Character Fight Book Tag

So, I kind of stole this book tag from the lovely bloggers at A Magical World of Books. But, it just looked too fun to pass up.

If you don't know how this tag works, here're the rules:

- You write down the names of 30 characters.
- For every question in the tag, you randomly draw two names.
- From those two names drawn, you answer the question accordingly.

Let's do this!


My Character's

1. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

2. Bella Swan (Twilight)

3. Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games)

4. Persephone (Daughters of Zeus)

5. Daemon Black (Obsidian)

6. Maxon Schreave (The Selection)

7. R (Warm Bodies)

8. Kaidan Rowe (Sweet Evil)

9. Juliette Ferrars (Shatter Me)

10. Dracula

11. Sherlock Holmes

12. Wonder Woman

13. Willow Rosenburg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

14. Rosalie Hale (Twilight)

15. Peta Mellark (Hunger Games)

16. Hades (Daughters of Zeus)

17. Katy Swartz (Obsidian)

18. Voldemort (Harry Potter)

19. Wicked Witch of the West (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

20. Grendel’s Mother (Beowulf)

21. Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)

22. The Man in Black (The Gunslinger)

23. Nick Dunne (Gone Girl)

24. Dr. Horrible (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog)

25. Gregory House (House)

26. Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)

27. Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

28. Bonnie Bennett (The Vampire Diaries)

29. Sookie Stackhouse (Dead Until Dark)

30. Xena (Xena Warrior Princess)



You only have one more spot on your spelling bee team. Who gets it?

1. Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)

2. Katy Swartz (Obsidian)

Ooo, this is tough. I can imagine both Amy and Katy being pretty good in a spelling bee, but Amy is a total psychopath so I think I’d have to go with Katy. She’s a book blogger and reads a lot so I bet she’s got a pretty large vocabulary.



Both characters want to kill you. Whom would you kill first to have a better chance of survival?

1. The Man in Black (The Gunslinger)

2. Wicked Witch of the West (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

The Man in Black. I don’t know how I would kill him. He’s got all that crazy otherworldly magic, but if I can figure out how to take him out then I just have to throw a bucket of water at the Wicked Witch and I’m home free.



You're on the bachelor/bachelorette and down to two characters. Who gets your rose?
1. Maxon Schreave (The Selection)

2. Kaidan Rowe (Sweet Evil)

Kaidan Rowe. Maxon was a sweetie, but I’m a sucker for the misunderstood bad-boy.



You've been chosen for the Hunger Games. Who's most likely to volunteer in your place?

1. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

2. Bella Swan (Twilight)

I think Bella would volunteer to take Edward’s place, but probably not mine so I have to say Buffy Summers on this one. And, let’s be serious, Buffy would probably win the Hunger Games (or find a way to escape and save everyone) where Bella wouldn’t even make it through training.



You're stranded on an island and must engage in cannibalism to survive. Whom do you eat?

1. Voldemort (Harry Potter)

2. Willow Rosenburg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Okay, one, gross. Two, I feel like I can be strategic about this. We eat Voldemort, obviously, but maybe Willow can magic him into something first. Hopefully, something more like a Thanksgiving dinner and not a rat though.



You're the next Marvel superhero (with your own TV show, of course). Who's your sidekick?

1. Juliette Ferrars (Shatter Me)

2. Persephone (Daughters of Zeus)

Interesting. Can I have them both? They both have some pretty cool powers. Juliette’s touch of pain could be useful, but Persephone can affect an entire season, plus she has that all-access pass to the Underworld, which I think could come in handy.



You're a manager of an avocado company. Whom would you fire for poor communication skills?

1. Dracula

2. R (Warm Bodies)

Ha, um both? Between Drac’s blah-bl-blah Transylvanian accent and R’s lack of talking being a zombie I don’t see either one of them communicating well at an avocado company.



You've just finished a book in which your favorite character dies. Which of these two characters is more likely to comfort you?

1. Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games)

2. Wonder Woman

I love Katniss, but I have to say Wonder Woman. She’s much more nurturing than Katniss is. Katniss was all about survival.She’d probably just tell me to suck it up because there’s more important things going on.



Ugh, it's high school. Who would most likely be part of the popular clique?

1. Bonnie Bennett (The Vampire Diaries)

2. Xena (Xena Warrior Princess)

Probably Bonnie, she was a cheerleader after all, but she was like the nice girl in the popular clique.



The day has arrived; you're finally a year older! Who would have the nerve to forget your birthday?

1. Nick Dunne (Gone Girl)

2. Hades (Daughters of Zeus)

Nick Dunne. I mean, he wasn’t the greatest husband to Amy. Forgetting birthdays is probably not something new to him. Plus, I feel like Hades would be on top of that stuff. Ruling the Underworld he’d have an eternity of me being pissy with him.



You've just found an upcoming YouTube star! Whom is it more likely to be?

1. Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)

2. Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

Definitely Lucifer, I think he’d get a kick out of that.



Sleepover time! Unfortunately, you can only invite one person. Who would it be?

1. Sookie Stackhouse (Dead Until Dark)

2. Dr. Horrible (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog)

Hmm, I kind of want to say Dr. Horrible just because then there’d be singing, and he really wasn’t all that horrible.



Bam, you're pregnant. Who's the father/mother?

1. Daemon Black (Obsidian)

2. Sherlock Holmes

Holy alien babies, can it please be Daemon Black?



You've just written a super important text. Who would see it and not reply?

