kassady-reads

[kassady-reads]

How to Write a Novel:  Tips For Visual Thinkers.

1.  Plotting is your friend.

This is basically a must for all writers (or at least, it makes our job significantly easier/less time consuming/less likely to make us want to rip our hair out by the roots), but visual thinkers tend to be great at plotting.  There’s something about a visible outline that can be inexplicably pleasing to us, and there are so many great ways to go about it.   Here are a few examples: 

The Three-Act Structure

This one is one of the simplest:  it’s divided into the tried-and-true three acts, or parts, a la William Shakespeare, and includes a basic synopsis of what happens in each.  It’s simple, it’s familiar, it’s easy to add to, and it get’s the job done. 

It starts with Act I – i.e. the set-up, or establishing the status quo – which is usually best if it’s the shortest act, as it tends to bore audiences quickly.  This leads to Act II, typically the longest, which   introduces the disruptor and shows how characters deal with it, and is sandwiched by Act III (the resolution.)  

The Chapter-by-Chapter

This is the one I use the most.  It allows you to elucidate on the goings on of your novel in greater detail than the quintessential three act synopsis generally could, fully mapping out your manuscript one chapter at a time.  The descriptions can be as simple or as elaborate as you need them to be, and can be added to or edited throughout the progression of your novel.

Can easily be added to/combined with the three-act structure.

The Character Arc(s)

This isn’t one that I’ve used a lot, but it can be a lot of fun, particularly for voice-driven/literary works:  instead on focusing on the events of the plot, this one centralizes predominantly around the arc of your main character/characters.  As with its plot-driven predecessors, it can be in point-by-point/chapter-by-chapter format, and is a great way to map out character development.  

The Tent Moments

By “tent moments,” I mean the moments that hold up the foundation (i.e. the plot) of the novel, in the way that poles and wires hold up a tent.  This one builds off of the most prevalent moments of the novel – the one’s you’re righting the story around – and is great for writers that want to cut straight to the action.  Write them out in bullet points, and plan the rest of the novel around them.

The Mind Map

This one’s a lot of fun, and as an artist, I should probably start to use it more.  It allows you to plot out your novel the way you would a family tree, using doodles, illustrations, and symbols to your heart’s content.  Here’s a link to how to create basic mind maps on YouTube.

2.  “Show don’t tell” is probably your strong suit.

If you’re a visual thinker, your scenes are probably at least partially originally construed as movie scenes in your head.  This can be a good thing, so long as you can harness a little of that mental cinematography and make your readers visualize the scenes the way you do.

A lot of published authors have a real big problem with giving laundry lists of character traits rather than allowing me to just see for myself.  Maybe I’m spoiled by the admittedly copious amounts of fanfiction I indulge in, where the writer blissfully assumes that I know the characters already and let’s the personalities and visuals do the talking.  Either way, the pervasive “telling” approach does get tedious.

Here’s a hypothetical example.  Let’s say you wanted to describe a big, tough, scary guy, who your main character is afraid of.  The “tell” approach might go something like this:

Tommy was walking along when he was approached by a big, tough, scary guy who looked sort of angry.

“Hey, kid,” said the guy.  “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to a friend’s house,” Tommy replied.  

I know, right?  This is Boring with a capital ‘B.’  

On the other hand, let’s check out the “show” approach:

The man lumbered towards Tommy, shaved head pink and glistening in the late afternoon sun.  His beady eyes glinted predatorily beneath the thick, angry bushes of his brows.

“Hey, kid,” the man grunted, beefy arms folded over his pot belly.  “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to a friend’s house,” Tommy replied, hoping the man didn’t know that he was ditching school.

See how much better that is?  We don’t need to be told the man is big, tough, and scary looking because the narrative shows us, and draws the reader a lot more in the process.  

This goes for scene building, too.  For example: 

Exhibit A:

Tyrone stepped out onto his balcony.  It was a beautiful night.

Lame.  

Exhibit B: 

Tyrone stepped out onto his balcony, looking up at the inky abyss of the night sky, dotted with countless stars and illuminated by the buttery white glow of the full moon.

Much better.

3.  But conversely, know when to tell.

A book without any atmosphere or vivid, transformative descriptors tends to be, by and large, a dry and boring hunk of paper.  That said, know when you’re showing the reader a little too much.

Too many descriptors will make your book overflow with purple prose, and likely become a pretentious read that no one wants to bother with.

So when do you “tell” instead of “show?”  Well, for starters, when you’re transitioning from one scene to the next.

