The Joys of Fiction

I'm all about that skate, bout that skate, no pebble

It's been 5 years. July, 2021.

What have I done in 5 years? I have: graduated high school. Done 3 years of Fine art at university, including a semester over in la Italia, where I spent too much on food, bought a naked David apron that my late grandma instantly disapproved of, and got to eat a slice of Sienese pizza the size of my forearm. I acquired 2 jobs in a pandemic year, have almost completed my Diploma of Early Childhood, have gone through a personal painting renaissance, had 2 different crushes on 2 very different people (ten inches apart in height), and I've started... well, restarted skateboarding, after a decade's hiatus, and acquired 2 skateboards of my own. (Oh, me? taking up skateboarding to impress a dude? naaaaaaaah.) And I am currently anticipating skateboarding's debut at the olympics today.

So, I have passions.

And this is what our Skylar needs.

Well, this is what Skylar needs to tell us she likes. How many times have you read through half a book, only to find out that suddenly Skylar likes dancing? Suddenly, Skylar has a fun talent that affects the plot, amazing and wowing everyone so much, even her readers!

Yeah....

Nah.

Skylar's passions and talents aren't rabbits to be pulled out of hats. (She deserves more than that.) I like it when rabbits are pulled out of hats, not the witty personality she's inhaled from someone else, or daggers that conveniently kill things when you can tell the author just wants to get them out of the way. (Or maybe i do like hidden daggers, but then again, it all comes down to.....)

Skylar's little breadcrumbs, throughout the book, that tell us she's had practice. Skylar's affinity with rhythm, the way she describes music to the technical detail, that foretells her love of dance or instruments.

Skylar's affinity for actual rabbits, which could be a fun character-building detail to throw in later (as long as it's inconsequential), or part of her early characterisation that sets the stage for how you view her.

(Also, i painted a rabbit recently. She was called Juliet.)

And while we're on the topic of Passions that Need To Be Voiced, make it reasonable why your characters like those things.....

Why do I like skateboarding? Well, it started off with impressing a dude. Then it dug down to old memories of skating my cracked, terrible footpath outside my house with my brothers, on boards that better belonged in the bin, and realising that hey, i can now take this so much further than then - I have a car now, and money, and i can even go to the skatepark. I can glide along the cracked footpath, controlling a plank of wood with my feet. I can make it move in ways it wouldn't be able to on its own. I can look at footpaths, handrails, and steps like i'm trying to romance them, despite knowing it's beyond my skill level. I love the feeling of wind in my hair and looking back suddenly, to realise how far i've progressed. I love being out of breath, realising that i've found my new exercise.

Maybe that's why Skylar likes skateboarding.

Or maybe it's all she's ever known.

Or maybe she's more interested in mall-grabbing her board and standing at the tops of ramps in people's way.

Either way, give reasons for your character's passions. Have you ever watched a reality TV show and wondered, why are you here? Why did you sign up for this? Why are you on Survivor if you're a manicurist who hates dirt? 

Hey, maybe there is a reason Miss Manicurist is on Survivor, after all. She might tell you in confessions. Just like a character in your novel. *badum tss* *groaning*

If you've made it this far, and/or you're one of the ones still reading after all these years, or who actually remembered this site existed then golly gosh, i'm impressed, thank you <3

And now it's time to go to my rambling points.

Rambling point #1: Characters are human people who need passions.

Rambling point #2: The breadcrumbs of your fun, plot-affecting talents need to be everywhere. Everywhere, so the birds are flocking to pick them up, but only see those birds when looking back like ohhhhh!

Rambling point #3: Take your character to confessionals. Let us in on the goss. Show us we're not clowns for caring!

Cheers and goodnight.

- Steph, feeling like a grandma. (Did i do it, sharon? did i impress the kids?)