A to Z Challenge: J is for Janus

Okay, so I'm diverging a bit from my flash fiction/poetry flow. Today I want to talk about one of my characters in my YA novel, Opal. The main/title character is a genetically engineered, super intelligent young girl named Opal. She's been raised in a closed compound and her peers are all like her, engineered to be scientists for a megacorporation. Janus is one of those peers. They've always been drawn to each other both as friends and competitors. In many ways, Janus could be considered a "villain" but that's a shallow view of such a complex character. Honestly, he was my favorite character in the entire novel to write. He's so damaged and intelligent and brutal. So complex and so lost. I want to give you a brief taste of him.

This scene takes place after a huge prank that Janus and Opal pulled off and it looks like things might have gotten out of control. It's also their first kiss.

“How are you . . . feeling?” asked Janus, his voice was soft but electric, like the air just before a storm.

“Worried?” I watched a squad of S&S officers marching down the path that circled the compound. A patrol. Unusual for this time of day. “How should I be feeling?”

He crossed to me, his footsteps muffled by the carpet.

“You’re scared,” he breathed into my ear. I saw his eyes reflected in the window. A predator eyeing skittish prey. “You shouldn’t be.”

For once, the heat of his breath did not cause my cheeks to flush. I turned to face him. Janus used his height and stared down at me, his face raptorial.

“I shouldn’t?” I asked, hoping against logic that what he said could convince me.

“No,” he replied. “Our trick was flawless.”

I cringed, remembering the panic of losing my wristband. Behind my back, I instinctively touched the band, reassuring myself. Janus paused, scrutinizing me. His eyes, like the vacuum of a black hole, pulled everything in and let nothing escape.

“Yes,” he continued. “And as long as neither of us says a word, that’s the way it will stay.”

“I . . . I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Promise me, Opal.” He reached out one hand and slowly stroked my cheek. I tried to look away. He grasped my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Promise you will say nothing.”

I struggled against his grip. His nails gouged my jaw.

“I . . . I promise.”

Janus studied me for a brief moment. He leaned forward, our noses centimeters apart. His large dark eyes swallowed my vision.

In shock, I felt his lips touch mine. He held me in place but I no longer struggled. I closed my eyes and all thought stopped. All worry disappeared. His lips were soft but adamant. I folded into his arms. His tongue flicked lightly against my lips, then compelled them to part. I gasped as he bit my bottom lip. I tasted the metallic hint of blood, but I felt no pain. Instead, excitement-fueled adrenaline coursed through me. A silent promise of change pulsed in my veins.

Then the embrace ended. Janus stepped back. My knees buckled and I nearly fell. He straightened his shirt, smoothing the wrinkles my body created. I coughed, looking away. Embarrassment stained my cheeks, replacing the heat of the moment before.

“I’m glad you agree,” he said, turning his inscrutable gaze back to me. Nothing showed in his eyes. “It would be inconvenient for you to be . . . punished.”

My face drained of heat. I couldn’t breathe. I coughed again, mumbled something that I hoped he took for acquiescence, and hurried out the door, pausing while the door acknowledged my command. I could feel his gaze burning into my back. I ran down the hall and into my room before his door could slide shut.

3 Books On Writing That Are Actually Worth Your Time

My mother has never put much stock on How-To-Write books, and I can understand why. It seems like a lot of people, whether published on their own or not, feel the need to tell other people how to go about writing a book. This a particularly difficult task because there are as many ways to write a book as there are writers. My way may not work for you. Your way might be completely foreign to me. Either way, as long as we both reach the end goal (a finished book!), what does it matter how we got there?

I have no time for the books that promise a foolproof way to success or tell you how to write the next breakout novel. That's nonsense. No one can predict what's going to be big. The only thing to do is write the book you want to write and write it well.

But I do think there is a place for books on writing. For me, that place is asking the right questions.

Aside from the very basic, "This is a verb. You need to have characters." ultimate beginner's books, I've found a few that actually turned out to be helpful. (The titles are links to the books on Amazon)

1. Elements of Fiction Writing: Character & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

This is actually the latest book I've read and it's been incredibly helpful. I was having trouble with my new book because it's told from two main characters' POVs in first person. I really felt like I hadn't solidified those characters and I turned to this book to help. The thing I liked best about this book was that it didn't tell you how to create in depth characterization. It asks you the right questions so you get there on your own. It really is a book of tools, not answers, and those tools have turned out to be very useful. Card takes you on a journey from basic character creation to understanding your story as a whole and how characterization plays into it. It's well written and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend it to anyone having trouble fully realizing their characters (also take a look at my blog about using the Myers Briggs test to understand you characters here).

