Purposeful Pages- November

     Shed a tear, for this is the last edition of Purposeful Pages. (and it's only my second time. Go figure.) 

     Purposeful Pages is a monthly link-up designed to unite bloggers on answering questions about life, blogging, the Bible, writing, and books. It was created by Hannah and Amanda. 

     Without further ado, le questions:

     no. 1 Is there an organization, website, or collaborative blog that encourages you? 
In writing, the Go Teen Writers blog encourages me. Their tips make me want to improve, and it reminds me that I'm totally not the only writer out there. 

    no. 2 When do you feel the most empowered to live life to the fullest?
Deep conversations, usually about the Bible make me want to live life to the fullest, whether it's with friends or a mentor.  People who help me along in further grasping my faith and such. That empowers me, and makes me want to pass it on. 

      no. 3 Who is an author that has impacted you deeply?
Although I've never read her books, Nadine Brandes has a godly outlook on life and is quite bubbly. I respect her a lot, and much of the things she spoke about at the conference where I heard her speak were exactly what I needed to hear. Her blog also has top notch thoughts, as well as random fangirling. 

     no. 4 Love. What Bible verse has shown you the depths of God's love recently?
Just this morning I was reading in Psalms, and came upon Psalm 107:43 "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD." God's love doesn't cover us only when we're honoring Him. He loves us all the time and we should keep that close at heart. 

    no. 5 What words do you love the sound of?
"Conglomeration" is my recent favorite. As are "mystical", "balderdash", and "elegant". I could sit here all day naming words I love the sound of. 

     no. 6 When do you feel most alive?
Walking outside in the wind and sunshine, surrounded by orange, red, and yellow leaves. 

     no. 7 How has blogging impacted you?
Blogging has helped me to deliver thoughts in a concise and (hopefully) understandable way. It helps me organize ideas and sift through what I want to share with people. 

     no. 8 What do you wish you could tell your five-years-younger self?
Oh goodness. We would have a nice long sit-down with tea and hot chocolate. I'd tell her to keep her priorities in line, not to bother about what other people are thinking and doing, that life changes and that's a good thing, and that *surprise* life really isn't what she thought it was. I would also say that God's got it and everything is going to be okay. 

     no. 9 When you think of joy, what comes to mind?
I think of colors and excitement in Jesus Christ, and also several people who embody joy come to mind.   

     no. 10 What kind of legacy would you love to leave?
I want to leave a quiet, thoughtful legacy. Of gentleness and creating beauty. 


     There you have it. Pick one of the questions and comment answering it! Or if you have a blog, you could do the whole thing and post the link here.

Writing Prompts and NaNoWriMo

     Well, well, well. I am rather failing at the 'blogging regularly' thing lately. But guess what month it is! November. Not only November, but National Novel Writing Month. *jazz hands* I am not participating, though I have promised myself that I will someday. For you NaNoers out there, -pause to glare at you all for not working on your novels- this post may be helpful. Hopefully reading this gives you a nice refreshing break so you can get back to the typewriter.

     This year is the closest I've come to actually signing up for NaNoWriMo. I had a story idea outlined at the beginning of October, my school has been much lighter that last year, and I even told a couple friends that I planned on doing it. I changed my mind, though.

     The main reason is that I'm just not a hardcore enough writer. On a good day, I can barely squeeze out 1000 words, much less approximately 2000. I work best in small doses, and that is perfectly fine. Completing NaNo is my heart's desire, though. I want to be able to put on that badge of success at the end of the month. But not this month. In order to be that epic, I have to train.

     I set up my own writing goals, suited to me, right now. I'm trying to get a 50,000 word novel in before December 31, which comes out to writing approximately 833 words a day. It takes my distracted little self up to almost 2 hours (give or take) to get all that done.

