Strange Happenings

One way to hint to your reader that your protagonist is ‘the chosen one’ is to have strange occurrences happening around them. Perhaps someone is after them and they keep narrowly avoiding death. A stray hockey puck is flung toward their head while they’re watching their friend play or a car almost hits them out of nowhere while they’re on the sidewalk. A near-death experience happening once can be life-altering, but when it happens repetitively the reader will start to suspect something more is going on.

There is a wide array of strange external events that can signal to the reader that a character may be ‘the chosen one’. Perhaps a man in a trench coat has been following your character everywhere for the past few weeks. Or maybe it has rained everywhere they go for the past month. Maybe they’re having a string of bad luck from breaking mirrors to seeing black cats, to a series of injuries. Or even the opposite, a string of good luck where they seem to magically be getting everything they wanted out of nowhere.

These strange happenings, ranging from the bizarre to the supernatural, can hint to the reader that something more is happening with a certain character. This will help make sense of the ‘chosen one’ reveal when it happens.

Inner Qualities

Just as there should be external evidence of your character being ‘the chosen one’, there should be internal evidence as well. This could come in the form of strange occurrences happening within your character. Maybe they sit down to have cereal for breakfast and their spoon seems to come to their fingers as if by magic. Perhaps they’re laying in bed at night, thinking of a certain place they’d like to be, and then all of a sudden they find themselves there. Or even that they’re thinking about getting a haircut when suddenly they realize their hair has morphed into exactly what they were thinking.

This could also involve setting up the personal traits that help make this character ‘the chosen one’. Things like empathy, compassion, kindness, bravery, resourcefulness- these are traits that ‘the chosen one’ has, regardless of the story and context. Setting your character up to have these traits, even to have them in nontraditional ways, can allow your reader to anticipate where the story is going and also to gain an appreciation for your character.

For example, let’s say your chosen character isn’t an outwardly sweet and benevolent person, but we get a small scene where they give the last piece of their sandwich to a stray dog. This hints at the idea that they’re more like a chosen one than they may first appear.

Friendships/Relationships

Another way to show rather than tell your readers that your character is ‘the chosen one’ is to utilize that character’s friendships, family, and relationships. One way they can be utilized is to further highlight the character’s ‘chosen one’ traits. For example, your character can have a conversation where they give their friends sage advice and their friend expresses gratitude toward them. This scene, or a similar one, will highlight how your character is benevolent through action, rather than by directly telling the reader.

The friends and relationships of ‘the chosen one’ can also be useful in that they can be used to further highlight some of the strange happenings surrounding the character. Let’s say one character is with your protagonist for multiple strange happenings, they can point out the various linking events through dialogue with your protagonist. On a character level, this will allow your protagonist to have their suspicions confirmed. It will also provide further confirmation of bizarre events for the reader.

Finally, the relationships between ‘the chosen one’ and other characters can be used as a strange event in and of themselves. Perhaps everyone starts treating the protagonist differently all of a sudden, whether in a positive or negative light. They will start to wonder what is wrong with all of their friends or family, which will then prompt their suspicions and make the ‘chosen one’ reveal pay off.

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1) Holidays

If you’re working with a short time-jump, holidays can be a great marker to show how much time has passed. Let’s say, for example, you’re working within a year of your character’s life. Let’s say your story opens with the ball dropping on New Years’ and you want to jump between this moment and the following fall the next year.

Create a birthday in September that your character is preparing for so that the reader can know where they’ve jumped to in time. Or simply have the characters discussing that Halloween is coming up and what their plans are. Having a significant event on the day that you pick the story back up will also help answer questions as to why this is where the story resumes.

2) Physical Appearance

Another way to clearly show your readers a passage of time has occurred is through changes in the various characters’ appearances. For example, perhaps your protagonist got a haircut or started dressing with a different style or got a piercing. Perhaps one of their friends has lost weight or started dressing more extravagantly. These noticeable physical changes indicate to the reader that enough time has passed for appearances to alter to a significant degree.