1. Gregory House (House)

2. Peta Mellark (Hunger Games)

Dr. House, no question. Peta would text me back a love letter.



You've just woken up, and it's time for breakfast. Your mom's been replaced by.....whom?

1. Grendel’s Mother (Beowulf)

2. Rosalie Hale (Twilight)

Tough one. Both are fiercely protective, but I think I’ve got to go with Rosalie. She might be just a tad more reasonable than Grendel’s Mother.

Canceled TV Shows: What Writers can Learn from Them

Stories come in many different forms including, books, movies, and TV shows. And, while I may only work in one of those mediums I think all writers can learn from any kind of story, regardless of if it's written or watched. So, today I'm writing about TV shows and how we can be better writers from watching them.

TV shows get cancelled for many different reasons. Sometimes great shows get the axe simply for falling in a bad time slot. But, often there are mistakes the writers make regarding the show's plot. In this post, I'll discuss some shows I loved, where I think the writers lost their viewers, and how you can learn from their mistakes.

Terra Nova - Premise: A family living in a dystopian world travels "back in time" to the land of the dinosaurs to give humanity a second chance. It was a great mix of science fiction and family drama.

Where they went wrong: They waited too long to explain what the show was really about. The last episode revealed this show was less "Jurassic Park" and more "Land of the Lost." Knowing this, there were so many more places they could have gone with the plot, and had they reveled it sooner I think viewers may have been more interested in a second season.

What to take away from this: Twists are great and exciting, but if your twist reveals something important about what your book is about, revealing it too late may mean your readers never get to it because you've bored them for too long. Or, worse, you leave your readers feeling duped that your novel took a left hand turn and became something they weren't expecting. Terra Nova may have done better if they'd left more clues to their big twist along the way.

Resurrection - Premise: The dead return to be reunited with their families.

Where they went wrong: They went too big. I loved the first season of this show, and the beginning of the second, but the last few episodes of the second season took the story in a direction that I didn't like. What I loved about the show was that it was about people, their lives, their deaths, family, friends and love. I think I cried at some point watching nearly ever episode in season one. Seeing how the loss of a loved one affected these people struck a cord with me, and seeing them being reunited with lost loves was beautiful. At the end of the second season, it stopped being about the people. Instead, the resurrection phenomenon went global and so did the story. They also added a story line about a character's baby with religious undertones that suggested he may be the Antichrist. Suddenly, the story was about good and evil, God and the devil, overpopulation, and the apocalypse; gone were the heartwarming moments between families. The show just got too big.

What to take away from this: Your characters are what make your book great. Don't let your plot run away on you. Resurrection would have been better if they kept the phenomenon local. They lost a lot by making it global. What made the show work was that it felt close to your heart. When the phenomenon went global it became distant and I didn't feel connected to the plot anymore.

Beauty and the Beast: Premise: Soldier turned science experiment looks after local cop from the shadows and falls in love with her.

What went wrong: This show had so much promise and I loved the first season. But the show quickly diverted from all the things that made it great. The caring yet quiet male lead that hid away in the shadows became an arrogant asshole who reveals himself to the world. His relationship with Cat took strange and unrealistic turns and she became unlikeable as well. The writers went to the extremes to push them apart and then when they got back together everything felt too easy. Their relationship became boring.

What to take away from this: Know what your story is about. If your readers get angsty star-crossed love in book 1, don't give them an easy going couple living happily ever after in book 2. Pay attention to what's working in your story and bring back those feelings in different ways as the story progresses. Characters change and grow, and sometimes they do out of character things. But, if there isn't at least hope that what we love about them most is still there, your reader will stop caring about them. If you go to the extremes to push them apart, accept that you may not be able to force them back together. An example of writers doing this right can be seen in the SyFy show The 100. At the beginning of season 2 Finn goes too far trying to rescue Clarke. He kills a number of innocent people and it's clear things won't be the same between him and Clarke after this. Instead of trying to force these characters back together Finn's story progresses in a more logical way, ending with his death. Though sad, it felt far more satisfactory than the path Beauty and the Beast took.

Second Chance: Premise: A twist on the classic Frankenstein novel, a retired sheriff with a shady record dies, then is resurrected as a young man. He sought to do right in the world, fix his own mistakes and mend the broken relationship with his son.

What went wrong: I tuned in every week for this show. It was great, and still is. Where they went wrong is that they didn't have anywhere to go after Season 1, and though they tried setting up a new storyline in the last episode, it felt forced. Unlike Terra Nova, that had a lot to explore and just revealed it too late, this show wrapped up an entire concept then tried to introduce a new one too late. They wrapped up all their threads, leaving no mysteries to be reveled in a subsequent season. Viewers want to see a continuation from season 1 to season 2, something needs to carry over.

What to take away from this: If you're writing a series make sure you think about where your second book is going. Think about which characters you're killing off. Would keeping them around make your sequel better? Think about which characters you've introduced. You need to think about where your story is going and writing the elements you need to take it there. Some mysteries should be set up in book 1 to be revealed in book 2. Otherwise you should consider writing a solo book instead of a series. Maybe Second Chance would have been better as a mini-series?

Penny Dreadful: Premise: Classic monsters, including Dracula, the wolf man, Dr. Frankenstein, and Dorian Grey come together in one series that follows Vanessa Ives as she tries to escape the devil.

