Writing 'Original' Stories

One of the first pieces of advice that I got drilled into my skull when I started researching querying agents was to never claim that your book was original. That agents would shut down the second they saw that line, and I believe it. People who claim that their book is the first of its kind and that it will blow people’s minds are usually the writers I avoid. They drive me nuts.

However, I frequently complain that there aren’t any original stories. I want something more than the Hero’s Journey archetype, I want more than the white-girl-finds-magic-powers-and-is-UBER-SPECIAL plotline. Because let’s be real, it gets boring to read that after a while. When I can successfully identify the major plot twists in a book by reading the book jacket summary, there is a problem.

But nothing is original. So how does this work?

I personally hate the Hero’s Journey story, but it works for this example. Grandaddy Tolkien wrote a fantastic story under the name The Lord of The Rings, which you may have heard of. A few decades later, another guy you probably don’t know named George Lucas got bEST IDEA EVAR to make a movie called Star Wars. And then a few decades after that this fairly obscure woman named JK Rowling came up with a book idea that made a few bucks called Harry Potter. However, if you go into it, they all have pretty much the same story. And everyone knows that.

The question then is, why does this work? How can people literally recycle the same story and characters and continue to make money? Are people just gullible? Do they think slapping a new name on something makes it different somehow?

The personal philosophy that I have maintained over the years is that people want the same story in different packaging. If a slightly new angle can be brought onto it, people will eat up that new facet of the story. True, all three given examples might have a chosen one who meets a mentor with a beard who eventually dies, and a prophecy that they cannot escape no matter how hard they try, blah, blah, blah, Star Wars and Harry Potter do have something going for them. The unique facet is the setting, and the affect it has on the story.

In Star Wars, first of all, it’s in space. That alone is pretty cool. But it is set in a science fiction world that doesn’t have that same shiny newness that is so common in sci-fi. Instead, there are nitty gritty politics and details and aliens and public relations and the FORCE which is a legit magic system. Those all warp the Hero’s Journey just enough that it appears fresh and different and new.

Same deal with Harry Potter. Flying motorcycles and muggles and dementors, and away we go. Suddenly it isn’t the same old story that we used to know. It’s startling and new. It presents new horizons. It’s like walking out of your bedroom expecting the same old floorplan and winding up in the middle of the underworld instead. That draws people in, despite the inherent...em...lack of creativity in the concepts of the story.

But that’s okay. Because people just want prettier packaging than the last time.

Another example of this in the opposite direction is Eragon. (I...kind of have a bone to pick with this series since a lot of people compare me to Christopher Paolini, which irks me because I never liked it in the first place.) Eragon is...how do I say this, literally the Lord of the Rings. Except not all the dragons are evil. Like, there’s even an Arwen character, it’s ridiculous. Oh, people still liked the series. How many books were there, four? Five? I think four, Inheritance was the fourth one. And they were BFF books, to steal the term from Patrick Rothfuss (Big Fat Fantasy). But they told the same story as Tolkien did, without that facet, and people quickly drew the similarities, and grew bored, at least according to the company I keep.

So you can’t just produce a carbon copy. That won’t work very well. Unless you’re Christopher Paolini, who’s parents put their house on mortgage to promote their son’s self-published book.

Excuse me.

So, to quote the late Tadashi Hamada you have to “look for another angle.” (I’m sorry for the feels). Look at a cliche, and say to yourself “This is cool, but what if...?” People will love it. I promise you, if you go over almost any successful book series, you will find that it’s just a reworking of an original story. To have originality, you don’t need to be original. All you need to do is put a new spin on something that has already been done.

To get your creative juices going, I’ll include a few cliches and how they could be reworked (Although the fabulous thing about creativity is that you can do something completely different than me!)

Instead of: It was all a dream

Try: Writing in a rational explanation within your world and magic system as to why everything is so surreal. (That isn’t dreams) Trust me, it will work in your favor. Just make sure not make it too exposition-y.

Instead of: So-and-so is rude because of bad parenting

Try: Living a normal family life and still being rude. People like this exist, I assure you.

