Teenagers in the Mist: Part II

I hadn’t planned to blog today, but after the great comments on yesterday’s post, I wanted to add an important point.

Now, obviously yesterday's post was part humor and part truth. A number of the tips came from the social psychology, developmental psychology, and research methodology courses I took during my undergrad and graduate studies.

But as many of you pointed out, OBSERVATION of teenagers (or whatever group you’re researching) ISN'T ENOUGH. You want to spend time with them, too.

If you don’t have teenagers living with you, or nephews and nieces (Hey, at least my brother was good for something), then try VOLUNTEERING through a community program (e.g. church, library, community center, YMCA). You won’t be sorry, and maybe you can help ENRICH a teen’s life. And seriously, isn’t that what we YA writers are striving for in the first place? To REACH OUT and make a difference in a teen’s life, even if it's just a small difference.


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Teenagers in the Mist

Now that summer is upon us, it’s time to study that oft times misunderstood species: THE TEENAGER.

(Please note: I don’t consider teens to be a separate species. I just wanted to clarify that so no one (teens) take offense.)

Obviously this post is geared towards YA writers, but don’t worry, my research tactics (as used by Jane Goodall (chimpanzees) and Dian Fossey (gorillas)) are applicable to any type of character.

1. Make sure you’ve done your PRE-STUDY homework first. You can’t observe your subject without some prior understanding of their behaviour, mating rituals, group dynamics. Recommended readings include: Teen Stages--The Breakthrough, Year-by-Year Approach to Understanding Your Ever-Changing Teen by Elizabeth & Ken Mellor (and yes, somehow they fit that on the cover--barely) and Dr. Karyn's Guide To The Teen Years by Dr. Karyn Gordon. I strongly recommend the first book for the purpose of writing a YA novel. The added bonus is it's a quick read. The second one has some great example of parents to use if you want to create a dysfunctional family in your novel.

2. All good researchers TAKE NOTES. The trick is not to look obvious about it. And DO NOT take photos or videos without permission. That’s just too creepy, and will likely get you arrested, especially if you’re a guy photographing teenage girls. Seriously, don’t do it.

3. Determine the age group you want to study. A thirteen-year-old girl is at a different developmental stage than a seventeen-year-old female. This is where doing your pre-studying, first, helps.

4. Go to their natural environment where they HANG OUT. This isn’t too hard to figure out. At this time of the year, they’re everywhere.

5. Keep your distance at first. You don’t want to freak them out, right? Observe how they interact with their friends. Fortunately, the more friends they’re with, the louder they get. This is extremely helpful when you are spying observing from a distance.

6. Once you’ve GAINED THEIR TRUST (and they don’t look like they’re going to charge at you in an aggressive manner), approach with caution. Dian Fossey had a brilliant technique for this: don’t make eye contact. By keeping your head cocked to the side, and examining that uber-cool top you just discovered, you can approach without setting off any alarms. If the teen makes an indication SHE’s going to bolt, then STAY STILL, and continue to observe on the sly. If HE looks like he’s going to charge, then BACK AWAY slowly while still avoiding eye contact.

7. Listen to what the teens say and how they say it. STUDY their non-verbal gestures. Especially study their non-verbal gestures within their species (BFF, boyfriend, etc) and with individuals of other species (parents). They are especially skilled at looking bored while spending quality time with their family being dragged around by their parents.

8. Go to the places where your main character would hang out. For example, if your character is into Goth, then chances are good she doesn’t hang out in a ballet studio. THOUGH it would be super cool if she did.

9. All good researchers know you have to be careful about GENERALIZATIONS. Teens are individuals. What one teen does is not necessarily applicable to all teens. The more teens you study, the better off you’ll be.

I hope that helps you in your quest to write authentic teens and their dialogue in your YA novel. And don’t forget to study—in addition to studying teens in their natural habitats—their books, TV shows, movies, etc. You’ll gain a wealth of info that way.

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Crushing On Your Character

As writers, we spent a lot of time getting to know our characters. Between the characterization questionnaires and revisions, we know everything about them, or at least we should. If you don’t, then I suggest you check out this post.

Maybe there’s one character that embodies aspects you want in a mate (aka boyfriend/husband), and before you know it, you’re crushing on that individual. You dream about the character. Fantasize about him while you work. Create, in your head while exercising, witty dialogue between him and another character.

Has this happened to you, or am I just weird?

Now, what happens if you are a YA writer? You’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties, and he’s only seventeen. I recently read an interview with Maggie Stiefvater on Sherrie Petersen’s blog. She wouldn’t fall in love with her teenage male characters for several reasons, including, “. . . most of them are underage, so it would be jailbait.”

