The Writer's 'Red Shirt' Syndrome...How Do You Ensure That None of Your Characters are Redundant?

Anyone who watches Star Trek (especially in the original series) will know that anyone wearing a red shirt was basically expendable. Despite the many dangers Captain Kirk and the others faced, it was inconceivable that they would actually die (which makes Kirk's exit in 'Generations' all the more annoying).

Red shirts, on the other hand, were The Expendables long before Sly Stallone coined the name for his films.

As writers, we have to guard against creating our own Expendables. Okay, in some stories, like thrillers, or murder mysteries, someone has to die. Already, this character is an expendable...he or she is redundant.

Or are they?

The best example I can think of an Expendable (note, NOT redundant) is in this book, the superlative 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier

How many stories do you know of that have already killed off their main character? Or if you do, how many do it as well as 'Rebecca'?

One of my other favourite authors, Stephen King, can either write tonnes of expendable (and sorry to say, forgettable) characters like in Needful Things, or can focus on just a handful, and do it brilliantly, as in Misery.

Any which way we cut it....if you are a reader and are then told 'and then Mikey died...' you might feel cheated. After all, did we care about Mikey enough to have some feeling about his death? No? Then the writer did not build his story up enough.

If we knew that Mikey had been orphaned because his parents had been murdered, if we knew that he had been put into social care because he had no other family....if we knew he had found love, lost it, and found it again (or that the love of his life actually killed him)...we would care, wouldn't we?

But some characters get a line or two of introduction in an 800 page story, and before you can say 'man....you have to GO'...they're gone. Have you read books like that? How did you feel when you read that? If it was 'okay, I forgot who Mikey was because he hasn't been mentioned since page 142', then I think the author has overlooked a very important thing.

Sometimes, we read a book and watch a film just for the ride....I'm talking 007, Rocky, any Doctor Who episode. Will anything fatal befall the main characters? Really? Unlikely. So where's the drama? If no-one is at risk - no-one that we care about...no-one that we care about that the author has created, then basically, all you can do is enjoy the ride.

But creating swathes of expendable characters is not good. It is not good 'filler' for a story.

You can create a sword wielding goon, for instance, if it is possible he or she can kill the main character. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, there was originally a long fight scene between Indy and the sword guy. But the final script was that Indy just shoots him! Is it funny? In this context, sure....but do you recall the character? We remember him, because of his part in the movie. We don't need to know his name or anything else. In a film like this, it is a good use of an Expendable. As writers, we are not afforded the same luxury, and our Expendables have to be better drawn.

We cannot simply  introduce someone, give them a name, describe their looks and their basic motivations in a paragraph, only to drop them off the radar, only to bring them back near the end of the book to create some drama. And then, they realise that they were an expendable character.

I got the same reaction from someone who watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but who hadn't read the book.

"Why does Cedric die?" he said.
"So he can turn up in the next Twilight film, I suppose," was my reply.

His point was (even though others watching the film had read the book) that to a viewer, Ced was an expendable....he is hardly in the film version of GoF (by far the worst HP film I believe).

WOOP! WOOP! SPOILER ALERT!!!
Mike Newell may as well have gone and put Cedric in a red shirt, for all the screen time he got. I know he dies in the book, but the film took the assumption that everyone had read the book.

(ends)

So, one of things I try my hardest to do is create characters that readers will have some feeling about. If you don't care about the main characters, you will care even less about the supporting cast. Going back to Star Trek, and specifically, to Deep Space Nine, one of the strengths of that show was an amazing array of supporting characters, who would turn up every other episode.

Hate the show if you must...but what can't be denied is that it had great characterisation, and (save for two characters which I genuinely hated!) these characters gave a sometimes lightweight script, increased gravitas.

So unless your Expendable is 'Thug Number Two,' remember that all your characters must be relevant.

Happy reading and writing!

Let's Try and end Piracy forever!

Hi all, and a very happy 2014 to you.