Where they went wrong: This series wasn't canceled, but instead ended after three seasons, and it shouldn't have. Unlike the other shows on this list whose mistakes may have led to their cancellation; this show's only mistake was ending. This show was well written with interesting characters and dark, twisted story lines. But, they ended the series with stories left to be told. I didn't feel like Vanessa and Ethan's story had been fleshed out as much as it could have. I wanted to know more about Dr. Jekyll, and what would Dorian do now that Lily was gone. Would Ethan ever find out that Dr. Frankenstein brought his former girlfriend back to life? Would John ever find happiness that didn't disappoint him? I expected another season and I was disappointed when this ended where it did.

What to take from this: Don't leave your reader's with lose ends. If you're coming to the end of your book or series make sure you wrap up all your story lines with satisfying ends. Not everyone needs a happy ending, but don't leave them with unfinished business. Otherwise, write another book or you risk your readers being very unhappy with you.

What shows did you love that disappointed you when the writing took a turn? Have you read any books that make any of these mistakes?

Returning from Hiatus

It's been over a year since my last blog post. I can't believe that much time has gone by, but the good news is that my life has finally settled down to the point where I think I'm ready to jump back into my writing - not that I ever completely stopped. The wedding is over, my major home repairs are finished, and I've put my masters degree on hold (possibly permanently). I've been going a little crazy being away from this world for so long, and I can't wait to get back at it.

So, what can you expect from me now that writing and blogging are back on my regular "to-do" list?

First, Unearthed After Sunset is on it's way! It will still be another few months before it's published, and I'm not ready to set a release date yet, but the end is in sight. It has also gone through some major revisions, and I'm getting really excited to publish it.

Second, I'm going to be blogging regularly again. I may not have been very active on social media over the last year, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading. I have a stack of book reviews to post. I also have some blog post ideas and I'm going to work on getting back to a regular posting schedule. You can expect to see a new post from me every other week from here out (hopefully I'll get back to once a week soon).

Finally, my blog and all of my social media outlets have gotten a make over! Expect to see more revisions and new elements in the near future. I'm hoping to have an official website up and running before I publish my next book.

So, stay tuned, there's more to come.

I will be posting every other week on Thursdays!

So, I've been on Hiatus...

You may have noticed that I haven't written a blog post in a while. And, I'm sad to say that it may be some time before I get back to writing regular posts. When I started this blog it was important to me that I make a post at least once a week, and I did pretty well at that for a long time. For over two years I kept to that "one post a week" schedule pretty well, sometimes even exceeding my own expectations. But, lately it just hasn't been so.

So, what's the deal?

Have I given up?

Absolutely not.

Writing is a life-long journey, and like everything in life, it has it's ups and downs. It's not that I don't have anything to say anymore. I promise, even if I don't have the time to write a post I'm still jotting down ideas for later. Life, my life outside of the worlds I create with pen and paper, is crazy at the moment. I've gotten a promotion at work, I'm planning a wedding, and I'm going to school for my Master's degree. Needless to say I've had to reorganize a few things and at the moment much of my writing has gotten bumped. But, I haven't stopped all together.

I'm still working on Unearthed After Sunset, as well as a few other stories. I'm not able to devote as much time to them as I had in the past, but they haven't been forgotten. Right now, I'm typing away at 12:21 at night to get this post written, just because I had a moment to share my thoughts.

So here's the deal.

Writing isn't a hobby for me. It's not just a dream. Writing is what I love, and you will see me returning to regular posts and publishing stories, because this is apart of who I am. But, right now I've got some other things to sort out.

Basically, I'm saying stay tuned.

I may be quite right now, but I still have a lot to say.

So, until later, happy reading, happy writing.

I'll be back soon.

8 Things I've Never Told You

Today I'm sharing all my secrets.

I post a lot of book reviews and writing tips. I often talk about the books I'm writing, but I haven't written a personal post in a while. Blogging isn't just about sharing information, it's about sharing your personality. Some of my favorite blogs are my favorites, not because of the subject matter they discuss, but because of how it's discussed. A blogger's voice, the person behind the words, that's what makes me read one blog over another.

So, today I'm sharing a few things with all of you about who I am.

Also, I think the best way to create a believable character is to truly know what makes a person who they are. It's easy to write a list of likes and dislikes. Which, is something many of us do when creating a character, but who they are goes deeper than that. Maybe finding out a little more about me will help you write deeper characters.

A doddle I doodled way back when

I have two dogs, that I love, but I think I might secretly be a cat person. I love my dogs. I do, but cats are so independent. They don't need to be taken for walks, and they certainly don't tug on the leash when they run after a squirrel.

My most prized possessions are not the things I've bought with my own money, but things that I couldn't have bought at all. My favorite things include a (perfectly seasoned) cast iron skillet, passed down to me from my great grandmother, and a stack of letters my boyfriend used to write me when we were first dating.

I don't want to be connected to social media 24/7. If it wasn't for my writing I probably wouldn't use social media at all. I don't think everyone needs to know what I'm doing every second of the day. I don't want my car and my phone and my Facebook and whatever else to all sync together. I don't want my GPS telling people where I am when I send out text messages. I'm not trying to hide anything, I just don't think it's anyone' business. (The only exception is my Kindle. I love that if I read something on my Kindle I can pick up in the same place on my smartphone the next day.)

I love being scared. I like horror movies, horror as a book genre, and just scary stuff all around. I grew up reading Stephen King, and though I really enjoy writing YA, I would love to write something dark and terrifying (and may have something like that in the works).