     That brings me to my title! Writing prompts. I decided that since I was going to be writing every day, there was no doubt that sometime I'd get stuck and burned out and agonize over every single word. The remedy: I wrote out 61 prompts for myself. They don't affect the plot very much; they're just filler things. So if I feel less than inspired, I go to my tin (it's very adorable, everyone should have one) and pull out a random slip of paper. Yesterday the prompt I got was "sickness" and it actually got me out of my stuck spot. The day before, the prompt helped me add depth to a character.

     I'm challenging you all to create your own writing prompt tin/jar/box/envelope. The plus side of writing your own prompts is that you can write them along the right lines to follow the mood and setting of your novel. It fits while still adding extra excitement to your writing progress. I find that the prompts I stumble across on Pinterest or wherever often require a very specific scene or even an entire story.

     Instructions: (Because what's a blog post without a list?)
-Find a small container. You may want two, so you can store used prompts in the second one. I'm not throwing mine away, but maybe you won't be that attached to yours.
-Get paper. You could start with strips to write each prompt on, or cut them up later.
-Think of/find suitable prompts. They can be as simple as one word. I used colors, random quotes from movies, a requirement for a scene such as "someone has to break something", and moods. I wrote one for every day I planned to write, but you can put however many you wish.
-Cut the prompts out individually and put them in your container.
-Every day, pull one out and use it!

     There you go. I hope you find it helpful! I'd love to hear how NaNo is going for everyone, or if you do try the prompt thing, how that works for you. :) I always love comments.

     P. S. I find I write better if I promise myself chocolate chips afterwards. Just an idea. :P 

To Be An Artist

     Art. It has a broad definition. Frankly, I don't know where to start, but here's my attempt at defining the type of art I'm talking about today: Something created that adds to the world beauty, meaning, or an expression of the artist. (Specifically, I'll be referring to visual art, but writing will fit into some of the things I say.)

     People are all so extremely unique, and everyone brings a different angle of thought on any given subject. I marvel at the array of art others are capable of. Some people are given lots of natural artistic talent. Some people have to work at it. But I think it's safe to say that those two categories of artists together are still in the minority of people.

     Artists are different from the majority. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, we're supposed to be different. No one ever commended anybody for being a copy. You won't be complimented for writing a quote. Deviating from the usual and the known takes work. You have to actively dig for creativity. You may need to look to others for inspiration or instruction, but in the end, being artistic is about making the art your own.

     Being truly different is hard, but it can have beautiful results. It takes time, and loads of practice.  People may laugh at you or judge you. If that happens, remember who we are doing art for. The praise goes to God. The closer we get to Him, the more our art will reflect his beauty. 

     God calls us to be different, not just as artists, but as people. (Just have a look at Romans 12:2.) We are to be renegades to the world. Take that with you in your life and in your art.

     As my friend likes to say, "Don't forget to be refreshingly different."

     Comment: What's your artistic area?

Purposeful Pages- August

     Browsing the internet as I am wont to do, I stumbled upon a new thing and decided to be adventurous. (Shout out to Jonathan at Fishing for Ideas for doing the Purposeful Pages Linkup and causing me to get involved.) 

     So what is this? I have no idea. Here's the description: Purposeful Pages is a monthly link-up designed to unite bloggers on answering questions about life, blogging, the Bible, writing, and books.

     It's run by Hannah and Amanda. You can find more details on their blogs if you want to participate.

no. 1 What book of the Bible has taught you the most this month?

Ephesians. I've learned more about who I am and how I should treat others. 

 

no. 2 How would you react if you were in the position of Esther? 

I would probably be rather reluctant and "why me?" in all of it. I'd hope to act as courageously as she did, but I don't know if I would. 

 

no. 3 If you could have a book character for a sibling, who would it be, and what makes you two alike? 

 I had to consult my sister upon the matter. We decided Edmund from the Chronicles of Narnia would make a pretty cool brother and had a time of it figuring out what I had in common with him, but I'd say I have a similar outlook on life to Edmund. 

no. 4 How would your main character most likely spend his or her Friday night? 

The main character of my WIP, Scribblers, is Florence, and she'd most definitely be writing up in her attic.  

no. 5 What are the top three books you’re just dying to read? 