3) School or Work

Where a character is with their school or career is also an excellent indicator of the passage of time. We go through life entering into different modes of school and then different jobs so switching up your character’s current circumstances would make sense if years pass over the time jump you’re creating. Perhaps they’ve finally finished school and entered the workforce or maybe they left the job they worked in the beginning of your story for something new.

4) Location

As time passes we oftentimes change our locations as well by moving around. This could come in many forms though depending on your character and their circumstances. The change here could be as simple as a character moving to a new apartment or buying a home. It could be that they move to a new city than they were previously located in the story. Or it could even come in the form of your character suddenly being more worldly, having traveled a lot during the time that is being skipped over.

5) Friends and Relationships

Friendships and relationships will also change as time goes on over the years. This can mean some friendships slip away and a character that your protagonist was previously close with is no longer their friend. It could mean the nature of the relationship has changed as well. For example, a friend has a baby and now your protagonist doesn’t see them as often. It could also mean the reverse and a previously strained relationship could have been reconciled over this time. They could even have some new friends that the reader hasn’t met before, though you’ll have to provide believable circumstances as to how these friendships formed.

6) Personality, Habits, Mannerisms

People’s personalities also deeply change as time progresses. Think back on who you were ten years ago and you’re likely very different from the person you are today. This will happen to your characters as well. Consider the length of the time jump you’re attempting to write first. If it’s only a year your character likely won’t be unrecognizably different, but if it’s something drastic like five years we will see more dramatic changes. Consider the events that happen between the two moments in time and how those moments will change your protagonist. How will they shape their personality, habits, hobbies, and mannerisms for the remainder of the story?

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If they’re not a writer, they’ll usually drop it there, they don’t know enough about the process to call you out, but anyone who is a writer can smell it from a mile away…Procrastination. ‘Waiting for inspiration to strike’ is writer speak for I’m not making enough time for my book. Here’s how to stop ‘waiting for inspiration’ and start finding it.

1) Stop watching Netflix so much

Don’t give us that look, we all know you’re coming home from work and in the very limited free time you have you’re binge-watching shows. We get it, your days are long between work and spending time with family and when you have a second to yourself all you want is some quality you time. Taking a bath, catching up on Handmaid’s Tale, scented candles and a glass of wine- sounds super relaxing right? Well, is relaxing going to get your book written? No? We didn’t think so. Instead, push yourself to write for an hour even if you don’t ‘feel like it’. It’ll be tough at first, but you’ll get into your normal rhythm and actually get some quality work done.

2) Limit time with friends

We’re not saying you shouldn’t have a social life at all, but if you’re going out and spending every free night you have with friends instead of writing your book- that’s a serious red flag. Cancel plans, stay home, sit down with your notebook or laptop and spend time getting to know your characters instead. How can you expect to ever finish your book if you’re spending more time with your real friends than with your characters?

3) Stop surfing the web when you should be writing

That’s right, we’re looking at you- the person who is online shopping and looking up flight prices for vacations they can’t afford when they should be writing their book. Instead of looking up vacations we both know you don’t have time for, take a trip into that fantasy novel you’ve been working on. Instead of shopping for new clothes that you don’t need, give your character some new and expensive armor. If you have to use internet blocker services, do it- be strict with yourself. This is the time you’ve actually set aside to write and you need to use it in its entirety if you ever want to finish your manuscript.

4) Stop getting distracted by new ideas

We’ve all been guilty of Shiny New Idea Syndrome at some point in our writing careers. We’ve been working on our book for years and we love it, but we’ve hit a bit of a slow point in the writing process. Suddenly, our minds are bursting with shiny new ideas about a second book, entirely unrelated to the book we’re working on. We’re excited by that idea, that new idea is good and it doesn’t have any of the roadblocks we’re facing with the idea we’re working on now. We’re trying to focus on our book… but this new idea keeps creeping back into our minds and we can’t seem to muster up the same enthusiasm for our book as we once did.

