Kidlitchat Transcript – November 10 (part 1)

8:00 pm kidlitchat: TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:00 pm mikalroy: What is the assigned topic this evening? #kidlitchat
8:00 pm jeanie_w: Showtime! #kidlitchat
8:00 pm gregpincus: TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:00 pm sarahockler: Hi all! Can’t believe I’m actually on time today. #kidlitchat
8:00 pm rillajaggia: @mgbuehrlen Well don’t keep us waiting…what’s the news? My news is I’m back for kidlitchat after so long! #kidlitchat
8:00 pm bonnieadamson: TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:00 pm kellybarnhill: It’s eight! The house is quiet, the beer is open, and I’m ready for #kidlitchat. What’s the topic?
8:00 pm skodobah: Muscles! That’s what makes a strong character! #kidlitchat
8:00 pm mgbuehrlen: @sarahshum You’re always useful! Happy to have you here. :) #kidlitchat
8:00 pm laurielyoung: Hi, can’t stay long?big deadline looming?but I want to hang out for a while! #kidlitchat
8:00 pm jeanie_w: RT @gregpincus: TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:01 pm Leaheps: so excited to be here #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:01 pm catesfolly: Good one you guys! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm jennymckmoss: Hi! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm sarahockler: Strong characters: flawed but redeemable, & slightly exaggerated/intensified from real life. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm mgbuehrlen: @rillajaggia Well that’s GREAT news! (I’ll dm you about mine…) #kidlitchat
8:01 pm amberlough: I won’t be doing #kidlitchat tonight, alas. Am behind in my nano count.
8:01 pm skodobah: A strong character is one who knows themselves better after a hero’s journey. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm CynthiaCWillis: Hi! Sooo glad to be here this week. Internet service went down last week. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm bonnieadamson: @_rachelsimon Nice to see you back, Rachel! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm sharifwrites: @BonnieAdamson Someone proactive, who makes things happens. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm KrisYankee: Yea! I can make #kidlitchat!!
8:02 pm kellybarnhill: Ooooh. Good topic. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm inkyelbows: #kidlitchat on NOW. Topic (see @kidlitchat): What makes a strong character? Favorite tips/tools for character development.
8:02 pm LaurelSnyder: @gregpincus OBVS, the way to develop character is to explain in painful detail what someone is wearing. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm mikalroy: RT @mikalroy: I always feel characters have two sides?one the character is aware of and one which operates subconsciously #kidlitchat
8:02 pm susan_marie: I once heard Kevin Henkes speak about his novels–he collects special objects that have significance for his characters. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm jennymckmoss: I imagine what it would be like to be that character, to see the world the way he/she does. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm skodobah: Characters that don’t know their capacity for strength… who find it during a troublesome time. Pushed to the limit. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm njfamilymag: RT @inkyelbows: #kidlitchat on NOW. Topic (see @kidlitchat): What makes a strong character? Favorite tips/tools for character development.
8:02 pm TrishDoller: An authentic voice. If my character is supposed to be a teenager, I want him/her to sound like a teenager. Not like ME. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm gregpincus: #kidlitchat I’m thinking we’ll all agree and come up with ONE ANSWER! :-) #kidlitchat
8:02 pm Leaheps: i like to write lots of dialogue in the characters’ voices. I don’t use all of it but I just keep going #kidlitchat
8:03 pm mikalroy: Put another way, the char wants (conscious) & needs (subconscious). Both of ths threads allow 1 2 create complication. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm sharifwrites: @bonnieadamson I use a spreadsheet to track things. I make sure the character has changed and grown a lot from start to finish #kidlitchat
8:03 pm CynthiaCWillis: What makes a good character? Depth, I think. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm dawnmetcalf: Power = Courage, confidence, the strength to stay true to self & goals in the face of powerful/compelling/threatening obstacles. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm catesfolly: Yes! RT @Leaheps: i like to write lots of dialogue in the characters voices. I dont use all of it but I just keep going #kidlitchat
8:03 pm EgmontUSA: @gregpincus That’s a tall order! #kidlitchat
8:03 pm bonnieadamson: RT @sharifwrites: I use a spreadsheet to track things, make sure the character has changed and grown a lot from start to finish #kidlitchat
8:04 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @TrishDoller An authentic voice. If my character is supposed to be a teen, I want him/her to sound like a teen. Not like ME. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm sarahshum: oh, big topic. character=view(of self, world) and voice (how world is observed) made that up just now, so don’t quote me. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm carolgrannick: @mikalroy I also love a character with two sides who operates deliberately (not unconsciously) in 2 diff ways, like Gr. Dowdel #kidlitchat
8:04 pm mgbuehrlen: No stereotypes allowed, for one. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm sharifwrites: RT @TrishDoller: An authentic voice. If my character is supposed to be a teenager, I want him/her to sound like a teenager. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm sarahockler: Strong characters must be motivated. Good guy or bad guy, or shades of gray, there must always be a believable motivation. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm KrisYankee: I think using deep POV makes the character stronger #kidlitchat
8:04 pm rillajaggia: @mikalroy Hey Michael, great to see you. I remember your talk on the subconscious vs. conscious desires of characters for plot #kidlitchat
8:04 pm skodobah: @sharifwrites You are better organized than me! #kidlitchat
8:04 pm dawnmetcalf: @sharifwrites Agree. Change MUST happen, otherwise, where’s the story? #kidlitchat
8:04 pm Travis_Pearson: To me, a “strong” character is one that has faults. Nobody likes a completely perfect robot. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm bonnieadamson: I’m liking all these answers. (Scribbling madly.) #kidlitchat
8:05 pm RebeccAgent: hi all. A good character is multi-faceted and others have an impact on them #kidlitchat
8:05 pm Leaheps: teacher at media bistro said–think about false or true belief that underlies everything the character does/says #kidlitchat
8:05 pm jrroper: Protaganist can’t be a wimp. Must have the alpha dog mentality #kidlitchat
8:05 pm crissachappell: @BonnieAdamson A character’s greatest love is also their greatest fear. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm skodobah: When you don’t know you’re strong… and you are put to the test. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm catesfolly: I’ve always liked the near-fatal flaw for the MC. The metaphorical limp or blindness that has to be both carried and overcome. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm mikalroy: @rillajaggia Hi, Rilla! Good to see you. Yeah, I kind of harp on this. I like to focus on nuts-and-bolts craft over bromides. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm sharifwrites: @skodobah I write a detailed outline before I write. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm dawnmetcalf: @catesfolly @Leaheps I like writing scenes that may never have been in order to feel out a character’s motivations in 3D. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm sharifwrites: @dawnmetcalf Character has to be dynamic, not static. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm f_rancesca: “Real” characters also have faults they themselves can’t see — or don’t see as faults. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm CynthiaCWillis: @sarahockler Well said! I agree that strong characters must be motivated. Without the right motivation, dead in the water. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm sarahshum: RT @RebeccAgent: multi-faceted and others have an impact on them #kidlitchat YES — outside forces/other characters key to development
8:06 pm HSPWriter: @BonnieAdamson Inner conflict is one of my favorites. Dichotomy!!! So fun to explore. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm elisawikey: #kidlitchat – I like to create characters that are quirky and strange without realizing they are. I think it makes them more endearing.
8:06 pm mgbuehrlen: I like characters that are as complicated as real ppl, even though it’s not all spelled out on the page. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm EgmontGal: @jrroper No! No! You CAN have a wimpy protagonist. Wells’ None of the Above is one example. I am sick of plucky girl heroines. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm dlschubert: RT @RebeccAgent A good character is multi-faceted and others have an impact on them #kidlitchat
8:06 pm mgbuehrlen: @f_rancesca Hey you! Welcome back! #kidlitchat
8:06 pm jennymckmoss: I didn’t like the MC of E Hand’s Generation Loss, but I found her so fascinating I couldn’t stop reading. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm thedreamereader: I think strong characters have 2 b believable & u have 2 have a little bit of empathy w/ them regardless if they’re good or not. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm carolgrannick: Love self-discovery – character’s discovery of moral wrong that she/he has done. This, in @rebstead ’s WHEN YOU REACH ME #kidlitchat
8:07 pm PennyAsh: @catesfolly Have fun :) #kidlitchat
8:07 pm sharifwrites: @skodobah I like a good underdog story, or when someone blossoms fantastically. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm mikalroy: Also, I think most characters (and people) lie?to others, to themselves, & to us. Not always, & not w/ malice, but b/c … #kidlitchat
8:07 pm f_rancesca: @jrroper But anti-heroes are often underdogs. I’m not sure that I like the idea of alpha main characters. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm LiaKeyes: Late to the party… topic is how do you prepare to write? or what makes a good character? #kidlitchat
8:07 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @f_rancesca: “Real” characters also have faults they themselves cant see — or dont see as faults. << Like Fitz. ;-) #kidlitchat
8:07 pm EgmontGal: @mikalroy not me I like to bloviate rather than sticking to practical help. Blah blah blah is all i put in my editorial letters #kidlitchat
8:07 pm sarahshum: I like characters with faults best (theirs, not the author’s) #kidlitchat
8:07 pm gregpincus: @LaurelSnyder duly noted. I know my character is defined by what t-shirt I’m wearing #kidlitchat
8:07 pm mikalroy: … but because they can’t face the truth. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm Leaheps: i loved goth girl rising–vulnerable, yet steely strong too…contradictions #kidlitchat
8:07 pm dawnmetcalf: I like to believe in a character so much that I miss them when they’re gone (i.e. I’ve finished the book). #kidlitchat
8:07 pm f_rancesca: @mgbuehrlen I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed being here. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm carolgrannick: @EgmontGal Glad to hear all girls don’t have to be ‘plucky’! #kidlitchat
8:07 pm rillajaggia: @EgmontGal Yeah, I love wimpy characters who conquer wimpiness to make stuff happen. I can relate… :) #kidlitchat
8:07 pm kellybarnhill: #kidlitchat When I teach fiction I start with hopes and fears. What is your character’s deepest hope, darkest secret and dearest wish?
