I’m home by now, or at least I’d better be. One more guest blog anyway, because there’s a REAL good chance I want to sleep in this morning. In fact, hopefully I’m still in bed. Regular programming resumes tomorrow. Today’s guest blogger: Rose Fischer!
I lurk in a lot of writing groups and forums. I participate now and then, but mostly I lurk. It’s the online equivalent of people watching. I get lots of ideas that way. So, if you see me listed as a member of any group that you belong to, be advised. I’m watching you!
One way I do like to participate is to answer questions. Over the summer I noticed that the same questions would come up over and over. Answers were a mixed bag. Some were awesome. Others were clearly composed while the author was smoking a big chunk of her living room carpet. Eventually, I got tired of answering the same questions. So, I thought, “Hey!” Why don’t I put all these answers into ebook form where I can go into more detail than I can in a comment!”
Then I said, “Great idea, self! Now you have to pick a question to answer and come up with examples to illustrate your points.”
“You mean like a blog post?” I asked.
“Sure! But probably longer than a blog post. Maybe 3 or 4 posts put together.”
“Okay…STAR WARS!”
“Well, that was random. What about Star Wars?”
“Star Wars is awesome! All of my best writing related posts have used Star Wars examples!”
“Okay,” I nodded. “So what are you going to do with Star Wars this time?”
“People keep asking about how to come up with character flaws. It seems like they don’t realize that if they have a story at all, they already have the basis for flawed characters. I could talk all about Luke Skywalker and now he goes from this whiny, self-absorbed naïve little idiot to a big cocky still-self-absorbed idiot and then turns into a serene, kickass Jedi idiot who totally underestimates…”
“Whoa, whoa whoa. Slow down there, cowgirl. Everybody already knows you don’t like Luke. Why don’t you write a book about character flaws that uses Han and Leia?” I suggested, in my best diplomatic Jedi voice.
“What?! Han and Leia don’t have any flaws!”
“Of course they do. Leia’s got major tunnel vision and a chip on her shoulder. Han’s greedy, jaded, as self-absorbed as Luke any day of the week–”
“STOP SAYING MEAN THINGS ABOUT HAN!”
I rubbed my eyes and said, “Okay, look. Why don’t we compromise here. We can write a book that uses Luke, Han, and Leia ALL as examples and examines how their flaws are actually the inverse of their positive traits.”
“Okay, FINE. I’ll go write a dumb book that’s totally fair and treats all three of them equally. And I won’t even act like I think Luke is a complete numbskull or make farmboy jokes or reference Mara Jade calling him farmboy. Are you happy?”
“Yes. I’m very happy. And I think everyone should go buy our book now. And stop making threats about men in white coats.”
So yeah. I also talk to myself a lot. This is my new ebook.
It’s not crazy, I promise. You should buy it if you’re a writer who likes Star Wars. Even if you think Luke Skywalker is cool.
Rose B. Fischer is an avid fan of Star Wars, foxes, Stargate: SG-1, and Star Trek. She would rather be on the Enterprise right now.
Since she can’t be a Starfleet Officer, she became a speculative fiction author whose stories feature women who defy cultural stereotypes.
In her fictional worlds, gender is often fluid, sexuality exists on a spectrum, and “disability” does not define an individual. She publishes science fiction, science fantasy, horror, and biographical essays.
If you haven’t been scared away, you can connect with her on her:
Website http://rosebfischer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rose.b.fischer
email: rosebfischer1@gmail.com