Write down the new idea in a notebook or document, make sure you have all the details there, and then close it up. DO NOT open that document until you’re finished with your book. It may be an amazing idea, but it’s only going to distract your ‘inspiration’ from your current book- you know, the one you should be working on?

5) Make a strict schedule for yourself

‘But I’m a creative person, I go where the wind takes me, strict schedules don’t work for me, they ruin my inspiration…’ we don’t want to hear any of that, OK? If you sit around waiting to be inspired until you write, these are the two things that will happen: 1) You’re only going to get ideas or feel inspired at times when it’s most inconvenient for you to write (IE when you’re at work, in the shower, driving, etc.) and 2) It will take you years longer to finish your book than it should. Set aside time to write each week, whether it be an hour three days a week or one. That is the time you write, period. Don’t worry about how uninspired you are on any given day, push past the layers of resistance and give us some beautiful prose.

6) Stop making excuses

Stop.making.excuses. We’re sure you have a million reasons why you haven’t finished your book yet, but guess what? All of the excuses in the world won’t result in a complete manuscript. We adore our fellow writers and we believe that they have so much to offer with their words- which is why sometimes they need some tough love. We want you to finish your book as much as you do, we want you to experience the joy of seeing your book on the shelves and hearing how much it has changed your reader’s lives. But, in order for you to get there, sometimes you have to stop ‘waiting for inspiration’ and start making your own.

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1) Honesty

Believe it or not, painting yourself as the unabashed hero of your own story will make you very unlikeable to readers. They know you’re the author, so they’ll be going into reading your book with the thought that perhaps your story could be a little biased. You’ll want to cut off that thought as quickly as possible if you want your story to feel believable to your readers. In addition, people have a much easier time empathizing with people who can admit their mistakes and learn from them. As much as you may be tempted to do otherwise, do not embellish or alter the facts to try to make yourself appear more likable. You’ll be robbing your readers of the chance to learn from you and, trust us, they won’t thank you for it.

2) Include more than just your story

Although a memoir focuses on a specific portion of your life that affected or changed you in a way readers could learn from- it’s not all about you. If your memoir feels like a bad first date where the person can’t shut up about themselves, your readers are going to fake an emergency to escape your ego. Instead of solely focusing on how you were feeling from moment to moment during this time of your life, make sure you’re also including the motivations of the people around you. If those people are still part of your life (once you’ve got your Outline done), interview them about the specific scenes in which they’re included. Perhaps they remember things differently than you, this may either help jog your memory or allow you to include a present voice that would give your memoir an interesting layer.

Make sure you remember that, ultimately, your readers want to learn from your experience- that’s why they’re reading your book. So instead of focusing on yourself, focus on what lessons you can impart to your readers.

3) Write In-Scene

As we’ve stated previously, you’ll need to employ the techniques of fiction writers to tell your story effectively. If people wanted a distant third-person narrative of your life, they would be looking for your autobiography (which you’d likely only write if you were a celebrity or for a family legacy). Memoir readers want a scene-by-scene close account of your story. They want specific dialogue, flashbacks, character arcs, emotion, etc. If this isn’t your strong suit, it may be prudent to take some Fiction Workshop classes to brush up on your scene writing or to work with a Writing Coach. Fiction writing may hold no interest for you, but brushing up on basic scene-writing technique is crucial for writing a memoir that will hold your reader’s interest.

4) Clear Character Motivation

Going along with our second point, make sure you understand every character’s motivation clearly when you go into writing the story. You don’t have to include the motivation of each character in every scene, but having that awareness will allow you to write them as real well-rounded characters rather than simply secondary characters in your story. The more real everyone feels, the more believable your story is and the more your readers will engage and learn from it. If you no longer speak to some of the people that appear during the period of your life in which your story takes place, try to imagine what their motivation may have been. If you paint some of the characters as simply “being a jerk”, not only is that not motivation but that character (and you by extension) will feel less real to your readers.