True enough, if you were crushing on a real teenager. But is this true for fiction?

I think not.

When I write, I become my seventeen-year-old main character. It helps me make her emotions real. I’m not forty, anymore. It’s my seventeen-year-old self who’s crushing on the hot character. My forty-year-old self is in love with my forty-year-old (and utterly sexy) husband. See? There’s a huge difference.

So what do you think. Is it okay to crush on a character, especially if you write YA? And have you fallen in love any characters, whether it’s one from your novel or from someone else’s?

Those Tricky Little Idioms

As I pointed out yesterday, one of the things I loved about Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction is how Simone Elkeles used Mexican slangs in the dialogue and inner thoughts.

Because my main character’s best friend is Mexican, I decided to do the same thing as Simone, but not quite to the same degree. For starters, the Spanish used in Perfect Chemistry was predominantly swearing, words that would leave your grandmother blushing, or terms of endearment. Instead, I decided to use only a few words and phrases. Plus, the best friend is only in a handful of scenes.

When you use foreign slangs, you have to be careful. You can’t take a dictionary and translate your English phrase word for word into the other language. You might be creating a sentence that means something different to what you intended. And the results might be very embarrassing.

My two youngest kids are in a Spanish bilingual program at school. I asked my daughter’s kindergartner teacher about some of the phrases I used, to make sure they were correct. One I especially wanted to know was ‘Está muy caliente’, which in English translates to ‘he’s very hot’. Or does it?

My daughter’s teacher said I could use the term, so I was surprised when I read the following in Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles:

She flashes me a sexy smile and leans closer. “Estás muy caliente.” I think she just called me hot. That’s not the way we say it in Meh-hee-co, but I get the idea.

Whoa, I thought. Then what does it mean? I spent the next hour, online, pouring through idioms to find out what it meant in Mexico. Okay, so here’s the part where I used the phrase in my novel. The italicized phrase is the proper translation of it

“You should definitely give Aaron a chance. He’s cute. Very horny.” She started counting his attributes on her fingers.

Yep, you can stop laughing now. That’s definitely not what my character wanted to say.

So, when you want to add foreign slangs in your story, make sure you check out a foreign slang dictionary specific to the country your character is from. Remember, idioms used in England can be very different to those used in Canada or the US. The same is true for Spanish idioms spoken in Mexico compared to those spoken in Spain. Also, any time you use a foreign language in your story (whether it’s a word or a phrase), it’s italicized.

Has anyone else used foreign slangs in their stories? Hopefully you didn’t make the same mistake as me.

I = my character squared

I know, the title sounds like some weird Einstein formula. But what it really means is using aspects of yourself in creating your character. I’m not talking about the character being you (unless you’re writing your memoir). Instead, I’m referring to borrowing from your interests, your sense of humor, your life experiences. And maybe it isn’t your main character who benefits from those elements of your greatness. Maybe it’s the best friend or—gasp—your antagonist.

For example, I love photography (as if you didn’t already know). In Lost in a Heartbeat (my wip), Calleigh’s best friend is a photographer. I was able to use what I know about photography in a number of scenes, but I wrote them through Calleigh’s eyes (pov). Although Calleigh isn’t a photographer, her best friend has explained in the past how she’s achieved some of her awesome shots. So instead of having Calleigh explain a picture in overly technical terms, she describes it in a way that’s realistic for her. This is important to remember for when your characters share your interests. Will they know as much as you do? If your character is taking a class for beginners, she isn’t going to be talking or performing like she’s been doing the activity for years. Right?

My question for you: Have you done the same thing? Taken your expertise (for example, baking cookies or playing an instrument) and shared it with a character from your story.

Oh, and check out Susan Field's blog for a chance to win a gift card to buy what every writer loves--books. And we can never get enough books. Right?

Cool Links Friday

There were so many great blog posts this week, but here are some of my favorites. Enjoy.

Writing YA and want to make your kisses smoocherific? Kristin Otts has some great advice. Warning: Have your significant other nearby in case the urge to kiss him (her) strikes. Trust me on that.

Emilia Plater (YA Highway) points out the the five protagonists you meet in YA. A definite must read.

And don’t forget your antagonist. Kelly Lyman has some great advice to keep yours from becoming a cardboard villain.

Is your shiny manuscript now ready for the world? Is it free of the 15 things that frustrate readers? Then check out Tahereh Mafia’s hilarious post, What Janet Reid is Really Thinking. If you’re not following Tahereh . . . well, you seriously should be.