In my day job I work in youth services with at risk kids and teens. I would love to work full time as a writer, but since that isn't quite paying the bills yet, what I do now feels like the next best thing. I have a BA in Psychology and spend my days working with kids who either have cognitive disabilities or behavioral problems, and I love what I do.

I hate peanut butter cookies. Love peanut butter, love cookies, hate when the two come together. Honestly, I don't know what that's all about. I've just disliked them ever since I was a kid, and there's a lot of things I used to dislike as a kid that I've grown to enjoy, but peanut butter cookies just aren't one of them.

I truly enjoy reading indie books. I don't just support indie books because I'm an indie author and I want you to buy my books. I honestly enjoy reading indie books and try to make an effort to read just as many indies as I do traditionally published books.

I think I was born in the wrong era. I think I should have been born in the late sixties / early seventies. I hate Reality TV, I'd rather watch M*A*S*H. I'd trade 90% of the music they play on the radio to listen to The Stones or The Doors. There is no movie in existence that quite captures the drama of high-school like 80's flicks such as The Breakfast Club, or 16 Candles; and, well, you already read about how I feel about being connected to social media.

6 Ways to Follow your Favorite Bloggers

Depending on your source, there are over 152,000,000 blogs in existence (as of 2014), and a new blog is being created every half a second. I currently follow 116 blogs, and I've heard others following anywhere from a few to a few hundred blogs.

With so many fascinating blogs out there, and everyone posting on different schedules, it can be easy to lose track of your favorite blogs.

If you stay connected to your favorite bloggers by just occasionally popping over to their page, you're probably missing a lot.

Whether you only follow one blog or a few hundred the following tips will help you find the best way to stay up to date with their posts and keep them organized.


1. Look for quick follow icons. Most bloggers will include on their main page icons that show you the social networking sites they belong to where you can follow them. At the top of my page, you can find my links where you can follow me on twitter, pinterest, facebook, goodreads, ect...

 

2. Join Bloglovin. Bloglovin is a social networking site dedicated to helping you find new blogs and keeping their posts organized in one place. Follow me on Bloglovin.

 

3. Get your favorite blogs to send their posts directly to your e-mail. Many bloggers will  have a Follow by E-mail submission box, like I do on the right hand side of my page. Enter your e-mail address in it and every time I publish a new post you'll get a notification in your inbox. (Note, you might want to see how often that particular blog posts, or your inbox might be filling up quickly. This option is best for a blog like mine that only posts a day a week.)

 

 

4. Use Google+, Twitter, or Yahoo to join the blog. This is a great option if you are a blogger yourself. When I join a blog via Google+ all the posts for that blog appear on my Reading List on my Blogger Dashboard. So, every time I log on to write a new blog post of my own I can easily scroll through the feed of blogs I follow.

5. Join Networked Blogs. Networked Blogs is similar to Bloglovin, but uses Facebook and Twitter to help you share the posts you're reading.

6. Follow your blogs via a Feed Reader. If you see a blog with a subscribe icon like the one below you can get that blog's RSS feed and follow it on a feed reader like Feedly, Curata, or Digg. If you like to read blog posts on multiple devices, particularly your smartphone, this might be the best option for you.

 

 

I hope these suggestions make it easier for you to stay connected to your favorite blogs, and remember, if you read a post you like, please share it!

 



Writing Plot Twists! Inspiration from The Vampire Diaries

Plot twists are a great way to move a story forward and keep things interesting. Whether you watch The Vampire Diaries or not, I hope you’ll find this post helpful in understanding what makes an effective plot twist.

An effective plot twist is about more than just throwing in some random element to shake things up.  

The best plot twists also attend to a particular issue within the story. TVD’s plot twists do just that. The writers at The Vampire Diaries are the kings at throwing the unexpected at us. This is part of what makes the show upbeat, fast paced, and so damn addicting. But, their plot twists also mean something. Below I’m going to analyze some of the plot twists we’ve seen in the show, up to the episode  “The Devil Inside” (which has a huge plot twist) and explain why they were not only interesting because they were unexpected, but necessary for the progression of the plot and development of the characters.

Episode 1.14 “Fool Me Once”

Plot Twist: Katherine isn’t in the tomb – Much of Season 1’s plot revolves around Damon wanting to free his long lost love, Katherine, from a tomb in Mystic Falls, where she's been imprisoned since the 1800's. This is the reason Damon is in Mystic Falls to begin with, and he does a lot of destruction while he’s there. When it’s discovered that Katherine was NEVER in the tomb it not only made the viewers say “What?!” but Damon as well. 

Why it Needed to Happen: The Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle that the show is known for never could have existed if Katherine had been in that tomb. This is huge turning point for Damon’s character development. He’s been pining after Katherine for hundreds of years, trying to figure out how he was going to save her. To realize that she not only didn’t need saving, but that she never really loved him, breaks him. It shatters his entire world, and he has to completely redefine himself. And, if it had never happened, he never would have been able to open himself up for Elena.

Episode 2.2 “Brave New World”

Plot Twist: Katherine turns Caroline into a vampire – Most viewers probably thought things were over for Elena's close friend, Caroline, when this happened. After all, it didn’t turn out so well for Vicki. This put viewers on edge for this entire episode as they waited for Caroline to kill someone, or for someone to kill her. 

Why it Needed to Happen: Without this plot twist Caroline’s character was starting to feel flat. It’s not until after Caroline becomes a vampire that she really figures out who she is. She learns a lot about herself once she’s a vampire and she grows as a person. In many ways Caroline is better as a vampire. This is an important plot twist because it does a lot for Caroline’s character development. 

