Two Characters Walk into a Bar…

What is it about bars, pubs and taverns that makes them so darn fun to invent? I don’t know about you, but I get a gleeful little kick out of creating the perfect watering holes where my characters can wander in and grab a drink. Last night, I was brainstorming names for a bar in my latest WIP and got to thinking about the ingredients authors need to brew up just the right mix.

The Ambiance
Decide what vibe you want for your bar, and figure out how to convey that through music, lighting and table arrangements. You want a dingy little hole-in-the-wall, or a sleek high-end façade with jazz playing in the background? A cozy Irish feel, complete with dancing, or a wild thumping club with strobe lights and a bass louder than thunder?

The Three Broomsticks is a far cry from the Mos Eisley Cantina. There are literally endless combinations, so have some fun with it!

The Bartender
This is especially important if the bar is going to be a recurring locale in your novel. The bartender’s clothes, personality, physical appearance and dialect tend to be pretty colorful. Sometimes, they stick behind the counter like superglue; othertimes, they’re constantly running back and forth between tables with pitchers of beer and hot meals.

One of my favorite examples of the bartender-as-character is Mac from the Dresden Files. I don’t think the guy says more than two full sentences in the entire series, but he’s irreplaceable!

The Name
I spend far, FAR too much time naming my bars. It’s crazy fun to come up with the perfect moniker that will capture the right flavor. There’s a little open-air bar in Key West that I love called Two Friends. Its motto is: “No greater love than the enduring, tender love of one drunken friend for another.”

Fantastic, right?

The Booze
My first WIP was set on a sailing ship, with open decks, rolling seas and coarse sailors. Flavored martinis and wine coolers were NOT going to fit in with my characters. Choosing your booze is almost as important as choosing the rest of your bar features. It’s fun to create a whole menu of options (okay, not a literal menu). That way, you can pick favorites for each character, decide if certain regions or nations have a “home brew” or just make up an entirely new concoction!

Bottoms up! And cheers to all you NaNo’ers who are about to cross the finish line. Here’s the last installment of the soundtrack to help you celebrate.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey

April 1, 1926 – November 21, 2011

For me, she was where it all started. One of the "First Ladies" of fantasy. Thanks Anne!

Thank You for the Stories



Thursday is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and I’ve come to realize that one of the things I’m most thankful for is simply the chance to write.

Think about it…our lives are so good in every other aspect, without worries over essentials like food and shelter, that we are actually allowed the opportunity to pursue our dreams.

Day in and day out.

In the big scheme of the world, that’s a pretty rare gift, and I am so grateful for it – even (and especially) on my toughest writing days.

Remember the old Abba song from Mama Mia, Thank You for the Music? Well, I’m officially changing it to Thank You for the Stories, because that’s another thing I’m grateful for. All of my fellow authors out there, including you, who have chosen to share their words with me. Stories impact me in a way that nothing else does. They leave an imprint, no matter how small, and I am forever changed by them.

So, thank you!

And if you’re wallowing in a mid-NaNo funk, here’s some inspiration to help you stay in the fight! The next track in the NaNo soundtrack:

Things I would have Tweeted…

So, I’m not very active on Twitter. Okay…that’s probably a bit of an understatement. Technically I have an account, and I occasionally use it to check in on agents and other writer friends, but honestly the day job, life and my own writing usually don’t leave me enough time to monitor it like I’d need to in order to maximize it.

But every once in a while, a pithy little 140 character comment rises in my brain and I go, “Dang, wish I had time to tweet.”

For your general amusement, here’s a collection of what I would have tweeted this week…if I had time!

• Dublin-esque weather in Milwaukee today. In the mood for a good paranormal/gothic thriller. Any recommendations?
• Blog idea! What does a sample book marketing plan include? Stay tuned.
• Requiem for a Dream is one of my fave battle-writing songs OF ALL TIME!
• Just bought sandwich baggies for $1.19. C’mon folks, surely e-books are worth more than sandwich baggies.

 

And for today’s addition to the NaNo soundtrack, I give you the hauntingly beautiful: LOS ANGELES by Peter Bradley Adams.

 

 

 

 

What Would Your Characters Do?

Ever wonder how your characters would react in everyday situations? I do. All the time. And, when it comes to plotting, it’s not such a silly question. It’s actually a really fun little exercise that might spark some ideas for you during NaNo.