1- The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill.

2- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

3- Claervont's Cost by Bryce Roberts. 

no. 6 Can you briefly share the story behind your blog’s name?

Well, "A Pen For the King" reminds me that I want everything I do to be for the glory of God, including my writing and art.  

no. 7 What do you consider to be your blog's "branding," or signature? What sets your blog or social media apart from others?

 This is a super hard question for me. I'm still discovering it, but I hope I give my take on the world and help people with thoughts on what I know how to do, especially in writing and art. The aim is for my blog to be thought, discussion, and action provoking. 

no. 8 Who are a few of your favorite bloggers?

 Top four blogs:

1-Story Forger

2-This Incandescent Life

3- Musings and Stories  

4- Living Aesthetically 
 

no. 9 If you could go on a road trip of your dreams, where would you go and who would you spend time with?

 The road trip of my dreams would take place in a very spacious van equipped with well-adjusted air conditioning. In that van, music would be playing, enjoyable to all present. (although silence is good too) Food would be readily accessible with minimum mess and maximum deliciousness. We'd be on the way to visit OYANers, obviously. The "we" would also consist of OYANers. 

no. 10 Using five words or less, tell a story.

Balloons float toward better adventures.  

Bonus one because I'm a writer and I can't restrain myself: Then, we all stopped lying.  

Hopefully, this will become a monthly thing for me. If you have a blog and end up doing this (which I highly encourage), comment with the link!

Procrastination

     Probably, that infamous title caused you to cringe a bit. (It caused me to cringe, too.) As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't posted for a month, and before that I hadn't posted as scheduled for quite a while. I owe my few faithful readers an apology.

     However, given my situation, I have a perfect example for my topic today. Let's stop procrastinating and get to the point. Lately I've been thinking hard on how to mitigate procrastination in my life, or minimize it, at least. I've come up with three steps. It may sound simple, but it takes effort.

     Step One: Figure out why you're procrastinating.
Some common reasons/excuses for procrastination include-
-1) "I don't want to..."
-2) "I'm too busy."
-3) "It's too scary/hard."
-4) "I'd rather do *insert whatever* "
-5) "I forgot."
-6) "I'm not good enough; nobody cares."

I'm sure we could go on. My non-blogging month was caused by a combination of 1, 4 and 6. (Number 1 fits into most situations.) I didn't feel like writing a blog post because I wanted to draw and write and ride my bike and a host of other things instead. I was also traveling for part of it, which completely threw off any sort of schedule I had. (There I go, making excuses...) But killing procrastination is about doing stuff even when you don't feel like it. Don't allow yourself to make excuses.

Once you have a concrete reason why you're not doing what you're supposed to, it's easier to get rid of it. That being said, step two is probably the hardest.

     Step Two: Throw away your excuses.
I'm going to give examples of ways to go about addressing the excuses listed above.
1) "...But I will." CONQUER THAT WILLPOWER.
2) If it's important enough, prioritize and /make/ time. Chances are, there are hours you're spending on random internet things that have no lasting value. (whew, preaching to myself here.)
3) Very few things are literally impossible. Get the help you need, summon that courage, rally those forces. You can do it. And facing fears builds character immensely.
4) This one goes along with number 2. Think how good it will feel to have whatever-it-is done when you get to do that other thing afterwards. Use the preferred activity as a reward once you finish the task you've been procrastinating over.
5) WELL, REMEMBER. While forgetting is sometimes a valid thing, it can be avoided. Jot yourself reminders, get another person to be your accountability and nudge you on it every once in a while to make sure you get it done.
6) I identify with this one all too well. (All of these, actually...) But even if you truly aren't good enough now, practice. Keep writing that terrible novel, keep drawing those atrocious doodles. If you keep at it, one day the terrible novel could be a published work and the atrocious scribbles may turn into lovely illustrations. Remind yourself that you are your own worst critic, and while the things you're working on may not be top notch, they might not be as horrible as you think. As for the "nobody cares" part, don't let that get to you. Colossians 3:23 tells us who we're working for, and even if not one person cares, God does, and you do. Keep caring even when there's no one else, and remember God is still watching you.

