The Byronic Hero

Song of the day: Sanctified by Nine Inch Nails

Have you heard of the Byronic Hero? A Byronic hero is a protagonist, or antihero, who is romanticized but flawed. Someone much like the Romantic hero who rejects and is rejected by the society. Someone steeped with darkened, destructive, dangerous traits.

The term Byronic hero is named for the characters often portrayed in the works of the colorful English poet, Lord Byron. If you know of Lord Byron’s excessive, reckless, and scandalous life, you would probably consider that he, himself, embodied the Byronic hero.

This archetypical character (predominately male, but sometimes female) might be:

• Defiant
• Jaded
• Mysterious
• Cynical
• Charismatic
• Seductive
• Proud
• Adaptable
• Haunted
• Intelligent
• An outcast
• Sexually dominant

Sounds like a hero I can really fall in love with.

Lord Byron summed the Byronic hero up best with the last stanza in his piece The Corsair. The Corsair is written about the privateer (or pirate – depending on who you ask) Jean Laffite.

He left a corsair’s name to other times,

Linked with one virtue, and a thousand crimes.

One virtue, a thousand crimes. Hmm…that describes the pirate captains in my Romancing the Pirate series quite well. I must have a thing for the Byronic hero. A tortured soul seizes my imagination and sends my heart apitter-patter. With hands tied behind my back, I would willingly follow him. *sigh*

So, who are some Byronic heroes?

• Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights
• The Phantom of Phantom of the Opera
• Robin Hood
• Severus Snape of Harry Potter
• Anakin/Darth Vader
• Lestat of Interview with a Vampire
• Wolverine of X-Men
• Xena, Warrior Princess
• Scarlett O’Hara
• Achilles in the movie version of Troy
• And of course, Captain Jack Sparrow

Can you name a Byronic hero? Who is your favorite?

Method Writing – Are YOU Oscar Worthy?

Song of the Day: Drive By by Train

I recently discovered I could be a star in Hollywood. Yep. Look out Angelina Jolie, there’s a new super watt actress in town. Well…maybe not. But after reading an article in the March 2012 issue of Romance Writers Report and hearing a presentation given at my local RWA® chapter last month on Method Acting, I thought it was time to write my Oscar acceptance speech.

What is Method Acting you ask? It is a group of techniques used by many actors to create the genuine thoughts and emotions of their characters. These professionals go deep—integrating themselves into the lives of their character rather than simply performing them. There are plenty of books and resources on the subject, so I won’t go into great theatrics here. But I will share how the very same exercises can be awesome tools for writers.

The procedures:

Relaxation – Relax your body to allow the mind to work. Ohmmm…

Sense memory – It’s been pounded into our little writer brains, use all your senses. Recall a similar experience. Utilize it at the most rudimentary level and work to relive stimuli in every detail.

Concentration – Must…stay…focused…must…stay…in the…moment

Magic if  / ‘as if’ – the ‘what ifs’ of a scene meant to make the author believe  the scene and everything in it are real and thus provoke honest reactions

Objects – focal points, real or fantasy, anything that allows the writer to avoid distraction, leading to the unconscious behavior and steady concentration of the writing. I prefer to focus on the ripped body of David Beckham.

Substitution – We can’t allow personal feelings to disrupt or detract from those of a character and expect readers not to notice. Use the power of concentration, grasshopper. Personalize your thoughts with a substitution to overcome the bias.

Animal exercise – We can learn so much from the characteristics of beasts—how they move, their appearance, whether they are dangerous or docile. These traits we can translate into powerful descriptions for human ones. Roooar!

Song and Dance –This exercise is meant to remove the unconscious behaviors and replace them with unbridled conventions. Break out the dancing shoes and the Taio Cruz Dynamite CD.

Private Moment – Let your inner voyeur loose. Overcome personal inhibitions to write about private moments and behaviors.

Speaking out – No, this isn’t a political protest or public outcry. It’s verbally recognizing concentration had been broken and getting back to business.

Moment to Moment – we allow scenes and action to move the story forward as opposed to sticking with our original view of the plot. I don’t know about you, but my characters are constantly surprising me.

Justification – There must be a reason why the characters say and do the things they do for their actions and reactions to be real.  This, of course, is not how we women operate at any given moment without proper doses of chocolate or margaritas, right ladies? But for the sake of the readers…

Affective Memory – Cover me! I’m going in. Going in deep. This exercise conjures up the deepest, and sometimes most painful and frightening, personal experience to capture raw emotions. In all my research on Method Acting, every resource comments on this practice either being a dangerous or pure genius procedure. Many in Hollywood have said Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker in The Dark Knight affected him so intensely, it led to his fatal use of prescription drugs meant to alleviate his demons.

