The Advantages of Sidekicks

Sidekick.  Get it?

What is this, you ask? Activity on this blog other than on the first Wednesday of the Month IWSG post!? Armageddon must be right around the corner. Sigh. 

Life has been busy these past couple of weeks, but I seem to be settling down into a somewhat chaotic routine where I alternate between online tutoring sessions for chemistry and working on my story. It’s not full-time writing, but it’s more time than I’ve ever had before. My hope is that with practice, this will translate into finishing my story at a much-accelerated pace. In fact, I’m bullish enough about writing that my critique partners and I have agreed to meet every other week instead of once a month. Ah, nothing like a little pressure to keep things interesting. 

Earlier this week, as I was reading over one of my earlier chapters, I suddenly realized that I could make the scene much snappier by replacing some of the main character’s internal thoughts with a few snippets of dialogue from the character’s sidekick. Instead of forcing the character to “think” about things so that the reader understands what’s going on, a few well-placed quips by the sidekick was more than enough to explain the situation. 

Although I have yet to finish a story (other than my fanfic), I’ve noticed a common theme among the partially completed stories littering my hard drive. I always seem to have a sidekick to ride along with my main character. It wasn’t a deliberate choice, just something that always happened, but over the years I’ve learned that having someone for my MCs to talk to makes my scenes much more active. When my characters are allowed to be alone with their thoughts for too long, my story stagnates and my writing becomes stilted. My prose degenerates into either sloppy telling or a convoluted mess of showing. 

Of course, I have to be careful not to rely too much on these sidekick conversations. My crit partners have dinged me in the past for overly long and bloated stretches of nothing but talk, with too much on-the-nose back and forth dialogue between the participants. Perhaps this tendency comes from having had to write detailed research reports at my job over the years, reports where I’m expected to explain everything. Regardless of the reason, there’s no denying my conversational infodumps are a problem. 

Still, there’s nothing like having a sidekick for the MC to bounce ideas off of. He’s the perfect vehicle for dropping subtle hints you don’t want the reader to notice until later in the story. The comedic value he can add to break up a tense situation can be invaluable. And the interactions between the MC and the sidekick is great for revealing character—for both of them. 

So, the next time you begin a story, think about adding a sidekick. Your readers (and maybe your editor) will love you for it.

ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer And Finding Time To Write When You're A Full Time Writer

Today is March's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I've been thrust into the position of becoming a full-time writer much sooner than I expected.

Today's post is about four hours late, and that ties in with today's topic. Last month I revealed I had lost my job due to the company's downsizing and that I was about to become a full-time writer--whether I wanted to or not.  From a financial point of view, I think we're going to be fine. We have other sources of income, and I've started offering my services as a chemistry tutor. And to my surprise, it turns out the need for chemistry tutors, both online and in person, is higher than I expected.  We'll have to tighten ours belts a bit, but we'll be okay. 

Unfortunately, this tutoring business is more hectic than I realized. Adding new students, keeping track of my ever-changing schedule, learning the ins and outs of the various online tutoring interfaces, plus helping out more around the house is taking a lot more time than I expected. I postponed my critique group meeting twice because I mistakenly scheduled a tutoring session at the same time.  

I've had a couple of good writing days, but my writing has mostly stalled.  I know that when I adjust to this new life style, I'll once again have time to write, but in the meantime, it's kind of frustrating. Even now I'm hurrying to finish this post because I have a tutoring session coming up in 30 minutes. Sigh, seems like I had more time to write back when I had a full-time job.


This month’s IWSG question is: Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? And why?

Definitely the hero, because he/she is learning to become a better person as the story goes along, and I enjoy watching that progression.  I've yet to write from the villain's perspective, so maybe I just don't know what I'm missing.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop by each of this month's co-hosts too:: Fundy Blue, Beverly Stowe McClure, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard! 

ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer and Stepping Through My Very Own First Plot Point

Today is February's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I've been thrust into the position of becoming a full-time writer much sooner than I expected.

A few months ago, I mentioned that my company was downsizing. Yesterday, I was one of several thousand employees who were released in the process. 

Considering the job market in my area, I have serious doubts that I'll find anything that matches my skill set in the near future. I've applied for some local teaching and tutoring positions, but I have no idea how viable those options will be in the long run. Fortunately, we've built up enough savings over the years that we should be okay financially, though we'll definitely have to curtail our spending. 

Despite the financial burden this situation places on my family, however, I have to admit there's a part of me that is intrigued, a part of me that has always wanted to know if I could hack it as a full-time writer. Based on my part-time writing productivity so far, that goal seems rather daunting, but I'm ready to give it a go. In writing terms, I've just stepped through the one-way door that is the first plot point of my story, and I'm ready to move forward. 

I only wish I could skip forward in the book and see how it turns out in the end. 

Wish me luck! 

This month’s IWSG question is: Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?

To be honest, I spend almost all of my creative energy these days working on writing, so the answer is none. Sad, I know. Now that I have more time, I suspect I'll pick up a few new creative outlets, but what they'll be I have no idea yet.

Thanks for listening!

ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer and 2019

Today is January's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I don't know if I'll be able to finally finish my debut novel this year or not.