8:07 pm EgmontGal: @sharifwrites I like it when people screw things up. Hey, just reread Bright Lights Big City. He’s a total f$%@ up #kidlitchat
8:07 pm skodobah: @sharifwrites Oh yes! The underdog rocks. Makes you cheer. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm jenwriter: RT @dawnmetcalf: I like to believe in a character so much that I miss them when they’re gone (i.e. I’ve finished the book). #kidlitchat
8:08 pm robertleebrewer: RT @gregpincus: @LaurelSnyder duly noted. I know my character is defined by what t-shirt I’m wearing #kidlitchat
8:08 pm dlschubert: I like my characters to do things you might not expect them to do. Keep the characters in the story and the reader guessing. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm rillajaggia: @mikalroy You mean like normal human beings :0 #kidlitchat
8:08 pm Buffyandrews: Just joining. What’s the topic. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm bonnieadamson: Must character know what s/he wants? #kidlitchat
8:08 pm mikalroy: Basica@EgmontGal Oh, everyone is a smartass. Especially YOU. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm EgmontGal: @f_rancesca I love an unreliable narrator. Even Katniss in Catching Firecounts, but the first is Humbert Humbert #kidlitchat
8:08 pm sarahockler: Strong chars create their own drama rather than reacting/falling into it. Make great or terrible things happen, cons. or uncons. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm Casey_McCormick: I think strong characters generally have a well-defined constitution with layers, and then a strong voice to represent it. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm skodobah: Dark, soulful characters who put a new spin on what it means to be edgy. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm carolgrannick: @mikalroy Yes – but what’s underneath not being able to face truth? Too intense, too close to others? #kidlitchat
8:08 pm EgmontGal: Or the great YA unreliable narrator in Unforgivable by Chris Crutcher #kidlitchat
8:09 pm LiaKeyes: YES!!!! RT @dawnmetcalf: I like to believe in a character so much that I miss them when I’ve finished the book. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm kellybarnhill: @mikalroy #kidlitchat YES! People are magpies – not just with objects, but with bits of themselves too. The shiny bits of the heart, hidden
8:09 pm bonnieadamson: @Buffyandrews TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:09 pm EgmontUSA: A good character is dynamic. Your plot is a journey, and your character should be reacting. That’s sounds guruish. Don’t quote! #kidlitchat
8:09 pm dawnmetcalf: @f_rancesca @jrroper I’d actually say most *heroes* are underdogs in one way or another. http://tinyurl.com/yzhguao #kidlitchat
8:09 pm sarahshum: @sarahockler yes to the need for motivation. character HAS to have a reason to do everything they do, not just author plot needs #kidlitchat
8:09 pm f_rancesca: @mgbuehrlen Exactly like Fitz. Self-deception is what we use to keep ourselves rolling until we find out what self is. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm catesfolly: Re: wimpy MC, discussion in #YAlitchat last week about Bella from Twilight. Not the same kind of wimpy we’re talking ’bout, yes? #kidlitchat
8:09 pm rillajaggia: I totally enjoy getting my characters to do things I would never do. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm gregpincus: Does anyone use software to create bios of characters? Make sketches of them? #kidlitchat
8:09 pm skodobah: @bonnieadamson Not necessarily. Oftentimes, it takes trials and tribulations to clarify the wants. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm mgbuehrlen: @bonnieadamson No. That’s part of the fun — figuring it out along with them. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm carolgrannick: @bonnieadamson I don’t think characters must know what they want. But they must want. Or think they know… #kidlitchat
8:09 pm sharifwrites: @EgmontGal I occasionally read those stories. Some train wreck characters are engaging. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm kellybarnhill: @sarahshum #kidlitchat Absolutely. You can always tell when a character is just a thinly veiled “Me, me, MEEEEEE”
8:09 pm mikalroy: @carolgrannick What’s underneath not being able to face whatever truth is what makes the character tick. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm jrroper: @f_rancesca Agree, especially on not knowing faults. Or atleast not considering them faults. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm LiaKeyes: @bonnieadamson Thanks for the topic, Bonnie! #kidlitchat
8:10 pm rillajaggia: @gregpincus Word :) #kidlitchat
8:10 pm catesfolly: @bonnieadamson MC who THINKS she knows what she wants but finds out it’s something altogether else. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm Buffyandrews: @rillajaggia And say things we’d never say. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm Travis_Pearson: I love it when a character surprises you when you think you have them figured out. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm EgmontGal: @rillajaggia I like it when characters get it on with people I would never have a chance with. That’s classic YA girl lit, no? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm f_rancesca: @catesfolly oh good lord I hope not. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm Leaheps: I vote for underdogs who think they are wimps but are heroes–who only think they don’t count but do–big-time self-deprecators #kidlitchat
8:10 pm skodobah: As for tips – look to people who have made an impression on you in life. Especially in our fave place – high school! #kidlitchat
8:10 pm sarahshum: @BonnieAdamson not necessarily, as people often DON’T know what we want, but there’s a desire to know, or a desire for something #kidlitchat
8:10 pm kehealey: @BonnieAdamson I think sometimes you can do a decent character arc of character discovering what they want. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm kcclyburn: This RT @carolgrannick: @bonnieadamson I dont think characters must know what they want. But they must want. Or think they know #kidlitchat
8:10 pm CynthiaCWillis: @EgmontUSA Proactive, too, right? Not just reacting? ; ) #kidlitchat
8:10 pm AudryT: I don’t see how software could define a character when the character needs to be defined by the story. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm debbieohi: @gregpincus I use Scrivener to create character backgrounds/info. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm LaurelSnyder: @gregpincus Also, you can tell WHO someone is by the adverb/ verb combo used when they speak. “She exclaimed eagerly!” #kidlitchat
8:10 pm LiaKeyes: TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm thedreamereader: Also, strong characters need to be like cakes (or onions). THEY NEED TO HAVE LAYERS! I hate reading about cardboard cutouts #kidlitchat
8:11 pm carolgrannick: @gregpincus I have used @jennymeyerhoff ’s wonderful character development sheets on her site (www.jennymeyerhoff.com) #kidlitchat
8:11 pm bonnieadamson: @catesfolly Ah, but what about the char. who doesn’t THINK he wants anything–cluelessness a good flaw? #kidlitchat
8:11 pm andreacremer: @Travis_Pearson Agreed. Love it when characters offer surprises #kidlitchat
8:11 pm skodobah: @Travis_Pearson When that happens it can leave you in utter shock! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm mgbuehrlen: @f_rancesca Beautifully written, as always. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @kellybarnhill @sarahshum #kidlitchat Absolutely. You can always tell when a character is just a thinly veiled “Me, me, MEEEEEE” [LOL!]
8:11 pm CynthiaCWillis: RT @rillajaggia: I totally enjoy getting my characters to do things I would never do. Absolutely!!! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm kellybarnhill: @EgmontGal #kidlitchat Lo-leeee-ta. Oh! my heart stopped there for just a moment. Must re-read!
