Taking Time on Your Characters

I've recently discovered something that makes character development all the more fun. When I'm creating my characters, I like to envision what they look like. Not just their faces, but their clothes, their features, any habits that they might have/or obtain, even likes and dislikes.
Many of you may already do this, when you write, and several of you may not. This technique might be simple, but using it can change your whole outlook on the characters in your story. For example, when reading a story, you expect to be drawn in. If the book doesn't grasp your attention, you won't want to continue reading. Part of the thing that grasps you is the characters. If the characters come across as nothing more than simple text, then the writer hasn't gotten your proper attention. But, if the characters become real to you, if you can almost see them in front of you, then that is the writer getting your attention.
I'd like to encourage you all to try this technique out. Even if it requires you to draw out your characters  and make list of things about them. Whatever helps you, use it. The stories you write are yours, and the characters you develop are your creation. Never worry about spending too much time on them.
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my next story. I realize I've been taking more time than I originally planned. I will apologize for that. But, I will add something. I started this blog to help get my stories out there, and to encourage people to write. I like to put my heart into everything I write. I do not think the heart is there when writers just bunch some text together to fit their quota. So, I will say that I am taking my time on my stories. The fans that I have made on youtube, blogger, twitter, and facebook-I want to thank you for your patience. It means so much to me that you all are supporting me. I realize it's been a bit since my last upload, but it is coming soon. I assure you of that. I have the story line, and I know what I'm going to do with my short story. I've just been trying to spend more time on the characters. I really want to get my character development properly done. Short stories don't usually have dynamic characters, simply because the story isn't long enough to create them. I want to try it though.

I'll be keeping you all posted on my progress,
Talk to you soon!

Holiday Lagging and Character Development

It's been almost a month since my last post, and I feel really bad about that. After the holidays I had a bit of a relax with things. I hope you all are doing well, and that your holidays were wonderful.
For those of you following me on Twitter, or Youtube, I haven't stopped writing. That's something that just won't happen. Writing is a passion of mine, and quitting is something I just can't do.
I'm excited to say that I have been working on a new story, for some time, now. I should be done pretty soon, and I can't wait to post it. I won't give any spoilers, but I do hope you all enjoy my next little tale. It should be posted up within the next two weeks.

While I was gone, I did some work on character development. So far, I haven't had many issues with developing characters, but I'm always looking to learn new things. Depending on the style of the tale, the characters in your writing can be one of the most important parts of your story. I found some really awesome ideas, and tricks to character development, from this site. (http://www.plotcafe.com/section/craft-technique/character-development/) I strongly suggest checking it out. I picked up some very helpful ideas from this site, and I'm positive that you all can too. The "Unique Mannerisms" and "7 Steps to Developing Real People who Bring Your Fiction to Life", were both VERY beneficial. Take a look and tell me what you think, I'd love discussing character development with you.

I'm so glad to be back online,
I'll talk to you again, soon!

Christmas cheers and pop filters

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I hope each one of you have something special planned for you and your friends and family. I know it's pretty easy to get caught up in the business of the holidays. For those of you with finals, or the ones who have to work, don't push yourself too hard. It's your holiday too, take some time to do something you enjoy. It seems we sometimes never have time to do the things we love. This Christmas, take the time to do what you really appreciate. Weather it be writing, painting, spending time with people, or just taking a breather and sleeping. Remember what's important in your life. What ever you enjoy doing, take the time to do it. You'll be so happy once you do I hope your Christmas is a very special one.

Along with the Christmas wishes, I wanted to share something really cool with you. I was emailing a new friend that I made, and they're giving me some good advice for my videos. I'm not sure if any of you have heard of pop filters, but I just learned about them. They're very very useful when making videos. 

I'm sure we've all heard the videos that have people talking in them, like in the ones I post. Sometimes in the videos the person gets close to the mic so they can be heard. The affects of being close to the mic is hearing random popping noises, or different noises from their mouth. For instance if someone was to say "paste", you'd hear the P pop. 

This friend of mine taught me a way to be closer to the mic without getting those affects. They're called pop filters. It's sort of like a thin screen that's between your mouth and the mic. This screen filters out the extra noise. You can buy them online for about $12 (depending on the style). But if you're tight on money you can make them yourself. All you need is a hanger and some panty hose. I found a website that gives you a play-by-play of how to make them. http://thetechpub.org/?p=100 Check it out and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear how it worked for you. I'll be making one myself, this weekend, and I'll try it out on my next video.