Given Circumstance – understanding all preceding method parts are tied together by the theme/spine, moving beyond the superficial

Shy of singing and dancing like a fool in my office, I was surprised to learn I have been doing my own version of Method Acting techniques in my writing. Each procedure I have utilized at some point—some such as sensory and affective memory, more than others. In order to convey moments of genuine emotion and action/reactions, I have conjured up incidents in my own life that have paralleled similar responses. Let’s face it, I’ve never watched a loved one twirl at the end of a noose, nearly drown, or face the Grim Reaper head on. But I have been traumatized by death, I have been truly so frightened it stole my breath away, and I have stared down the barrel of a gun (which incidentally royally pissed me off). Lucky for me, I have loads of experiences to draw from in which to recreate exactly what my characters are doing and feeling.

How about you? Do you use any or all of these techniques? I’d love to hear from you.

Link Of The Week

I’ve posted a site today that provides amazing help to writers. They offer a writers’ retreat that is unparalleled with instruction and guidance from some of the smartest people I’ve met in this industry. I’m hoping to be able to attend next year. (Must save up a bunch of pennies first!!)
Co-founded in 1987 by the late Gary Provost (author and internationally acclaimed teacher of writing for publication) and his wife Gail, the ten-day WRITERS RETREAT WORKSHOP is an intensive learning experience for small groups of serious-minded writers who are committed to improving and completing their novels for submission. For those who consider their writing to be a vital part of their lives, one they wish to develop as fully as possible, WRW provides the ideal experience.

This is where it's being held this year. Not bad, right?

(http://www.writersretreatworkshop.com/index.php)

MuseTrack’s Guest Eliza Knight – Creating Meaningful Book Titles

MuseTracks is delighted to feature award-winning historical and erotica romance author Eliza Knight. Eliza is not only an awesome writer, workshop presenter, moon-lighting editor, popular blogger, wife, and  super-mom, she’s also a great friend to get into trouble with . Welcome Eliza!

Creating Meaningful Book Titles

I would first like to thank Jennifer Bray-Weber for allowing me to post with you today.  She is a darling after my heart!

I am super excited to share with you the process of choosing the title for my newest Highland time-travel erotic novella release: HIGHLAND STEAM. Just released 2/22/12! Isn’t the cover hot?

Here is the back-cover copy:

Tragedy strikes in the Highlands, making Drostan the laird of the Comyn clan and in need of a wife to placate his people. His only choice is to trust in magic and travel to the sacred circle of stones…where he must passionately lay claim to the woman Fate brings him.

Briana is lost and alone when magic lights up the night. She meets the man of her dreams, a man who rocks her to her very core with orgasm after orgasm and somehow manages to steal her heart. The problem? The man of her dreams lives eight hundred years in the past.

Creating meaningful titles for my stories is important to me. I want it to signify something, have a part of the book. I want the reader to read the title—then while reading the story think, “Oh hey, that’s how she got the title,” but not in a way that is overwhelming. For example I wouldn’t use the word steam a thousand times in this novella, so much so that you got annoyed with me. In fact, I just checked and I only used “steam” three times in the whole 14,227 words!

Originally the title for this story was, UNTITLED SHORT TIME-TRAVEL. I’m not kidding…it was like that until I was nearly halfway done. But that’s not sexy…at all. After I got sick of opening up the UNTITLED SHORT TIME-TRAVEL a few times, I decided it was time to come up with a new exciting, sexy title that encompassed everything this story had to offer. I wanted my readers to know exactly what their getting into.

For my Highlander tales, I like to have the words Highland, Highlander or Warrior appear. (See, Take it Off, Warrior & The Highland Jewel Series) This tells the reader right away what they’re going to get—a hot Scot in a kilt—and who doesn’t love a hot Scot?! Beyond that, it really depends on the story.

HIGHLAND STEAM opens with our heroine lost on top of a Highland mountain, alone. As night rolls in, so does mist near an ancient ruins. Naturally, I thought, hmm, HIGHLAND MIST. But mist itself seemed a little tame for what I was looking for—but I still liked it. So I put that as the new title. And I kept on writing, and then it hit me as I typed this passage—a quick bit of background, they’ve made love upon a large flat sacred stone.

With their bodies sated, she collapsed on top of him.

Steam rose from the rock and even appeared to waft off their flesh.

“That was hot,” she muttered against the warm, salty skin of his shoulder.

“Aye, hot and damn good.”

Oh, Aye, HIGHLAND STEAM is hot, hot, HOT!!! And then, I knew I had it. I changed the title again, and I absolutely fell in love with it.