8:11 pm sharifwrites: RT @skodobah: Dark, soulful characters who put a new spin on what it means to be edgy. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm EgmontUSA: @Travis_Pearson Me too! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm mikalroy: @rillajaggia Yes, like normal human beings … but you’d be surprised how many writers let their characters off the hook. :-/ #kidlitchat
8:11 pm elisawikey: @bonnieadamson – the character has to want something, but i don’t think they have to know what exactly that would be. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm catesfolly: Denial an important part of MC at the beginning maybe? #kidlitchat
8:11 pm kcclyburn: I love it when I’m writing a character and the reveal unexpected information about themselves. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm f_rancesca: @EgmontGal Okay, I nearly snorted tea through my nose. That’s exactly why I love YA. Vicariously getting the hottie. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm skodobah: @EgmontGal LOL! Yes, dreams can come true via the stories we write! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm jeanie_w: RT @sarahshum: @sarahockler character HAS to have a reason to do everything they do, not just author plot needs #kidlitchat
8:11 pm Idaho_Laurie: There are some great screwed up guy MCs: Sutter Keely in THE SPECTACULAR NOW, Liam in KING OF THE SCREWUPS. Any girls? #kidlitchat
8:11 pm gregpincus: @EgmontGal That’s classic geek fantasy, too, ya know. The unattainable attained! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm jrroper: Harry Potter, Huck Finn, Frodo…not the toughest, but not wimps either #kidlitchat
8:11 pm andreacremer: @gregpincus I’m a total dork about it I take the Myers-Briggs test on behalf of my characters #kidlitchat
8:11 pm rillajaggia: @EgmontGal You mean like getting along with vampires and werewolves? #kidlitchat
8:11 pm Leaheps: @skodobah there are certain people from high school who make an impression that never leaves you–use them! #kidlitchat
8:12 pm bonnieadamson: @LaurelSnyder I always thought it was eye color. :-) #kidlitchat
8:12 pm catesfolly: @bonnieadamson I haven’t met one of those MCs. Can you think of example? Holden Caufield? #kidlitchat
8:12 pm _rachelsimon: Hey guys! I’m about to chime in- just finishing cleaning the dishes. :) #kidlitchat
8:12 pm kcclyburn: I also like a character to have a rough goal from the beginning–if it changes that’s fine, but listless characters bore me. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm tehawesomersace: Hey all, little late, topic? #kidlitchat
8:12 pm mikalroy: @bonnieadamson Well, the char doesn’t think he wants anything, but we all want SOMEthing. Me, I want a beer. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm LiaKeyes: I write my way into character… write for eight pages in first person and find out why they’re doing what they’re doing #kidlitchat
8:12 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @f_rancesca: @EgmontGal Thats exactly why I love YA. Vicariously getting the hottie. << I second this! #kidlitchat
8:12 pm dawnmetcalf: @CynthiaCWillis @EgmontUSA I don’t like everything happening *to* a character; I want *them* to be the ones that make it happen. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm catesfolly: Yes, nice examples! RT @jrroper: Harry Potter, Huck Finn, Frodo…not the toughest, but not wimps either #kidlitchat
8:12 pm f_rancesca: RT @andreacremer: @gregpincus Im a total dork about it I take the Myers-Briggs test on behalf of my characters #kidlitchat
8:12 pm skodobah: @Leaheps Yeppers – they are the ultimate character study. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Travis_Pearson: This is a handy sheet I found to fill out if you REALLY need to get to know your character: http://tinyurl.com/58mo9c #kidlitchat
8:13 pm elisawikey: it’s always important to write or draw what you know. Always put a little bit of yourself into every character’s personality – #kidlitchat
8:13 pm sharifwrites: @kcclyburn Yes, I love writing and getting those ah-ha moments about the character. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm rillajaggia: RT @jeanie_w: RT @sarahshum: @sarahockler character HAS to have a reason to do everything they do, not just author plot needs #kidlitchat
8:13 pm gregpincus: RT @carolgrannick: @gregpincus I have used @jennymeyerhoff ’s wonderful character development sheets (www.jennymeyerhoff.com) #kidlitchat
8:13 pm f_rancesca: @tehawesomersace What makes a great character. Also, hello! #kidlitchat
8:13 pm Casey_McCormick: If you pin down the constitutional makeup of your character, you know what makes them tick and what their vulnerabilities are. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm RebeccAgent: @idaho_laurie LOVE The Spectacular Now #kidlitchat
8:13 pm camoulton: @dawnmetcalf Brilliantly said. I love to feel like I’ve known these characters my whole life. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm bonnieadamson: @catesfolly Thinking, happy-go-lucky. Thinks everything’s fine, but not. SURELY there’s one! #kidlitchat
8:13 pm andreacremer: @EgmontGal That’s so true, ah vicarious love escapades…#kidlitchat
8:13 pm LiaKeyes: @mikalroy Wouldn’t mind a beer myself, but have another 3,500 words to write for NaNoWriMo tonight… that’s conflict #kidlitchat
8:13 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @f_rancesca @EgmontGal I nearly snorted tea through my nose. That’s exactly why I love YA. Vicariously getting the hottie. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm bonnieadamson: @mikalroy Ooh, time out for a cup of tea. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm CynthiaCWillis: @dawnmetcalf Yes! Exactly! #kidlitchat
8:14 pm skodobah: @elisawikey That’s when someone will ask me if I am the main character! #kidlitchat
8:14 pm dlschubert: Characters who interest me as they reveal themselves I hope will also interest others. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm KrisYankee: My mentor told me to have the character write me a letter, this way I’d know his/her motivation. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm kaitnolan: RT @gregpincus Im a total dork about it I take the Myers-Briggs test on behalf of my characters #kidlitchat [what a good idea!]
8:14 pm EgmontGal: @Leaheps One of the biggest snobs in my HS now married to a member of LAPD. Where is her Dartmouth edu? There’s a story. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm quirkywriter: RT I don’t like everything happening *to* a character; I want *them* to be the ones that make it happen. #kidlitchat << I agree!
8:14 pm kcclyburn: Also, strong characters must LEARN. THEY MUST. Characters that start in one place and end up in the same place are wretched. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @camoulton: @dawnmetcalf Brilliantly said. I love to feel like Ive known these characters my whole life. << Me too. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm f_rancesca: @elisawikey I get weirded out if there’s too much me floating around a book. I love to write someone I’d like to know better. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm mikalroy: @elisawikey Was reading interview with Eliz Strout about the superb Olive Kitteridge & they asked which characters were her … #kidlitchat
8:14 pm Casey_McCormick: Following #kidlitchat slowly. Sorry! The kids are running around crazy.
8:14 pm skodobah: Pinot noir to take the stress away… #kidlitchat
8:14 pm debbieohi: I think a strong character is hugely motivated & willing to do a lot to achieve his/her goals. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm mikalroy: … and she replied, “Oh, all of them.” To some degree. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm AudryT: Write what you know is of’t misused, IMO. You don’t have to write charas just like you. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm dawnmetcalf: How do we achieve that sort of deeply felt love for a character? Is it “strength of character” or something else? #kidlitchat
8:14 pm skodobah: @KrisYankee A letter! That is a great idea! #kidlitchat
8:14 pm rillajaggia: @mikalroy have you read The Spectacular Now? #kidlitchat
8:15 pm EgmontUSA: @EgmontGal Don’t even get me started! #kidlitchat
8:15 pm dlschubert: Interesting idea: RT @KrisYankee My mentor told me 2 have the character write me a letter, this way I’d know his/her motivation. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm gregpincus: @kaitnolan That wasn’t me who said that, though. That was @andreacremer! #kidlitchat
8:15 pm EgmontGal: I can tell I love a book when I want to know more about the characters after reading. I used to wonder about them when I was YA #kidlitchat
8:15 pm Leaheps: @EgmontGal A story BEGGING to be written..a char. aching to come out! #kidlitchat
8:15 pm sarahshum: @gregpincus author @teralynnchilds famously creates collages before writing her characters. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm mikalroy: And when your character *doesn’t* want to do something, turn up the heat. That’s another way to find your story. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm Leaheps: @skodobah pinot noir sounds good! #kidlitchat
8:15 pm mgbuehrlen: When I read a truly strong character, I usually expect to meet them in real life someday. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm camoulton: Strong characters: Ones who understand the odds set against them, but they’ll never give up. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm mikalroy: @rillajaggia I have not. But should have done. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm gregpincus: @skodobah Is pinot noir a YA trait or a MG one? I’d go with YA…. :-) #kidlitchat
8:15 pm _rachelsimon: @BonnieAdamson @gregpincus I missed #kidlitchat two weeks in a row & my life was so boring/lost without it!
8:15 pm dawnmetcalf: @debbieohi Although I don’t mind having a reluctant or recalcitrant character who changes to own their goals, either. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm debbieohi: RT @camoulton: Strong characters: Ones who understand the odds set against them, but theyll never give up. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm dlschubert: I think we fall in love w/characters when they have to overcome something they have little control over. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm tehawesomersace: @f_rancesca Thanks. How was Pittsburgh? #kidlitchat
8:16 pm catesfolly: @debbieohi although the reluctant hero pretty fun too, no? their own lack of motivation creates a kind of suspense I think. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm jrroper: @KrisYankee Good advice RTMy mentor told me to have the character write me a letter, this way I&apos;d know his/her motivation. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm EgmontGal: @EgmontUSA Do you mean “it’s all about the yearning?” That’s more of a plot hook than a character hook, no? #kidlitchat
8:16 pm skodobah: @Leaheps It IS good!!!! #kidlitchat
8:16 pm Travis_Pearson: I don’t have a problem when a character doesn’t take action, as long as their REactions to the situation are believable. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm mikalroy: “Write what you know” = “write emotionally true fiction,” not write about, say, sitting on your tuchus writing tweets in #kidlitchat
8:16 pm Leaheps: @mikalroy I am writing that down! i.e. when char. doesn’t want to do something, turn up the heat…great idea #kidlitchat
8:16 pm skodobah: @gregpincus Totally YA. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm EgmontUSA: If I start yelling at other characters, because I’m so aligned with one, then I know we’re getting somewhere good. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm LiaKeyes: @Georgia_McBride Hahahaha! I do? Double the fun, though, right? I’m in #kidlitchat right now…
8:16 pm mgbuehrlen: @camoulton I agree – the never giving up part is a key factor. A lazy character is no fun. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm f_rancesca: RT @mgbuehrlen: When I read a truly strong character, I expect to meet them in real life someday. > Me too. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm catesfolly: You’re making me want a glass of wine RT @gregpincus: @skodobah Is pinot noir a YA trait or a MG one? Id go with YA…. :-) #kidlitchat
8:16 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @camoulton Strong characters: Ones who understand the odds set against them, but they’ll never give up. #kidlitchat *I <3 tragic heroes!