     Step Three: Do it.
You've wiped off all the excuses cluttering your desk, so you're ready for business.
Do your best. Do it for God. Take a water break if you need to. Get stuff done.

     Extra things:
-I've found that making a to do list is an amazing motivator.
-Breaks are allowed, but time yourself or do something else that's super productive. The internet has a magical function that sucks away hours while you think it has merely been five minutes.

     Comment:
     What sort of goals against procrastination do you have?
     What's the top thing you procrastinate on?

Invincible Summer

     Well. I thought I could keep up the blog thing while traveling, but it turns out that's a no. I just have a short little post today, since I'll also be away next Monday. 

     For the longest time, I couldn't choose a favorite quote. However, I recently discovered one which instantly became my favorite.

     "In the midst of winter, I found there was within me an Invincible Summer." ~Albert Camus

     During the school year, I tend to be despondent. Everything is meh, it's cold, I'm tired, school is hard, and I just want to sit and mope. But even in that ugly mood, I must remember that within my heart lies an Invincible Summer.

     Life is not going to all be flowers and laughter and free time. That has already been proven. But we also have the Joy of Christ which shall not fade. It's the same idea as an Invincible Summer. Because of it, I can look up when everyone else is looking down. I will hold tight to the Invincible Summer, and when I come to the depths of despair, it will be the rope that assures me I'm still all right. This summer is going to be over all too quickly. But I have my Invincible Summer that will stick with me always. No one can break it or steal it or tell it to go back to school. I hope it will rub off a little on everyone.

     I drew the title image you see,(featuring the OYAN compass, which reminds me of something else and is a different post for a different day) and I'm going to write the quote out so I can be reminded of the Invincible Summer when I see it. Growing up is scary, and it's going to be hard to keep hold of my Joy, but hopefully the reminders will help.

     Comment: What's your favorite quote? 
 

Critiquing Tips

      Quick post today. (Since I'll be gone on Monday.) I thought a post on critiquing might be helpful.

     Real fast, there are two basic types of critiques, 'line-by-line', and 'general thoughts'. I prefer to call the latter 'thought dump' but it's not as official-sounding... Line-by-line is as the name implies, where one carefully reads through the excerpt of writing and comments on things throughout, down to the nit-picky details. (Well, depending on what draft it is.) General thoughts is a bit more, well, general. For that one, a person would ignore the tiny issues and make blanket statements about what the excerpt needed or lacked. It mainly gets the big problems. Line-by-line critiques are usually better for work that's further along, and general thoughts can be helpful for a first draft. 

     Now that that's sorted, let's get into actual tips.

     1- No grammar. If they wanted a grammar critique they could have asked their mother. It truly isn't helpful; grammar isn't the meat of the story at all. I’m guilty of pointing out spelling and things... I do it because messed up grammar makes things impossible to read for me. Don’t be like me. In a line-by-line, you can sometimes get away with fixing grammar here and there since that type of critique is often fairly dense in other comments, but as a rule, unless someone specifically asks you to point out grammar problems, DO NOT DO IT. 

     On the other hand, if you submit something to be critiqued, try and catch as many of the grammar issues as possible before sending it, believe me, it helps the critiquer a lot. (Yeah those squiggly lines under stuff in the word doc? They usually mean something's off.)

     2- Choose a focus. Ask the person you're doing a critique for if they have a certain element that they most want to improve, and examine that the most. Characters are my specialty, and I enjoy character-driven books as opposed to plot-driven, so I find myself making comments that reflect that, where I point out ways to help people get more into characters' heads and things of that nature. It's impossible to critique everything about a novel, so find your niche and help in your way. 