Episode 3.22 “The Departed”

Plot Twist: Elena dies and becomes a vampire – Killing off a character is a great plot twist, one that TVD takes advantage of in nearly every episode. Killing off the main character has the ultimate shock value, and since it was kept hidden that Elena had digested vampire blood until the very end, viewers were left to think that she really died up until the very end.

Why it Needed to Happen: The love triangle depended on this plot twist. This could have been some random thing TVD did to stir things up, but it wasn’t, because they set it up right. There are a lot of secrets that Damon has been keeping from Elena up to this point via compulsion. When she becomes a vampire his compulsion goes away, and she starts to remember all of the things he's kept from her. This was necessary to move the plot forward. Season 3 ended with Elena making a choice between the two brothers – Stephan, but she didn’t have all the facts at the time. The show did a great job setting this up, and it allows season 4 to essentially restart the love triangle without making Elena feel wishy-washy in her decisions.

Episode 4.23 “Graduation”

Plot Twist: Katherine becomes human – Out of everyone who was after "the cure" Katherine was the last vampire viewers ever thought would get it. So, when Elena shoves it down her throat viewers were stunned and left to wonder just what this would mean for her in Season 5.

Why it Needed to Happen: Katherine becoming human made her relevant again. She didn't really have a place in Mystic Falls or a need to stick around until this happened. It also allowed for her to grow as a character. Suddenly Katherine becomes the weak human in need of protection. It flipped the scrip, making Katherine, the villain of the show so far, the victim in constant need of saving. It’s this plot twist that allows viewers to understand her better and see her as a person and not just evil. Without this plot twist Stephan would never have been able to rekindle feelings for her, and the viewers wouldn’t have been able to accept them. Viewers also wouldn’t have been able to feel bad for her while she lies on her death bed. This also sets up another plot twist, because right as we start to feel bad for us, she reminds us just how selfish and undeserving of our love she is.

Episode 5.10 “Fifty Shades of Grayson”

Plot Twist: Damon breaks up with Elena – What?! We never thought Damon would ever break up with Elena. Not after pining after her for two years (four and a half seasons). If anything viewers thought it would have been the other way around. 

Why it Needed to Happen: Damon was right. “I'm bad, Elena. I'm bad for you,” he tells her, and he is. This is important because if Damon has any chance of becoming a better person he needs to acknowledge this about himself. And, if Damon had never broken it off with Elena he never would have been able to say this in 5.12: “You are literally the best person I’ve ever known. And for me to think I could change you gives me way too much credit and you not nearly enough. You’re the best influence on me. I need you. You’re the good and I need a little good in my life because without it there’s an awful lot of darkness.”

Episode 5.12 “The Devil Inside”

Plot Twist: Katherine takes over Elena’s body – Yes TVD just knocked off their lead role! (But, hopefully not for good.) What makes this truly horrible is that just when Elena and Damon have come to the decision to forgive one another, Katherine steps in and screws it all up by pretending to be Elena and ending things with Damon for good.

Why it Needed to Happen: My heart broke when Katherine/Elena broke things off with Damon. But if Damon and Elena were to ever make things work for the long haul this needed to happen. When Katherine tells Damon that they can’t be together because she can’t be the only thing that makes him a good person, she’s just trying to get rid of him as she’s not really Elena. But, she’s right. Elena shouldn’t be the only thing that makes Damon good. She shouldn’t have to worry that he’s going to go off the hinges whenever they get in a fight. Damon needs to be more than a serial killer on a leash, he needs to actually change. What Katherine tells Damon is important because it gives him the opportunity to be good for himself, and not just because it’s what Elena wants. (Now we’ll just have to see if he can do that.)

These plot twists are great because in each one they force a particular character to deal with a situation or part of their personality. They’re effective because they have meaning. So, if you’re writing a plot twist, don’t just think “What can I do to shake things up?” think “What’s something my characters need to deal with, that I can use to shake things up?”

If you liked this post you might also enjoy "The Vampire Diaries just like Buffy?" or "Finding Inspiration in TV's Saddest Moments"

The Good and Bad Messages of Disney Princesses

What lessons are your novels teaching and can they be interpreted differently?

I’ve seen a number of blog posts lately that have been a little hard on the Disney movies we all grew up with, particularly the Disney Princesses. So I thought I’d take a minute to look at the ways different people interpret messages in a story differently. In every book we write, whether we intend to or not, we end up saying something, we include symbolism and meaning behind (hopefully) every page. Sometimes though the way we intend a message to be taken is interpreted another way. So here are the good and bad interpretations of some famous Disney princesses. Hopefully in understanding how these opposing viewpoints can be found in the same stories we can better appraise our own work and make our messages clearer.

Snow White

Bad Messages:
If something bad happens just wait around for a man to come along and save you. - Snow white’s stepmother tries to have her killed because she’s prettier than her. So, she hides away in a cabin in the woods, cooking and cleaning for dwarves until the handsome prince comes along to make everything better. 

Good Messages:
Other than the overarching theme of good conquering evil, I feel like this story has a strong message about friendship. When Snow White stumbles upon the Seven Dwarfs they take her in and look after her and she does the same for them. She doesn’t need to be in some big castle to be happy she just needs to be surrounded by good people.

What Would Make the Good Message Clearer:
The majority of this movie is Snow White escaping from, or hiding from her evil stepmother. She never really does anything to help save herself. If we had gotten to see more of Show White’s strengths, skills and personality, she might not have seemed so two-dimensional. By giving Snow White better character development and depth she wouldn’t have seemed like such a bystander in the story.