Instead of: The CHoSEn onE

Try: Pulling a Lego Movie and making the prophecy fake (Biggest plot twist ever). Or have the chosen one be defeated. Or have him be the source of religious/cultural conflict of a prophecy so no one wants him to be the Chosen One, such as a slave becoming the chosen one, an inferior race, a different race entirely, etc. (Brandon Sanderson kind of did this is Mistborn).

Instead of: Your newly rich heroine is the only one to be nice to her servants because everybody else is just plain rude and thinks of them as inferior (This one pisses me off to no end. I’ve had people try to argue that this is a cliche, but I have never seen any book do it any other way, kill me now)

Try: Having everyone generally treat their servants well. Because generally this is what people do. It’s much more effective if there is one character who is rude and especially mean to their servants, because then we will hate them even more.

(This one kind of ties into the last one)

Instead of: Everyone else getting all dressed up and ‘fake’, and your main character staying simple and ‘genuine’

(Again, this is one of my pet peeves)

Try: Letting your main character get fancied up. Pretty much every girl I know loves to wear big fancy dresses and lots of makeup. Even if it does get annoying after a while, BIG. SWOOSHY. DRESSES. Don’t feed me any crap about how your MC ‘just prefers the simpler things’ and then Love Interest immediately sees her because she is the only one who isn’t trying to hide who she is. Maybe he could like her for something else? (Hint: Guys go for girls who have similar interests as them. Trust me, I’ve asked them. She can wear pretty dresses and still like shooting deer)

Instead of: The king is a merciless tyrant who treats everyone cruelly, including his wife/children. And they particularly hate the protagonist for no justifiable reason, but he’s a dick so that’s good enough.

Try: Making the king a nicer guy? He can snap on occasion due to stress, but perhaps the poor economic conditions can be explained by a famine in the eastern quarter, not the king being an almighty douche. And if he’s going to hate the protagonist, a) give some sort of friendship-redemption arc. It will be more interesting to read, promise, and b) GIVE HIM AN ACTUAL REASON. Maybe she wounded his pride in front of a foreign dignitary.

Instead of: The brooding love interest who is ‘dangerous’ but still is very sweet (*headdesk*)

Try: having them be not as nice as the MC would like. Maybe they really are rude. And if you want a sweet love interest, go right ahead into making your love interest sweet and effervescent and bubbly, because your audience is a lot more likely to melt from cute and not view the relationship as sketchy.

So there you go. There are tons of other cliches that could be twisted around to create something ‘original.’ Try doing what I did for this post, and looking up some common cliches and think of ways to twist them around. Go in a completely opposite direction, or combine it with a few other things to create something new from old. Remember: Originality doesn’t mean ‘fresh’ it means ‘refreshed.’

Creating An Active Fanbase

Special thanks to everyone on the NaNoWriMo website who helped me out with this!

When people say that they want to be famous, a lot of times, they just want validation. For writers, validation means getting published. But then what? Do you want your novel to just sit there? Of course not.

I have noticed over the years that books can skyrocket to stratospheric profits, but within a year or two of their release, no one cares anymore. Some books, however, seem to stick around long after they are no longer produced in print by the publishing companies.

So what’s the difference?

Easy: An active fanbase.

Activity among fans covers a spectrum of things. Fanart, Fanfiction, conversations, debates, etc. And the level of activity isn’t always directly proportionate to how good a book is. On the NaNoWriMo website (which I very actively participate on) there is a forum for different fandoms and followings. These range from the very popular to the very obscure, but it’s all about reaching out and connecting with others who like the same things as they. I have been puzzled time and time again how the fan thread for huge, internationally bestselling books like The Ranger’s Apprentice are not nearly as active as the thread for Les Miserables, the book. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of them--they both have a spot on my list of favorites. So what causes the drastic difference in fan activity?

For the most part, it’s things to discuss.

For most writers of contemporary fiction, sorry. Your fanbases usually aren’t as active. That doesn’t mean that your book is bad or won’t do well; it means that your genre generally doesn’t have a lot to talk about.

