40 Questions to ask your Characters

When creating a new story, you need to start with some engaging characters. These characters are going to be the major driving force of the story. When creating a new character, you have to do more than come up with a simple name and physical description. You really need to get into the head of your character in order to effectively write from their point of view. The more you know your characters, the better you will be able to write them.

When I create a character, not only do I search through one of many baby naming books to find that perfect  name for them, I take a few pages in a notebook and for a moment, pretend I am that character and answer some questions as if I am him/her. I won’t even begin writing a story until I have fleshed out the characters that will inhabit it. When I answer the questions as my character, I learn things about him/her that I never imagined. For example, when I began creating the character of Christine for High School Heroes, I discovered she had a fear of crowds. I hadn’t intended this to be a fear of hers, but it turned into a plot point for my story once I made the discovery.

To help you create realistic and lifelike characters, here is a list of 40 questions you can ask him or her to answer so you can get a better idea of who he or she is. 

1.       Where were you born? Was it in a hospital or at home? Was there anything unusual about your birth?

2.       Are you an only child? If not, what order to you fall in? First, middle, last?

3.       What images come to mind when you think of early memories of your father and mother?

4.       What traits (physical or mental) did you inherit from your parents? 

5.       Recall any memories from your life before age 10.

6.       Where do you live? How many people live in your house? What are the distinctive features of your home?

7.       What are some rules you have in your household? Are they strictly enforced or are they lenient?

8.       To whom in your family do you feel the closest?

9.       Write a list of 5 things your mother or father say to you all the time.

10.   Other than family, who are the most important people in your life?

11.   How do you celebrate birthdays? Holidays? Which holiday is most celebrated in your home?

12.   Write about the most memorable vacation you’ve had? Where did you go? Would you go back?

13.   Make a list of 10 places you would like to visit before you die.

14.   What are your hobbies?

15.   When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Has that changed? If so, what do you want to be now?

16.   Think about an important conversation you’ve had with your best friend. What was it about?

17.   What do you and your friends do together for fun? When do you usually get together with them?

18.   Do you save money to purchase something big, or do you spend it as soon as you get it?

19.   What is your favorite TV shows? Movies? Books? Video Games? Music?

20.   What are possessions you really treasure? Why?

21.   Quickly describe your typical day.

22.   Describe a teacher either past or present who has had a great influence on you.

23.   How has your relationship changed with your parents through the years? Friends? Other family?

24.   Describe a difficult decision you have had to make in your life. 

25.   Where is your favorite place to have quiet and alone time? Why?

26.   How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? Do you consider that a lot? Is dating even important to you? Why?

27.   When did you realize or how will you know when you have fallen in love?

28.   Do you know how to cook? If so, how did you learn? If not, why can’t you cook?

29.   Describe a situation that will make you laugh uncontrollably.

30.   Have you ever moved to a new place? If yes, what adjustments did you have to make?

31.   When you come home at the end of the day, how do you feel? Why?

32.   Name your 3 closest friends and describe each of them. 

33.   Describe the pets you had growing up. Do you have similar pets now? Why or why not?

34.   How old were you when you stopped believing in: Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc.?

35.   What are your greatest fears?

36.   What annoys you more than anything else? What do you do when you’re annoyed?

37.   What do you think your parents, teachers, friends, family would say about you if they were asked to describe you?

38.   Describe yourself in 10 words or less. 

39.   When looking for inspiration, where do you look? Why?

40.   How do you do research? Are you more likely to run to the library or Google? Why?

Graphic Novels - Some Helpful Tips

I have recently had several people ask me about turning their works into a graphic novel format as I have. I have been working for 2 years to finish the entire story of High School Heroes as a graphic novel (it will be two parts when it's all done) as well as working on an original graphic novel called The Poe Murders. 

They both present challenges. And as I have  absolutely no artistic ability, I must hire people to do my artwork for me. So, I am going to post my advice on this blog for any and all to see. I will probably make a couple of postings on this subject, this is just the basic advice to get started, so that you know what you're getting yourself into.