How to Apply to Your Writing:

The damsel in distress bit is overdone. Not that you can’t have a female character being saved by a male character, just that there should be more to who the female character is than “the girl that gets saved”. Give your characters dimensions. Furthermore readers like to see main character be active in the movement of the plot and resolution to conflict. If you have a female lead and the story ends without her even having a part in saving the day, your readers may feel cheated.

Cinderella

Bad Messages:
Makeovers and money fix everything. – Cinderella is basically treated like a slave by her ugly stepmother and sisters until one day her fairy god mother dresses her up and sends her to the ball where she meets the handsome prince who then rescues her from her miserable life.

Good Messages:
Some argue that Cinderella’s meeting with her fairy Godmother, who dresses her up and prepares her for the ball, symbolizes that to get the guy all you have to do is dress pretty. I however would argue that Cinderella teaches that beauty is fleeting. After all at the stroke of midnight everything Cinderella’s fairy Godmother changed turned back (except for the glass slippers of course). Cinderella’s luxuries were temporary, and at the end of the story, when the prince comes to find Cinderella, he still loves her even without the pretty dress and pumpkin coach. Cinderella is ultimately a good person. She’s treated horrible by her stepmother and step-sisters, but she doesn’t seem to resent them for it. She doesn’t plot against them or hate them, and at the end of the story it’s the fact that she’s a good person that lands her the prince.

What Would Make the Good Message Clearer:
Giving the prince more than five minutes of dance time to get to know Cinderella before she runs out of the ball might make it easier for critics out there to believe that he went looking for the mystery girl in the glass slippers because of who she was on the inside and not just how gorgeous she was in that blue dress.

How to Apply to Your Writing:
Insta-love relationships are cheap. Your readers want to see your characters get to know each other, and they want to understand why your prince is so in love with your Cinderella. Otherwise their emotions come off as lust rather than love and the attraction seems vain.

Ariel


Bad Messages:
It’s okay to run away from home, drastically change your body, and trade your best talent for a guy. - Ariel is so unhappy with her life as a mermaid princess that she trades her beautiful voice to become human so she can be with a guy she met once.

Good Messages:
The Little Mermaid has a wonderful sense of adventure. She wants to see the world and experience new things. Does she make some bad decisions, absolutely, but learning from your mistakes is part of growing up, and so is learning to appreciate who you are. There is a message of “be careful what you wish for” here, as things don’t turn out perfectly with the contract Ariel signs. After all she does ironically give away the one thing Prince Eric remembers of her from when she saved him in the storm – her voice. This nearly allows Ursula to steal him away from her. I also think it’s important to note that the thing the prince fell in love with Ariel for was not her looks but her voice, this was something Ariel had to learn to appreciate about herself instead of taking it for granted. She had to learn to value her talent and that it was important to be more than just a pretty face. Also I would like to point out that at the end it's Ariel's father that turns her back into a human allowing her to marry Eric. I think there is a message here about accepting your children for who they are and that this shows that Ariel should have gone to her father in the first place. She may end up leaving her family in the end, but there is still a positive message about being honest with your parents even though this was something Ariel had to learn.

What Would Make the Good Message Clearer:
I think what most people are upset about in this story is that in the end Ariel gets everything she wants without any lasting consequences. That can leave people wondering if she really learned her lesson. The original Hans Christian Andersen tale has a much sadder ending, and the Disney version loses a lot of what the story is about by changing it. In the Hans Christian Andersen tale the little mermaid truly has to make a sacrifice for the greater good and the ending isn’t a happy one, but the overall feel of the story is more complete. 

How to Apply to Your Writing:
Actions have consequences. Happily ever after may work for Disney, but your reader is going to feel cheated if your character makes a poor decision with no real consequences. They’re also going to feel cheated if things work out too easily for everyone in the end. It’s not always fun to write a sad ending, but sometimes that’s what necessary to make a great story.

Belle

Bad Messages:
It doesn’t matter if a guy kidnaps you and is abusive to you; you can change him just by loving him. – Belle is kidnapped by a hideous monster who is horrible to her, but just by loving him she’s able to change him into a decent person.

Good Messages:
Belle has a lot of good qualities. She’s smart, likes to read, and rejects Gaston’s cheesy advances. She gets some slack for staying in what some call an “abusive relationship” with the Beast, but they seem to forget that she does so in order to save her father. She sacrifices her own freedom so he can leave. Furthermore, the Beast does set her free, and she leaves. He does actually change and become a better person. It’s only then that Belle returns to the Beast knowing that he has the ability to be a good person. Belle shows the Beast kindness, I think this story is more about being kind to all people, even if they appear ugly or seem mean, than it is about trying to change people. It may be a little idealistic to say that there’s good in all people and they can be good if given the chance, but that’s still a positive message.

What Would Make the Good Message Clearer:
In the beginning of this story the Beast becomes the literal monster he already is. He’s not just misunderstood he actually has a dark heart. He didn’t become this grumpy recluse because he looked scary. He became a mean, violent animal because he was this stuck up, vain, rich guy. Had The Beast been turned into this creature by mistake somehow, or if it had been a curse unjustly put upon him, it might have been easier for the viewers to see the good in the Beast that Belle does.

