Writing The Opposite Gender

So, today's a writing day and because the task ahead of me is so daunting, I'm here procrastinating instead of doing my work. Due to some news and business advice, I decided that instead of working on my Middle Grade novel, I was going to bang out this Young Adult novel that was next on my list. One of the biggest struggles I've come across in writing this story is that the main character is the opposite gender that I am.

I've written male leads before, and I'm by no means a girly girl, but I have to consider my audience, my limited knowledge of the male mind, and the story of this novel when I'm writing. For example, I believe more females read YA than males do, so my book having a male lead could be harmful if not done well. I noticed that of my two published short stories and my novel, the one with a male lead character and male on the cover does not sell as well as my other two. Could it be that the cover is just not as strong as the others? Perhaps, but when I consider how many YA books out there have a male lead, it makes me wonder.

This book I'm working on will have a much stronger romantic element to it than anything else I've written/published thus far, so to help attract the most people, I intend for the cover to show both an attractive male AND an attractive female. Doing so should keep it more neutral. I don't want to give anyone the impression that it's a paranormal romance, because it's a paranormal mystery of sorts, but I think highlighting the romance will help me reach my target audience, which is young adults between 13 and 19.

All that aside, the actual writing can be a challenge at times. In a good way, of course. But how much teenage boy do I want to include in the story before I start losing girl readers? I've been thinking about good YA I've read with male lead characters, and most of them were written by women. For example, Beautiful Creatures is a great book and has a male lead, and while the characters voice was there, I don't recall him feeling very manly. Teenage boys think about boobs and girls and nice legs, don't they? But I don't recall much of these things happening in the YA books with male leads written by women. I'm not saying that they have to overpower the story with the character talking about sex or boobs, but if a girl's blouse is too low or skirt too high and all the character does is mention this like an asexual third party observer, then what does that mean?

It's possible that I'm just over-generalizing teenage boys and that the majority of them don't sneak an (un)intentional glance at an attractive girl's chest when she leans over in her low cut top, or they don't notice long sexy legs in a short skirt. Maybe all of the guys in the books are too effeminate or too much of gentlemen to do such things. Or maybe the women writing the stories don't think it's important enough to mention, and maybe it isn't. I'm not sure, but I always found it strange that the point of view male characters were never as teenage boy-like as they should be. Again, it could just be me not knowing what I'm talking about.

So, how can I convey that this main character is in fact a teenage boy and not a woman trying to write a teenage boy? Voice and characterization are key, but how do I do this without making assumptions or stereotyping the character? An idea I had was in the way they notice things. Generally, I would say men are more visual and women are more intuitive. This is not to say that every single case is exactly the same or that both genders can't be both visual and intuitive. I know this happens and that's fine, but I'm speaking in general terms for the sake of this example. If both a man and a woman were to walk into a restaurant scene, how would their narratives differ? Would their narratives still differ if they were written in 3rd person rather than 1st? As a writer, I would tackle them differently, even in 3rd because the things they notice and the way they notice them would be different between them, not just because they are different people, but because they are different genders too.


[READER INTERACTION]: What are your thoughts on the subject? If you write, how do you tackle this challenge? Know any great examples of an author writing a lead/POV character of the opposite gender?

Main Character CPR

While I was trying to write a different blog post about the writing process, I realised that I have a problem with the main character on my current work in progress. A major problem. My main character is flat. Sure, she has fears, which is a major part of her character, but I realised that there was nothing to make her unique. She was kind of just going with the flow.

My main character was suddenly overshadowed by my further developed secondary characters. This is a problem because the story has to be told from her perspective. It's her story, not her sister's and not her love interest's even though they may seem like bolder, stronger characters than she is. Also, I understand that my novel is plot-heavy, but it's very important for my main character to three dimensional and grow because she (and the secondary characters) is so important to the story.

No matter what I did, I seemed to skirt around the main character. The love interest suddenly became the most three dimensional, relatable character. Perfect. He likes to read. Okay, but in a desolate environment, this could prove challenging. If I am able to write a second book, he will also struggle with his identity in that book.

The main character's sister is out of play for most of the novel, but even in the short time she is there it's easy to see that she has a strong personality and it's unique to her. Her character is natural for me and it comes to me without having to work too hard. This is not the case with the main character. She has flaws; the type that cause her to doubt herself and her actions a lot. But I realised she didn't have any likes or desires (other than the desire to hide and for things to be normal again). After talking with my best friend and going through some ideas with her, I found something that would not only make her unique, it fit her personality and actually enhanced it.

[READER INTERACTION] What do you do when you realise your character is flat. How do you handle this situation?

Progress.. or lack there of.

So, the first week of NaNoWriMo is over and I am thousands behind on my word count. (I had a bad week filled with little time to write.) I'm not sure how or if I will catch up, but that is besides the point, I suppose. I have been writing every day, even if it's only a little but a day.

I find that I'm proud of myself even if I haven't been reaching my goals or even if I don't make 50k because I finally got out of this trap where I would write a little and then go back to edit it... or worse, I would sit there and contemplating my words and actions for hours until I found the perfect and exact way to write it. If all I have gotten from NaNoWriMo is this ability to just write until finished for a shitty first draft, then I would be extremely grateful.