Now, I use 2 websites to find and hire artists for my work:

www.freelanced.com and www.elance.com

Now, each one has it pros and cons. Freelanced, will likely give you cheaper artists and you can tell them specifically what you wish to spend on your project. However, I have found some of the artists (not all) on this site to be unreliable (hence why I have now had 4 different artists on my High School Heroes comic). However, there are some that are quite good, like the woman who illustrated my children's book.

Elance, you put the project up with an approximate amount of what you'd like to spend and the artists will bid on the project. The artists I have worked with on here have never let me down (crosses fingers while knocking on wood). However, they are usually more expensive and you have to put money into an escrow account up front.

I will suggest black and white if you are paying for this by yourself, because keep this in mind...

Coloring can cost you an extra $10 - $40 per page. If you are going to do a standard 100 to 125 page graphic novel, that means upwards of an extra $1,000+ to $4,000+ out of your pocket. Not to mention that you will then have to pay for someone to letter the book (add in all the speaking bubbles and captions and whatnot) and the cheapest I have found for that is also $10 per page. (Now, I letter my own books, it takes me a good deal of time, but when you think of the money saved...) Then you will also have to pay an artist to do the cover and for a decent cover, that will also run you a minimum of $100. (I get around that by designing the cover myself and paying an artist just to draw a character for the cover for High School Heroes, The Poe Murders, I paid the full price).

When you consider that a black and white graphic novel of 100 pages is already going to cost you approximately $2,000 to $2,500 at minimum, all these extras can cost you money. Also, usually you will have to hire separate people to do each of these things. The person who draws, usually doesn't color and vice-versa.

I hope that this has been helpful to you. Check back in a couple of days when I discuss creating a script. 

The Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch can be summed up in a sentence, which is kind of funny, when you consider that's exactly what an elevator pitch is. It is a one or two sentence summary of your book that is meant to entice someone to learn more about it.

It seems like such a simple thing, and while it isn't all that complicated, it can be very easy to mess up. Either people make them too short with not enough exciting details, or they cannot think of how to condense a 300 page novel into a sentence and make the pitch too long.

The attention span of most adults is eight (8) seconds. So, you have that long (if even that) to grab their attention. Essentially, what I'm saying is that by this paragraph, if I haven't hooked you already, I'm never going to.

Conventionally, the target of the elevator pitch is usually an agent or an editor. Many writing conventions and conferences actually have special times set up for just such pitching sessions. They usually will give you a few minutes to present your work to agent or editor in hopes that they will say, "Sure, I'll take you on." But what about for those of us who are already published?

While I did many an elevator pitch before I had my novel, High School Heroes, published, I have made the pitch many, many more times since. I have actually said my elevator pitch so many times, that I have it memorized.

"High School Heroes is about a group of teenagers who desperately want to become superheroes but high school keeps getting in the way."

It's simple, to the point, and it always illicits a reaction--usually a chuckle and a comment. Now, this is the same pitch I used when I was looking for agents and publishers. This line was the first line of my query letter. This line I also use when I attend shows where I am sitting at a table and trying to get people to come over to my booth.

Depending on the show I'm at, I have seen as much as 50% of the people I say this line to actually come over to my table and pick up a book. Now, does that always turn into a sale--absolutely not. However, what my short and sweet pitch does, is entices a person to want to learn more. Now of those 50% that actually come to look at the book, somwhere between 5 and 10% buy it. While this sounds low, if you think about it, if I make the pitch 200 times, and I have 100 people actually come over to look at the book, I am going to sell between 5 and 10 of them. Generally, during a 6 hour show, I will make the pitch anywhere from 300 - 400 times. I'll allow you to do the math.

Now that I have explained the benefits of using an elevator pitch for something other than trying to get your book published, we can get into how to create one. There are a few criteria that every elevator pitch should have.

