Eat What the Brain Wants! Chocolate!

So, I may be a little obsessed with eating chocolate. It is like my brain food. I mean I don't go crazy and eat it like a mad woman wearing it on my face or snarfing down five chocolate bars a day or anything.  But a small piece a day is my reward! My brain wants it and I don't deny myself the delicacy.

Well BOOO YA it is actually good for your health. Just the excuse I need hahahaha! Chocolate that contains 60% cocoa can improve your heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) but wait because that is not all. IT INCREASES BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN. WOOHOO! I feel smarter already, don't you? It also boosts serotonin levels that helps with mood and get this GREATER CONCENTRATION. Beat that little Debby.

Why you ask. Well since chocolate is made from plants it contains benefits of dark veggies. Hell ya, but gosh don't tell the kiddies since Halloween is coming soon. It's got antioxidants and free radicals going on. Rumor has it that there is only 1/3 bad fat in it!

So, you want a little something something while writing you have my permission to EAT SOME CHOCOLATE!

Here you go, pass some around. Hey, I saw that share now. So what is your brain food?

Creating Compelling Characters

What makes a character compelling? Is a characters likability in the eye of the beholder? Maybe, but maybe not.

We as writers have the power of words. Words are powerful and give us the ability to make a reader fall in love with a character or loathe a character. Watch out because writers will put a spell on you dear readers! So, how are we as writers going to make you love or hate a character?

 Know your characters better than they know themselves. Know what makes them tick early in your writing and create a character profile. It is a great way to get to know those fabulous characters that live in the depths of our brains and come to life through our words!

Here are some ideas to add in a character profile.

-Age

-Past experiences- good or bad experiences, environment they grew up in, their family, friends.
     A teen who grew up in New York City will sure think and act different than say a teen who grew up in the middle of Kansas.

-Character motivations-What internal and external motivation makes that character tick.
         Think character goal, motivation, and conflict.
   
-Physical appearance- eyes, weight, height color hair.

-Environment- Do they live in the country, city, or another planet?

 -Quirks-bring on some bad habits, nail biting, hair twirling, addiction to candy.

 -Actions- how do characters react to negative or positive situations? Are they followers, take control of situations, or run away morphing into a mouse?

-Style-Do they wear overalls and don't care about what they look like or are they addicted to shopping at the Gap?

-Hobbies-What brings them happiness?
              Need a hobby? CLICK HERE for 101 hobbies

 -Pet peeves-We all have them! Bad driving, not putting the toilet seat down, leaving laundry in a pile  
  on the floor.
               Need ideas? CLICK HERE for a list of 500 pet peeves

Now quick take that character and slap some handcuffs on them, don't forget to read them their Miranda rights. Take them to the local precinct. They are in a room now with a one way mirror. You put a cup of day old Joe in front of them and take off the cuffs. First you do good cop. Then you walk out of the room behind the mirror and put on a wig. You go back in and do bad cop.  Interrogate the heck out of them and be amazed at the things you learn from your character!


                                             Happy Writing!


I just want to add a link. The ladies of SEEKERVILLE have a wonderful and informative post on developing characters today also. They write christian fiction and their blog was the very first blog I read on writing and they have become blogging mentors for me. It is an example of how just because you write a certain genre doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two by writer's of a different genre. (Oh and I love their books). Variety is the spice of life!

I LOVE experiments. For anyone who is ever afraid their writing will mirror another writers, go see Elana's blog (in the side bar to the right) for a full list of participants who are blogging on this same topic. I guarantee that the 80 plus participants will all having something different to add! Bring on those compelling character!

Contest Alert!

There is stuff going on in the blogosphere today. Epic stuff! The epic of epicness! So epic you will....

Well how about I throw some links out to you and you can check it out yourself.

Click here    and   click here and also here


Enjoy!

Have a Brain Fart? 50 Things to Blog About

2. Favorite shows


3. Something random

4. Reality shows

5. Character motivation

6. A cool craft

7. What not to wear

8. What would Nancy Botwin say (Weeds)

9. Glee

10. Creating a character arc

11. Internal and external character motivation

12. The Query process

13. A vacation

14. A much needed vacation

15. A playlist

16. Pictures that have inspired a story

17. Coffee

18. Chocolate

19. Most common spelling errors

20. Grammar lesson

21. Inspiration

22. Book review

23. Interviews with other bloggers

24. Movie review

25. Your dog or cat

26. Share writing techniques

27. Outlining

28. Synopsis writing

29. A hobby

30. History lesson

31. Your kids Science experiment that has gone wrong (or right)

32. Memorable characters

33. Books we can't live without

34. Books that have gone to movie

35. Sagging middles (and not baby got backs but stories)

36. The crazy 80's

37. Using social media outlets

38. Promoting yourself through your blog

39. Branding

40. Paying it forward with a contest/giveaway

41. Venting and ranting (But not offending or negative to others please)

42. Clip art

43. The Smurfs

44. Creating worlds

45. Must try bakery's in every state

46. Technology

47. E-books

48. Kindle

49. Funny pet peeves

50. Hollywood trash



If all else fails blog about something that your fellow blogger has blogged about that has inspired you (obviously not word for word) and don't forget to give them props!

Have any others to add to the list?

Sir Fartsalot hunts the booger

My trip to Borders was suppose to be just to browse, yeah as if!  The agenda was browsing because I have been stalking my mailbox for Mockingjay, Paranormalcy, and Clockwork Angel. I think the mailman is scared of me because he holds up mace like I'm a rabid dog. *wink, wink*

But....

Of course, there is always a but. I found a funny book for my middle grade child.  Let me explain. She is nine, loves squishy stuff (play dough, slime) anything with dirt, fart noises, boogers, butts, and talking about poop. Yup, she is one of a kind and she is mine!

Introduce the perfect book for her. I couldn't resist. Yes I know this will be the talk of the house for weeks to come but the twinkle in her eye when she read the title was absoulutly PRICELESS!  She has been on the couch reading us funny parts about farting all night.

        Sir Fartsalot hunts the booger
        By Kevin Bolger


As the hubby was oogling sports magazines I sat down and started reading.  I busted out laughing and I got curious looks.  What is this adult woman doing in the kids section reading a book about Sir Fartsalot?  Well, one my last baby started kindy and I am home childless. It is habit to head to the kids section and I need time to let it sink in. Two it's really funny and I'm snatching it from my daughter the second she is done.

Synopsis:

Sir Fartsalot's on a quest to defeat a villain most foul!


Things really stink in the Kingdom of Armpit. King Reginald the Not Very Realistic has had it up to here with his naughty son Prince Harry, who loosens the tops on all the Royal Pepper Shakers, teases the moat monster, and prefers magic tricks to rescuing fair damsels. Even Sir Bedwetter can't rein in the prince's Royal Clowning Around!

Enter Sir Fartsalot—the bravest, boldest, FARTIEST knight in all the land! Sir Fartsalot's on a quest to solve the riddle of the Foul West Wind—a green, ghastly odor that turns up wherever danger's lurking. Misbehavin' Harry decides to play the biggest— and boogeriest—prank of all time! He convinces Sir Fartsalot that The Booger, a frightful, dreadful, repulsive villan, is on the prowl. Harry, Sir Fartsalot, and the knight's old buddy Sir Knotaclew set out on a hilarious quest to rid the world of the Dreaded Booger, Once and for All!


Then when that book pops up on the book website a whole slew of funny is plastered on the screen (The Day My Butt went Psycho, Pencil of Doom, Just Disguisting).  I think I'm changing reading habits people!