People Lost. Maybe it'll also serve as a reminder of what to do when 50,000 words starts looking like a lot.
I'll warn you ahead of time, my methods are, to say the least, ridiculous. I have the most round-about way of looking at things, and I imagine many people would say my methods don't make any sense at all. They work for me, though, and if they work for someone else, then great! If not, you get free material that you can use to question my sanity.
Let's get started right away, shall we?
Tip #1: Make your characters into ponies.
For those of you unfamiliar with My Little Pony, ponies are colorful, cute, and have "cutie marks" that are related to what they do for a living or a special skill they have. They're a pony's identity. Ponies can be an earth pony (just your basic pony), a pegasus, or a unicorn. Earth ponies do things by hard work; pegasi manipulate things from among the clouds; unicorns do things by magic.
Decide on colors. Colors are important. What sort of color scheme do you associate with your character? Is he always in black, or does he wear a tan coat? Hair color = mane and tail color, so that's easy.
Cutie marks are important. What makes your character special? What's his special talent, his calling in life, or his symbol? If you're having trouble, put some time into thinking about it. Giving a character a symbol can add a new layer to his personality.
Pony Dante is grey (because he wears dark colors to blend into the shadows) with a black mane/tail and grey eyes. He also has a cute little shirt since he's always in button-down shirts. His cutie mark is a red Japanese maple leaf, as he has one tattooed on his right forearm in memory of his mother. He is associated with that leaf/tree several times throughout the book.
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| Pony Dante is not very colorful. |
I made my pony in this pony maker, which you should use because it's fun and cute. :)
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