Now that you’ve written that fab query based on Tahereh’s superb advice, pop on over to visit Weronika Janczuk and learn how to email it to your dream agent. You’ll be glad you did.

And while you’re at it, be sure to check out the Blood Red Pencil to get your pitch ready in case you happen upon an agent in Starbucks. It could happen, right?

Spring break starts today, so my family and I are flying south. Just not as far south as they would like—as in Mexico. So I’ll be going unplugged today and next week. I’ll see you when I get back.

Have a great week!

Showing Your True Emotions

Once a month, the Authoress holds a Secret Agent contest on her blog, Miss Snark’s First Victim. Writers send her the first 250-words of their completed novel, and an agent and other writers critique it.

A number of reasons exist why entries might not leave the critters wanting to read more. One deals with the reader being unable to connect with the main character. We don’t feel what she’s feeling because she’s not feeling anything. Her boyfriend dies. Not a tear is shed. Zombies attack. There’s no flight or fight response. Definitely not good.

Several things to keep in mind when writing emotions:

1. Show don’t tell. Okay, you’ve heard this before, but it’s so true. Show us the tears instead of telling us your character is sad. A great resource is the emotional thesaurus on the blog, The Bookshelf Muse.


2. If your character says, “I’m so sad today,” that’s the same thing as telling.


3. Forget about adverbs. “I’m fine,” she said sadly. That’s still telling.


4. Let your character go through a range of emotions in the scene. She might start off mildly irritated by something at the beginning and be angry by the end.


5. Tried to avoid the same old clichés. That’s where The Bookshelf Muse is extremely helpful. And make sure you vary the body parts that respond. In other words, the heart isn’t the only organ that reacts when we’re scared. I’ve blogged about this before.


6. Make sure your character’s emotions are appropriate to the situation. Unless your character is a hand model on a Revlon photo shoot, she’s not going to respond to a broken fingernail the same way as if her BFF died. Right?


7. Pay attention to the verbs you use. A character who storms off the football field is experiencing a different emotion to one who is limping or sauntering off the field.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? Do you find emotions hard to write in a scene? If so, I hope this helps.

Clichés, Subtext, POV, Oh my!

I’ve almost finished week #2 of my YA writer’s workshop, so I thought I’d share with you some of the stuff I’ve learned so far. I’ll admit most of what I’ve studied isn’t new to me. I’ve already read a zabillion books on writing. But sometimes it’s nice to get a little reminder or two of the important stuff to pay attention to.

For obvious reasons, I’m not going to print off the lecture notes. I will, though, share a few things I’ve noticed while critting my classmates’ assignments, plus include some important stuff covered in the course. Last week the focus was on POV. This week it’s dialogue.

1. What your character doesn’t say is as important as what they do say. This is known as subtext, and a whole chapter is dedicated to the topic in one of my favorite books on writing: Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins.

2. Make sure you know proper dialogue mechanics . . . unless you want an agent to reject your novel based on the first page. There’re a lot of books on writing dialogue, and they all cover this important topic. Please don’t fudge it. These are the rules you can’t ignore.

3. Please pay attention to your character’s point of view. One of the assignments I critted had the main character jump into another character’s head. Sorry you can’t do that--unless it’s a paranormal novel. Another writer was also confused by POV. She asked me, since the main character’s mom’s name is Bonnie Tyler (not the real name), if she can alternate between Bonnie and Mrs Tyler in the narration. The answer is no. Because the POV character’s a teen, she would refer to Mrs Tyler as either ‘her mom’ or ‘Alyson’s mom’ (the novel is in third person) in the narration. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

If you find yourself struggling with POV, check out The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life by Alicia Rasley.

4. Skip on the clichéd characters. Slush piles are already loaded with tons of them. I critted one assignment in which the secondary character was the geeky team manager of the high school basketball team. And guess what? He was bullied by the jocks. Yawn. Not. Original. Fortunately, there are ways for writer to improve the characterization and strengthen the story.

In case you’re wondering, no I haven’t made any of these mistakes. Have I received tons of feedback to make my novel better? Uh . . . well . . . no. From my classmates’ perspective, I handed in another kick-ass assignment. My instructor’s comments made me realize the drawbacks to the course. She doesn’t know what happened in the preceding chapters, so what she perceives might be a problem, isn’t. There are things at stake in the scene. My main character does have a motive. And both the characters have opposing scene objectives (okay, the instructor didn’t bring up this point, but it's in my favorite book on writing).