One year ago, I set myself the goal of finishing my Hogwarts fan fiction and uploading the chapters to Wattpad by the end of the year. I accomplished this (barely), and it was such a huge relief. Ten years is long enough to work on any story.  This year, I’m setting a goal of finishing my urban fantasy by the end of the year. Since it’s over halfway finished, you might think this would be a piece of cake, but alas, I’m a slow writer, so I know it’s going to be close. Time has a way of zipping by at my house, with days turning into weeks, which turn into months. But I hit my goal last year, so I have some hope. Wish me luck.


This month’s IWSG question is: What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

To be honest, the only people I tell I’m a writer are other writers. My family knows, but I feel no compulsion to mention it to anyone else. At least, not until I finish a book. In the meantime, I guess my least favorite question would be: When will your book be published? It's a question I ask myself all the time.

Happy New Year everyone!

ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer and Having to Make A Living By Writing

Today is December's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I may turn out to be a full time writer, whether I want to or not.

My company is currently undergoing a significant downsizing, and no one here knows what their future is, including me. When I took this job three years ago, I thought my future was golden.  The company had already downsized to a profitable state before I arrived, and they appeared to be ready for the next economic downturn. And most importantly, the project I was hired into looked as though it would be a top priority for the company and thus well-funded for years to come.  But right now, no one feels safe, and only time will tell who survives the next several months.

I’ve fantasized about what it might be like to be a full-time writer, and while it sounds kind of romantic, I’ve never really considered it much of a possibility, at least not until after I retire.  Even if I had all day to write, I still don’t think I’d be able to write more than one book a year (if that) and I doubt that’s enough to support myself and my family. Perhaps if I had a sizable backlist it would work, but even under the best of scenarios, it would be years before I could build up a stable of books.

We’ll just have to see what the future brings. Too bad I can’t simply write my own ending like I do in my stories.  


This month's question:
What five items would you find in my writing space?

Not counting the normal writing items, computer, pens, and paper, you’d find:
1. Patchouli incense sticks. (For the ambiance)
2. Candles, usually lit. (Also for the ambiance)
3. Tons of reference books for writing.
4. Alchemical paraphernalia and Harry Potter related items. (They put me in the mood to write fantasy)
5. Empty soda cans.


ChemistKen

The Insecure Writer and Keeping To Your Schedule

Today is November's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?

Because I’m only four weeks into uploading my story to Wattpad and I already feel as though I’m falling behind. 

My plan was to upload one chapter a week, and so far it’s worked out pretty well. The early chapters were already in pretty good shape, needing only my critique partners to add the final polish. But the later chapters require significantly more editing and that’s what worries me the most. I planned on using the months of October and November to whip them into shape, but life stepped in and made a mess of those plans. 

Three days before I uploaded the first chapter, my ninety-two year old father-in-law was admitted to the hospital. Six days later, he passed away. A week later, I flew down to Missouri to help my mom move to an assisted living center up here in Michigan. And all this happened after my wife and I had recently started taking turns spending evenings with an elderly neighbor with health issues. As you can imagine, the stress on the family has been enormous, and my writing related endeavors have fallen to the wayside. 

Only time will tell if I’ll be able to keep up with my one chapter a week schedule by the time the new year rolls around. 

On to this week’s question: 
How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing? 

To be honest, it’s probably gone down. I need all my creative energies for my stories now and I’m loathe to spend it on anything else. That’s probably a shame, but it’ll most likely remain that way until I finish my first publishable story. 

Don’t forget to stop by and thank this month's co-hosts: Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose, and Elizabeth Seckman! 


ChemistKen

Never Dismiss Your Critique Partners Suggestions Out Of Hand

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

Seven years ago, I hooked up with my very first critique partner. Her name is Sheryl Hart, and I met her through a critique partner match-up sponsored by Janice Hardy, who runs the Fiction University website. (An excellent source for writers, BTW!) Back then, my only story was my Hogwarts fanfiction, and it took me months to gather the nerve to ask a stranger to critique my fan fiction (as opposed to a “real” story). But she loved Harry Potter and was more than willing to read over the stuff I sent her, even though my writing was awful and I didn’t have a clue how to write fiction yet. 

She’s since moved on to other pursuits, but we exchanged a lot of chapters over those first couple of years, and my writing is much the better for it. And if you happened to have read the third chapter of my story (which I recently uploaded to Wattpad), you have Sheryl to thank for it. 

You see, that chapter was meant to be a scene where the reader learned some of the main character’s backstory, including hints as to why he’s afraid to return to Hogwarts. In the original version, he was just sitting on a bench at King’s Cross station, waiting for the Hogwarts Express, and thinking about all this stuff. Important information to be sure, but delivered in a rather mundane way. 

When I received the critique of this chapter from Sheryl, she’d highlighted one of my sentences, which read something like: He’d gone to St Mungo’s several times before, but after much poking and prodding, the healers had sent him home, saying there was nothing wrong with him. Her comment was simply: “I want to see this!” In other words, she wanted to see that scene played out instead of me simply telling the reader what had happened. 

My first response was to ignore her advice. Although I could see the entertainment value in such a scene, I thought the story setup was already running too long, and I was loath to make it even longer. Fortunately, I didn’t dismiss the idea entirely, and after a few days of mulling the idea over, it occurred to me that the required backstory could be delivered just as easily at St. Mungo’s as it had been in the train station. And with the added bonus of more conflict. So if you liked that chapter, Sheryl is the one to thank. 

The lesson is: never immediately dismiss any suggestion your critique partners give you. Even if it doesn’t seem right for your story, consider the idea with an open mind. It might just lead you to something even better.

ChemistKen
Hogwarts and the New Headmaster