8:16 pm jeanie_w: RT @mikalroy: And when your character *doesn’t* want to do something, turn up the heat. That’s another way to find your story. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm debbieohi: Strongly agree! –> RT @kcclyburn: Characters that start in one place and end up in the same place are wretched. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm LiaKeyes: @tehawesomersace TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:17 pm EgmontGal: @dawnmetcalf Again, I beg you all, we can love characters who are not strong. I promise. Esp girls. Oh, sigh, the bold girl. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm crissachappell: I can tell I love a book when I want to know more about the characters after reading. #kidlitchat (via @EgmontGal)
8:17 pm skodobah: @mikalroy Tuchus tweets! LOL! #kidlitchat
8:17 pm EgmontUSA: @EgmontGal No – I mean the high school queen bee to where are they are stories. . . #kidlitchat
8:17 pm rillajaggia: @mikalroy There’s a character who loves the beer…and the whisky…me, I’m allergic. great but sad read with a strong prot. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm dlschubert: Ha! RT @EgmontUSA If I start yelling at other characters,b/c I’m so aligned with one, then I know we’re getting somewhere good. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm andreacremer: RT@ EgmontUSA If I start yelling at other characters, because I’m so aligned with one, then I know we’re getting somewhere good. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm camoulton: @kcclyburn Agreed. Characters who learn more about themselves are the best kind. Self-discovery is riveting. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm EKokie: For me, I have to feel like I’m reading about a real person, with real emotions – even if I don’t understand, needs to be real. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm EgmontGal: Roger Sutton and I used to have a formula Newbery: No! Cried Eliza Jane defiantly, stamping her foot on the rough-hewn floor #kidlitchat
8:17 pm CynthiaCWillis: I think a main character should be a bit vulnerable in some way, too. Has that been said yet? #kidlitchat
8:17 pm jrroper: YOu can throw the world at a strong character and they keep fighting back. Crawling into a dark corner stops the reader #kidlitchat
8:17 pm tehawesomersace: @LiaKeyes Thanks. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm andreacremer: Yes! RT @debbieohi Strongly agree! @kcclyburn: Characters that start in one place and end up in the same place are wretched. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm _rachelsimon: @LiaKeyes Thanks for the topic! #kidlitchat I think what makes a strong character is being themselves. Not changing for benefits of others.
8:18 pm adamselzer: I had it when people use “write what you know” as an excuse to be uncreative. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm rillajaggia: I think we create the best characters when we add something of ourselves to each and every one, that’s who we know best #kidlitchat
8:18 pm dawnmetcalf: @EgmontGal I agree. Vulnerability is very appealing to me in a character. Not all mettle & thick hide. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm sharifwrites: @EgmontUSA Good books and characters elicit those emotions from us. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm debbieohi: @catesfolly True, but then as @mikalroy points out, you need to turn up the heat to -get- the character motivated. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm jennymckmoss: @dawnmetcalf How do we achieve that sort of deeply felt love for a character? MWT’s Gen is this for me. What a character. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm EgmontGal: @EgmontUSA DOES yell at characters! As an editor, you have to back off and let them, not what you want for them, tell story #kidlitchat
8:18 pm Travis_Pearson: The Eragon books were extended b/c Eragon’s character evolved, and wouldn’t do something Paolini outlined originally. Good char. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm f_rancesca: @tehawesomersace I had a lovely time at Pittsburgh. Michael Stearns was interesting and sane and Bruce was insanely inspiring. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm RebeccAgent: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. A book where a 3d protag is interacting with 2d secondary characters never works #kidlitchat
8:18 pm AudryT: Trick for fleshing out characters: Make them someone you are totally unfamiliar with, and force yourself outside your safe zone. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm tehawesomersace: @CynthiaCWillis No, but I agree. Perfect characters are boring. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm happybluejess: Hi. Just joining. Not sure if it’s been said, but bravery does it for me. Especially if the character doesn’t know s/he’s brave. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm andreacremer: So true! RT @CynthiaCWillis I think a main character should be a bit vulnerable in some way, too. Has that been said yet? #kidlitchat
8:19 pm dawnmetcalf: RT@ EgmontUSA If I start yelling at other characters, because I’m so aligned with one, then I know we’re getting somewhere good. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm JessicaCapelle: trying to follow #kidlitchat but I’m behind!!
8:19 pm _rachelsimon: RT@sharifwrites: @EgmontUSA Good books and characters elicit those emotions from us. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm jeanie_w: @EgmontGal I think I’ve read that one. :) #kidlitchat
8:19 pm EKokie: Yup RT @camoulton: @kcclyburn Agreed. Characters who learn more about themselves are the best kind. Self-discovery is riveting. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm dlschubert: Watching a character mature via difficult challenges is always exciting. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm catesfolly: @debbieohi yes, totally agree, the heat you know has to come creates suspense #kidlitchat
8:19 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @rillajaggia: We create the best characters when we add something of ourselves to each, thats who we know best < Well said. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm sarahshum: RT @mikalroy: Write what you know= write emotionally true fiction, not write about sitting on your tuchus writing tweets in #kidlitchat HA!
8:19 pm bonnieadamson: @Travis_Pearson Good point–best char. is one who won’t do what you tell him to! #kidlitchat
8:19 pm kcclyburn: @rillajaggia We must also be careful not Mary Sue/Gary Stu our characters as well though, i.e., make them super versions of us. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm _rachelsimon: @JessicaCapelle Topic is strong characters & what makes them. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm debbieohi: @dawnmetcalf Yes, true! re: reluctant character who changes to own their goals. (forgot #kidlitchat tag before, sorry) #kidlitchat
8:20 pm jrroper: @dawnmetcalf Underdog I agree with. I can’t stand a wimp though. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm sarahockler: I like to slightly exaggerate/intensify chars. Readers can still relate, but also have some sense of awe/wonder/what-if feeling. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm EgmontGal: @JessicaCapelle my lessons: ok to be human character, not *always* be girl who takes charge of her own life #kidlitchat
8:20 pm mikalroy: @EKokie I gave ths EXACT advice to someone last wknd. Your fictional world may be insane; just give 1 real person as an anchor. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm LiaKeyes: Love characters brave enough to make the right decision, not the easy one. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm marybrebner: I like the characters that change and grow over time. Maybe they start out as kids but grow into mature, intelligent beings #kidlitchat
8:20 pm tehawesomersace: @f_rancesca Awesome. I’m jealous. Wanted to see Coville, but schedule didn’t work! #kidlitchat
8:20 pm dawnmetcalf: @jennymckmoss I’m *still* bowled-over by FLB’s character, Weetzie Bat! Years later, I still remember what she felt like to read. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm thedreamereader: @EgmontGal Bold grls 2 me arent THAT relatable. I just keep wishing they hav a bad hair day & I wont rlly connect w them LOL #kidlitchat
8:20 pm Leaheps: As Flaubert said, madame bovary, c’est moi…that’s how it is for me with chars. not to be narcissist but they are all aspects.. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm carolgrannick: Once asked K Paterson how Gilly Hopkins char became so lovable so fast, in spite of what we see. ‘I love her’ was the answer. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm andreacremer: @RebeccAgent Re: secondary characters. Yes – a strong MC is only made that way by superb supporting cast #kidlitchat
8:20 pm jennymckmoss: I liked FIRE’s vulnerability & strength. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm TiffanySchmidt: I really meant to join #kidlitchat this week… but I can’t put down Candor…
8:20 pm suzanne_young: My fave sort of character is the super bad influence best friend. Sure, she always ends up pregnant, but it’s a fun ride #kidlitchat
8:20 pm KrisYankee: @EgmontUSA I think all authors want their MC to elicit some type of emotion. If not, then why write? #kidlitchat
8:20 pm f_rancesca: Dangle your character off a cliff by her ankle & watch how she reacts. Not literally, of course. Just make her life really hard. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm EgmontGal: A lot, I mean A LOT of characters could use more cowbell. Ok, sorry, forgive me. Writing SCBWI speec #kidlitchat
8:21 pm dlschubert: Love sparks flying between characters whether it be romance or opposition. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm tehawesomersace: @kcclyburn Cough *Bella* Cough #kidlitchat
8:21 pm kellybarnhill: @RebeccAgent omg, absolutely. Every character is important. A writer slacks on one, and it kills the book. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm EKokie: And for me, it’s not just the primary character – a false secondary character can ruin a book. Each character needs to be real. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm KellyDHouse: hey all – just got here. Characters that stick with me usually have enough self-doubt to be believeable but strength to survive #kidlitchat
8:21 pm maggiedana: Last night I remembered how much I love an underdog who rises to the challenge and saves the day. Quietly, of course. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm EgmontGal: @thedreamereader Thanks! I just see writing criticized when characters don’t make the choices the adult reader (parent) wants #kidlitchat
8:21 pm mikalroy: RT @EKokie: It’s not just the primary character – a false secondary character can ruin a book. Each character needs to be real. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm _rachelsimon: @jennymckmoss Loved, loved, loved FIRE. As a character. But sometimes she was all over the place…emotionally that is. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm juliaakarr: Whether good or bad, give your MC a trait outside of what you see as their comfort zone. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm mgbuehrlen: I like characters I’ve never met before. No cookie cutters. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm AuthorTaraKelly: I’m a character junkie. Bad characters will kill a story for me, no matter how good the plot. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm Leaheps: me too @suzanne_young I love the bad best friend! #kidlitchat