1. Keep it Short
Nothing will throw someone off more than having someone talk their ear off. Remember you have only eight (8) seconds (if that long) before someone tunes you out and moves on. Your pitch should ideally be one (1) sentence, but definitely no more than two (2). Look back at my pitch, it's only one sentence, but it captures the essence of my entire novel. Think about your novel and try to sum it up in a sentence.

2. Hook Your Audience
Just like your novel has to hook your audience on the first page (the first couple paragraphs really) you need to hook your potential editor, agent or customer with your elevator pitch. In other words, you can't just stick with your summary--it has to pop in some fashion. Again, I'll direct you back to my pitch:

"High School Heroes is about a group of teenagers who desperately want to become superheroes but high school keeps getting in the way."

That underlined part is the hook. No matter if they're 15 or 50, everyone remembers their high school days, whether good or bad. They remember how high school gets in the way of what a teenager wants to do. Like I said earlier, I usually get a chuckle when I say my pitch at shows, which is usually followed by a comment like, "Doesn't it always?" or "Yes it does." They want to find out how high school gets in the way, so the person comes over and looks at the book, which is our goal.

3. Tell The Genre
This is a tricky one, because you want to tell the genre of your novel without actually saying what it is. I could easily say, "High School Heroes is a young adult fantasy novel about..." But I don't. It isn't necessary. The simple fact that I have the words "teenagers" and "high school," tell me that this book is probably young adult, and the word "superheroes" tells me this is a fantasy. Saying that it is a young adult fantasy is adding extra words that is cutting into my few seconds of attention.

Now, what might happen is that your pitch will draw them in, and then they might ask for clarification of the genre. When this happens, I will quickly say, "It's a young adult fantasy." There's no problem there, because now the person I'm pitching to has engaged me and hasn't simply walked off, and I have a chance to continue the conversation.

On the flip-side, if I hear a pitch that talks about a "series of murders" I know that we're looking at a mystery, possibly a horror. If I hear the words, "space" or "starship" I know we're looking at a science-fiction. Think about the genre and what you can include in your pitch that will let someone know what it is.

4. Be Prepared to Talk Further
Once you have your person hooked, you need to give them something more. Usually, like above, the person will ask a question, and you need to have an answer for it. What I will normally do, is then direct the person I'm pitching to to look at something on the table--the back cover of my book, for example. The back cover has a lot more information about the book. However, if you don't have a book yet, you can always have this same description written down somewhere. While they are looking at it though, don't forget to add another little tidbit of information.

"The novel has gotten great reviews on Book Blogs and GoodReads."

Just one small thing to keep the person engaged and talking about... well, you and your book. And as always, have answers to some typical questions. For instance, the questions I always get asked is, "Who's the girl on the cover?" and "What are the kids' superpowers?" I can answer these questions quickly without even thinking about it.

The key is, keep them engaged as long as possible, because the longer they're engaged, the longer they are considering picking your story up.

5. Don't Be Afraid to Edit
Sometimes, even a well thought out pitch doesn't work. To be honest, I had three (3) other pitches before the current one. They didn't work, or at least, they didn't work as well as the one I have talked about through much of this blog.

The point is, we as writers can be stubborn. I definitely fit into that category. However, sometimes you have to evaluate what works and what doesn't. So, if your elevator pitch doesn't work, then you need to make some changes. Try it out a few times, and if you don't get a warm response, then go home and think of how else you can possibly say it. Think about where you can add some more active, exciting words. Think about where you are going wrong with your hook. Then change the pitch accordingly.

That's all the advice I can give, other than to just keep pitching and don't be discouraged when people still "walk on by". Remember, that no matter how well written your story is. No matter how many people you think will like your book, remember that it isn't for everyone and there will ALWAYS be people that will pass on it.

With that being said, I'm going to give you two other examples of good pitches for you to look at. Good luck writing your elevator pitch.

Harry Potter

Harry discovers that he has magical powers when he's invited to attend Hogwarts school for wizards, but the evil wizard who killed his parents is hiding at Hogwarts, waiting to finish the job.

Twilight

A girl falls for a sexy vampire--but the boy who falls for her is part of a werewolf tribe committed to defeating the vampires.