Something I have discovered during my adventure is that I am thrilled to follow my gut instinct when it came to developing the characters in Inoculation. Characters are very important to me and I take a lot of time thinking about them, even if I don't spend a lot of time before I write to develop them. I've actually surprised myself on several occasions where I knew my characters. I didn't write out pages of information on them... actually I didn't write out anything. No "character interviews" no exercises on "what would this character do or say" and no forms. It's liberating, to be honest. I don't know whether this means I am doing well with my character's development, but I FEEL like I am. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But I feel like I understand them.

When my husband helps me work out a scene, we discuss possible actions characters would take within the scene. I find myself saying, "I don't really think that such and such character would do that." or "I could totally see this character doing that!" It's great to know who my characters without a tedious, boring process. I wonder if this will work for everything I write? Is this my 'process' or am I just lazy? My characters are in control of themselves, I think. XD

Speaking of my husband, I have to gush for a moment about how awesome he is. Not only is he just awesome in general, but he's the best writing buddy ever. I always get the best input and the best help from him. Whenever I am stuck he always has a helpful thought or an idea that sparks my own ideas. It might be because we both are interested in the subject of my book, Inoculation, but he's also been great help with other stories as well.

Something I have found very difficult throughout this first week is not only keeping up with the word count, but catching up once I fall behind. Even though I write every day, sometimes I was only about to write 200-500 words. When you need 1667 minimum, that's not all that good. And it's not like I can just write 5k words in a few hours like I have seen others do. I've never written that much in a day and I'm not sure that I could unless I locked myself up in a dark room with no human contact for 8 hours. But that will never happen. Haha. I'd go crazy.

Win or lose, it's still great. I can't wait until the end though because I am sort of interested in reading other people's work. But anyway, hopefully I can get back on track and maybe I will still make it! Gotta get back to work!

Thoughts on Development

I've been feeling a real struggle lately, but I think I am coming out of it. Plotting for my NaNoWriMo submission has been a nightmare and the clock is ticking. But I'm having a breakthrough. Also, it's good to get these issues out of the way now so when NaNoWriMo comes around (OMG ONLY 1 WEEK) I won't have to spend all this time dinkin' around with it. Which is good. But through all of this, I've been having fun based on the fact that my characters are growing themselves.

For example, I think two of my characters are falling for each other. When did that happen? There is no place for love in my story. They are journeying and fighting for their lives! It just doesn't make sense. But I can feel it when I work out the plot. Whether it actually comes up in the writing, I don't know. But I do know for sure that on my end as the author they fell for each other. Something similar happened with one of my characters. Last night, while I was working on plot point #9, I had this random idea that my story needed two sweet old ladies who are sisters and have been living together since they were younger. They are now the aunts of one of my characters and raised this person after his/her mother died.

Isn't it funny how things sort of just fall into place when you are writing?

I think I have been approaching my novel in a way that is similar to a movie. Is this good or bad? I'm not entirely certain. I see the story develop in my mind as though it were a movie and try to relay that information in the form of words. Sometimes it's helpful because I can see everything in my mind as if it were real and write what I see. But at the same time, I wonder if this bogs me down sometimes. Or maybe that I'm not focusing on the right descriptions. I don't know. Haha, I DO know, however, that this will be good for NaNoWriMo. Why? Because I have 30 days to write 50,000 words. And since I have not written this many words for one story in about... 10 years, I think it would be helpful.

Yesterday, I was reading an article about reasons your manuscript could get rejected by agents and one reason mentioned gimmicks. This lead me to wonder if my approach to Inoculation is gimmicky. The way I have it set up right now, each character leads to another character and the story is told from their point of view (3rd person) until they meet up. I imagine this would be considered gimmicky. It has a very movie-style feel to it as well. However, I feel that this is how it needs to be told. It flows, it's fun, it's interesting. I don't think I even have a single protagonist. If I had to guess, I would say that Nea and Logan are the two main protagonists... but what about Bridget and David? Or Ingrid? Or the Weyland boys? Secondary.

I think I have done enough musing, though, for now. My next entry may be about inspiration and music. I know a lot of people make playlists and I think I'd like to muse on this.

Plot and Characters

So, I'm having a hard time coming up with a flaw for my main character. I've decided that she is a florist, and that her mother was a Junior College professor while her father was a fire fighter. I know that her parents did not have an easy time when they first met because her mother was from a traditional Greek family and her father was from a middle class American family. I also know that her parents encouraged her greatly while growing up and this lead her to become a florist of her own flower shop. Nea is relatively peaceful and quite motherly. The Leader, the one who takes care of the rest of the group.... I know there is a flaw in there, but I just can't find the right one. Her motivation is that she feels the need to protect the people around her... especially since some of the people with her are a bit on the dumb side and would likely die without her.