8:21 pm andreacremer: Yes, that’s the combo I like to write and read RT @jennymckmoss I liked FIRE’s vulnerability & strength. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm peg366: Pb authors have the challenge of having make a character strong and memorable without the luxry of many words to work with. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm kcclyburn: @jrroper Everyone loves an underdog. It gets less so when the underdog stays an underdog and doesn’t do much to change. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm crissachappell: @debbieohi Yes. You must empathize (but never sympathize) with the protag. Be an evil bastard to him! #kidlitchat
8:22 pm KellyDHouse: I was thinking of Fire. Stuck with me for weeks after reading.RT @jennymckmoss: I liked FIREs vulnerability & strength. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm dawnmetcalf: @jrroper I agree with that. Except maybe PT-Indian, Junior, & Greg Heffley. ;-) #kidlitchat
8:22 pm EKokie: Also, part of getting the characters and their reactions true, from the writer’s perspective, is not to judge our characters. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm tehawesomersace: @dawnmetcalf Funny, I always liked Witch Baby better :) #kidlitchat
8:22 pm kcclyburn: @tehawesomersace Hey, you said it, I didn’t. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm EgmontGal: @kellybarnhill Hmm. What about the dues ex machina? Some characters are stock and it works, no? #kidlitchat
8:22 pm andreacremer: Or both at once! RT @dlschubert Love sparks flying between characters whether it be romance or opposition. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm AuthorTaraKelly: Haha I tend to have the bad best friend too. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm debbieohi: @carolgrannick Gilly Hopkins is one of my all-time favourite characters. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm marybrebner: @thedreamereader love the bold characters that have a quirk or flaw–hard to connect with a bold Mary Sue. (bad hair? YES! lol) #kidlitchat
8:22 pm sarahshum: @carolgrannick If only we all had the love K Paterson has! Nice quote. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm tinahoggatt: For me the great thing is a character that is involved in discovering the thing they were put here to do in life or the story. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm dlschubert: Agree – MORE COWBELL! RT @EgmontGal A lot, I mean A LOT of characters could use more cowbell. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm catesfolly: @EgmontGal I hope yul have the actual cowbell on hand for the speech or so much virtual cowbell that everyone will finally see. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm mikalroy: Re @Ekokie’s point: but secondary chars don’t require as many dimensions. But even if only 1- or 2-dimensions, gotta convince. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm thedreamereader: SAME HERE! RT: @AuthorTaraKelly I’m a character junkie. Bad characters will kill a story for me, no matter how good the plot. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm debbieohi: Well put. :-D RT @crissachappell: You must empathize (but never sympathize) with the protag. Be an evil bastard to him! #kidlitchat
8:22 pm SarahBWinters: Describing face expressions (or drawing them out) so the world can visualize/picture them helps to add to strong characters… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm sarahockler: Spend as much (or more) time developing villain (motivations & vulnerabilities). I hate when bad guy is ALL bad or falls flat. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm EgmontGal: @AuthorTaraKelly I agree. I would rather read a book with great characters and no plot than all plot, no characters (eg Da Vinci #kidlitchat
8:23 pm DDHearn: @thedreamereader I agree. I don’t always relate to a character that is bold and cocky, seemingly invincible. Self doubt is ok. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm EKokie: Me too. RT @AuthorTaraKelly: I’m a character junkie. Bad characters will kill a story for me, no matter how good the plot. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm rillajaggia: I have developed a special fondness for villains. They are just so delcious. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm JessicaCapelle: thank you my dear! hard to get caught up! RT @_rachelsimon: Topic is strong characters & what makes them. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm AuthorTaraKelly: So true..I find some readers criticize characters because a. OR #kidlitchat
8:23 pm dawnmetcalf: @tehawesomersace There were definitely times in my life I id’ed with Witch Baby, but I was in awe of Weetzie’s spirit. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm mgbuehrlen: I hate reading about characters I’ve seen on tv, in movies, read in other books. Changing names and hair color isn’t enough. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm f_rancesca: Cf. Fairest (which I’ve been listening to). Just when you think it can’t get worse for Aza, it does. And she rises to it. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm elanaroth: Hey, world. I’m late, but here. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm catesfolly: @EgmontGal deus ex machina works at the beginning, no? Like the shoes in HOLES, but not so much later… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @AuthorTaraKelly I’m a character junkie. Bad characters will kill a story for me, no matter how good the plot. #kidlitchat [BINGO!]
8:23 pm Travis_Pearson: @cassieclare’s Mortal Instruments series has some of the best characters. You would love to read ANY of their perspectives. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm jrroper: I like a character who is a bit skeptical and questions motivation. Allows for good twists on thinking and reality. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm AuthorTaraKelly: b. the character’s flaws remind them to much of themselves. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm bonnieadamson: RT @peg366: Pb authors have challenge of making a character strong and memorable without the luxury of many words.<–Amen. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm _rachelsimon: Oh no, not cowbell again. I remember when people just said COWBELL a lot a few weeks back! @egmontgal #kidlitchat
8:23 pm jennymckmoss: @KellyDHouse I still have a strong sense of her. Which is why I liked FIRE better than GRACELING (which I liked too) #kidlitchat
8:23 pm marybrebner: @debbieohi OMG-haven’t thought of the Great Gilly in years. She was a fantastic character! #kidlitchat
8:23 pm SarahBWinters: Example ?He had the kindest wrinkles around his eyes along with a soft gentle smile? he?s strong just by people loving him #kidlitchat
8:23 pm Buffyandrews: I luv characters that I can’t stop thinking about. I think about how they would react to a situation even when not writing. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm susan_marie: I’m puzzled by idea that certain kinds of people make better characters than others. It’s how we bring them to life in writing. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm JessicaCapelle: yes- I like that RT @EgmontGal: my lessons: ok to be human character, not *always* be girl who takes charge of her own life #kidlitchat
8:23 pm mikalroy: Best writer for giving awful characters sans judgment: Richard Russo. Protags are awful, but he loves them in their awfulness. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm carolgrannick: @debbieohi Mine, too. Gilly’s a yearly re-read. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm PattyJMurphy: Amen…RT @mikalroy: RT @EKokie: Each character needs to be real. <<<So, true…in every genre and book:) #kidlitchat
8:24 pm EgmontGal: @SarahBWinters unless you are stephenie meyer. How many times must Bella bite her lip or have a line between her eyes? #kidlitchat
8:24 pm kcclyburn: @DDHearn Self-doubt makes a character human. Cockiness is okay, but a strong character can’t believe that are *too* invincible. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm _rachelsimon: Agreed! RT @AuthorTaraKelly: the character’s flaws remind them to much of themselves. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm camoulton: @mgbuehrlen Exactly! They may doubt themselves in the beginning, but by the end of the book, they believe in themselves. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm tehawesomersace: @dawnmetcalf Weetzie always seemed like the confident, popular girl to me, who I wanted to be. But I was Witch Baby…most def. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm EgmontUSA: @_rachelsimon You don’t understand. We need more cowbell! #kidlitchat
8:24 pm catesfolly: Konigsburg I think is genius at making great characters. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm RebeccAgent: @peg366 pb authors need to make their character know in the first spread w/ their illus of course #kidlitchat
8:24 pm SarahBWinters: @EgmontGal LOL!!! Very true! #kidlitchat
8:24 pm carolgrannick: Also admire socially inept/uncomfortable chars, created in such a way that we love them. Millicent Min a favorite. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm Leaheps: I love diary of a wimpy kid kid–underdogs #kidlitchat
8:24 pm sharifwrites: @mgbuehrlen I don’t like formulaic fiction either. Sometimes I feel like I’m reading the same thing over and over again. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm Travis_Pearson: @rillajaggia Villains are the best. Especially when their motives are more than just, “I’m evil!” #kidlitchat
8:25 pm suzanne_young: I put a lot of stock into dialogue.It can’t be too stilted or slangy. If something feels inauthentic, I’m turned off right away #kidlitchat
8:25 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @dlschubert Agree – MORE COWBELL! RT @EgmontGal A lot, I mean A LOT of characters could use more cowbell. #kidlitchat << BYOCowbell!
8:25 pm DDHearn: I see many female characters in historical novels acting more like modern girls than being true to their time period. thoughts? #kidlitchat
8:25 pm happybluejess: @dlschubert re:sparks flying between characters whether it be romance or opposition ? Like Catniss and Peeta. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm Buffyandrews: What about voice? Isn’t voice in a character what helps he/she come alive? We hear them as though they are next to us. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm JessicaCapelle: @EgmontGal I always knew agents and editors wanted more cowbell :-) #kidlitchat
8:25 pm quirkywriter: Making the internal goals conflict with the external ones was a @CarrieRyan idea at the SCBWI-C conf. — Like Hunger Games. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm AuthorTaraKelly: I prefer a well-done/developed mean MC over a nice undercooked MC any day. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm debbieohi: @carolgrannick @marybrebner I usually reread Great Gilly once a year. I ALWAYS bawl at the end. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm earth_mommy: Sorry I’m late. #kidlitchat Did I miss anything?