To read a very steamy excerpt from HIGHLAND STEAM, please click here.

I would love to give an e-copy of HIGHLAND STEAM to one commenter today! Answer me this… How much do you pay attention to titles?

*~*~*~*~*

Eliza Knight is the multi-published, award-winning author of sizzling historical romance and erotic romance. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain, and enjoys cold winter nights when she can curl up in front of a roaring fire with her own knight in shining armor. Visit Eliza at www.elizaknight.com or her historical blog, History Undressed, which was recently mentioned in a feature article in The Wall Street Journal. www.historyundressed.com

And the winner of the e-copy of Highland Steam is…

Victoria Zumbrum. Congrats, Victoria!

 

Villains Can’t Be All Bad!!!!

By: Stacey Purcell

 

 

Villians. We love to hate them.

How do you make a villain truly memorable?

One of my favorite television shows is Criminal Minds. If you haven’t seen it, the show is about a profiling group within the FBI who get sent around the country to help on gruesome cases. There are so many villains running through that series that they all begin to blend together. However, there is one episode that stands out in my mind. It’s because the villain was so well thought out.

The essence of every novel is found within the conflict, two opposing forces set in the same time and space. That conflict is usually found between the protagonist and the villain. How much more fun would it be to create a really villainous villain! Let you imagination soar as to the dastardly things they can do on your pages, but be careful. If you let it run away with you, you’re in danger of creating a cartoon character instead of someone who keeps readers turning the page. They will put the book down in frustration because it has lost the reality edge.

The villain in this particular episode of Criminal Minds was doing some pretty intense stuff. He even captured one of the team and in doing so, we came to understand him a little bit better. His father was so twisted that he turned a sweet young boy into the monster on the show. The writers created sympathy and understanding within the viewers. We never condoned what he was doing, but it made you want to rescue the little boy trapped inside who had been branded by his deranged father. The show put us through an emotional wringer that haunts me still today.

That’s what we want for our novels. How do you do that? James Scott Bell in Conflict and Suspense has some great tips on creating unique and memorable villains:

1. Create a whole backstory for your villain. Let the reader know that he wasn’t always the psychopath killing machine, the back stabbing office worker, or the corrupt priest. Very few people are born bad to the bone- why did your villain turn out this way?
2. Just as it happened in Criminal Minds, give them a sympathy factor. When you do this, your audience bonds on some level with the villain. This is some powerful mojo! Create conflict within the reader. Their brain says he’s the bad guy, but their heart says that it’s not all his fault.
3. This next one can be difficult. Justify your bad guy’s actions. No matter how bad it seems to you, he thinks he’s in the right. Find some way to make it plausible for him to believe that. After all, he does what he does because he thinks he is entitled to his actions or what they will bring.

 

In my first book, I made my bad guy the result of a heinous grandfather’s torture. He was also terrified of the dark and was a gifted artist. Nine times out of ten, I received great feedback for my villain in contests because I made him seem all too human and my readers could relate to him. In my second book, the villain grows up in abject poverty and then loses his whole family in a massacre where he believes my protagonist has betrayed him. It broke my heart to write the scene where he ends up having to shoot his wife because she is in mortal agony. Hopefully, it will break my reader’s heart as well.

Create them bad, devious, sly, murderous, but create them human and you will have a powerful character that won’t be forgotten.

Hook Me Baby, One More Time

Song of the Day: Fix Me by 10 Years

Stacey and I took an amazing workshop this weekend by Mary Buckham. It was an entire, and exhausting, interactive day based on her infamous Break Into Fiction teachings. Wow, my mind was mush after the workshop. I practically had to be wheeled out of the room.

We learned of hooks, strong openings, scene survival, and active settings. Participants were to bring copies of their own work. Those brave enough allowed Mary to publically crucify them. Stacey is still licking her wounds and I’m still scraping the tar and picking the feathers from my skin. It was awesome! *she says it a high-pitched sing-song voice*

Since we here at MuseTracks are all about spreading the love, I thought I’d share a little of what I learned.

We all know we should include hooks in our stories. Heck, it’s been beat over our heads with a gnarled stick time and again. Hooks should raise questions and make the reader turn the page for the answers. Even better, a hook should evoke a reaction.

Mary referred to Donald Maass’ Writing The Break Out Novel workbook on what types of hooks create those reactions.

Action / danger – (Rat-a-tat-tat, KaPow, screeeeech)

Surprising situation – (What the—? Shazam!)

Overpowering emotion – (sniff, grrrrrr, ack)

Evocative description anchoring the reader to a setting – (It was a dark and stormy night…)

Introducing a unique character – (“Hello, Clarice.”)