5) Did your ending happen yet?

Before you go into writing your memoir, consider whether you’re ready to write it yet. How does your story end? What did you learn from this period of your life? Does it feel well-rounded and complete when you outline it? Readers can smell a revenge book from a mile away and, trust us, they have absolutely no interest in reading one. If you’re still in the thick of healing or overcoming from the period of your life in which you’re focusing, perhaps your story isn’t finished yet. And, if you go into writing it when it’s not finished, your voice will feel biased and memoir readers won’t be as engaged with your work.

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What would’ve helped you?

When you’re thinking about a self-help audience, you’re directing your book toward someone who is in need of something. Whether that be the strength to overcome a traumatic experience or simply to achieve a higher level of spiritual happiness, your reader is coming to this book with a specific goal in mind. If you’re a self-help writer, you’ve chosen a topic in which you have some expertise. Whether you studied it in school or you experienced it personally, you have something to offer your readers. The best way to approach it is to think of how you felt when you experienced what your reader is going through. What do you wish people would’ve said to you? What do you wish you would’ve done for yourself? Be that person for your reader, admit what you did wrong and help your reader learn from your mistakes- much like they’re a younger sibling.

Make it personal

If you’re not at least somewhat uncomfortable writing a self-help book, you’re doing it wrong. Readers don’t want to read a book from the perspective of someone who comes across as so much wiser and better than they are–that just makes you appear stuck-up. Instead, they want to get advice from someone who they feel truly understands them in ways that no one else does. You can’t be afraid to admit uncomfortable truths or details about what you went through. Be open to the idea of discussing things that you may be afraid won’t cast you in a good light or experiences that are so vulnerable and raw that you wouldn’t want others seeing you like that. Your instinct will be to steer away from these experiences, but these are the moments that will end up helping your readers the most. They let your readers know that they’re not alone in what they’re going through and that if you can get through the experience or achieve the goal, so can they.

Make the reader your friend

Because the material and what is being accomplished through a self-help journey is so impactful and personal, you can’t write your book from a distant third-person perspective. Not only do you need to be very present in the book, but you need to have a level of love and affection for your reader as well. As writers, thinking about readers can be a scary thing. We love our books and the idea of these nameless, shapeless identities picking it up and having a reaction that’s totally out of our control scares us to death. But as a self-help writer, you don’t have the luxury of solely focusing on the material and worrying about the reader later. What makes a self-help book effective is that personal one-on-one relationship a reader can develop with the author. When you’re thinking about your voice for your book, picture the reader as one of your closest friends and imagine you’re writing it to them.

Facts/Stats

Even if your story is a personal one, your readers will still want to see you’ve done at least some level of research on the subject you’re working with. And it doesn’t always have to be that you’re finding facts or figures to back up what you’re saying- it could be the opposite, too. If the book is about your journey and what worked for you personally, then you can talk about what experts have recommended and why those things didn’t work for you. If your book is more about your personal experience and not as backed up by research, make sure you let your readers know that up front. Everyone’s experience is different, what worked for you might not work for someone else (and that’s OK). It doesn’t make your book any less credible because when you were going through your experience you likely received a lot of advice that may or may not have worked for you, too. Your readers will respect you being upfront and just reading about someone who shares an experience or struggle or feeling with them will be a comfort in and of itself.

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1) Erasers (Delete Key)

Oh, erasers. Thank you for saving us from our typos and all of the embarrassingly bad prose we’ve immediately regretted. Thanks to you, we don’t have to toss out the whole draft everytime we use the wrong form of ‘their’ when we haven’t had enough coffee yet. Speaking of which…

2) Coffee (or Tea)

Sweet sweet (and not so sweet) Coffee, thank you for giving us life. For helping us stay awake long past our bedtimes to finish the sections of our book we just had to get down before they slip away. Thank you, also, for helping us the next day when we need to work our day jobs without falling asleep at our desks. You give us strength when our frail human bodies have none left. You keep our eyes open in times of need. Bless you.

