Writing Characters - Blog Posts

Forget the question of...

"is Azula truly evil?"

"Is she sympathetic?"

And focus on...

"is she compelling?"

"Is she well-written?"

reaching that point in my fictional universe where my characters are getting older and things are starting to change within their dynamic/lives <<<<

they’re becoming *gasps loudly* adults with responsibilities😭😭😭

i’ve reached what i’m calling ‘the beginning of the end’ of this specific group dynamic in my universe aka the halfway point of my journey to writing book six and i’m kind of losing my mind??? i did not anticipate it being this hard???😭

over 103,000 words written and i’m still only about 60% through book 3…… that’s what i get for being a representative of the thicc book committee

it might also have something to do with the fact that i have nine main characters, tons of important side characters and plots, and lore that runs deeper than a rabbit hole but idk

just changed my already published book covers for a fourth time

ok i’m in desperate need of advice!!!

the window is currently open for character regression for one or two or my characters but idk if should do it or not???

the only reason i’m doubting is because i’m kind of scared to😭 but the opportunity is there and i do think it could be interesting for the plot moving forward.

esp for the two characters i have in mind. god it’s hard to explain without spoiling my story but how do we feel about character regression? should i just say eff it and go for it?

to paint a picture: it’d be one of those instances where a character has reverted back to their old ways because of a “straw that breaks the camels back” moment, but deep down inside, they still care, they’re just trying to cope with all the hurt they’re feeling.

me whenever i think of a new storyline/plot idea that hits like absolute crack:

help i’m inching closer and closer towards cementing a plot point that’s been planned for sometime now and i’m *dreading* officially writing it so badly omg😭

but as it is written… it shall be done😪 (i’m already sobbing profusely)

insane to think there was a time in my life where my characters didn’t reside in my head 24/7

just tried to outline future chapters and my brain nearly short circuited. my creative mind is not meant to be confined to the chains of bullet points and organization she simply isn’t

the concept of one of my characters being this super smart intuitive guy who can read a room/person with the snap of a finger, but couldn’t figure out the love of his life was keeping a scandalous secret from him is soooo😭

i love when i write out a scene idea (with plans to incorporate it into the storyline) and then i sit at my computer desk to do just that and my characters are just like:

“nah, we’ll take it from here tyvm.”

and i’m just like: oh ok! yes chef🫡

i can’t tell you how many “deleted scenes” i have in my notes app because my characters love to take the wheel from me🙄

just had a #writerscare thinking i astronomically fucked up a crucial part of a storyline in my book series…😁

one of the hardest parts of writing interconnected stories tbh lol the stress of everything having to perfectly align as to avoid even the tiniest plot hole is a lot

thankfully, i figured it out and saved myself from the impending meltdown!

that moment when everything just clicks in your writing or in a scene you’re putting together or an unexpected last minute idea pops into your mind that ends up fitting perfectly with what you wrote >>>>

the excitement that consumes my body is out of this world

does it take anyone else a good minute to get immersed into their fictional world before you can start writing for the day?

like i need to sit in front of my computer with nothing but tumbleweed passing in my brain for at least an hour before i can really lock in.

especially after a solid writing break. i need to re-read the most recent scene i’ve written at least ten times to bring myself back into the character’s mind and feelings

about a quarter through writing the first draft for the third book in my series!

it’s been my fav book to write so far because of all the storylines i have planned, but it’s also been the most complicated to write for the same reason😭

there’s just so much that has to happen — between the main storyline *and* the side plot that it’s literally making my brain feel like this: 🫠

it’s so fun yet so stressful at the same time but hey i love writing!!!!!!😁

being a romance writer has truly warped my perception of love and romance irl in a sense that i have *such* high standards and expectations of what i want in a relationship.

i want a love that sweeps me off my feet and nothing less! it’s too bad basic romance feels like some unattainable holy grail these days🫠

where are the men who yearn and court??? where are they????????!!!!!!!!!