I'm sorry to say that some (of my) books continue to appear on pirate websites. Fortunately, Amazon do tend to let you know.

What I would like to say to authors who are getting 'pinched', do contact Amazon or the relevant book seller.

Threatening the pirate sites, even if you are able too, seems to have little effect. All the same, we must keep trying.

I would not even worry about this if I had made some return from the book (s), and in some cases these sites host famous authors who have indeed made their money.

That in itself don't make it right. I think people that do this are the very lowest kind of people.

Anyway, this is the sort of thing Amazon writes to you. I think it is good that Amazon do this, because it helps authors take action.

Do contact Amazon for assistance, because your book may be removed from their special platforms (like KDP Select, KOLL) and it is not fair that authors get punished for this.

I wish you all a successful and piracy-free 2014.

----

Hello,

We found the following book(s) you've published doesn’t meet the KDP Select content guidelines because it is available in digital format on another platform. Books enrolled in KDP Select must be exclusive to Amazon in digital format during the entirety of their enrollment in the program.

Dark Winter (ID: B00G559BB8) is available on: (I have removed the link as I do not want to give this website ANY promoition).

You may need to copy and paste the entire URL above into your web browser to see where we found your book. You can also do an online search for your book to discover where else it may be available.

In order for your book to remain in the KDP Select program, we'll need you to ensure that it is exclusive to Amazon within 5 days from the date of this email. If, after this 5-day period, your book is still not exclusive to Amazon, it will remain for sale in the Kindle Store but will be removed from KDP Select. Upon its removal, your book will no longer be eligible to earn a share of the KDP Select fund.

Please note that violations of the program’s exclusivity requirement may result in loss of KDP Select benefits, including participation in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) and the usage of Kindle Countdown Deals or free promotion days. To ensure KDP Select benefits are not revoked, please be sure that all of your KDP Select-enrolled books are exclusive to Amazon in digital format at the time of enrollment.

Check out this page to learn more about the KDP Select guidelines:
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=200798990#eligibility
For all other KDP questions visit: kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/contact-us

Thank you for taking the time to ensure your book(s) meets the requirements of the program.

Happy New Year to you all :)

Over 2013, it's been very interesting developing this blog and interacting with some of you!

So, I'm just dropping you a quick note to wish you a very happy and healthy New Year. I often say we are nothing without great health...money, other people, jobs, mean a lot less when you are unwell.

So do your best to have a fit and healthy new year, as well and a happy and prosperous one!

Thank you to all of you who have interacted with me...either through comments, messages, friend adds, blog comments, ratings, reviews and so on.

I hope you continue to enjoy reading many different new books in 2014, maybe revisit some old ones, and just enjoy the rather unequalled pleasure of enjoying the world writers create.

Happy New Year !!

Currently Reading: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

One of my several 'current reads' is this delightful story by Sarah Addison Allen, an author I'm hearing great things about on Good Reads. I feel a bit of a fraud because I am only three chapters in, but as it is a relatively short book I think it is okay to talk a little about it now.

The story, from what I am reading so far, focusses on the lives of a few 30-somethings living in Nice Town USA. This doesn't mean it is all cherries and apple pie (or indeed, peaches) but I think I was drawn to this (weirdly) by recalling a television drama in the late 1990s called Savannah, about the lives of three young women growing up in Savannah, Georgia. I was so taken by the show (plus Thelma and Louise which came out in 1991) that I resolved that the first proper holiday I would have would be in the southern United States.

I went in 1999 for this dream holiday, but admit I had been in the USA only two years earlier. I lived in Manhattan for ten months, working in a bar / restaurant / club / eaterie! That wasn't a holiday, but was a great experience. 

But I had a great fondness for the simple town setting of programmes like Little House on the Prairie...shows like that made me appreciate even more today, how innocent things seemed to me back then.