Fantasy, YA, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, now we’re cooking with gas. See, the thing that these genres have going for them is the level of worldbuilding. The better the worldbuilding, the more the fan activity.

Take Grandaddy Tolkien's books for example. How many people have attempted to learn elvish, cram every iota of Hobbit History in their heads, or memorized the names, personalities, birthdates, zodiacs, and favorite dessert of every major and minor character in the book? No judgement from here: I’ve done all that and more with some other books. But the real point is why it’s so fascinating to learn about. The mere existence of such worldbuilding invites people to learn more about it. When people learn about it, they spread the word. And when people spread the word, more people want to learn about it. So the cycle continues forever and ever, amen.

Now, this isn’t to say that you have to spend a decade fleshing out every little detail. I personally hate worldbuilding. I’d much rather work on having an airtight plot with no logical fallacies or deus ex machina. However, in the interest of creating a solid basis for a fan community, there must exist a balance between story and world.

Of course, there are other ways in which to spur this discussion. And there are ways to ‘cheat’ the system. For example, having any type of Hogwarts House, Divergent Faction, Camp Half-Blood Cabin deal will result in the creation of tests to determine where the reader would fit (In case you were wondering, Slytherin, Candor, and Athena, respectively). It’s just fun to put ourselves into the world that way, and then connect with others who share similar traits as you. In this way, the groups become analogous for communities. Not a day goes by that I don’t see some sort of Hufflepuff pride thing. However, unless these groups are an integral part of your story, don’t put them in. If you just add it to gain a following, people will notice (On that note, if you do make houses of sorts, please add diversity within the group. Don’t make all the Gryffindors brave, cocky and arrogant and all the Slytherins clever, manipulative, and evil).

Another, less favorable path is the love triangle, or something to do with picking a romantic partner. I don’t know what it is about people, but they love to root for their favorites. Maybe in their heads it’s similar to supporting a football team. *Hides team Xander shirt*

Still, this method feels more contrived.

In my personal experience (and not so humble opinion) the best books are the ones that leave me wondering. Andrew Stanton, in a wonderful TED Talk linked here, describes how the best stories instill you with a sense of wonder. And that’s true. While listening to him speak, I thought about all of the movies (since that’s what he was specifically talking about) that left me wondering. Once again, they are the consistently the movies with not only an intriguing plot, but an intriguing world. Movies like The Giver, with a solid story basis, but interesting worldbuilding and concepts was brought to life in such a way that I felt power from watching the movie. I wanted to do something. I wanted to share ideas with the world. I wanted to make a difference.

Ender’s Game had a similar effect. I read the book five times before seeing the movie, but the movie itself had the power to fuel the next four years of my writing life, and here I am now. I was enchanted by the battle room, by the simulators, by the conflict and the inherent interestingness of the world in which the movie was set.

So what specifically in worldbuilding triggers that fanbase activity everyone craves? The short answer: I have no idea. Because no one does. Just like no one knows what books will sell, no one knows how active a fan base will be until the plan is set in motion. I’ll restate that the activity of a fanbase has little to do with how good a book is.

However, there are ways to increase the ability to reel in fans and keep them there.

1. Shipping

This one is difficult for me, because I feel like the only ships that ever take off are with huge books. But still, sometimes a ship can drive a series (*Ahem* Team Xander). Try to create interesting characters with conflicts that prohibit a proper relationship so people will be screaming for them to kiss and cheering when they actually do.

2. Tons of Minute details about the world

Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings is insanely detailed. From the little magical creatures known as spren (that we still don’t understand because the Branderson is mean) to the mysterious honorblades, there is so much stuff that isn’t even relevant to the plot at hand. It’s just in there. So much of it. It’s fun to challenge people to trivia. Like With Harry Potter, knowing the most spells is a high honor. It’s all about putting stuff out there to be learned on and memorized. (Plus it makes your setting a lot richer)

3. Moral Quandaries

My good friend suggested this one. Having ethical debates and dilemmas in your book will be a huge turn on to readers. People want to fight about stuff. Give two or three equally right or wrong sides to an argument and you’ve got debate for centuries.