2. The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell

This book is a really interesting adaptation of Sun Tzu's famous work with a literary twist. It approaches writing a book like a battle. From mental preparation to tactics to what to do after you've "won," it covers the entire experience of writing a novel. It does tend to be overarching and big-picture oriented, but the author does a good job of using concrete examples from real books to illustrate his points. It's full of encouragement and big ideas. It get's you to stop and think, then start writing. The first time I read through it, I kept putting the book down and working on my own book. Any book that gets you to sit down and write must be doing something right.

3. Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction by William Bernhardt

I've talked about this book before in my blog The Importance of Outlining, but I really can't stress how helpful this book has been. New York Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, teaches a series of small group writing seminars that are basically the reason I finished my first book in one year. If you can't afford to take his classes or are too far away geographically, this book (and the rest of the Red Sneaker Writer series) are the next best thing. For me, structure is such an important part of creating a workable first draft. Otherwise you end up with 70,000+ words verging on stream of consciousness. It's hard to organize a mess like that, so why not start out with organization? From overarching structure to how to format an individual scene, this book gives you the nuts and bolts of writing. If you don't know how to use the tools, how can you create something amazing? Every time I start a book (and if I'm having trouble in the middle) I pick up this book. It helps me sort through my pile of scenes and characters and ideas to get to the skeleton of my story. And make sure that skeleton can support the book's weight.


If you have any questions about these books or know of some others that are helpful, comment below!

Myers-Briggs Test for Characters

So I've put Nanowrimo on hold because I just didn't have a good grasp of who my characters are. I know their pasts. I know what they do and even why, but I couldn't wrap my mind around how they think. Since I'm writing in 1st person POV for both of them, that's kind of important.

I've done a lot of different things, trying to get a firm understanding of my MCs. I've filled out pretty much every questionnaire I could find, most full of trivial details. I've got concept pictures of them. I've worked out their past lives. But I still couldn't quite understand them.

I looked over several psychology/psychiatry books (because, let's face it, when I don't understand something I turn to science), but I still couldn't find what I was looking for. My main characters aren't crazy. Books on psychosis and biopolar disorder and borderline personality disorder didn't help. I began to feel like the thing I was seeking was so ordinary, so commonplace, that everyone else automatically understood it. What was I missing?

Then I remembered something. The Myers-Briggs test. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a psychometric questionnaire that is supposed to examine differences in how people perceive and make decisions about their world. Whether they're more rational or emotional. More introverted or extroverted. Based on the work of Carl Jung, the MBTI "focuses on normal populations and emphasizes the value of naturally occuring differences." (Wikipedia)

Which was exactly what I wanted.

I've taken the test twice so far, one time for each of my protagonists. But it was so helpful that I'm considering taking it as my antagonists, too.

There are four areas that the MBTI measures and for each area, there are two options. The first is Introverted vs Extroverted. Intuition vs Sensing. Feeling vs Thinking. And Percieving vs Judging. There are 16 possible outcomes of the test, and each one gives a lot of information about how the person handles energy, information, decision-making, and their lifestyle.

For instance, one of my characters tested INTJ, meaning she's introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. This tells me that she prefers one or two close friends and quiet time. That she's good with abstract thinking, but not necessarily at focusing on current situations. She values objective criteria, but doesn't have much use for social considerations. She also likes to have a sense of control which can seem limiting to other people.

That's incredible! Now when I write as her, I know that focus will be something she struggles with. That she uses memories and speculation about the future to understand the present. That she might get overwhelmed by a crowd or be severely uncomfortable when she loses control. Hopefully, I'll be able to translate all of this information into organic, sincere writing because now I understand how she thinks. Hopefully I'll be able to fully get into her head.

The test is only 72 questions and you can take it for free here as many times as you like. After you get your result, you can look it up on Wikipedia for more information (just type INTJ or whatever your result is into the Wiki search bar). It'll also give you historical and fictional examples of other people who are the same type. Typelogic.com is another site that will give you a lot of info.

If you're having trouble solidifying your characters, it can't hurt to give this a shot. It worked for me. Let me know if it works for you!

Also, I found some fun charts showing MBTI types for the characters of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. (I'm Hermione and Tom! Although occasionally I test as Luna and Matthew.)

My Crazy Process: Creating Side Characters

So in preparation for this year's NaNoWriMo, I've been hammering out my new book. Think Salem Witch Trials + Book of Job + a pandemic plague, all on an abandoned, near-future Galveston Island. Most of the book takes place in a religious commune and I want this community to feel solid and real.