8:25 pm KellyDHouse: @jennymckmoss I agree! I think FIRE exceeded GRACELING. Because of Fire’s character, as well. More sympathetic. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm EKokie: Only when character is meant to be invisible-ie, character not meant to be noticed RT @EgmontGal Some stock characters works #kidlitchat
8:25 pm dlschubert: RE: bad best friend. Yup! Mine fell for mc/bff’s boyfriend. At the end, she saves her bff’s life – comes full circle. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm kcclyburn: @EgmontGal Well when you’re as boring as Bella I’d imagine it’s hard to come up with more than two facial expressions. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm f_rancesca: Terry Pratchett routinely creates strong yet flawed MCs. And a supporting cast of thousands of individuals. I love that man. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm marybrebner: Loved Ponyboy from Outsiders. Smart but no common sense. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm mikalroy: Hear, hear! RT @catesfolly: Konigsburg I think is genius at making great characters. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm elanaroth: @DDHearn I think you need an element of modern qualities for modern kids to want to read them. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm mgbuehrlen: @sarahshum Oh yes. I meant stereotypes, mostly. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm AuthorTaraKelly: @suzanne_young Dialogue is KING :) I’m very picky about dialogue..it’s an artform in itself! #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Buffyandrews: @suzanne_young Agree on dialogue. So important. Great dialogue is like a symphony playing. Everything working together. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm tehawesomersace: @EgmontUSA Sounds like you have a fever…the prescription must be more cowbell. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Travis_Pearson: @suzanne_young Unbelievable dialogue is the WORST. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm dawnmetcalf: @kellybarnhill How different people respond to similar situations is what makes characters believable/relatable to diff people. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm rillajaggia: Ack, my reply button is no longer working! Anyone else have this problem? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm shannonbauley: RT @susan_marie Puzzled by idea that certain kinds of people make better characters. It’s how we bring them to life in writing. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm catesfolly: Yes. RT @marybrebner: Loved Ponyboy from Outsiders. Smart but no common sense. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm debbieohi: LOL! – RT @kcclyburn: Well when youre as boring as Bella Id imagine its hard to come up with more than two facial expressions. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm dlschubert: Absolutely! RT @Buffyandrews What about voice? Isn’t voice in a character what helps he/she come alive? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm maggiedana: Agree. RT @kcclyburn: When youre as boring as Bella Id imagine its hard to come up with more than two facial expressions. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm LiaKeyes: @earth_mommy TOPIC: What makes a strong character? What are your favorite tips and tools for developing characters? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm KellyDHouse: @DDHearn I agree. I imagine, if writing hist. fic., it’s hard to show strength outside of modern conceptions of feminism. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm CynthiaCWillis: But an annoying character… now THAT’S a huge problem. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm bonnieadamson: @f_rancesca If you haven’t read Pratchett, where should you start? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm andreacremer: Ditto RT @AuthorTaraKelly I prefer a well-done/developed mean MC over a nice undercooked MC any day. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm mikalroy: A fine book that motors along on dialogue: THE THIN MAN. And so, so, so funny it should be criminal. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm EgmontGal: @DDHearn So true! But we weren’t bothered by anachronism so much before. Just look at Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid. Yikes #kidlitchat
8:27 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @f_rancesca Terry Pratchett creates strong yet flawed MCs & a supporting cast of thousands of individuals. I love that man. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm DDHearn: @tinahoggatt I like character finding purpose in life, too, but I would think this might work better in fantasy. Reality-messy. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm happybluejess: @carolgrannick re: socially inept/uncomfortable chars, created in such a way that we love them. ? Like Marcelo in the Real World #kidlitchat
8:27 pm f_rancesca: RT@kcclyburn @EgmontGal When youre as boring as Bella Id imagine its hard to come up with more than 2 facial expressions > snort #kidlitchat
8:27 pm dlschubert: Must sound authentic! RT @elanaroth I think you need an element of modern qualities for modern kids to want to read them. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm tehawesomersace: @kcclyburn LMAO…the ghost of Stephanie Meyer is going to haunt your a$$. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm catesfolly: Loved MC in Chris Crutcher’s WHALE TALK. (forget his name?) #kidlitchat
8:27 pm jrroper: @sarahockler Agree on well developed villian. That’s why satan shouldn’t be main antagonist. Too all bad. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @sarahshum: delicate line between chars weve never met & characters we can identify with < Def. must be able to relate. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm debbieohi: @adamselzer Aw geez. Now I feel like rereading Anne of Green Gables. Always torn between new reads and favourite rereads. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm ChristineTB: Bella has more than one facial expression? #kidlitchat
8:27 pm adamselzer: I’ve always thought “realistic” dialogue, good dialogue, and dialogue that actually sounds REAL are three differnt things #kidlitchat
8:27 pm thedreamereader: Yuppers RT: @AuthorTaraKelly @suzanne_young Dialogue is KING :) I’m very picky about dialogue..it’s an artform in itself! #kidlitchat
8:27 pm marybrebner: @Buffyandrews great when we can hear character talk-the cadence and tone, without the dialect being written out, y’all. (j/k) #kidlitchat
8:27 pm EgmontGal: @tehawesomersace we DO have that fever! I gotta have more cowbell. And less forced pluckiness while we’re at it #kidlitchat
8:27 pm sarahshum: @susan_marie I think you’re right to wonder about that. I don’t think they have to be “certain kinds” — all about treament, yes #kidlitchat
8:27 pm marjorielight: I love MC with real flaws (not like the “flaw which is really a positive” in a job interview) #kidlitchat
8:28 pm kellybarnhill: @catesfolly Exactly. The stock character is predictable. The compelling character transcends predictability. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm rillajaggia: @elanaroth I’m surprised how I no longer enjoy books I loved as a kid because the ideas and characters’ reactiosn are outdated. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm LiaKeyes: RT @dawnmetcalf: RT @f_rancesca Terry Pratchett creates strong yet flawed MCs & a supporting cast of thousands of individuals. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm catesfolly: Re: Harry Potter; actually found him to be annoyingly passive and obedient at times. Hermione is necessary tonic to insipidness. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm _rachelsimon: @KellyDHouse @DDHearn If writing hist. fic. you really study times & people’s roles in society (and watch movies/documentaries). #kidlitchat
8:28 pm mgbuehrlen: @sharifwrites Exactly. Crime thrillers leap to mind. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm EgmontGal: @maggiedana Bella is boring but who cares? We all imagine ourselves as her, with two perfect guys in love w/us. Great formula #kidlitchat
8:28 pm andreacremer: I love Good Omens Pratchett/Gaiman RT @bonnieadamson @f_rancesca If you haven’t read Pratchett, where should you start? #kidlitchat
8:28 pm AuthorTaraKelly: I have a soft spot for socially awkward MCs *sigh* <3 #kidlitchat
8:28 pm sharifwrites: @DDHearn Probably to appeal to the reader more than to capture the period. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @EgmontGal @tehawesomersace we DO have that fever! I gotta have more cowbell. And less forced pluckiness while we’re at it #kidlitchat
8:28 pm jeanie_w: @bonnieadamson I like NATION better than the Discworld books. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm kellybarnhill: @Travis_Pearson Agreed re:Mortal Instruments #kidlitchat
8:28 pm shannonbauley: http://www.readwritethink.org/ has some smart ideas for organizing character traits and development. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm DDHearn: @sarahockler Villains are tricky. Voldemort was purely evil; Rowling did that on purpose. Didn’t want to give evil an excuse. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm mikalroy: Dialogue shouldn’t sound like dictation. Real people talk = dull reading. It’s about artifice and heightened reality, really. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm rillajaggia: @EgmontGal cowbell????? #kidlitchat
8:28 pm adamselzer: Good, realistic dialogue in a book is rarely ACTUALLY realistic. Real conversations rarely have that sort of flow or zing. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm EgmontGal: Anyone notice that heroine in Hunger Games (spoiler alert!) has two perfect guys in love with her, just like Bella Swan? #kidlitchat
8:28 pm MargoWest: @adamselzer Totally agree. “Realistic” dialogue is very very different from REAL dialogue – nobody wants to read REAL dialogue #kidlitchat
8:28 pm f_rancesca: @bonnieadamson If you’re coming at it from the kidlit angle, The Wee Free Men. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm maggiedana: @adamselzer Yes, and charting a course among those 3 types of dialogues, successfully, is what can make/break fiction. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm kcclyburn: @ChristineTB You kind of have to look at it, between the “awesome” kisses on marble lips. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Leaheps: I like the main character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower–sad, but brilliant. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm elanaroth: @rillajaggia Exactly. Books have to age well…attitudes have to be timeless. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm marybrebner: @marjorielight lol-you mean like “too much attention to detail”? #kidlitchat
8:29 pm ChristineTB: RT @catesfolly: Re: Harry Potter; actually found him to be annoyingly passive and obedient at times. (I did too). #kidlitchat
8:29 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @EgmontGal: I gotta have more cowbell. And less forced pluckiness while were at it < Agree. Forced anything is a no-no. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm catesfolly: Me too RT @AuthorTaraKelly: I have a soft spot for socially awkward MCs *sigh* <3 #kidlitchat
8:29 pm _rachelsimon: RT @EgmontGal @maggiedana Bella is boring but who cares? We all imagine ourselves as her, with 2guys in love w/us. Great formula #kidlitchat
8:29 pm kellybarnhill: @susan_marie Good point! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm JennBailey: @f_rancesca Pratchett is an absolute FAVORITE! Every character has a delightful flaw, and their own moral code. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Buffyandrews: So, like, I totally saw dialogue the other day that was, like, way nasty. Let’s hear it for great dialogue. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm CynthiaCWillis: RT @ChristineTB: Bella has more than one facial expression? –> LOL!!! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm KayCassidy: @andreacremer I’m starting with Nation. I can’t wait! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm mikalroy: @EgmontGal That is, of course, the eternally effective Love Triangle. I use this all the time with my cat. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm debbieohi: @EgmontGal What do you mean by “plucky”? Not just brave in the face of adversity, I assume, since you hate it so much. :-) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm f_rancesca: @andreacremer @bonnieadamson I agree that Good Omens is wonderful. For Discworld, maybe Wyrd Sisters. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm nandinibajpai: Must be the sleep deprived nano daze … just realized I haven’t been adding #kidlitchat hash tag!! Aaaargh!