For example:

As the second hand of the clock sluggishly ticked along, the sky ever-so-slowly transitioning from cerulean, to lilac, to peachy sunset.  Finally, it became inky black, the moon rising above the horizon and stars appearing by the time Lakisha got home.

These kind of transitions should be generally pretty immemorable, so if yours look like this you may want to revise.

Day turned into evening by the time Lakisha got home. 

See?  It’s that simple.

Another example is redundant descriptions:  if you show the fudge out of a character when he/she/they are first introduced and create an impression that sticks with the reader, you probably don’t have to do it again.  

You can emphasize features that stand out about the character (i.e. Milo’s huge, owline eyes illuminated eerily in the dark) but the reader probably doesn’t need a laundry list of the character’s physical attributes every other sentence.  Just call the character by name, and for God’s sake, stay away from epithets:  the blond man.  The taller woman.  The angel.  Just, no.  If the reader is aware of the character’s name, just say it, or rework the sentence. 

All that said, it is important to instill a good mental image of your characters right off the bat.

Which brings us to my next point…

4.  Master the art of character descriptions.

Visual thinkers tend to have a difficult time with character descriptions, because most of the time, they tend to envision their characters as played their favorite actors, or as looking like characters from their favorite movies or TV shows.

That’s why you’ll occasionally see characters popping up who are described as looking like, say, Chris Evans.  

It’s a personal pet peeve of mine, because A) what if the reader has never seen Chris Evans?  Granted, they’d probably have to be living on Mars, but you get the picture:  you don’t want your readers to have to Google the celebrity you’re thirsting after in order for them to envision your character.  B) It’s just plain lazy, and C) virtually everyone will know that the reason you made this character look like Chris Evans is because you want to bang Chris Evans.  

Not that that’s bad or anything, but is that really what you want to be remembered for?

Now, I’m not saying don’t envision your characters as famous attractive people – hell, that’s one of the paramount joys of being a writer.  But so’s describing people!  Describing characters is a lot of fun, draws in the reader, and really brings your character to life.

So what’s the solution?  If you want your character to look like Chris Evans, describe Chris Evans.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

Exhibit A:

The guy got out of the car to make sure Carlos was alright, and holy cow, he looked just like Dean Winchester!

No bueno.  Besides the fact that I’m channeling the writing style of 50 Shades of Grey a little here, everyone who reads this is going to process that you’re basically writing Supernatural fanfiction.  That, or they’ll have to Google who Dean Winchester is, which, again, is no good.

Exhibit B:  

The guy got out of the car to make sure Carlos was alright, his short, caramel blond hair stirring in the chilly wind and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose.  His eyes were wide with concern, and as he approached, Carlos could see that they were gold-tinged, peridot green in the late afternoon sun.

Also note that I’m keeping the description a little vague here;  I’m doing this for two reasons, the first of which being that, in general, you’re not going to want to describe your characters down to the last detail.  Trust me.  It’s boring, and your readers are much more likely to become enamored with a well-written personality than they are a vacant sex doll.  Next, by keeping the description a little vague, I effectively manage to channel a Dean Winchester-esque character without literally writing about Dean Winchester.

Let’s try another example: 

Exhibit A:

Charlotte’s boyfriend looked just like Idris Elba. 

Exhibit B:  

Charlotte’s boyfriend was a stunning man, eyes pensive pools of dark brown amber and a smile so perfect that it could make you think he was deliciously prejudiced in your favor.  His skin was dark copper, textured black hair gray at the temples, and he filled out a suit like no other.

Okay, that one may have been because I just really wanted to describe Idris Elba, but you get the point:  it’s more engaging for the reader to be able to imagine your character instead of mentally inserting some sexy fictional character or actor, however beloved they may be.

So don’t skimp on the descriptions!

5.  Don’t be afraid to find inspiration in other media!

A lot of older people recommend ditching TV completely in order to improve creativity and become a better writer.  Personally, if you’ll pardon my French, I think this is bombastic horseshit.  

TV and cinema are artistic mediums the same way anything else is.  Moreover, the sheer amount of fanart and fanfiction – some of which is legitimately better than most published content – is proof to me that you can derive inspiration from these mediums as much as anything else.

The trick is to watch media that inspires you.  I’m not going to say “good media” because that, in and of itself, is subjective.  I, for example, think Supernatural is a fucking masterpiece of intertextual postmodernism and amazing characterization, whereas someone else might think it’s a hot mess of campy special effects and rambling plotlines.  Conversely, one of my best friends loves Twilight, both the movies and the books, which, I’m going to confess, I don’t get at all.  But it doesn’t matter that it isn’t good to me so long as it’s good to her.   