How to Apply to Your Writing:
Romances today often include a rugged and crass bad boy to play opposite the female lead, but writers be careful not to make your bad boy too bad. There is a fine line between rebellious and misunderstood, and abusive. You want your readers to understand why he’s “bad” and to know that deep down there already is something good about him. And, if your bad boy does display some negative traits make sure your female love interest reacts appropriately, and that she doesn’t interpret abusive behavior as love.

Jasmine

Bad Messages:
You can get anything you want by using your sexuality, and seducing men. – Jasmine, locked away behind the palace walls and forced to get married uses her looks to distract people and turn things in her favor.

Good Messages:
Jasmine is often criticized for being too sexy, but she has a lot of good qualities too. Jasmine is strong willed and free-spirited. She fights to make her own choices refusing to marry someone just because she’s told she should. She’s unimpressed by Aladdin’s wished riches and shows us that you should be with someone because you love them and not because of what they can give you. She’s often been criticized for being shallow, but I’d argue against this point remembering the scene where she nearly has her hand chopped off after giving a child an apple. It seems obvious to me that while Jasmine was pretty and knew it, that wasn’t what was most important to her.

What Would Make the Good Message Clearer:
This was a tough one for me, maybe because it’s one of my favorite Disney movies, but in the end I simply have to disagree with the criticisms of Jasmine and give Disney two-thumbs up. Jasmine to me was like Shakespeare’s Portia, beautiful and sought after but also independent and strong. And, while I think you could still argue that maybe some of her sexiness (like when she kisses Jafar to distract him) could give young girls bad ideas about how to get what they want in life, I think overall this storyline was great.

How to Apply to Your Writing:
A sexy lead character is great, and having a character using her looks to her advantage can be an interesting element to a plot, but be careful not to overdo it or your character could end up coming across as shallow, or slutty.

The Vampire Diaries just like Buffy?

The Vampire Diaries has been giving me some serious dejavu. I’ve heard a few remarks comparing TVD to Twilight, but these days anything with vampires in it is being compared to Twilight, which I don’t understand. Vampires existed in literature long before Twilight, not every vampire story that comes out is a Twilight rip-off, and certainly not TVD. There is no honest comparison that can be made between Twilight and TVD in my opinion, other than to say they are both vampire love triangles (and really Twilight is a “love-V” since there’s no love between Edward and Jacob). But there are some crazy comparisons to be made between my new favorite vampire drama, The Vampire Diaries, and my favorite show of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Now, to be completely fair TVD predates not only Twilight by over a decade, but also Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, I’m in no way saying that L.J. Smith has ripped of Buffy (although I am comparing the shows here, not the books – so it may be possible that Buffy inspired some of the changes that have been made to the small screen version of the story). What I really want to point out is how these two shows were set up and that maybe in their similarities is a formula for success.

Blonde, cheerleader, just some girl who seems insignificant but turns out to be extraordinary…

Elena/Buffy: Both Elena and Buffy were spunky school girls who fell in love with vampires. Neither wanted to become vampires themselves and they dealt with all the drama of loving a man who would never die. Damon even called Elena “Buffy” in one episode, and while the Elena we know from TV isn’t blonde, her counterpart in James’ books is. Both Elena and Buffy put their friends and family first. They’re strong female leads willing to fight and at times even sacrifice themselves for the ones they love.

What makes Elena different: Evil Elena has been fun to watch on the show, and while Buffy had her bad moments even during her brief stint as a vampire she was good to the core. Elena’s character has been taken to a darker place than Buffy’s ever was and I enjoy that about TVD.

What makes Buffy different: She’s The Slayer. Elena was just a girl and often in need of saving whereas Buffy was the one doing most of the saving on BtVS. However, new vampire-Elena is stronger.

Dark, mysterious, brooding, vampire who turns into a psycho maniac if he loses control…

Stefan/Angel: Both Stefan and Angel were vampire protectors for the human girls they fell in love with. They both had dark histories they were trying to make amends for, both fighting against their very nature to be good. But, they also both slipped up at times. For Angel it was losing his soul that turned him into a deranged killer, for Stefan it was his overpowering bloodlust and shutting off his humanity.

What makes Stefan different: He’s not crippled by a curse that prevents him from ever being happy. He’s often brooding and serious but what I love about him is that he’s capable of having fun and being happy. This makes his character a little lighter and his relationship with Elena a little easier than it was for Buffy and Angel.

What makes Angel different: Stefan’s whole world seems to revolve around Elena whereas Angel was a bigger picture kind of guy. In the end Angel was going to do what was best for the whole world, in one episode he’s even cured of vampirism and made human, but he gives it up and gives up a chance to be with Buffy knowing he can make a bigger difference in the world as a vampire. Stefan on the other hand would gladly take the cure with Elena and be human with her so they could live out the rest of their lives.

Impulsive vampire bad-boy who stars out wanting to kill every one of our main characters, but ends wanting to be good…

Damon/Spike: Julie Plec called Damon their “Buffy” because of his snarky comebacks, but I think his character is much more in tune with another blue-eyed hottie – Spike, whose snarky commentary kept up with Buffy’s and created great sexual tension on the show. Much like what we see between Damon and Elena. Even the love triangle matches up perfect. Angel – Buffy – Spike, and Stefan – Elena – Damon.

The progression in character development of these two vamps followed a similar path. Both Spike and Damon were impulsive, selfish bad-boys who originally appeared on their respective shows as villains. Later they became allies with the good guys when it suited their needs, and then as they developed feelings for the heroine of the show they began to truly change their ways. Spike became a good man for Buffy just like Damon became a good man for Elena. It’s a story of redemption, and it’s our heroine’s love for them, and her trust and faith in them that changes them.