     3- Analyze the genre/target age/setting and critique accordingly. Make sure the things you point out aren't specific to your preferences. There's nothing wrong with saying "this isn't my type of book, but if you added sports/romance/clowns/talking dragons/oompa loompas/whatever it would be more appealing to me." However, it's important not to force someone's writing to be something that it isn't. If you like sci-fi and are critiquing a medieval fantasy, there's a slim chance time travelers are gonna zoom in on a space ship. (Although by all means, give people crazy ideas like that. It might be helpful.) Likewise, a middle-grade book is going to be geared towards that age, and while it can still be enjoyable for older people, it might not resonate with them as much as with the intended age range. 

     4- Use your discretion with sarcasm. I am a sarcastic little human. However, the first time I got a sarcastic critique, I totally felt mocked and was a bit offended for kind of a long time. (I now find sarcasm in critiques entertaining, so all you snark sharks have full permission to go all out on my work.) For me, deciding whether to tone down the sarcasm or not depends on the person. If I don’t know them very well, I’ll definitely toss sarcasm out the window. If I sort of know the person, depending on their personality I might put in a bit. And then with my very good friends it’s just like a wall of sarcasm. But when in doubt, throw it out.

     5- Be truthful but tactful. This goes along with the previous point. Be considerate with how you present comments. Don’t dismiss things as “well this is the most horrible sentence I’ve ever read.” Remember that writers are people too, and for some people it takes quite a lot of guts to show writing to someone else, and even more to accept others' feedback on it. Writing is a little part of someone's mind, soul, heart, so be very careful with how you suggest changes. That being said, don't sugar coat stuff. Don't say something is good if it needs alteration. Be gentle and thoughtful with critiques. Of course, like with the sarcasm thing, once you know someone well enough you can get a feel for what degree of blatancy they can handle. 

     Overall, when critiquing, keep in mind the Golden Rule and remember you're trying to help the other person's writing improve, you aren't there to gratify yourself by pointing out other peoples' flaws. 

A Bit of Conversation

     Well, summer is almost here, and my life is officially crazy. I promised myself that when school was over I'd be able to relax and read all day and draw and listen to music and finish my novel and all the things. Ha. Ha ha. I should never believe myself when I say things like that. This week is shaping up to be quite full. Ice cream party, pool party, SAT, a dance recital(I don't dance, but several of my good friends do and I'm going to be supportive and nice and go watch it)... And then next week also has a heap of things. Not to mention next Saturday my family is leaving for a three week road trip. I'm totally excited and totally not ready.

     All that to say, no, I haven't had time to plan a blog post. *cries* I do apologize. However, this is your chance to have a say in what sort of posts I write this summer! :D I'm gonna ask several questions and I'd be very pleased if you'd comment and answer.

     What writing-related posts would you like to see?
     What posts would you like to see related to other things?
     What has been your favorite post so far?

     Ok so enough about my blog. Let's hear about you. What are you most looking forward to this summer?
As I said, we're leaving next Saturday and we're going to a teen writers workshop hosted by the One Year Adventure Novel and I am very pumped.(and unprepared) In July I'll be at a service project daycamp sort of thing for a week.

     A last little thought: Make goals this summer. Don't just flop around. (although relaxing is good) Remember all the things you were yearning to do during the school year and get out there and DO IT. A good idea might be to grab a friend and discuss goals and then poof you will be accountable for each other.

Double Review: 'Airman' and 'The Marvels'

     --A quick announcement: My last post was published one day after the exact one year anniversary of this blog! So a big thank you to all you charming folks who actually read it and comment and all that. ^.^ It's nice to know I'm not over here typing to myself.--

     I've recently discovered two very great books, so why not review/give thoughts on them?

     Part 1: Airman, by Eoin Colfer.

     I spent a long time trying to figure out what genre Airman was, and finally decided on 'alternate history, with an air of steampunk'. The setting is the non-fictional Saltee Islands off the coast of Great Britain(yes I looked them up and they exist, but not quite the same as the author has us imagining them) in the Victorian era.