Foreshadow / warning – (Don’t go in there! Nooo! I said DON’T!)

Shocking / witty dialogue – (“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”)

The totally unexpected – (Wow. I DID NOT see that coming.)

Raising a direct question – (OMG! What did he/she say/do next?)

*By no means are these horrendous examples Donald’s or Mary’s.

Hooks don’t just happen in the opening sentence or opening paragraph of a book. Hooks should be sprinkled throughout, especially at the end of a chapter. It’s natural for a reader to stick a bookmark at a chapter’s end and go do the laundry, cook dinner, or sleep. Ending on a hook ensures the reader will want to read on—the kids can feed themselves—or at least hurry back if they must put the book down.

Consider the importance of a hook at the end of the first page. Many potential readers browsing books will decide if they will buy a book by the first page. As the saying goes, you have 30 seconds to grab their attention. Okay, I don’t know if this is really a saying, but I know you’ve heard it before. It’s ingrained on that stick that’s been used to beat you with.

Other hook hotspots include at the end of the third page, in each new scene, and, for those writing a series, the book’s last line. And when that editor or agent asks for a partial, you’d better darn well end that third chapter with a hook, too.

Wow, that’s a lot of hooks. Makes you want to get paid for your services. Oh wait…

The more hooks, the merrier. You want your readers to be stark raving mad with hunger, devouring your book, shirking all responsibilities, just to finish your masterpiece.

Mary Buckham was a real hoot. I believe her wit is one of the reasons she is so marvelous.  I only skated across a mere part of her workshop. If you want the expanded edition, the real deal, her wise tutelage, I highly recommend taking one of Mary’s classes. And if you have the opportunity to do so in person, do!

Have you ever attended a class taught by Mary? What about a workshop that blew your socks away? I’d love to hear from you.

The Twelve Days Of Writing Elves

“Never allow yourself to become one of those people who, when they are old, tell you how they missed their chance.”
Author, Claire Ortega

 By: Stacey Purcell

 Merry Christmas to all of our Muse Track readers! It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone so quickly.

I believe that, besides getting older, we fill our days so full, there’s hardly room to breathe. The Christmas season is a microcosm of that idea. We pack three months of activities into one and we expect to be merry and productive on top of that. Wow! That is a tough road- especially if you are the creative sort.

I have a confession to make.

I am not able to write on command. I don’t seem to have mastered the idea that you simply have to be disciplined everyday and the words will come. I understand the principle, try to employ it, but if the creative juice is not there- then it just isn’t there.

This month with all the parties, family flying in and out, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc., I’m finding it especially hard to get words down on paper. So what do I do? If my novel set in Costa Rica with lost treasure, drug cartels, small portable nuclear arms and wild romance won’t flow from my fingertips, I go back to my Twelve Days of Writing Elves to keep the creativity from getting rusty. (Those Elves have gotten me through many holidays and back on track.)

1. Elf 1 says- Find a holiday writing prompt and write a scene about 500 words. I borrowed this one from Writer’s Digest: Christmas Ghost
   While hanging up your Christmas lights, you are flagged down by a neighborhood kid who offers to help. As he helps you, he tells you about the Christmas ghost that haunts his house. What’s odd is that you’ve noticed the same things happening around your house. Write this scene.
2. Elf 2 says- What is your voice? Do you like to write in short staccato sentences or are you more flowing? Are you spontaneous? Or more methodical? Our voice is ultimately what comes out of us. Do you have a writer that you really admire? Do you like their voice? Take a few pages from your book and try to re-write it using their voice, their style. You might be surprised at what comes from this exercise.
3. Elf 3 says- Take an emotion that is commonly written about- let’s say “gut wrenching”. Now dig deeper and create a list of different, deeper, ways of making this emotion tangible. (Thank you Donald Maas for this one.) Take a trip out of the surface emotions into unchartered waters. Your writing will be better!
4. Elf 4 says- Create 5 new titles for your current WIP. What elements will you choose to highlight? How does it “color” your book differently?
5. Elf 5 says- Write the top ten things that must happen in your book before you put in the final period. Even if you are a pantster like me, you should be able to make this list. Use it as a road map or a check off list. (Thank you Will Graham for this brilliant idea.)
6. Elf 6 says- Read two chapters out of a new craft book. Write down 3 things you just learned. Post it by your computer, and try using those items the next time you write on your WIP.
7. Elf 7 says- Get your writing buddies on board and do a page swap. No editing, no rewriting to prepare it for others to read. Just swap the last page you all wrote for FUN- only for FUN!!
8. Elf 8 says- Take an experience your character will have and try to experience it yourself. If they are eating oatcakes from a medieval feast, then prepare some yourself. If they are in a rain forest, try going into a steam room fully clothed and do some kind of activity. If they are going to shoot a gun, go to a firing range and try it out. Use all of your senses!
9. Elf 9 says- Use the timer that was given in Link of The Week (Tuesday) and do a 5 minute brain storming session on finding a $1000 poker chip from the 1960s behind a loose board in a boarding house you just bought to remodel into a B and B. (Again- thanks Will Graham.)
10. Elf 10 says- Take 5 chapters and search for comfort words. Start off with “just” and “that”. You can highlight all of them with the push of a button and try eliminating as many as possible. Easy way to improve your chapters!
11. Elf 11 says- Read a book. That’s it- just read a good book.
12. Elf 12 says- Press the power button on your computer, scoot your chair away from your desk and walk out of the room. Never, never forget this is a time for celebrating family and friends. Enjoy them. Revel in your time together. Find peace and contentment in this season. The book will still be there next week.

