Wednesday 27 April 2011

Falling in Love Again

So you’ve reached that point in your book where you start to think it isn’t good enough. You feel like ripping it up or pushing the delete button. You’ve hit the confidence wall most writers seem to find at some point in their WIP. How do you get through it?

Action Plan

I’d like to explore ways to fall in love with your hero all over again, which just might get you back into your story with renewed confidence.

1. Study his star sign and the predictions for it in the newspaper, magazines or online. You might find ‘A Writer's Guide to the Zodiac: How the Stars Can Help You Understand Your Characters’ by Giselle Green helpful.

2. Put photographs of actors or people from magazines that have ‘his look’ around your writing place.

3. Search for aspects of him in the men you meet in your daily life.

4. Cook his favourite meal and then imagine him eating it while you enjoy the food.

5. Dream about him. Put his photo under your pillow at night and see what happens.

6. Play music that you think he would like or else makes you think of him.

7. Go on a date with him. You can imagine this or even book a show or restaurant you think he would enjoy.

8. Think about things that would make him laugh and surround yourself with them. Have fun.

9. Buy magazines which reflect his hobbies or interests.

10. Put the aftershave you think he might wear on an old jumper or scarf and inhale him.


 
Let me know if any of these are helpful or if you have any other ideas for reconnecting with your hero.

8 comments:

  1. I use Onenote for storing all my story ideas, and the great thing about it is I can grab a photo off the internet and store it there. I'm collecting a hero gallery, I usually have a page for each story :D (Onenote is great to create sections (each story idea gets one) and in that is pages :D

    I've studied the star signs too to get a feel for personality lol!

    I do still fret about my characters though, but I did get positive feedback about my hero in The Wedding Favour (Adam) from some reader friends - phew!

    I do tend to let my sleep genie prod me morning and just before bed, to remind me about my hero. Sends me off to sleep nicely - just don't tell my husband! :-P

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  2. Great tips on many levels Morton, thank you!

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  3. Hi Morton,

    You made some great and valid points here. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Hi Teresa - I like the idea of a hero gallery. My current WIP has a hero and heroine based on photos from a well known clothing company! Sort of recycling really rather than just throw it in the bin. The book I recommend is very helpful for star sign characters and has a gorgeous cover. What you say about not telling hubbie reminds me of a Chris de Burgh song line - 'A woman's night is filled with dreaming of the perfect man, who may not be you' listen at http://bit.ly/47d2dK. Mx

    Hi Ellie and Nas - Thank you, hope it was helpful. Mx

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  5. I do that, too. I collect photos and links to inspire the characters and the setting. Storywonk even has a class where they make a collage based on the story.

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  6. Hi Julia. My writing class leader puts together fact sheets for each character. These have photos, physical descriptions, character traits, background, fears, talents and even things like brand of toothpaste and what they do with their loose change at night. I've always been too impatient to get writing, but I am forcing myself to do more of this background work.

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  7. I have a gallery too. Never fails to inspire me, though when I was searching for the right visual inspiration for the shifter in my newest wip, it was a bit disconcerting to have hubbie looking over my shoulder. His comment of, "Oh yeah, I would if I was gay," had me sputtering my coffee over the screen ;-)

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  8. Doris - Lol about hubbie. Congratulations on your successes. I find I have to choose heroes who don't look too young or otherwise I feel like a dirty old woman! Mx

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