Regardless of these drawbacks, I’m happy with the feedback in the workshop. And at least I know my teen dialogue is authentic. Believe me, that’s a huge deal. Plus I'm editing those excerpt of my novel like crazy, and focusing on my "issue." That in itself is worth it.

I hope that helps. Next week’s lesson is on writing YA emotions. And we know what a roller coaster ride that can be.

Which Comes First? The Character or The Plot

Some writers live to outline. They shudder at the thought of writing without the scaffolding. That would be, gasp, deadly.


Other writers love to live dangerously and write by the seat of their pants.


Each method works. And each comes with pros and cons. I’m curious though. How many writers come up with a detailed plot first, and how many focus on characterization before anything else?


For me, I’ll have an idea for a book and jot down notes. Maybe even the logline. I’ll then work on the characterization for the main characters (the protagonist and the key secondary characters). I have an extensive questionnaire, but I also work through a personalizing exercise described in Getting into Character: Seven Secrets A Novelist Can Learn From Actors by Brandilyn Collins. (Check out this post for more info)


It’s during this process that I come up with more ideas for my story. Then I organize my outline based on these. The end product might be different from what I’d first envisioned, but that’s okay. It still works with my logline and the story is way better than what I’d originally planned.

So for me, I definitely have to outline. But characterization comes mostly before plot. Of course, I still need to have some idea of the plot before I start; otherwise, the characters would be all over the place.


What about you? Do you outline? Do you figure out your characters first before the plot? Or do you just jump in and worry about your characters and plot as you write?

ps. This cool picture was created on Photoshop Elements. Now you know what I do when I'm procrastinating.

Mission Objectives

Okay, quick question. In each scene of your short story or novel, can you tell me the objective for each of your characters? In other words, what are they planning to do?

For example, say you have a scene that takes place in a math class. Better yet, social studies. That class always put me to sleep. Your teacher’s objective might be to get through the class without any trouble from the known gang member who actually decided to show up that day. Your main character and her best friend’s objective might be to continue the conversation they started before the bell, without getting caught. And the known gang member? He has a thing for your main character and is trying to get a rise out of her, especially since she’s pretending he doesn’t exist.

Now that you know each of the characters’ objectives for the scene, you’ll be able to write dialogue and action that keeps readers glued to the page. Plus you can make sure some of your character’s objective clash (like the main character and that hot gang member) so the scene is dripping with conflict.

Obviously this is perfect for those of us who write outlines first. But don’t worry if you don’t. You can always go back after writing your first draft, and figure it out before moving onto your next one.

For more information (and there’s a whole chapters worth), be sure to check out Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets A Novelist Can Learn From Actors. I told you last week this is an awesome book.

Getting Into Character

Not long ago, I was wandering through my local library and found the book Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets A Novelist Can Learn From Actors by Brandilyn Collins. Unpleasant memories of my high school drama class came hurtling back to me. Two guys getting into a fight during our improv, and me standing there stunned, unable to utter a coherent sentence. Disaster 101.

I slipped the book back onto the shelf and bolted out of the section, leaving my painful past behind.

A week later, I returned to the library and checked the book out. By the end of the day, I was dying to try out the advice (some of which I already knew). I also developed a new found respect for actors. I didn’t realize how much work is involved in getting ready for a role. They really do know the character they play, inside and out. And depending on the role, they do tons of research beforehand to understand the character’s psyche. You can’t play a teen with a bipolar disorder if you know nothing about the condition.

I’ll admit, I’m a huge fan of pre-planning and research. I like to know my characters and the plot before I start writing the first draft. True, both develop further as I write, but it helps to know where I’m going before I start typing. I found the first chapter of Getting Into Character to be especially enlightening at this stage of my writing. You learn how to personalize your characters beyond the typical questionnaire. I have a pretty extensive one I like to use, but nothing prepared me for getting to know my characters better than the exercises in chapter one of Brandilyn’s book.

Through questioning, you’ll discover your character's values. From the values, you'll identify the character's traits. And based on these traits, the subsequent mannerisms will be developed. No more forming random lists or stereotypical characters. Plus your readers will be able to tell your characters apart. They’ll be vivid on every page of your novel. It’s a lot of hard work, but I promise the results are worth it. You’ll be shocked just how flat your characters were before.

And that’s only chapter one. The rest of the book is also bursting with great advice to help your characters leap off the page. And isn’t that what you want when you pick up a novel from the bookstore shelf? I know that’s what I’m searching for.

So even if drama wasn’t your strong point in school, you’ll find the advice in Getting Into Character invaluable. And your readers and characters will thank you for it.