So watch what inspires you.  Consume any whatever movies, books, and shows you’re enthusiastic about, figure out what you love most about them, and apply that to your writing.  Chances are, readers will find your enthusiasm infectious.

As a disclaimer, this is not to say you get a free pass from reading:  I’ve never met a good writer who didn’t read voraciously.  If you’re concerned that you can’t fall in love with books the way you used to (which, sadly, is a common phenomenon) fear not:  I grappled with that problem after I started college, and I’ll be posting an article shortly on how to fall back in love reading.

So in the meanwhile, be sure to follow my blog, and stay tuned for future content!

(This one goes out to my friend, beta reader, and fellow writer @megpieeee, who is a tremendous visual thinker and whose books will make amazing movies someday.)

[kassady-reads]

Color Synonyms

White

also: pale; blanched; sallow; pallid; waxen; spectral; translucent; albino; 

Grey

also: dust; stone; pepper;  

Black

also:  coal; slate; dusky; ebon; shadow; murky; 

Tan

also: flesh; khaki; cream; tawny; 

Brown

also:  henna; russet; sepia; chestnut; cocoa; drab; bronze; 

Red

also: terracotta ; rouge; carmine;  fire-engine; ruddy

Orange

also:  pumpkin ; rust ; 

Yellow

also: sunny; amber; saffron; hay; straw; platinum; 

Green

also: viridescent; grass; jade; forest; 

Blue

also: turquoise; cyan; ultramarine; royal; aqua; aquamarine;

Purple

also: berry;  amaranthine;

Pink

also: flushed; candy; cherry blossom; petal pink ; 

—– source: http://ingridsundberg.com/

—–additional synonyms added by me

[kassady-reads]

Ruby Red (Ruby Red Trilogy)

I've heard a loooot of negative reviews for this.. and uh i'm about to add (partially) to that so here goes. I like the concept, totally. Just not the way it was executed. It was really slow, literally like four things happened in the book and lots of things weren't explained (which i get, it's a trilogy you should have like shit to talk about in the other ones and whatever or whatever). Like why can Qwen see dead people? (which probably won't get explained) Why did Qwen see herself and Gideon? (which might get explained) ALSO WHY IS QWEN SUCH A FUCKING DUMBASS. When they were telling her the fucking password why did she kept saying she forgot it? Like it's not that fucking hard to remember something. THREE WORDS ITS NOT THAT HARD TO REMEMBER THREE WORDS. literally three words and then when Gideon said it it didn't like refresh her memory????? maybe she'll fucking remember it this time??? NOPE SHES STILL A FUCKING IDIOT. And just like why didn't she tell her mother or someone in the family she time traveled?? (i get it we need conflict or whatever) it was stupid. Also the other thing i didn't like uh the ending. It was so abrupt, why did it end like that? It kinda ended (or felt like) like midsentence BUT IT DIDNT. It didn't do that was stupid. They were literally like in the middle of a "mission". Why did we need to have this romance in here? It LITERALLY came out of nowhere. (i get it, it's a YA Book and it needs a romance blah blah blah whatever) It came out of FUCKING nowhere and you can't even argue that. ALSO HES 19 and SHES 16. Nope. Also just ugh. i'm gonna read the next one so like here we go again.

[kassady-reads]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

This book is probably my favorite in the series. I loved most of the characters (i hated rachel) I love the story. i'm fucking obsessed with Greek Mythology. Ok let's actually talk about the book. I knew from the first damn chapter with Percy facing Kronos this book was gonna be wild. WILD. I love how there was already so much action in the first chapter that was crazy. (charlie did NOT need to die) The other crazy thing is that for like 75% of the book you're pretty much thinking that everyone is gonna die because of how fucked they all are. Poseidon is stuck in the ocean fighting his battle, the REST OF THE FUCKING GODS are fighting typhon and there's no one guarding Olympus. Honestly i don't know how they won that was fucking wild. Again sorry for the shit review i really need to make these better but i highly recommend this series 15/10 yes.

[kassady-reads]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labryinth

These books are so good. The story, the characters. Just everything. I love them so much. This book has the most plot twists i feel like. (i'm writing this one after i've read all five books) Just literally everything it's crazzzy. It's late and this was a crap review. sorry.