How To Create a Book Trailer

An effective tool when trying to create some buzz for your book is what is known as a book trailer. Thee are fairly new things, having only popped up in the last couple of years or so, but they are steadily gaining in popularity. So, if you haven't heard of them yet, you soon will. When designing a book trailer, you should consider the following:

Don't Tell Everything
Think of a movie trailer. Does it show the whole movie? No, it doesn't. Instead, it show tiny snippets of the story, making the viewer want to see more. The key is to only show the viewer just enough to make them feel the need to discover more. This will lead them to your website, which, in turn, will get them a step closer to buying your book.

Limit the Time
Like not showing everything, you need to find a balance in time. Too short, and your viewer will be confused and not want to look at what it's all about. Too long, and the viewer will grow bored, and not get to the end of your trailer, and then will not bother to find out more. The trailer has to be the perfect length. Ideally, 1 to 2 minutes is an excellent length for a book trailer, but anywhere up to 2 would still be acceptable. At this length, you can't give away too much and your audience won't grow bored.

Fit the Mood
This is crucial. The mood of your book, should be reflected in the trailer. You can't have a trailer for Angela's Ashes using a lot of brightly colored scenes with AC/DC's Shook Me All Night Long playing in the background. Just like you don't want to use hardcore rap in a trailer for the Harry Potter books. The point is, if your book is sad, have images and sound that will go along with it. If your story has a lot of action and suspense, that should be reflected as well.


You may have noticed, how to make a book trailer hasn't actually been discussed yet. That is because there really is no set way to do one. Each trailer out there is unique in its own way, and creating such a trailer is truly up to the artist or, in this case, the writer. Telling you how to make a book trailer would be like me telling you how to write your book. While there are certain conventions every book must have, there truly is no one correct way to write one.However, there are a few popular techniques people use in order to create a trailer. If you have no idea how to start, hopefully these models will be a help.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

This can almost be considered the "traditional" way of making a book trailer. It is also the easiest, which is probably why it is the most popular. For this method, you are going to gather some pictures,   either ones you have taken personally, or by going to one of the royalty free photo websites, such as istock.com, photobucket.com or shutterfly.com.

On these sites, you can purchase photos for a small fee (usually less than $1 a photo), and use these photos any way you see fit. The photos you pick for you trailer should be representative of your book and the characters within. Using a tool such as Microsoft Movie Maker, you put these photos into a video and add some music to them.

Anatomy of a Scene

This could possibly be the most effective, and also the most fun to do. What it requires, is for you to turn a short scene from your book into a short script (remember it should fit into the time constraints mentioned earlier), and then shooting the scene using live actors (or friends). This is also great for you to see your scenes come to life. There are a few books, this technique might not work for, especially if you don't have the ability to construct elaborate sets. However, if you have a "real world" story, where you can shoot a scene in your living room, or at your local park, then this is perfect. If you also happen to be a talented artist, you can also animate the scene. Either way, by the time you're done, you'll have a trailer suitable to drive attention toward your book.

Going to the Movies
 Think of this one as looking like your typical movie trailer. It will have a bunch of short clips, encompassing the entire book. But as stated before, you don't want to give away too much - just enough to entice the viewer. Like the previous idea, this will require getting some actors and shooting several of the scenes from your book. And like the previous idea, if you happen to be a talented artist, go for animating it, this way you are not limited in your vision. Put these scenes to some appropriate music and you've got yourself a movie style book trailer.

No matter what you do when making a book trailer, make sure you get it up on YouTube and onto your Facebook page. These are going to be the places where your trailer is going to get the most visibility.

And of course, have fun making it. Like writing, if you're not having fun, why are you doing it?