I've had some trouble coming up with side characters (aka, the members of the commune), but I finally figured out a process.

Piles of people!

Now, I admit it looks kind of crazy. It's the kind of stuff that might raise questions in more stable-minded folk. But I gathered almost 150 pictures of random people - all ages, genders, races, etc. - cut them out and started making families out of them.

I'm totally normal, right? Right.

I think the reason this has really helped me is that I'm a visual person. I've had "concept photos" of my main characters since the beginning. Looking at a person's face helps me envision an entire life for them. Helps me figure out who they are. A face is the starting point. Give me that and I can create an entire world.

I know a lot of people don't function like this. They're less visual or perhaps just less OCD. That's great.

This is the kind of background work that often isn't obvious in a finished novel, but even if you don't memorize the charts, even if you don't keep track of who is related to whom and how they got there, I hope I can give you a depth. The impression of a real community - of real people who live and love and work together through all the trials that I will undoubtedly put them through.

Elementary vs Sherlock: The Trouble with American Television

As I have thoroughly established, I am a lifelong fan of British television. I grew up watching Masterpiece Mystery with my mom and now I have developed an intense - if one sided - love affair with the Doctor from the BBC's stunning sci-fi series, Doctor Who. Through the years, I have avidly consumed British media and for the last few years, Sherlock as become one of my all time favorites.

Sherlock, written by Stephen Moffat, features the thrilling actor Benedict Cumberbatch who embodies the character of Sherlock Holmes better than any of the varied and talented actors that came before him. The writing is crisp, the dialogue pithy, and the mysteries confounding. Sadly, as with most British television, the seasons (or series as they're known across the pond) are short. In Sherlock's case, very short. The show only has three episodes per season and it's been quite a while since the cliffhanger ending of season two.

Now that I've established my personal bias, let me turn to Elementary, an American production.

During the devastatingly long interim between Sherlock seasons (and it doesn't help that Doctor Who is also on hiatus), I've been searching around for something to fill the void. Though it may seem so, I certainly do not limit myself to British television. There are several American shows that I love: The Newsroom (and the West Wing. Basically anything written by Aaron Sorkin), Game of Thrones, Smash (I love a good musical), and Grey's Anatomy (yes, I know. Keep your teasing to yourself). So I am not in any way against American programming.

I heard from several people who like Elementary and the concept of Lucy Liu as Watson was intriguing so I decided to give it a try. After seven or eight episodes (because I badly wanted to like this show), I gave up. What was wrong with it? It wasn't a bad show per se. In fact, I would consider it above average for the American crime-solving genre. But because of the timing and the connection to Sherlock Holmes lore, Elementary faces the inevitable - and inevitably detrimental - comparison with the BBC's Sherlock.

Let's start with the basics.

The Casting:

As I've said previously, I think that Benedict Cumberbatch is the greatest actor to play the Character of Sherlock Holmes ever. This obviously puts - let me look up his name - Johnny Lee Miller at a disadvantage. I think it says a lot that when you look at IMDB's Elementary page, Miller isn't even billed at the top. Which brings us to the companions. Drs John and Joan Watson. I like the risk that the American writers took casting Lucy Liu as the damaged and intensely loyal Dr. Watson. It's a great twist and I think she does a good job. I think she suffers much less by comparison with her counterpart, Martin Freeman. Once again, however, she comes to the table with a handicap because Martin Freeman, like Benedict Cumberbatch, is spot on casting and is easily the most memorable Dr. Watson of all time.

There's a reason why the fangirls are so obsessed with the Cumberbatch/Freeman pairing and it's not just their pretty eyes. They become the characters of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson so thoroughly that they cement themselves in your mental image. They are Holmes and Watson.

The Show:

Sherlock has three episodes at one and half hours a piece, which basically makes each episode a movie. Elementary, on the other hand, is limited to the approximately 45 minutes show of American prime-time. By nature of time-frame alone, Sherlock is able to delve much more deeply into each story, allowing the writer to craft an intricate and compelling mystery. Elementary, on the other hand, devolves into a typical and expected crime-solving show that happens to feature characters with the names Holmes and Watson. Oh, and Holmes is a recovering heroin-addict. Honestly that is about as much as the show has in common with the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Which brings me to the main point. Casting aside - because although not nearly as good as the Cumberbatch/Freeman pairing, Miller and Liu aren't bad - the main problem with Elementary is that it's not smart. Elementary's Holmes doesn't blow me away with any cleaver deductions and the mysteries themselves are laughably predictable. The entire point of Sherlock Holmes is that he's a genius. Not only is a genius, he is THE genius. The smartest man that ever lived. A damaged yet compelling detective that solves crimes purely with the power of his amazing intellect.