Huh... while writing this out, I was discussing with one of my writing buddies what flaw she could have. I believe I have decided that Nea's flaw is that she can't let go. She can't leave anyone behind and she lets her screw ups haunt her. I believe this will provide a legitimate flaw and also make a decent plot device.

Switching gears to plot now, I think. The other day I was working on a synopsis or a book blurb sort of thing. Not because I think I need to have one, but more so because it helped me focus what I wanted my novel to be about. When someone asked me what I was writing about, I had the hardest time coming up with an easy to understand answer. So a couple nights ago I sat down and decided that I would write even if it wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to. I find that I have this issue a lot and it keeps me from getting anything done. As a practice for November, I just wrote what I wanted to say, even if I worded it badly and the following is what I came up with:

After an influenza vaccine is rushed to the public without proper trial, cases of cannibalism begin to pop up across the country that appears to a growing side effect. The media makes matters worse when they announce that people are coming back from the dead and attacking people. Nea Thatcher and a group of peculiar comrades must help each other stay alive and discover what really happened to the country.

Didn't like that version at all. Can you blame me? I sucks. But the next one, I am satisfied with and will be using it as a start point for much of my planning.

After an influenza vaccine with unforeseen side effects is thrust upon the public, the media induces mass panic by announcing that people are returning from the dead and attacking people. When a florist from a small mountain town in California saves a little-known daytime television actor, they decide to join with a small group of peculiar comrades to help each other stay alive and discover what really happened to the country.

While not perfect, it's much better, in my opinion. For anyone using the Snowflake Method, this is sort of an in between Step 1 and Step 2 for me.

As a final note, I'd like to say a little about motivation and not allowing things to deter you from your goal. I've had a lack of motivation over the last couple days due to illness and due to some internet issues. At first I was concerned that I was already running down on motivation. It's not even a full week into October! It was luckily a false alarm, though since I find myself feeling refreshed and motivated full speed ahead again! So, my advice is to not be afraid to take a day off for a break and rejuvenate your motivation.

In addition to this, don't let things needlessly deter you from reaching your goal. Sometimes I find that things make me worry about if I am doing the right story. It's not been as bad as normal this time around since I am so stubborn, but often I let stupid things like people with similar stories (or that my topic has been done to death) get me down. For example, I am working with Zombies. Or... "zombies" would be a better way to put it. Zombies are a big deal nowadays and it's not likely my novel would get picked up. This usually would make my motivation leak away, but I find this time around that I just don't care. I have a story to tell and I'm not letting anything stop me.

That's it for tonight, though. I am very tired!

Character Development and Helpful Sites

Heck yes! I came up with characters today! I was worried there for a while because I was drawing a complete blank with my protagonist. I had a sidekick and a potential second sidekick, but no idea for a main protagonist. Sadly, my characters are quite lacking in the dimension department. I'll give a short introduction to my characters.

Nea Thatcher

She is the protagonist who is stuck fending off crazed 'zombies' with her eccentric fellow resisters. She is the motherly one and unwittingly the brains and leader of the group.

Logan Shepherd

I've mentioned him before, but will do so again. He is the somewhat dense day-time television actor who sometimes attempts to take on the personification of the character he plays.

David Harper

The self proclaimed zombie expert with a firey temper. Unfortunately, his knowledge will not be as useful as he believes.

Bridget Perry

The quirky teenaged girl with a strange sense of fashion and an optimistic attitude.

Kitcha

The animalistic stalker with a traumatic past who may or may not be an escaped mental patient. She doesn't speak much and no one knows why her name is Kitcha. Real name: Camilla Brodsky

So, over the next few days, I will be writing in depth about these characters to make them more dimensional. I think I have a good group, but I hope that they aren't too bizarre for the mood of my story. I believe I will be using a bit of the "Snowflake Method"to help me develop my characters. My number one pet peeve is working on a character by using character questionnaires and having 95% of the questions prove useless to me. I just don't have the patience or the care to decide what my characters favorite food is. If it's not essential to the plot, then why do I care?

Now, I do understand that people like to know all of this stuff ahead of time. It helps them understand their character. This is great! However, I can't work like that. I am an avid planner and outliner, but I am also a firm believer that my characters will tell me what I need to know if the time ever arises. Yes, I am aware that they are not real. However, I am not going to force information on them. I think this is a fast way to make dull, rigid characters. Let me give an example. This afternoon, I was telling my husband my new character ideas. I explained Kitcha and that she 'may or may not be an escaped mental patient.' He laughed and asked me, "Well, which is it?" I answered that I did not know, and that it's possible no one will ever know. He laughed again and said, "But, you are the one writing the story and making the character!" I simply explained to him that while this may be true, I don't know the answer and frankly don't really care. The point is that her character and personality brings into question her sanity. Does it matter one way or the other? No. Either way she is primal, slightly deranged, and has sociopathic tendencies. Just my two cents on that.

Well, I suppose that is it for the day. I need to head back to Scrivener and start working on developing the characters more.

Here are some helpful links for planning that I have been using over the last few days.

Behind the Name Genorator

Seventh Sanctum

Surnames

Snowflake Method

Phase Outline Method

NaNo for the New and Insane