     The book centers around the idea of flight(as in, airborne travel) and freedom, and is filled with beautiful prose and lovely description. Each character has a very distinct voice and individual personality, which is one of my favorite parts of a book. The characters weren't all from the Saltees, either. There were Frenchmen, Englishmen, Irishmen, Americans, and even a dandy pirate. The main character, Conor, has definite goals, dreams, and values, and it makes us care for him from the start.

     As many books will, Airman slowed down toward the middle section, and while it felt slow going with hardly any action to speak of, I never lost interest, so strong was Conor's determination, and so enjoyable(or detestable) were the characters. Unlike any other book I can think of, this one made me cry a little near the beginning, instead of at the end. It invoked emotion the whole way through.

    I would absolutely recommend Airman to everyone. (although maybe those under 10 wouldn't understand it or enjoy it to its full level) It did have light swearing, but other than that, there was hardly any objectionable content. In fact, it would make an awesome read-aloud. (I mean, who doesn't want to practice their different British, French, and American accents?) I can only describe it as a wonderful and inspiring read.



     Part 2: The Marvels, by Brian Selznick.

     One thing you should know about Selznick: He tells parts of his stories with huge sections of illustrations, and it is fascinating and glorious. (Especially to me, as an artist) His other books are also amazing, and I believe I mentioned them in a previous post.

     The Marvels is a super quick read. The illustrations weave a magnificent history, and when it got to the prose section I didn't want to stop looking at all the fabulous pictures. They're all so well thought out, one can tell Selznick didn't just like scribble them all out, they're very meticulously planned and composed.

     I won't spoil it for you, but I must say the picture story and the prose story connect beautifully in the end, and there were lovely symbols and continuing ideas and everything matched and tied together. I was impressed. And it totally didn't end in the way I expected.

     However, I came away unsatisfied, because there was mention and acceptance of homosexuality. -_- How dare you associate such a thing with such a great book?! In all other ways, though, The Marvels is brilliant. I'd recommend it to anyone 12 or older.


     At any rate, both of these books inspired me, and they're grand. The Marvels is fairly new, and my library, for one, doesn't have it yet, and it costs a pretty penny at Barnes and Noble, but perhaps you're like me and have a fantastical best friend who decided to buy it and is willing to loan it to you. Airman should be easier to find at the library, and definitely costs less if you want to buy it. Anyhow, go find something awesome to read!

     What amazing books have you been reading lately?

The Quest for Inspiration

     So I was inspired to write a blog post. Ironically enough, it was another blog post that inspired me. Just goes to show, inspiration can be found almost anywhere. Outside, in the grocery store, at the dinner table, youth group... The list goes on. Everywhere you look, there is a piece of dialogue, an object to describe, a plot point, a character. Inspiration should be easy. You only have to look for it. Searching for inspiration is a skill you develop.

     Sometimes the smallest things can lead to a burst of inspiration. A little spark can throw you into a dreamy, inspired mindset for a whole day. Inspiration can't be faked. You can force yourself to write a story or draw a picture. And that's great. But it isn't the same as writing or drawing under inspiration.

     Inspiration can't be faked, but it can be found. You can't decide when to be inspired, but it certainly helps to know where to look for inspiration.

     I have a list of things I do when I'm searching for inspiration. So here:
-Take pictures. Zoom in, look closer than usual and everyday things.
-Go watch a play. There's nothing better than seeing a well plotted story being acted out right before your eyes.
-Read a story. Analyze what bits are your favorite, and how you might implement them in your own writing.
-Go for a walk. Fresh air, flowers, trees, sky... Quite inspirational.
-Observe the people around you. Take time to wonder what really makes them tick. I guarantee you will at least get a character trait out of it.
-Scroll across Pinterest. Ok. This one's tricky, because Pinterest can also turn into "Oh, look at this hilarious cat meme." And that's not inspirational. (I mean, maybe it is to some people.) But I find that looking at writing boards or travel boards or character boards or art boards are most inspirational for me.
-Visit a few writing blogs. Some amazing ones are GoTeenWriters, StoryForger, and This Incandescent Life.
-Write a letter, or journal, or something that's not what you need inspiration for. (For some reason, writing in cursive makes me feel really fancy and that sometimes inspires me to continue along in my creative endeavors.)
-Do something new. Changing it up can get you out of your usual pattern of thinking.
-Play an instrument or listen to music. Unplugging and just immersing yourself in music can be a great way to get thoughts going.
-Organize something. This one's more of something I do, because organizing relaxes me. Also having a clear work space is important.