what would be the equivalent of a “childless cat lady” for a writer? whatever it is, i am that

it’s the anniversary of two of my characters today yall🥹 february 7th❤️🧁💜🌙

(yes i’m acknowledging and wishing them a happy anniversary, no that doesn’t make me clinically insane)

happy anniversary logan and rachel, mama (me) loves you and your beautiful love story❤️❤️❤️ u definitely have not been one of my fav couples to write bc that would be so rude of me to admit!!!

do you think your characters would be friends with you irl? honestly, i don’t think mine would be friends with me😭

only because they’ve all been friends since kindergarten — they’re a solid friend group of eight. very found family. they all prefer sticking to their circle and secretly (jokingly) get jealous whenever one of them tries to befriend someone outside the group. (it’s called friendship cheating)

which is fine because i’d totally be too scared to even try and befriend any of them anyway😭 when your own characters are too cool for you

yall one of my characters has the saddest lore, i hate it sm i just wanna hug him😭😭😭 (me acting like i didn’t give him the sad lore in question)

on a more positive writing note — have any of you ever re-read something you wrote and think to yourself:

“okay, i lowkey ate that.”

i’ll be the first to admit i have😭 and that’s a great thing! i’m so used to downplaying myself with self deprecating humor that i’ve forgotten it’s ok to actually be proud of myself for something

does anyone else struggle with making their characters imperfect? or making them have imperfect moments? i find myself scared to do that sometimes. i blame cancel culture😭

the ones that truly do have hearts of gold, anyway. there are a few of my characters that do deserve a couple lashings.

maybe i’m the problem? i tend to care too much what people think sometimes.

i didn’t plan for the telenovela flair some of the characters/storylines in my book series have, but i actually love it so much…

not only does it feel good to represent my latin culture in someway, but it’s also just ridiculously fun to write😭

it adds a layer of unseriousness/comedy that my books need given some of the more serious issues i write about.

the reveals!!! the drama!!! the scandal!!! i’ve somehow created a coming of age version of the tv shows jane the virgin, gossip girl, and friends all at once????

how do you guys decide between two/multiple storyline ideas? i usually write out both scenarios and choose the path that i like better/makes the most sense, but even that isn’t helping this time🫠

help

very hard to convince myself i still love writing when i’m fighting the urge to throw myself off a mountain while i edit my work🫠

does anyone have any tips or ideas for getting your writing out there? pls & thx it’s rough in these indie author streets🙏

kind of alarming how all the thriller/horror story ideas i’ve gotten have come from dreams/nightmares i’ve had😁 it pays to have a twisted, fucked up mind.

i’ve never written a thriller/horror story so i’m very excited to further explore the genre one day. i totally haven’t already written a few test pieces/scenes.

god, if you all could take a peek into my writing ideas folder😭 pure chaos. idk how to simply focus on one thing at a time. i’m like an overzealous dog with the writing zoomies.

not to be deep, but i can’t help but feel like i’ve somehow found my way back home when it comes to writing. i loved it when i was a kid, and i’ve fallen in love with it all over again as a young adult.

there are *so* many things that have happened in my life that make me look back and wonder if those things were meant to lead me right back here. to writing.

like for example, when i was a freshman in high school, this guy told me i looked like my name would be: Sabrina. he would literally call me by that name even though it wasn’t my name😭

fast forward years later to me naming my book characters, specifically my main character who is somewhat based on me, so i’m essentially naming myself in a weird way.

i was thinking and thinking and thinking, and then i remembered that guy from high school who’d call me Sabrina. and voila, i had her name. and it fits her so well too!

idk maybe i’m crazy haha but it really is things like that that make me wonder if maybe i am where i’m meant to be after all, no matter how much i feel otherwise sometimes.

shoutout to brandon from high school for my mc name!!!

i’m surprised by how much i *love* writing in third person considering how much i used to dislike reading in third person.

finding my love for writing again has made me appreciate third person writing so much more!!!

third person chapters have become like an exclusive, special pov in my series since 90% of the chapters i write are in the first person pov.

what can i say, i love playing with/switching up pov’s mid story😄 whether it’s including multiple character pov’s in one book or surprising the readers by randomly jumping into a third person pov.

like you know it’s serious if you stumble across a third person pov in one of my books😭 shit is about to go down fr

literally me 75% of the time i write