There is just no comparison between the shows on an intellectual level. I STILL haven't figured how Sherlock escaped death in the last episode and I've watched it many times over. And that's the point. We need the writing to be, not only smart, but smarter than we are. We need a show that keeps us guessing. That keeps us on the edge of our seat and has enough clues and subtleties that we can watch the show over and over and still not catch everything.

This is a problem throughout American Television. The vast majority of shows lack any intellectual punch. They're dumbed down. If American television gave their writers the lee-way to write truly great shows, I have no doubt that they could do it. The problem is not that American producers aren't capable; it's that they don't give good writers the time and money needed to created a masterpiece like the BBC's Sherlock. I, for one, wish they would.

After all, smart is the new sexy.

5 TV Shows for Writers to Watch

I watch a lot of T.V. and in many ways I prefer television shows to movies. You get to know the characters better and, ultimately, you get to see them more. Especially if it's a popular show with many seasons. Recently, I've been watching these shows not as a passive observer, but as a writer. I take note of the conflict, dialogue, and pacing that the writers of these shows use to tell their story, because writing a novel is basically the same thing. Same idea, different medium.

So here's a list of five shows that exhibit excellent writing and are worth watching both for entertainment and as a writer.

1. Sherlock

Sherlock is the modern re-imagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless mystery series following the antics of genius detective, Sherlock Holmes. The T.V. series takes place in modern day London, placing the characters firmly in the real world yet still managing to stay true to the original plots. Aside from the stunning acting done by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Dr. Watson), this show is exceedingly well written. The sharp and intelligent dialogue between the two lead characters is engaging and addictive, while the lead characters themselves are immediately relatable and interesting. The show's constant flow of wit and excitement keeps the pace up through the hour and half long episodes placing the watch firmly in it's thrall. Sadly, there are only three episodes per season.

2. Homeland

Homeland is the best psychological thriller on T.V. It brings what is a very popular genre in books to the world of television. Following the paths of C.I.A. counter-terrorist agent Carrie and alleged captive-turned-terrorist Lt. Brodie, Homeland has swept a nation already hooked on thrillers in book-form. Not only is this show exciting because of its basic premise, but the writers do an excellent job of gradually reveling information. They don't present everything you need to know right away, instead drawing both past and present events out through the eyes of the characters. Trusting your audience to figure somethings out for themselves and only giving just enough hints to keep them going is essential to any "thriller" story, but even in other genres adding a layer of hidden depth with make any story better.

3. Doctor Who

Doctor Who has been a staple in the Sci Fi genre for decades, but the most recent reboot (starting in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston) has gone further than the original. While the initial seasons still have genre-specific themes and questionable graphics, Doctor Who really shows itself to be deeper than many outsiders can understand. The most recent seasons are especially well done crossing all genres including Science Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Drama - even tossing in a bit of romance for good measure. But what the writers do best in this series is the characters. The characters are vibrant, original, and very much their own. Dialogue, clothing, and idiosyncrasies are expertly woven together to give life to these characters who are at their worst, human, and at their best, still very much human. 

4. The Newsroom

From the creator of the West Wing, the Newsroom is a sharp, intelligent exploration of the characters involved in the media today. It follows idealistic news anchor William MacAvoy and an ensemble cast of a fictional cable news channel dealing with and presenting actual news. The writers do an excellent job of weaving fictional characters around fact-based events, while at the same time using their story to present the watcher with harsh truths about today's world. A constant stream of witty dialogue, actual catastrophes, and almost slap-stick personal problems creates a story-world that is exciting, scary, hilarious, heart-wrenching, and deeply relevant to its audience. 

5. Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is the runaway hit that follows the inhabitants of its namesake through the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, and beyond. Placed against the beautiful back drop of an Edwardian era manor house, an ensemble cast of characters ranges from the lowliest kitchen maid to the Earl of Downton himself. Each character is amazingly well-cast with individual and vibrant personalities. The interpersonal conflict is what drives the story forward without the need for contrived melodrama or explosions. Reaching beyond its genre's usual audience of Jane Austen lovers (count me as one of those), Downton Abbey has managed to hook all kinds of watchers. As a writer, it is very much worth watching for the snappy dialogue, what is said, as well as the underlying tensions, what is not said. This series excels at touching overarching themes through the characters lives and subtle pacing that draws the watcher along until they are completely addicted.


These are five of my favorite T.V. shows and the ones that I think would benefit any writer to watch.

What are some of yours?