     A few months ago I did a post on artist's block that kind of builds on this topic.

     ...That's about all I have for today. Apologies for the late post. I haven't got an excuse for it, either. Although I did manage to type up 700 words in my WIP after having writer's block for a while!

     What inspires you? (Comments are great, and guess what? They inspire me to write more posts. <3 )

[Descriptions:] Writing Beautiful Characters

     People are fascinating. I love just sitting somewhere noticing how very unique everyone is. (Haha, yes I know, that sentence was an oxymoron. But it's true.) I enjoy peoples' little quirks and mannerisms to no end.

      It seems the more one gets to know somebody, the more that somebody's uniqueness is made obvious, and the more beautiful they become in one's eyes. Eventually, when I know someone very well, when I think of them, their personality is what I imagine, not their physical appearance. Noticing the individuality of humans increases my wonder at the glory of God and how amazing his creation is. When people love each other and find joy in one another, it's only a very tiny sliver of what it's like to be loved by God and find true joy in him. 

      As writers, we want to reflect the uniqueness of real people in the characters we create. We want readers to relish the beauty of our characters. So how do we do that?

     Start by figuring out what your character looks like. In real life friendships, the first thing you get to know about a person is their appearance. So it should be with fictional characters. A reader will assume your character is a person by default. So there's no need to say something like "She had two eyes below her forehead, and just under the space between the eyes, her nose protruded from her face, right above the lips." Just note the details of your character, the ones that make them stand out. Important parts of someone's looks to mention are their hair (color, length/style, and if it's curly/straight), eyes (people notice eyes and eye color. So give your reader this detail to visualize.), body type (height, build, physical condition), and anything unusual about their appearance (maybe they have a scar from some childhood accident, or a mole that's more noticeable than normal).

     The second part of a character's appearance is mannerisms. Does your character have the need to be moving at all times? Does he have certain body language that he favors? Just as each person has a different 'voice', (specific words and expressions they use, and how they arrange them) people have certain motions they use more than others. For example, in reaction to a friend proposing plans for an outing, one character might nod, and another give a thumbs up.

      You can add more depth to a character's mannerisms if you really dig into what makes them tick. Say you have a drummer character. He's always tapping his feet or patting something with his hands in a rhythm, because he loves playing the drums. A character doesn't have to be a drummer to like that sort of tapping, but when we have a reason, it makes it a bit more interesting. I'm not saying that every tiny little motion has to have a reason behind it. Most people don't analyze themselves and figure out reasons for every tiny flick of their hand; it's not necessary. But writers are the analysts of the world, who dig a little deeper than the rest into the reasons things are.

     Once you're familiar with the outside of your character, it's time to look on the inside. There are lots and lots of methods for getting to know characters. Try several to see which ones work best for you. List the personality traits of your character and expound on them. What is your character's favorite subject of conversation, and why? (Always ask why.) Even if your character doesn't know the answer why, you will know. One can tell a lot about a person the closer you observe them. What is your character's opinion on social gatherings, the outdoors, sports, music, *insert whatever you wish*? How does the character's background and childhood affect how he acts and thinks now? What would his description of an ideal friend be?

     An outward description can help a reader visualize the character, but it's really the inward attributes that will cause a reader to love your characters. Everyone has an extraordinary personality, and the more you develop your characters, the more apparent that will be.

     P. S. I haven't got a question for you this week, but comments are always very encouraging!