May your Christmas be happy, healthy, and full of wonder. Merry Christmas!

Link of the Week

Writer Unboxed is an acclaimed award-winning blog dedicated to the craft, marketing, and business  of fiction writing. This site has great information on marketing,the writer’s’ life, interviews, industry, and lots of resources. Many star-studded contributors can be found here.

This is a blog site for all writers.

http://writerunboxed.com/

Let the dialog speak.

I LOVE dialog. No really, really, love it.

I think most readers feel the same. It says so much, so easily, about who your character is, what they believe, what they feel and what their faults are. Dialog is moving and touching and scary and brilliant. Let it speak for your characters, after all, it IS their voice you’re going for right?

This is one of my all time favs. If you haven’t seen Tombstone, I suggest you do so. (Warning – It’s addictive.)

Wyatt Earp is fighting, none too successfully, an attraction to a woman who lives outside what was considered decent for women of that time.

Josephine: I’m a woman, I like men. If that means I’m not “lady-like”, then I guess I’m just not a lady! At least I’m honest.
Wyatt Earp: You’re different. No arguin’ that. But you’re a lady alright. I’d take my oath on it. 

TWO lines. That’s it. TWO lines and I know so much about these people it’s almost ridiculous.

Here’s another, and I hope Stephanie Perkins doesn’t mind me using her novel Anna and the French Kiss as an example. It’s a brilliant read with one of the best character voices I’ve heard in a long time.

St. Clair: “Definitely not.” He laughs. “Second lesson, the words on the chalkboard. Listen carefully and repeat after me. Granola.” I narrow my eyes as he widens his in mock innocence. “Means ‘granola’, you see. And this one? Yaourt?”

Anna: “Gee, I dunno. Yogurt?”

See! So much can be gleaned about a character from simple sentences of dialog. I  know they both have a sarcastic, witty personality. I know she’s somewhat outspoken and that he’s a flirt. This one gets SO much better. It’s a must read, btw. I read it in an evening.

Okay, I won’t beat this one to death, but it’s pretty important. I know we’ve all seen it. What could have been said with dialog, instead is written out for us. Can you see it? He’s being sarcastic, of course, so I search for a witty response. As if I can’t figure out the simple translation…

We tend to over-explain, whether by author intrusion or internal thoughts. When in doubt, let your characters speak it out. It’ll keep the pace humming and let your readers get to know so much about them and connect on a personal level.

Candi

How To Write Good

Song of the Day: Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter

How to Write Good

By Frank L. Visco

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:

1. Avoid Alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
13. Don’t be redundant, don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Profanity sucks.
15. Be more or less specific.
16. Understatement is always best.
17. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
20. The passive voice is to be avoided.
21. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
22. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
23. Who needs rhetorical questions?

 

Okay, show of hands. Who read through this list and realized they were guilty of one, two, or all of these infractions? Come on, I know I’m not the only one. Although this is a tongue in cheek (cliché!) list, there is a lesson here. (Parenthetical remark! One-word sentence! Egads, does it ever end? Oops, profanity & a rhetorical question.) Rules are meant to be broken. Well, maybe not always. Spending 24 hours in the city jail may have you rethinking that philosophy. However, when used appropriately a writer can break, bend, stretch, and reshape these rules and the many other “unwritten” rules and still write a powerful, effective, emotional piece of fiction. The key is to know the rules and understand why they are not to be tampered with. (Preposition.) Once you master them, then you will know how to effectually shatter them for your own gains.

I want to thank a special friend, William Simon for sending this to me. Gracias!

So, which of these crimes are you guilty of committing? Let me hear from you.