Mood

Have you ever struggled to get 'into' your story? Not just getting 'into' sitting down and writing, but getting into the mood or subject matter of your story? What if you are working on a Vampire storyline but are in such a great mood you can't get into the angst of your main character?

This has happened to me several times and I have found that music can help a great deal to get me into the right mood for a particular story or scene. Have you ever tried to match a story to a certain type of music? It really can work wonders. Especially if you can find a soundtrack from a movie that is similar to your story. I have such a variety of music in my library it is very difficult to figure out what I personally like to listen to during off hours.

The next time you are struggling to get on with writing your story maybe you just need to use some music to get into the right mood. Experiment with it a bit and see what happens.

Main characters

While I have spent a lot of time figuring out the types of stories I would like to tell and how I would like my readers to react to my work, I haven't considered the type of characters I want to write about. Up until now it has all been about plot and subject.

There is more to figuring out a main character then writing backstory or answering questionnaires, though they are great! First you need to know what types of main characters appeal to you. This way you are not struggling with a main character who just doesn't fit in with who you are and therefore fit in with your story. Secondary characters are free game but main characters are a very personal matter.

This technique should help you figure out what types of main characters you would most like to write about:

Without thinking too much - just write about your childhood role models (real or fictional) why did you like them? Were they anything like you? Did they have to overcome something? Accept something about themselves? Were they powerful? Special? Gifted? Smart? Can you find a male and female example?

Now write about your childhood bullies. People you just couldn't stand. Why didn't you like them? What were they like? Is there an explanation as to why they acted the way they did?

This should help you get a feel for the type of charcters you should be writing about now - at least main characters.

Does it help?