A Case for Book Festivals

You know, you would think that it being summer that there would be a plethora of events where one could sell their book. However, sadly, at least in the Northeast, that doesn't seem to be the case. I haven't had any significant events since May. While I love the opportunity to get out there and promoting my work, this downtime is the perfect time to write. No school, so I'm not busy teaching all day, and no festivals or fairs where I would be welcome as a vendor or an author, so I have been pounding away at the keyboard, finishing the first draft what will eventually become the fourth novel in my High School Heroes series. For you writers out there, you know how it feels to be able to sit down at your computer uninterrupted for a few hours and come out of it with an additional 4,000 - 5,000 words into your manuscript.

That being said, I'm gearing up for the fall where I will have several events, and the launch of the third book in my High School Heroes series, not to mention the birth of my son, which should happen somewhere around Thanksgiving. So, a busy fall lays ahead.

So, besides online, there are plenty of places where an author can sell his or her book in the fall, which seems to be (at least for me) the busiest season for book promotion.

There are a plethora of Book Fairs and Festivals that an author can attend, either as a vendor (which is what they call you if you pay for a table) or as a featured author. The featured author spots can be tough to get at some of these shows, because as you can well imagine, they only have a certain amount of spots and a lot of competition to fill them. What I will usually do is apply to get a featured author position (of which I have only gotten at 2 festivals thus far) and then as soon as I find out if I got the spot or not, I will grab a vendor table.

Now, not all book festivals are created equally. I have quite literally been to some book festivals where I could count on my fingers the amount of people who stopped by my table. On that same note, I have also been to book festivals where it was so busy that I couldn't sit in my seat I had so many people coming to my table. Needless to say, the very low attending ones, I have not returned to. But the point is, what you need to do is research.

Before you book an event (especially if you are going to have to do some traveling for that event) find out what the projected at the festival. I have found that the people who run the festival will be more than happy to give you all the details you ask for.

Once you find out whether the attendance at the festival is worth your time, then you have to figure out whether or not the cost is worth it. You have to take into account travel expenses, as well as the potential cost of the table. For example, the Collingswood Book Festival is held in Collingswood, NJ, about a 2 - 2 1/2 hour drive from my home in Maryland. It makes a very nice day trip for my wife and I since it is only a 1 day festival. Plus the table at this book festival is also only $25 (they don't have featured authors at this particular festival). So, because it is relatively near my home, and because the table is cheap, I have a good chance of at least making my money back, which I have in the two years I have gone so far. On the flip side, there is the South Carolina Book Festival, which the last time I looked cost $300+ for the table (if you are not selected as a featured author). Plus that would be a 7 - 8 hour drive, plus it is a multi-day festival, so I would need to get a hotel as well for at least 1 night. Add all that up and there is very little chance of me making my money back.

And that leads me to another point. Now, the Collingwood Book Festival boasts that they have approximately 6,000 people walk through the festival each year, so assuming that every one of them walks passed your table, that means you have 6,000 potential customers. However, the South Carolina Book Festival also says they have 6,000 people attending their festival. So, the question is now, why would I pay all that money to get my book in front of the same amount of people. However, there are festivals that can get as many as 10,000 people, so getting my work out in front of about 60% more people might be worth the extra expense.

Lastly, you have to consider your reason for going to these festivals. I will admit that for some of them, I am there to make money, which is ultimately our goal in this business. However, for others, especially those that I know I have no chance of reclaiming the funds to which I have spent, I am simply there to promote. I have found that though I cannot sell my ebooks at these festivals (at least, I haven't figured out a logical way yet) after I attend one of these festivals and get my book in some people's faces, my sales go up about 10%. This isn't a very big amount, however anything that can my book in more people's hands is a worthwhile endeavor. So, as I said, consider what your goal is at the festivals.


Below you will find a link for a list of good book festivals compiled by BookTV.org. This is a list of reputable book festivals. The list (as of the time I am writing this) has only about a dozen festivals on it. The list will update again as the Spring 2013 Book Festivals dates are set. Take a look at some of them, and if you're not ready to go as an author, check out one in your area and see what they're all about.

The one thing I can promise is that you will have a lot of fun, especially when that first customer comes and starts asking you intelligent questions about your book.

BookTV.org - List of Book Festivals

Enjoy!