What makes Damon different: Damon is okay being the bad guy, and not that Spike wasn’t but Damon dealt with his guilt better. In Season 7 of Buffy we got to see a rather crazed, soul-full Spike who was ultimately being torn apart by his guilt. He truly wanted to be completely good. Damon has his guilt-ridden moments every now and then, but at the end of the day he accepts the bad things he has to do as necessary even if that means he’ll never completely be good. Damon never wanted to live up to anyone’s expectations, whereas Spike wanted to prove that he could be good.

What makes Spike different: Spike had an easier time connecting with the people around Buffy than Damon did with Elena’s friends. He quickly bonded with her mom, Joyce, and younger sister, Dawn, and put their protection and his care for them high on his list. Spike may have put all of Buffy’s friend’s lives in danger at one point or another, like when he kidnapped Willow and Xander, but he never actually killed any of them. Damon on the other hand didn’t even think twice about tearing into Elena’s circle. He turned Vicki, killed Alaric (multiple times) and even snapped her brother, Jeremy’s neck.

Witch, and best friend to the main character, who’s bargained with the spirits to bring a person back from the dead…

Bonnie/Willow: Willow was Buffy’s best friend, and a witch, just like what Bonnie is to Elena. They were both usually the level headed influence of the show, but also both had their dark sides as well. Currently Bonnie seems to be falling off the deep end with her magic much like Willow did in season 6 of Buffy. After the death of a significant other both Bonnie and Willow got a little scary, for Willow her magic became addictive with time, and we’ve seen small pieces of Bonnie’s magic taking control with her. Also in the books Bonnie was a red-head, just like Willow.  

What makes Bonnie different: Bonnie quickly develops into her own independent person on TVD, whereas Willow struggled to figure out who she was for much longer. Because of this Bonnie is often the voice of reason. She still makes bad decisions, but she’s much more grounded and stable than Willow was.

What makes Willow different: Willow realizes in season four that she’s a lesbian which added to the complexity of the things her character had to deal with.

Popular, blonde, airhead, turned vampire…

Caroline/Harmony: In season 1 on The Vampire Diaries Caroline was just as conceited and self-involved as another blonde cheerleader, Buffy’s Harmony. Also the relationship that Caroline and Damon have in season 1 of TVD is very similar to the relationship that Harmon and Spike have in seasons 4 and 5 of Buffy. However, at times I think Caroline is more like Buffy’s Cordelia, especially when you look at how her character develops over the seasons.

What makes Caroline different: Caroline grows up; she matures and becomes a more well-rounded person. Harmony on the other hand stayed pretty much an air-head through the shows entire run. She did grow some, but not to the extent that Caroline did. I loved that Caroline was a much deeper character than Harmony. No one ever really took Harmony seriously, but Caroline was a force to be reckoned with.

What makes Harmony different: Harmony never had the depth that Caroline did which also made her more bubbly. She often came across as a bit of a comic-relief, but her ditzy ways made you smile.

Loving, brother figure to the main character…

Jeremy/Xander: Xander may not have been Buffy’s brother, but he fell into a brotherly role with her as the series went on. Both Jeremy and Xander always wanted to be in the fight but Elena and Buffy were always trying to protect them. Even Jeremy’s relationship with Bonnie mirrors Buffy in regards to Xander’s relationship with Willow in season 3.

What makes Jeremy different: Jeremy became a hunter, developing his own set of supernatural powers, unlike Xander who remained completely human through the entire show.

What makes Xander different: Since Xander wasn’t Buffy’s actual brother the crush he had on her in the beginning of the series created an interesting dynamic. In some ways Xander may even be a little more like TVD’s Matt.

Mentor with a dark past...

Alaric/Giles: Alaric isn’t quite as old and stuffy as Giles was at times, but he does fall into this mentoring role with Elena that reminded me of Buffy’s relationship with Giles. Alaric even starts training Elena to fight, just like Giles did as Buffy’s watcher. They’re both also occasional drinkers with bad luck in the romance department.

Out of control party girl…

Vicki/Faith: Vicki’s untimely death means that we won’t know if her character will evolve like Faith’s did, but her careless attitude is very similar to the Faith from season 3 of Buffy. And both characters come from broken homes.

Villain who can take on the face of other characters to manipulate and confuse them…

Silas/The First: The First was the embodiment of all evil, and somewhat confusing to understand. Silas is an immortal warlock. What they have in common is their ability to look like anyone (well, any dead person in The First’s case) which causes some really emotional scenes as the big bad pretends to be a loved one of our characters.

Other noteworthy similarities:

• Some of the dialogue in The Vampire Diaries closely resembles the quirky ways the characters of BtVS would speak.
  -Elena: "It's the fog, It's making me foggy. And then back there, there was this - this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock for a second. That is the bird movie, right, the Hitchcock? . . . I'm Elena.
  -Willow: "It's a doodle, I do doodle. You too! You do doodle too!" 
  -Buffy: "I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. It's not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them, I'm just not going to get way extra-curricular with it." 
  -Spike: “Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.”
  -Damon: “You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure, and even a little danger.”

-Close your eyes --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4771fuz0AsM

Obviously there are HUGE differences that remain between these two shows, but the connections between the characters is very similar, and if you have a complicated story you might want to look at the webs of characters for these two shows.

If you liked this post you may also enjoy Why We Love Vampires

or Finding Inspiration in TV's Sadest Moments