[kassady-reads]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titans Curse

With every book i fall more and more in love with this series. My literal only complaint was that there was NOT enough tyson in this book. He is probably one of my favorite characters in the series. I did not Thalia when i first started reading and was still like indifferent to her by the end of the book, she was kind of a bitch and a know it all in the beginning, which she eventually let off of but i still didn't like her. The whole story line with Bianca and Nico DiAngelo had me sh00k. I literally didn't see it coming (well i sorta did bc my friend hinted at it but not with these two, if that makes any sense) Anyways that's literally alllll i have to say about it. i love the books so much.

[kassady-reads]

got these today:))))

[kassady-reads]

Hexed?

I started reading it but i’m just not diggin it so i’m gonna change to something else.

[kassady-reads]

Scarlet - The Lunar Chronicles (book 2)

I loved this book, i love this series so far. I’m growing real attached to everyone in it. my only real concern is i feel like there’s gonna be A LOT of characters, even in this one there was quite a few. Also everyone it went to Kai i was boreeeeddd he’s borrrinnnngg. i like him though he’s just boring in this one :/. that’s literally the only issue i had with it *gushing about the book* I LOVE SCARLET AND WOLF. (although his name is very on the nose there but i kinda like it how Marissa incorporated details from the fairy tales in it) I love them so much. i love wolf so much. i love scarlet so much. ahhhhh. ok ok. at the end with the alpha thing was so (weird) cute! i still ship cinder and kai, fuck levana. also thorne was annoying. (i saw some greaaaat memes abt his and cinders relationship) i really liked this book and like i didn’t really have anything bad to say abt it. I’m so excited to read the next one.

[kassady-reads]

The Young World

so i’m not gonna lie, i feel like this book tried a little hard to be deep. ya know? like there was to much discussing the difference between Love and love and Him and him and What happened and what happened and Before then before and then After and after. There’s just too much, i just want my cookie cutter apocalypse book. i really didn’t like donna in the beginning and like for majority of the book i didn’t like her. she’s kinda insensitive, but i get it it’s the apocalypse and her whole family died- everyone’s families died but like have some simpathy girl. she just kinda rubbed me the wrong way and in the first couple of chapters or so she mentions how like repulsive Jefferson is, which is really harsh bc she was literalllly just talking about how god like his brother is. but alas jefferson is in love with her (bc we always have to have a fucking romantic subplot) and he finally tells her and she like picks a fight with him. idk idk. i did not like her. and the fact that it took her a total of like two days to finally figure out she loves him. which also him loving her was pretty much just bc she was there and he knew her. (which she knew because she explains his type, which is of course the total opposite of hers) and she also belittles all girls who look “attractive” (big boobs, blond hair, blue eyes, flat stomach, etc.) one of the other main girls ends up hooking up with jefferson and like idk it was random and stupid. i get she’s been like abused and raped for years but then she must’ve had some reserve since she knew she wanted to runaway? like i just don’t understand how or why she feels the need to kiss jefferson as they r literally fighting for the gun. also the “Sickness” didn’t make sense really. i mean like the whole thing really didn’t make sense. i don’t understand how like if these kids are just nonstop having sex then why can’t thy get pregnant? it’s talked about how they aren’t using protection and like how “they discovered they can’t get pregnant” idk. i hated how they treated all the women well girls they are all under 18. but it disgusted me how the fucking white kids treated women. they people in the book literally refer to them as a rapeocracy it just it’s tasteless. i get a lot of bad things happened but they also didn’t explain it. it’s only been two years since this apocalypse started and they are like already trying to find cures and shit. I’m not like an actual critic i’m doing this for me, for fun.. so take that as you will.

[kassady-reads]

Zom-B

that plot twist, in the fucking prologue (!!!!), really got me wtf. in the beginning i kinda hate B. she sounded suuuper douchey. oh and she’s racist?? im not gonna lie, this one was hard to read and not because of the like writing or genre it’s because the contents of the writing. the things that B (main character) does is repulsive. When it was first happening i was livid and honestly it was hard to read but after a few more pages i remembered that she’s from an abusive home, with an abusive father, and she’s talks about how she’s stopped fighting it and has just accepted it. but i’m sorry and that’s awful, but that’s no excuse to be an absolute shit person. LET ME FUCKING SAY THIS, FUCK TODD! FUCK HIM! I HOPE HE FUCKING DIES. i fucking hate people. i fucking hate hate hate B. The only thing that i had a problem with (other than the amount of racism in this) was that there was so many characters. just so many. but i mean by chapter 20 they kinda deal with that issue. and then also the ending?? i was under the impression that B dies. (BECAUSE SHE FUCKING SAYS “i die”) and then i looked up like a plot synopsis of the next book and it still B she wakes up a few months after the events of the first book. but she died. sooo? idk if i’m going to read it just because i was so infuriated when i read the first half of this one. also i’m so dumb, for some reason i was under the impression that B was male the whole book, but i think the fact that the babies kept calling her mummy should’ve made me realize. also at the end when her dad called her becky i was shook.