4. Fanfiction Starters

As you’re writing your book, try to deliberately put in things like big decisions, points of conflict, etc. that will load the plate with fanfiction prompts. Speaking as a fanfic writer, any and all opportunity for an AU can and will be taken. Putting those deliberately in your story will increase the chance that other aspiring writers will be inspired by the two magical words: What If.

5. Rich Scenes And Fleshy Characters

Never underestimate the power of fan art. I can’t number how many fandoms I’ve joined because I’ve seen a particularly beautiful piece of art and wanted to know what inspired such majesty. Writing with all the colors of the wind will give fanartists the fuel to their fires. (Bonus: If people do draw stuff for your book, compliment it. Seek it out and praise it, even if it’s just ‘I’m so honored you took the time to do this for me’. Fan artists love that sort of stuff)

6. The Element of Wonder

The Selection by Kiera Cass is my guilty pleasure. I am selective about my literature (*cough*book snob*cough*) but this series took me in completely. Why? I’m a sucker for catty girls and pretty dresses. And rags to riches is my kryptonite. I loved being able to experience the magic of the palace, even if I didn’t like America very much. That element of wonder was key to getting me into the story, and it’s key for any story to attract readership and attention.

7. Activity Within The Fanbase

This ship ain’t gonna drive itself. You have to take the reigns. If you have the time, try to look at what people are doing and saying about your book. Read some fanfics. Comment on some fan art. Reply to people’s comments and reviews on your facebook page. Retweet a fan’s tweet. 100% guaranteed it will make their day, and your generosity will not be forgotten. This will make people all the more eager to participate within your fandom.

This post should not be taken as hard fact. This is based from mine and others’ experience in being in a fandom. The things that intrigue my friends and I about books. Maybe it’s different for you. Whichever road to Rome you take, just keep in mind that the people who read your books want to share with the world what they love: So give them something to love.

Writing Is Hard

Writing Is Hard

I wish not to stream forth less-than-eloquently about the audacity at people to reject my oh-so-beautiful manuscript. Nor do I want to appear frustrated, tired, or otherwise perturbed by the awesomeness that is writing.

However, I would like to point out that writing is hard.

“Thank you, Mackenzie,” You force a smile, “But I know that already.”

I don’t care whether or not you know it. I just want to talk about it. (Read: Ramble on and on about a topic that I, and only I care about. But it’s my blog, so haha!)

So yeah. Writing is hard. Writing sucks sometimes. I just put myself on a ridiculous deadline schedule that will require me to outline the rest of my novel today, and that is looking really scary right now. I don’t know how I want the beginning to pan out, but I need this novel finished.

Also, I’ve started a shakedown draft for two other novels. And trying to get a short story written so I can start getting a real readership. And about a hundred other things all at the same time that are all directly linked to my life as a writer.

And geezums, sometimes I look at it all and want to give up. I’m putting undue stress on myself by trying to hit outrageous deadlines, and forcing myself to work harder than I ever have before. Of course, I know my limit, and I know that I can always slow down a little. But I’m going full speed ahead right now, oblivious to any possible de-railment in the future.

It’s worth it.

I’ve been writing for six-ish years now, and I have loved it. Every. Second. True, it’s disappointing when someone doesn’t like your story. Yes, it’s frustrating when you come up with a beautiful plot about human slaves under robots and a thing called ‘The Matrix’ that controls them all, only to be told that this is the plot of a movie you have never heard of before (True story). And of course, it’s always a feather ruffle when people reject your manuscript (Although God Bless Cameron McClure for giving me an actual critique instead of a form letter. You are truly wonderful in my sight).

Despite setbacks and challenges galore, I’ve pushed through it. Read books on writing and listened to comic con panels on how to worldbuild. Wrote draft after draft of an MS, pushing away things like food, sleep, and people to get this dumb story onto paper. Because it’s worth it. Writing is really fulfilling. When you write the last word, or get a really nice review, or have someone tell you that they had a dream about your story and they need the next chapter now now now!...those are the best moments.