8:29 pm EgmontGal: @rillajaggia Not just cowbell. More cowbell. I gotta have more cowbell. (Ok, I’ll stop that now.) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm AuthorTaraKelly: @adamselzer You’re right on Adam…there would be way too many ummm..uhh. and like yeah.. u huh #kidlitchat
8:29 pm sarahshum: @EgmontGal Isn’t two perfect guys the best problem to have for any character? :) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm jennymckmoss: But my grand (b1906) strong woman. Scary strong. I wonder if we have somewhat distorted idea there RT @KellyDHouse: @DDHe #kidlitchat
8:29 pm PattyJMurphy: @catesfolly: My fav konigsburg = From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler:) Love that book:) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm KayCassidy: @EgmontGal (Kay plugs her ears) Lalalalalala… #kidlitchat
8:29 pm marybrebner: @EgmontGal ’cause there are TWO perfect guys out there for every perfect heroine, of course. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Buffyandrews: @EgmontGal Never thought about the two guys in love part. Why has that never happened to me? Normal or not? #kidlitchat
8:29 pm sharifwrites: @mgbuehrlen I know…sometimes after I finish those books I can’t remember a single detail a few days later b/c of formula. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm leewind: #kidlitchat Hi All! do you think that you can write a M.C. who is NOT an outsider in some way? (even if it’s internally?)
8:30 pm dawnmetcalf: @bonnieadamson @f_rancesca GOOD OMENS, THE COLOR OF MAGIC, WEE FREE MEN. #terrypratchett #kidlitchat
8:30 pm tehawesomersace: I miss the day when they’re were only two female characters in kids books: the spitfire and the wallflower. Made it much easier. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm bonnieadamson: @f_rancesca Yes–that would be me: kidlit! #kidlitchat
8:30 pm catesfolly: @EgmontGal Not me. Bella annoys me no end. I feel nothing for her but irritation. (but I’m a Twilight bitch) #kidlitchat
8:30 pm mgbuehrlen: @camoulton Or even struggle with action, but at least they eventually take action. Right or wrong. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm kcclyburn: Real life is far more boring than fiction–you have to balance “realism” with what’s actually entertaining and engrossing. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm EgmontGal: @CynthiaCWillis Yes, keep up! Bella bites her lip AND creases the little line between her eyes. What is your problem with that? #kidlitchat
8:30 pm bookmom2000: @EgmontGal Thanks for the laugh of the night. “Gotta have more cowbell!” #kidlitchat
8:30 pm f_rancesca: @KayCassidy @andreacremer Once I got going, Nation was brilliant. Took me a couple of chapters though. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm kellybarnhill: @DDHearn I see that too, and it’s frustrating. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm bonnieadamson: @debbieohi Can we have an AoGG club? :-) #kidlitchat
8:30 pm camoulton: @EgmontGal The love triangle seems to be very popular in YA and kidlit. It’s compelling and wish-fulfillment! #kidlitchat
8:30 pm rillajaggia: @EgmontGal What is cowbell? hopelessly ignorant. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm maggiedana: So, OK, let me get this straight. It’s OK to have a boring m/c as long as 2 gorgeous guys love her? #kidlitchat
8:30 pm TrishDoller: Dialogue (like the MC) should sound like teenagers, though. I hate it when the characters converse like middle-aged women. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm CynthiaCWillis: @EgmontGal Perfect guys… now there some fiction. ; ) #kidlitchat
8:30 pm AuthorTaraKelly: I prefer love triangles with 2 girls and a guy..lol. I think that’s because that’s how it has worked in MY life :P #kidlitchat
8:30 pm EgmontGal: @debbieohi I think I am tired of girls who defy what is expected of them in MG fiction. Kind of a cliche, esp in historical #kidlitchat
8:30 pm thedreamereader: @EgmontGal Yeah… but she’s more kick ass than Bella so we live more boldly with her #kidlitchat
8:30 pm KayCassidy: @debbieohi @EgmontGal Joining late tonight, but what’s this about hating bravery in the face of adversity? #kidlitchat
8:30 pm jrroper: @f_rancesca more than one dialogue tag for a character is good too…he mused #kidlitchat
8:31 pm DDHearn: @Travis_Pearson Yes. The true horror of evil is that the villain often thinks they are doing the right thing. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm kcclyburn: @sarahshum One has to be less perfect, though. It’s the only way it works. Can you be less perfect, though? #kidlitchat
8:31 pm ChristineTB: @kcclyburn Thanks _ I should have known there was “subtext” in her expressions! #kidlitchat
8:31 pm MargoWest: @leewind Tough question, because if a MC isn’t different, then they’re boring #kidlitchat
8:31 pm JessicaCapelle: very true RT @elanaroth: @rillajaggia Exactly. Books have to age well…attitudes have to be timeless. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm sharifwrites: @PattyJMurphy Awesome book. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm f_rancesca: @sarahshum @egmontgal Two perfect guys is the perfect problem for ME. Bugger the MC. She can get her own man. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm dlschubert: RT @sarahockler I like to slightly exaggerate chars. Rdrs can still relate, but also have sense of awe/wonder/what-if feeling. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm Casey_McCormick: @EgmontGal It’s an attractive situation for a teenage girl to be in. Two perfect guys vying for her love. And the suspense! #kidlitchat
8:31 pm dawnmetcalf: @leewind Maybe a better questions is if there’s any real-live person who doesn’t feel like an outsider in some way? ;-) #kidlitchat
8:31 pm KatherineBoG: I’ll point out E Lockhart’s Ruby Oliver. She does so many stupid things you want to shake her & reacts to probs w/panic attacks #kidlitchat
8:31 pm EKokie: I think of it as the convo you wish you could overhear vs boring bits usually overheard @mikalroy: Dialogue as dictation=boring #kidlitchat
8:31 pm EgmontGal: @PattyJMurphy I have read Mixed Up files 30+ times. It should be on my twitter wallpaper but gave my last copy away. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm sarahshum: @leewind a MC? Then what’s the conflict? Perhaps non-outsider in a plot-driven story, rather than a character-driven one. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm rillajaggia: @maggiedana ha ha…I’m so with you. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm mgbuehrlen: @sharifwrites I know some readers who love formula fiction, tho. Fast Food Fiction. You don’t have to think, just read. ;-) #kidlitchat
8:31 pm kellybarnhill: @f_rancesca Terry Pratchett is friggin brilliant. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm marjorielight: Antagonist can’t be all Snidely Whiplash-y. Even my sworn foe has a couple of good qualities. Well 1 anyway #kidlitchat
8:31 pm KayCassidy: @f_rancesca I’ve read a lot of books like that lately. Took me a few chaps but was so worth it. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm kcclyburn: @TrishDoller *cough* Bella. *cough* #kidlitchat
8:31 pm sarahockler: @DDHearn Voldemort was purely evil BUT with vulnerable, abused past. Not just evil for evil’s sake. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm debbieohi: @bonnieadamson Eek, I’ve missed something. AoGG?? #kidlitchat
8:31 pm KatherineBoG: But boy do, I love me some Ruby Oliver #kidlitchat
8:31 pm camoulton: @EgmontGal Also, if I were a dude, I’d be in love with Katniss, too. So you can’t blame them. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm tehawesomersace: @maggiedana And one must be a vampire. That’s a rule. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm mikalroy: @leewind Sure, but simply being a happy insider = lack of a dynamic storyline. Change is what we want to read. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm MargoWest: @maggiedana I think especially at younger ages, teens are more likely to identify with Mary Sues rather than hate them #kidlitchat
8:31 pm JessicaCapelle: yep RT @JennBailey: @f_rancesca Pratchett an absolute FAVORITE! Every character has a delightful flaw, and their own moral code. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm marybrebner: @leewind You could but don’t we all (most) feel like outsiders in one way or another? So internal/external MC outsider appeals #kidlitchat
8:31 pm EgmontGal: @CynthiaCWillis Perfect guys who because they are immortal can never change and therefore will only love YOU, forever. Fiction! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm CynthiaCWillis: @EgmontGal Ahhh, must reread Twilight and underline, study, learn. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm _rachelsimon: Oy, this chat is hard to follow. I wish TweetChat was working for me!! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm AudryT: You can have a “blank slate” MC who the reader can step into, but then the MC won’t really go anywhere. Better be about hot ass. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm Casey_McCormick: Ha! RT @CynthiaCWillis: @EgmontGal Perfect guys… now there some fiction. ; ) #kidlitchat
8:32 pm bonnieadamson: @leewind Hmm–focus of book makes MC a defacto outsider, right? Something has happened ? #kidlitchat
8:32 pm EKokie: yup. RT @kcclyburn: Real life is far more boring than fiction…have to balance “realism” w/what’s entertaining & engrossing #kidlitchat
8:32 pm JennBailey: @leewind I think all MC’s see themselves as outsiders which is what we all see ourselves as too. It’s why they’re relatable. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm LaurelSnyder: @leewind #kidlitchat Imposible, Lee. Everyone is an outsider.