(also very clever name, i see you darren)

[kassady-reads]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters

At first i was really apprehensive about reading sea of monsters because Tyson really really ruined the movie for me, but my friend told me to just read it anyways and before he was introduced all i could do was complain about him but oh have i changed my opinion (well sorta) i love love love tyson in the book he’s so adorable and so pure and so innocent (i will literally fight you if you disagree, i.e. all the fuckers at camp half-blood) and he needs to be protected at all costs. in regards to the movie, i still hate him. tyson is so pure and he’s so fucking nice to percy and so cute at the end when he talks about how he prayed to his dad to help him. (he literally calls him daddy and it’s so cute omg) the thing that kinda annoyed me about the book was that like luke’s whole fuckin rebellion is on the fact of he hates his father and he hates the gods (because of who fucking knows what) he hates his father bc he “ignored” him but like so have all the other kids parents and you don’t see them trying to wake their fucking evil grandfather. (also when chiron told percy that kronos was his father, why did percy react like that? like ok cool chiron is your fuckin uncle) anyways, like is literally just in his scene phase, just with out the make up and hair. this is getting to long so i’m gonna cut it here, but it’s gonna be a while until i read the next one bc i don’t have the next three, and i’m broke so i have to wait until i have money to buy them. and i was gonna just listen to the audio books but the dude who reads it voice bugs me and he keeps mispronouncing thalia so i can’t listen to it.

[kassady-reads]

Cinder (the lunar chronicles, book one)

So i read and finished Cinder in a day, i really enjoyed it actually. I loved cinder (the character and storyline) although the story line (some elements) were pretty predictable. (i.e. princess bullshit) other than the predictability and fucking peony dying (she did NOT have to die, that was so uncalled for wtf) i didn’t have a problem with it, in fact i really enjoyed it. i love the whole dynamic of future (but still not really post apocalyptic era) and the cities and just how there’s fucking people on the moon. usually like apocalyptic shit is like after a world ending war, or like sometimes it’s not really explained how they got there (hunger games, i think) and yes there was a war but not world ending, just certain areas so i don’t know i just enjoyed that a bit. and i love the ending at the ball, the slight nod to the og cinderella (if you read it you know) anyways i liked it, and i have the second one on hold but now i’m going to read percy jackson: sea of monsters

[kassady-reads]

percy jackson (movie rant?)

well i finished the book, and i actually loved it so much so so much. to summarize my thoughts, luke's a shady prick and i hate him. they fuckin destroyed santa monica. i love how fuckin stupid humans are in their world. the gods are a bunch of fuckin assholes. i loved it so much more then the movie. so so much more. anyways, other thoughts about the movie. i literally dont understand how WRONG they got the fucking movie. like it's not difficult to read the book and make a script/movie out of it!!!! like just do what ACTUALLY FUCKIN HAPPENED. i.e. all of percy's interactions with clarisse, she wasn't in the first movie (please correct me if i'm wrong) and how they ACTUALLY explained what happened to thalia (again please tell me if i'm wrong bc i think i might be with this one but then i also don't think so) to sum it up, i loved the book and i can't wait to read the next one but for now i'm going to read Cinder, which is the first book in the lunar chronicles soooo i hope i like it, i think i will tho.

[kassady-reads]

percy jackson (movie m/book mini comparison bc i haven't finished the book lol)

percy is a baby. movie one has like nothing from book one but then movie two has like a looooooot of things from book one. so it’s kinda like they’ve only made one book into the movie. i also hope that the cyclops brother isn’t in the book, i hated him in the movie and yes, i compare it to the movies bc they are the only things i’ve seen from percy jackson. i mean i always knew there was books i just never read them. idk why, i’m really enjoying this first one tho!

[kassady-reads]

percy jackson

i started reading percy jackson tonight and i'm sh00k. #1 i didn't know percy jackson was fucking 12 in the first book... like wtf. i thought he was in highschool like in the movie. #2 is more of a question.. do the people at camp halfblood not know who percy's dad is???? i'm very confused. but also all of my knowledge of this book is what i got from the movie, which i've heard is literally nothing.