It’s one of those things that makes you really question existence. You are playing God with people and worlds of our own invention. You are learning things about yourself as you continue down this path.

True, there are other things I could have done with my life. Music, video games, cinematography, art. They are all things I enjoy and am good at. But I really, really, really like writing. I couldn’t pinpoint the moment when I started to love it, but at some point over the past six years, I did. My books got steadily longer, steadily better, and I started to realize I had potential. More and more people started reading my work and I got steadily happier.

I would die of boredom and/or depression if I couldn’t write. Maybe a few years ago, it would be different, but I have so fully devoted myself into this life that I couldn’t imagine life without it. I literally start to cry when I think about my life in depth if I couldn’t write. It just...it sucks.

So yeah. Writing is really hard.

But it’s also really worth it.

Love Triangles Are NOT For Your Novel

It’s the classic, cliche romantic ‘subplot’--the strong female lead falls for two equally heart throbbing boys, one usually mysterious and angsty, the other bright and caring. Commence an entire book of proving how indecisive your main character is. It isn’t romantic, it doesn’t character build, it’s just annoying.

So don’t do it.

There is a difference between acknowledging that there are two or more characters compatible with your protagonist, and having chapter after chapter of her simply whining because she can’t decide.

Yes, some love triangles have been done well--The Selection by Kiera Cass brought an interesting love triangle in because there were multiple occurring at the same time (Aspen vs. Maxon, America vs. Kriss, America vs. Lucy, etc). That’s the only one I can come up with off the top of my head, because doing it correctly is so rarely seen, it should just be marked off as a writing sin. Even The Hunger Games didn’t do it right, though I’m sure that given adequate time, Suzanne Collins could have delivered it masterfully as well.

The main issue with love triangles is that it provides meaningless, uncreative story arcs, and paves the way for flat characters. If you are willing to take the time to make sure that every romantic scene had the same quality of vibrance, that every character has a rich voice and personality, and then go above and beyond to find ways that genuinely make both candidates a wonderful choice, then it would be okay to write a love triangle. But in no other case is this acceptable. Also note that I have never once seen a triangle from a boy’s perspective. Because apparently only girls can find two equally suitable partners. Everyone knows that law.

So what do you do?

Think about real life--romance is so much more complex than a simple sway between two hot guys. There’s Gavin, who’s jock-ish and headstrong, but has a nice smile and treats you right. Max is a little more aloof, and keeps giving you telling glances from across the room. And James is all-out perfect--except for the fact that he doesn’t like you.

In three sentences I’ve given a romantic subplot filled with questions that actually make sense. What does your character really value? What things really appeal to them in a partner? Are they even ready to make this decision yet, which is a perfectly good resolution, because it shows that your character really does know themself.

And it can go even more complex than that! If you really want an arc that will rivet your readers (and I’ve thought long and hard over this question) go into the love interest’s motivations. I have one plot where the MC is politically engaged to the King who has a reputation for being harsh, and falls in love with the King’s younger brother, who turns out to be a cheating scamp, and eventually finds out that the all along the King has been developing feelings for her, but held them back due to a previous love-life. Not only does that explore your main character’s feelings, but it helps the other supporting characters feel more real.

Below is a list of characters and plots that you may want to incorporate into your novel as a love interest idea. Remember that mixing and matching is perfectly fine--that’s called creativity and it is generally encouraged among writers.

Contemporary Romance

-Classic heartthrob type character who is a real jerk to some people, but is a saint to others. What groups bring out these different emotions and why? (This is invalid if they are only nice to your MC)

-A shy artist who takes real pride in their work, and falls in love with your MC as your MC falls in love with their work...and eventually them.

-The one constantly on their phone runs into them in the hallway.