Anyway, the book. I'm liking it so far even though I'm not for sure where it is going. It seems to be a case of 'what are these thirty-somethings going to do in order to hang onto their youth, yet still be viewed as grown-ups'?

Going on my own thirties, I think I approached the big 3-Oh with fear. I didn't want to be thirty at all. You hear words like 'all grown-up', 'mature', 'ready to settle down'. Oh dear. Is life that short? Do we give into domesticity too soon? Perhaps we do. But our protoganists Willa and Paxton don't seem to be doing that.

Paxton seems a great character by the way. Right now, she doesn't seem like the main one. Do you ever read a book and think, 'well I know s / he is supposed to be the main one...but I prefer this character instead..'

I'm told that Sarah Addison Allen sprinkles magic into her stories. I love stories that do that. The first book I ever read, Rebecca's World, was sprinkled with magic from the start. I think we need stories that fire our imagination, and remove us from the real world, just a little bit, for a little while.

Whilst reading The Peach Keeper, I can feel able to do just that.

Again, I think I succumbed to a bit of cover adoration here, but it's one of the best looking book covers I have seen. Full review to come.

Happy reading and writing!

Torrents of Abuse - How Should Writers Feel About their Books appearing on Torrent sites?

In 2011, I became aware of a site called www.scribd.com which basically allows users to upload books, so that other users can download them, in part, or in full.

Now, whilst most of us dream about making untold millions from our writing, it is more that we write because we simply want to, and getting our work out there in the market has to be a good thing, right?

I was not happy about this website though. I had written the non-fiction book over a two year period. I had been made redundant in the same year I started penning the book. The book was intended to help my students but also to the wider audience who were genuinely interested in my book.

Yes...it was being sold at a cost. Yes, we have had a world-wide recession, and yes, it happens to other authors too. My first reaction (anger!), apart from '&*@#~~#@!!!!!' was confusion - 'who the hell would upload my book to a website?' along with a revolutionary standpoint - 'I want this site taken down, stat!'

I had to settle for reporting the book as 'stolen' to scribd.com and they did take it down.

I considered pulling the book from being sold as an e-book and just running the printed hardback and paperback copies. However, the trend is clearly towards e-books and I cannot discount that market, and I suppose, as writers, we should embrace any format that gets our work out there.

However, I discovered that things are much worse, two years on, in the closing days of 2013!

My newest title is now on two torrent sites. I am not listing the title here due to ease of finding things (you never really know how things are located on-line) but merely discussing why this is happening.

The torrent sites in question - well it is not easy to ask to have the files withdrawn, because you have to set up an account to contact them, and I don't wish to do that.

Unfortunately, I have heard that even if you use watermarking software, your books can still be scanned and uploaded onto such sites.

I checked on Google to find out if the url was safe to go to. Often such sites run viruses in the background and anyway, they have content which I find greatly distasteful. I'm not a prude, but really...I don't want my books listed on a site that promotes all sorts of unsavoury things.

Where does this leave me?

For my next release...I'm considering doing the print version first, and e-book later. I have no idea if this is a good idea, but it is all trial and error at the moment. I am sceptical about offering my book for review for fear again of it ending up in the wrong hands, or on dodgy sites.

I don't believe people should 'steal' things, it is something I get very angry about. I will always buy a DVD (have not used Netflix or LoveFilm to watch movies yet) and don't believe 'streaming' films on these torrent sites can ever be a good thing.

I am just surprised that a fledgling writer like myself would be targeted in this way. I know I am not alone, and if I see books by writers on scribd.com or other sites, I would let the authors know if they can be found on GoodReads.

My kindle book prices are hardly extortionate and I would think when I do freebies, giveaways and countdown deals that the need to steal somebody else's work would not happen. I see established, very rich authors have their kindle books listed for 60 or 70% of the cost of the paper book. Guess which I choose!

Well, what to do? I'm not down about it. I am just going to work on my next release. Annoyed, but not down. I will choose to let it go.