Imagine a common situation. Maybe even one you’ve faced yourself today. It can be anything, from getting a parking ticket, to arguing with a friend, to hearing a favorite song. Now, ask yourself “What would my character do?”

It’s fascinating to see how their reactions are different from (or similar to) your own, and you’ll get some real insights into their personalities. Try doing the exercise for multiple characters. It will also start to highlight some subtle (or not so subtle) differences among your story's cast.

Let’s take the parking ticket example. Here’s how some of my MCs would react…

Crysta: Um, perhaps you didn’t know, but I am Crysta din Aelwynn. I do not deign to receive parking tickets. Please be gone. *silently fears the parking ticket is a sign that she will not be able to call on the power she needs to save her people*


Raiyn: Oh, thank God – just a parking ticket. Guess that means they didn’t witness the umpteen other ways I’ve gleefully entertained society today in a less-than-legal manner. See, Connor, there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Connor: A ticket!?! I have become lax in my training and discipline. I must immediately return to a roads course and challenge other drivers until I’m sure I can protect the kingdom—er, I mean park correctly.


Mal: There are rules, Eryn. See, I told you. Even when we’re fighting for everything good in the world, sometimes rules and honor are all that keep us from crossing the line into evi—

Eryn: *snatches ticket from Mal and tears it up with an exasperated stomp* It’s just a stupid parking ticket, Mal. Rules are meant to be broken.

Coloring the Page: Blue



If you’ve been around the blog a while, you know that one of my favorite writing tools is a Color Thesaurus created by a gentleman who is blind but had his sight until he was 11. You can read all about it in my initial post here, along with some great alternatives for “Red.”

Since everyone’s busily writing away for NaNo, I thought it might be the perfect time another entry in our “Coloring the Page” series: BLUE.

Hope this gives you some new options for those tricky descriptions!

 

• Aquamarine: Bluish green.
• Azure: A light, purplish blue.
• Baby Blue: Light to pale blue, or greenish or purplish blue.
• Cobalt: Glassy or ceramic blue.
• Cornflower Blue: Powdery light blue.
• Diamond Blue: Sparkling blue and translucent.
• Egg Shell Blue: Normally considered a light shade of blue.
• Electric Blue: Bright metallic illuminating blue.
• Ice Blue: Glassy, transparent or translucent blue.
• Indigo: Blue to grayish purple blue.
• Metallic Blue: Silvery, somewhat reflective blue.
• Midnight Blue: Dark blue, almost black.
• Navy Blue: A dark grayish blue.
• Neon Blue: Glowing, illuminating blue.
• Ocean Blue: Normally considered a darker shade of blue.
• Peacock Blue: A moderate to strong greenish blue.
• Powder Blue: A light pale blue.
• Rich Blue: Bright clear blue.
• Robin Egg Blue: A very pale, or light, blue.
• Royal Blue: A deep to strong blue.
• Sapphire: A rich blue, sometimes a light green mixed.
• Sky Blue: Deep blue to light or pale blue; usually dark blue.
• Turquoise: Bluish green.

As always, the Bookshelf Muse is another fantastic resource for synonyms of all kinds. Best of luck writers!

Does Your Work Influence Your Setting?

There’s nothing particularly special about my agency’s office. It’s in an old tannery building near the city, but a bit too far south to be considered in “Downtown Proper.”

It overlooks a railroad track and several mostly-empty apartment buildings whose remodeling projects got abandoned in recent years when the architects ran out of money. There’s a vodka distillery in the parking lot and an honest-to-goodness cobbler off the loading dock.

Yet it amazes me how much this place has influenced my writing!

 

Here’s what I mean:

• I used the style of the old original exposed brick walls as inspiration for a museum in a Clive Cussler-esque adventure novel I have swirling around in my brain.
• The railroad tracks, loading trains and occasional train-hopper I see out our back door became the almost sole inspiration for an awesome steampunk I’m working on.
• The exterior building façade influenced the architecture for another historical steampunk idea.
• I even used a line in one of my pieces about the constant smell of Pine Sol in the stairwells.
• Someday, I’m going to stop by the cobbler’s and ask him to make me a pair of leather boots like one of my characters wears.

It’s funny how the most mundane things can shape our stories. What about you? Does your workplace find its way into your writing?