-Plaid-shirt, chunky glasses, sardonic humor, and an affinity for cosmetology

-Dreamer that loves space and stargazing, who takes the MC on philosophical and hypothetical adventures (bonus points if it’s an adorkable boy)

-A girl that has traits of masculinity--like an assertive role in the relationship, and dominant personality traits.

-California beach type who can’t stand drama falls for the popular kid.

-Quiet, kind of creepy, always analyzing everyone, comes up to the MC and asks a very blunt, very odd question about them (i.e. I can’t figure out why you dye your hair pink. It doesn’t fit with your personality)

Fantasy (This goes off of the assumption that this a more YA styled fantasy, but is still applicable to High and Heroic....not so sure about Epic)

-A stable hand who is more concerned with his work than with love.

-A Blacksmith’s apprentice who showers your main character with gifts (bonus points if your MC liked them before then)

-A journeyman of some sort comes into town, and takes a liking to your MC

-Any type of soldier story is a good setup for a romantic tragedy. This is one to apply with care--you must know the grief cycle well before incorporating it into a romance

It is important to remember that the primary difficulty in writing any sort of relationship is that people have different ‘personas’ (to use the words of Orson Scott Card) when they speak and interact with various people. Certain personality traits bring out others. Think about the way that you speak to your friends or your parents, or your boy/girlfriend or your teachers. If you can master the changing of voice, you can master the basic relationship model, and from there write an excellent love story.

The reason why love triangles are so popular (among authors, not readers, which is an important distinction) is that I believe some authors see it as a shortcut to an active fan base (cue teaser for next week’s article). If they can duke it out over two boys, raging about which one is the best, that’s a key to fame. And while yes, debates of Team Edward vs. Team Jacob and Team Xander vs. Team Ky did create a short burst of popularity, those were outliers in the average scale of fan activity. Think about it. No one really cares anymore about the love triangles, because they do not prove a point about the main character’s personality. A riveting romantic subplot may be just the thing you need to keep the pages turning fast enough to quit your day job.

With that in mind, keep focusing on developing your craft. Writing is a learned skill.

And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll even be good enough to write a love triangle.

The SSIFL, and Why She's Annoying

The SSIFL, And Why She’s Annoying

(Written with help from Katie Walch)

I may not be the only voice on the internet giving tips, ideas, and advice for writing--there are other people out there who have words of wisdom as well. But in all of my years of writing and looking at other peoples’ advice, I have never once stumbled across a blog post about the SSIFL (Not to say that it doesn’t exist, but I haven’t found it f it does).

The SSIFL is my given acronym for the Sexy Sassy Independent Female Lead, generally with the subtitle ‘who doesn’t take crap from anyone”. Yes, there is the idea of Feminism, and I do believe that girls can do most of the same things that boys can. But there also exists something called Overcompensation. I cannot tell you how many times I have picked up a book that actually looked fairly good for contemporary fiction, got excited about the book jacket, then opened to the first page, and immediately put it back on the shelf.

Why?

The voice of the main character.

There is a certain type of female lead which seems to be carbon copied into almost every book written within the last few years. This is not due to people stealing other’s ideas, but more about the fact that as a whole, our society has developed a certain voice. We talk a way, and expect others to do the same. This is why older books sound more fancy, more formal. In that time, that was the colloquial way of speaking, at least for the more educated (It holds true today--the way I speak with my friends is very different from the way others do. But I digress). Nowadays, people speak a certain way, which then translates into writing that way.

Are they stealing characters? No. Are they being uncreative? Absolutely.

I won’t beat around the bush in saying that you are being uncreative, because the first step to fixing a problem is identifying it. Below is a list of traits that the SSIFL commonly has to help you see if you are guilty of this expedient narrator choice.

-The manuscript is likely in first person (Which is not a bad thing, but I’ve never seen an SSIFL in third)

-She always has a witty remark when the plot calls for something funny that feels awkward and somewhat out of character

-Her character ‘flaw’ is something usually connected to Angst/Tragic Backstory

-The ‘I don’t need no man!’ idea....which connects straight into a love interest or love triangle (which in and of itself is a sin, but that will be covered next week)

-Intense moments of second hand embarrassment for and because of this girl

-Character Breaks. Everywhere.