But if there are ways to get these sort of sites / torrent sites taken down, I think we should do all we can to achieve that. Now that is one revolution I would sign up for!

What's happening?! My Writing Progress and Release Schedule

I thought I would give you an update on where I am currently with my writing. With Christmas coming I have been less busy with my work, but that doesn't mean I have been less busy! There's been Christmas visits to friends and family that will continue over the holiday period.

Writing can be more difficult than ever to schedule in over the Christmas period. But I'll admit I am hacking away at my writing, and it is going well.

So, what's happening?

December 2013: The Essence of Martial Arts: Special Edition (Non-Fiction)

The original EOMA did okay....4,683 copies sold to date. Not bad for a niche book! But I knew I could write one a LOT better. So the Special Edition is not so much a re-hash but an entirely new version that I think will satisfy martial arts fans. A few interesting reviews on Barnes and Noble, no less :)

January 2014: Dark Winter #1 (Fiction)

Well, I am prepping Dark Winter for a printed release in January. I am still checking the proof at the moment which looks great but still needs a tidy here and there.

It's already had some reviews on Amazon UK and .com as well as a few ratings on GoodReads so I am happy with the differing ratings and reviews so far. I can't stress enough how much authors value reviews, so please leave me one if you get around to reading the book. I know many of you are Kindle or other e-reader users, but some like a print version too, so make your choice...personally I would go for the print edition :)

April 2014: *t**m**** (Fiction)

I know! "*t**m****" is such a catchy title, but before you start blogging it everywhere, tweeting it and wearing the tee shirt, I must tell you what I know all you very intelligent people know already  - that it is not the full title or some attempt by me to be *funny / clever / intellectual. 

In fact, there are only two people on Earth who know the title right now, and what can I tell you about it....

well, not much, except to say that I am in the 'polishing' phase of the book and debating cover ideas with Claudia @ http://phatpuppyart.com/ who did the amazing cover art for Dark Winter and I can't wait to work with her again on this and future projects!

The book is much lighter in tone than Dark Winter, but no less thrilling (I hope) and yet is much more epic in scope. I originally penned four huge story arcs for this, so expect an announcement - title, cover, synopsis, and so on, soon. Going to be pretty magical though....that's all I'm saying.

October (Halloween) 2014: Dark Winter #2 (Fiction)

It won't be a sequel, it's a definite follow-up, continuation, whatever you would like to call it. I have a three story arc for this,  so if you liked Book One, you may love Book Two. I have been working very hard to get the words in my head onto screen. But it takes time, even typing at my sluggish pace (oh, right - THAT'S why...!)

So that's me, for now. What are your projects, and how are you progressing with them?

Remember that they will only happen if you give it your all. Not your friends, not your family - YOU. I'm wishing for you that you will get your work out there. People need new stories, new things to enjoy. As writers, we have the potential to fill that need. So let's go and do it :)

Happy reading, writing, enjoying life :)

 

Book Review: The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan

I think this is number three on my December Reading Challenge, and after a slow-ish start, it soon picks up a pace. 

This is my first Courtney Milan read and unlikely to be my last. I hear a lot of great things about this author, and she clearly knows how to entertain her readers with great characters, and heroines you can and will root for. 

Does the title give the plot away? Not really. Nothing is for certain, except to say that you get really engrossed and I found myself sweeping through this novella really quickly. 

Our heroine is naturally likeable, but I found the typical alpha male missing here - and that's a good thing, because it made our hero feel more vulnerable, more likely to have faults than other male characters that usually get drawn a certain way in this genre.

So what's the pull? Well, I like the fact that these two knew each other before, and yet, as the story grabs you, you wonder how the different paths - and predictably, their futures seem so different apart, but together, might not be a good thing after all.

So if the Lady Always Wins, is ending up with the hero, if she does at all - a good thing? You will have to try it to find out. I bought this on sale on Kindle and was not disappointed.

Four strong stars out of five. I expect Courtney's full length novels might yet sway a five out of me.