I really hope you each have a special Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.

Talk to you soon!

Pre- edits of next story (At home sick still)

For the past few days I've been working on my next story. It's is still in rough draft form, but fairly soon I'll be into the final edits. Due to the fact that I've been sick the past two weeks, I've been a bit held back on my writing. I really hate it when I get behind.  I like to try and post my videos at least once a month. I wanted to let you all know that I'm still here, still posting, and I'm definitely still writing. I'll keep you all updated on how my story is going, and I look forward to having my next video posted! I can't wait to hear what you all think.
Feel free to send me an email! I love hearing from my readers. You can always reach me on here, youtube, facebook, or twitter. I have links to the right of my blog page for each of them. If your wanting to send me a direct email, I answer to that as well. You can always reach me at danausclarus@gmail.com I always respond back, and do my best to as soon as possible. I'd love to hear from you!

"Wishes in the Sand" now uploaded to Youtube

I'm sorry it took me so long to get my next story uploaded. Normally it wont take that long for me to post my videos online. The past two weeks I've been pretty sick, so I've been back and forth from the doctor a lot.
I have my "Wishes in the Sand" story uploaded now to youtube. I'm really excited to hear what everyone has to say about it. The story is 4 videos long, so its bit longer than "The Artist and His Canvas". But this story is one of my favorites that I've written, so I really hope you all enjoy it.
I love getting feedback from you all, I'd really love it if you posted some feedback on my youtube. It really helps my stuff get out there more.
Tell me what you all think!

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEoQ6SeiWpA
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IajWaJFWDA
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o1pS9WoHwU
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XCzw_hVIt8

My story's Update, Our Writer's Block

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still keeping you all posted. I've about finished up my final edits on my second short story, "Wishes in the Sand".  I should have it posted up at the end of this weekend. Like I said in my last post, I've been reading some books that contain a lot of dialogue; this will help me with making my dialogue flow a lot better my stories. Anyways, I was practicing around a little bit, and I got the most amazing idea for a novel! I've made my final decision on things. I'm going to continue to post my short stories on youtube, like I have been, but on the side I'm going to be working on a novel. I'll definitely be keeping you all posted on this. I'm very excited to share this with you guys. I've already written a lot on it. I've also found a nice tip, and I thought I would share it with you.

A lot of writers say, that at times, they hit something called 'writer's block'. I know a lot of you know what this is, but for those of you who don't: Writer's block is when you write for a long period of time, and you basically hit a a point where you can't write anymore. You're imagination sort of just shuts off. This usually happens when you've worked your brain to death. It wears off, of course, but it can be upsetting-especially if your working on a project. I found that a nice way to fix this, is to work on multiple writing projects. Please don't overwhelm yourself! I'd say keep it to about 2-3 projects at a time. It's also a good idea if you have one bigger project, and two smaller. That way you can work on your main huge writing piece, and when your brain is tuckered out, you can work on one of your smaller pieces. This way, you can continue to make great progress, while also letting your brain take a rest. Another good thing to remember, when writing, is to not write on an empty stomach. Not only will your brain not get as good ideas, you'll also want to rush your work. So keeping a full stomach, and also getting a good night's sleep, are great ways to help fight that writer's block.

Keep those imaginations flowing, and never talk yourself out of free thinking. Your imagination is unique, just like you are; Never suppress that.

My Next Story and Some Good Ideas to Consider

Lately, I've been focusing a lot more on my short stories. I recently posted one of my first short stories to youtube, and I was really happy to hear what several of you thought. I was a bit nervous at first, but I think I'm really going to enjoy this. I have another short story that I've worked on, recently, and I'm planning to post it up soon. I still have a few edits to add, before I post it. This next short story is called "Wishes in the Sand". It's one of my favorites, so I plan on making it into a book. I just have a few things I need to work on, first. I have difficulty making dialogue flow well in my stories, so I stick with short stories. I've been reading several books, that focus a lot on dialogue, to help me out more. It never hurts to read other author's work to help critique yourself. You can always improve your work, and it never hurts to do so. Reading a wide range of books, and asking others for their input, is always something you want to consider.
I look forward to hearing your inputs on my next short story.
I would also enjoy to hear what you all have. I know several of you are pretty talented authors. Since I'm asking you all to read my work, I'd love to hear some of yours in return.
Leave me a comment if you have something you'd like me to read. I love hearing what people have within their imagination.