-They are over dramatic or take themselves too seriously

-They likely have some major insecurity that aforementioned love interest(s) need to shore up in order for her to continue with her quest

-Is she leading the rebellion to take down the government? 100% guaranteed, your character is an SSIFL. No arguments. I have read many books. Never has the above statement been contradicted

-She and the love interest(s) are the only cool ones. Everyone is background noise

-The voice feels disconnected , and not empathetic.

-Whenever they fight or something, they always look good while doing it (Because who needs protective armor?)

-They sound like a stereotypical ‘stereotype’ teenager.

-They only have a few interests outside of the main plot
Or, just look at this nifty post that pretty much sums up bad YA novels.

Basically, if this sounds like your book...your character is an SSIFL.

Now, before you get pissy and try to tell me how you are special because it is your book and how dare I try to criticize your precious baby, stop. I say this not to offend you, but fix a problem I and many others feel degrades the quality of contemporary literature. Yes, on very rare occasions, the SSIFL is a good choice for your book’s protagonist, but if people used her as sparingly as they ought to, this blog post wouldn’t exist. This is a real problem. It’s annoying. Trust me, we’ve all done it at some point or another, because that is what we are exposed to. I’m beginning to feel like people write with this character because they know nothing else. That’s just how it’s done right?

Wrong.

There is another way.

Remember how I said that the SSIFL was uncreative? We’re going to talk about that again, but with the context of fixing the problem. Yes, that’s right ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereupon: I not only criticize authors, I find ways to help them.

In this case, the solution is simple.

Re-Write your book with a changed narrative voice.

Don’t give me that groaning, you were going to have to do it anyway. So shut up and listen.

One of the things that makes me love a character is if they have something to fight for beyond the main plot and love subplot. Kaladin, from Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings is a rich, developed character, because he fights not only for justice, but with the idea that he might actually be able to change something. He gets discouraged quite often in this endeavor, but always manages to see that in the end, he is doing something worthwhile. It’s more than drive--it’s his reason for living, literally (He was about to kill himself when he finally realized this).

Your SSIFL character needs something to fight for. Not a tragic backstory, please no. They have their place, but that should not be their ultimate motive. No, their idea is the core belief they take into every emotional. spiritual, and physical battle that they ever have, and it’s different for everyone.

Analogously, think of it this way. Every person that you see on a daily basis has their own sense of conscious existence. It’s a hard concept to grasp. Imagine that another person you met had the exact same life as you, the same problems, the same hardships, and were in the same phase of it as you, and you were actively aware of it--would it change how you viewed and treated them? Of course. Now, recognize that they not only have problems, but that the things they are going through are just as valid and difficult as yours. We understand ourselves better than anyone else ever could. Think about what motivates you to wake up every morning and run the rat race, be it simply going through the motions to get to that brighter day, or the conviction that today is going to be a good one.

Now think of a good reason, which could be your own, and give that to your main character.

Friendships and loyalty to others personally drives me--I can’t wait to tell them my problems, hear theirs, exchange a joke and try to forget that life is giving each and every one of us a waking nightmare. I take the knowledge that I have other people who care about me into the field of battle every day as I go against problems that I know I will have to live with every day for the rest of my life.

Deep, right?

I'm a real person. But your character can have that same depth. All they need is purpose beyond bringing down the tyrannical government.

It’s so easy to forget that characters are real people too. We construct a basic scaffolding, and everything else develops from there. If we build the rafters and catwalks for a strong, real person, with their own mind, their own problems, their own things that they fight through and win, the idea of an SSIFL is completely obsolete, because they won’t exist. The main problem with her is that she’s empty--she has no real substance, because we don’t want our characters to be as real as people. It’s instinctual to skim over problems, but problems make us who we are, and so problems will make your character who she is.

In the end, I can promise you that your entire book will benefit from having a character who is real, and not simply a copy of society’s voice--without the flaws.