3) Spellcheck

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, spellcheck. Though we have been blessed with creative minds, we sadly have not been blessed with perfect spelling and grammar (much as we may wish otherwise). Thank you for poking us with that red squiggly line and keeping us from embarrassing ourselves time and time again.

Thank you to our dear editors. This thank you is especially necessary because half of the time we can’t stand you guys (sorry). You take your editor axes and chop up our book babies and we have to sit there and watch it happen. Does this not sound grateful enough? All jokes aside, we know we fight you tooth and nail on every cut, but our book wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is without your hard work. Thank you for seeing what we miss and being tougher than we can ever be.

5) Google

This is a big one- THANK YOU GOOGLE. Because of you, we don’t need to spend hours in the library just to resolve one solitary plot point like the writers of old. The ease with which we can now look up old cold cases or political happenings or the science behind space travel has changed the writing game. Researching is such an important part of writing but, thanks to you, it takes a heck of a lot less time. Thank you for your service.

6) Our friends/family

To our friends and family, we are also truly grateful. Thank you for putting up with us. Thank you for understanding when we cancel plans last minute for an urgent writing night. Thank you for knowing we still love you when we don’t text you back for weeks because we’re so deep into our fantasy novel that we forgot the outside world still exists. Thank you for encouraging us in a career path that everyone else says will leave us living in a cardboard box. Thank you for forcing us out of the house when we have a nasty case of writer’s block (or we just haven’t seen sunlight in weeks). Thank you for listening to us talk about imaginary people for hours on end and pretending you care. We know we’re not the easiest people to deal with at times, but thank you for loving us all the same.

7) Our characters

To our characters AKA our real friends- thank you. Thank you for presenting yourselves to us and for allowing us the privilege of witnessing your lives. We feel honored to have witnessed your elation, struggles, desires, adventures, triumphs, losses, and so much more. We’ve grown to love you so much and can only hope we’ve done justice to what we’ve seen by jotting it all down. No matter how hard we try to the contrary, we’ll always know you much better than our readers ever will. Thank you for being a part of us and allowing us to be a part of you.

8) Strangers

Darling strangers, thank you so much. Thank you for allowing us to spy on you for hours on end with little to no repercussions. Thank you for your mannerisms, your quirks, your style, your gestures, and your words- because we stole all of them. Thank you for being so specifically weird that you vastly improve the quality of our writing. Without you, our writing wouldn’t be nearly as realistic and interesting. Thank you for allowing us to witness your bizarre majesty and for being oblivious enough not to notice us staring and hanging on your every word.

9) Our enemies

This is a weird one, but hear us out. Yes, you are all terrible. But, thanks to you, our books have some really great villains. We’ll go to our graves denying it, but our villains are definitely based (at least in part) on you guys. Without you ruining our lives with your horribleness, our villains wouldn’t be nearly as specific and awful as they are. Our readers love to hate our villains, all thanks to you. So are we happy you exist? No. Did you finally do something good though? Sort of. So we sort of thank you for it.

10) Our notebooks/phones

We thank you both so very much. Without you guys, we would never remember half of the stuff our fickle brains come up with. Our ideas are so fleeting and brief, but you guys are always right there with us so we can jot them down before they slip away. Thank you for holding all of our crazy ideas, keeping them safe from harm, and for having them ready just when we need them most. We know we don’t always treat you the best. We drop you, we tear out your pages, we scribble and get so disorganized that you lose all sense of purpose. But, if we ever lost you, it would be like losing a part of ourselves.

11) Books

We may tear up a bit on this one, but thank you, books. You were and will always be the first and greatest love of our lives. You are the reason we fell in love with writing. You are also the reason we got good at writing and you still improve both our writing and our lives to this day. You’ve taught us about life, love, family, culture, history, imagination, and what it means to be human. Ironic as it is, there are no words to express our gratitude toward you.

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