8:32 pm kellybarnhill: @bonnieadamson Read The Wee Free Men. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm AuthorTaraKelly: Plus I dig it when the MC has to fight for love…rather than the ‘love interest’ just loving them because their hawt #kidlitchat
8:32 pm debbieohi: @KayCassidy I was asking @EgmontGal what she means by “plucky” (she really hates plucky characters :-) ). #kidlitchat
8:32 pm mgbuehrlen: @catesfolly Never heard that phrase before. I like it! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm omgjulia: @rillajaggia More Cowbell is a reference to a Saturday Night Live sketch. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm kcclyburn: @sarahockler I hate it when characters are mean or evil without any motivation. Very few people are mean for no reason. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm jennymckmoss: RT @dawnmetcalf: Maybe a better questions is if theres any real-live person who doesnt feel like an outsider in some way? ;-) #kidlitchat
8:32 pm f_rancesca: Great characters have distinct voices. Dialogue flows without needing tags. Again, Pratchett brilliant at this. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm andreacremer: Yes RT @DDHearn @Travis_Pearson Yes. The true horror of evil is that the villain often thinks they are doing the right thing. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm bonnieadamson: @debbieohi Anne of Green Gables. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm MargoWest: For some reason I enjoyed Enid Blyton as a kid and still do, but it’s massively dated. Explain that. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm JessicaCapelle: @f_rancesca: @andreacremer @bonnieadamson I think everyone should read Good Omens. EVERYONE!! lol #kidlitchat
8:32 pm LadyHawkins: I agree that character is key! You can have a plot OVERFLOWING W/AWESOME, but if it’s happening to dud characters? Who cares? #kidlitchat
8:32 pm tehawesomersace: @AudryT Best quote of the night! #kidlitchat
8:33 pm DDHearn: @rillajaggia Try refreshing or reloading your page. Sometimes that works for me. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm AuthorTaraKelly: They’re..sorry. My spelling is atrocious tonight. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm SarahBWinters: LOL!!! RT @maggiedana: So, OK, let me get this straight. It&apos;s OK to have a boring m/c as long as 2 gorgeous guys love her? #kidlitchat
8:33 pm dawnmetcalf: *grin* Nuff said! RT @kellybarnhill @f_rancesca Terry Pratchett is friggin brilliant. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm storyexperiment: RT @storyexperiment: kidlit, enjoy this snack while you chat, they are completely low fat. http://pic.gd/752e7f #kidlitchat
8:33 pm andreacremer: plucky? RT @debbieohi @KayCassidy I was asking @EgmontGal what she means by “plucky” (she really hates plucky characters :-) ). #kidlitchat
8:33 pm thedreamereader: I don’t like how some MG books are portrayed. If you go to middle school today, you would have a HEART ATTACK (trust me, I know) #kidlitchat
8:33 pm Travis_Pearson: Agree! RT @sarahockler @DDHearn Voldemort was purely evil BUT with vulnerable, abused past. Not just evil for evil’s sake. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm bonnieadamson: @catesfolly I’ll join THAT club. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm rillajaggia: @EgmontGal Your perfect immortal guy sounds a bit too much like a stalker! Eternally. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm sharifwrites: @mgbuehrlen I have to be in a certain mood to read those. I’d rather look harder in the bookstore for something more unique. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm EKokie: @sarahockler @DDHearn Now Bellatrix, there’s a character… #kidlitchat
8:33 pm debbieohi: @bonnieadamson Oh! Duh, yes. :-D Except I confess I haven’t read the whole AoGG series. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm leewind: @kcclyburn #kidlitchat Jackie Mason had a line @ how every movie has a sex scene but not a soup scene. Soup’s not that interesting.
8:33 pm LadyHawkins: @AuthorTaraKelly AGREED! Also, I want the love story to be based on genuine stuff rather than, “You iz hawt. Let’s do this.” #kidlitchat
8:33 pm EgmontGal: @bonnieadamson I love love the Anne books, but I wondered why she was so confident after so many people didn’t want her as kid #kidlitchat
8:33 pm marybrebner: @mgbuehrlen Fast Food Fiction? Love it. Call it “Brain Candy”-great for when you want fun story where don’t have to concentrate #kidlitchat
8:33 pm TrishDoller: @kcclyburn Haha! Not *just* Bella. I’ve read TOO much YA with dialogue that doesn’t feel authentic. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm mikalroy: @LadyHawkins I actually just passed on a novel for this very reason. Amazing amazing story. Cardboard people. Sad. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm KayCassidy: @debbieohi @EgmontGal Oh! I’d be interested in that definition too. I think of Polly Madassa as plucky, so prob not same def. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm _rachelsimon: @LadyHawkins Oh hey Lady!!! Welcome to the chat!! #kidlitchat
8:33 pm rillajaggia: @DDHearn Thanks! I just did! And it’s working again. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm AuthorTaraKelly: Anne of Green Gables will always get me. LOVE her. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm catesfolly: I think it’s a myth that we step into blank slate MCs. I think we need juicy conflicted and complicated people to step into. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm bluinkalchemist: RT @dawnmetcalf: *grin* Nuff said! RT @kellybarnhill @f_rancesca Terry Pratchett is friggin brilliant. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm cindypon: @EgmontGal A Perfect Guy would = An Annoying Guy by my definition in books and in real life. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm MargoWest: @LadyHawkins But what about someone like Frodo or Harry, who aren’t massively interesting of their own merit? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm f_rancesca: JessicaCapelle @f_rancesca: @andreacremer @bonnieadamson Everyone SHOULD read Good Omens. Right now. GO! #kidlitchat
8:34 pm debbieohi: @bonnieadamson Did you read Budge Wilson’s _Before Green Gables_? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm bookmom2000: @rillajaggia Cowbell explanation: Classic Moody Blues Saturday Night skit w Christopher Walken. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm kellybarnhill: @leewind I don’t think so. I think that everyone feels like an outsider – even those in the “in” crowd. Perhaps especially them. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm AudryT: A lot of those bad boy hotties seem to have stalker traits, ne? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm dawnmetcalf: YES!! RT @andreacremer @DDHearn @Travis_Pearson True horror of evil is that the villain often thinks they r doing the rt thing. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm adamselzer: “dated” isn’t always bad, but period pieces can resonate differently that contemporary ones #kidlitchat
8:34 pm EgmontGal: Ok, I don’t really hate plucky characters. We have at least a dozen good ones at Egmont. But character doesn’t HAVE to be plucky #kidlitchat
8:34 pm rillajaggia: @omgjulia Thanks, but what does it actually mean? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm thereadingzone: Anne of Green Gables is my all time favorite. Adore her. Also adore L.M. Montgomery’s Emily series #kidlitchat
8:34 pm PattyJMurphy: RT @jennymckmoss RT @dawnmetcalf: Who doesnt feel like an outsider in some way? <<We should all try to tap our own outsiderism:) #kidlitchat
8:34 pm KayCassidy: @LadyHawkins True. For instance, Sophie is BRIMMING with character. One of my fave fun heroines. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm KrisYankee: RT @LaurelSnyder: @leewind #kidlitchat Imposible, Lee. Everyone is an outsider. SO TRUE!! We live in our own worlds.
8:34 pm mgbuehrlen: @sharifwrites are you a book snob, too? :) #kidlitchat
8:34 pm bonnieadamson: @EgmontGal Oh, but she WASN’T–have you ever seen a more heartbreaking seen than the new dresses? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm _rachelsimon: RT @LadyHawkins Also I want the love story to be based on genuine stuff rather than, “You iz hawt. Let’s do this.” #kidlitchat
8:34 pm adamselzer: and sometimes not how it was intended to resonate #kidlitchat
8:34 pm f_rancesca: @EgmontGal I always assumed it was because she was the heroine of her own imagination, always and forever. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm Buffyandrews: Just listening to my teen kids talk is a lesson in YA dialogue. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm elanaroth: @mikalroy I just did the same thing. Super awesome concept…could not access the character for the life of me. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm mikalroy: RT @adamselzer: “dated” isn’t always bad, but period pieces can resonate differently that contemporary ones #kidlitchat
8:35 pm andreacremer: speaking of HP, I love characters like Snape. Am I good am I evil? The mystery of a character developing makes for greatness! #kidlitchat
8:35 pm nandinibajpai: @MargoWest Hey, I grew up reading Enid Blyton too … #kidlitchat
8:35 pm bonnieadamson: @debbieohi NO! A prequel? #kidlitchat
8:35 pm MargoWest: I think one of the biggest challenges in YA/MG today is portraying the bad side of kid’s/teen’s lives without being OTT about it #kidlitchat
8:35 pm dawnmetcalf: @TrishDoller Okay, I don’t like teen dialogue that sounds like middle-aged women’s wish-fulfillment! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:35 pm debbieohi: @bonnieadamson I loved the early Anne. I didn’t want to see Anne grow up. :-) #kidlitchat
8:35 pm Travis_Pearson: @andreacremer Sometimes “villains” are just in the eye of the MC though. I like those. although I can’t think of any ATM. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm camoulton: @sarahockler Villains like Voldemort who have a vulnerability about them that makes a reader understand them are the greatest. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm sarahshum: okay, I’m off for the night, being a character with a problem = a new phone I don’t know how to work! #kidlitchat
8:35 pm KayCassidy: @AuthorTaraKelly Do you know I’ve never read that? Finally bought it and Betsy-Tacy b/c I can’t believe I’ve never read either. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm mgbuehrlen: @marybrebner Exactly! #kidlitchat
8:35 pm thedreamereader: @cindypon Same here! He needs one flaw… like wearing socks with sandals or something! #kidlitchat
8:35 pm RebeccAgent: @kaycassidy love talk of Polly Madassa here. I love that character so #kidlitchat
8:35 pm rillajaggia: @bookmom2000 Sorry, I’ve been cable-free for ages. Just remedied. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm EgmontGal: @KayCassidy I don’t think Polly Madassa’s life is hard enough for her to be plucky. Jess is plucky, Grace, Raised by wolves girl #kidlitchat
8:35 pm _rachelsimon: @EgmontGal What do you mean by “plucky characters”? #kidlitchat
8:35 pm debbieohi: @EgmontGal Thanks for the clarification re: plucky. :-D #kidlitchat
8:35 pm omgjulia: @rillajaggia http://bit.ly/1afg4M #kidlitchat
8:35 pm dawnmetcalf: @Buffyandrews …or at least a lesson in urban vocabulary! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:35 pm rillajaggia: @nandinibajpai Long Live Enid Blyton! #kidlitchat

Please click here for part two of the transcript.

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