Lord knows I love me some Internet. But torrents of information contained on web pages stretching into infinity make me feel a little anxious, like when I walk into an overcrowded flea market and have a compelling urge to turn around and walk back out again. The only way I can survive such a shopping excursion is to have a plan. If I go in without a plan, after 90 seconds my eyeballs start doing that cartoon black-and-white spinning spiral thing, possibly with sparks shooting out. At least if I have a plan, the blinders are on (Frankoma Aztec Desert Gold, Frankoma Aztec Desert Gold), and I have a chance of surviving the outing.
I employ a similar strategy in overcoming information overload anxiety (IOA) while surfing the 'net. But instead of a rhythmic chant, I impose order using bookmarking technology. Between the basic technology of Google Chrome's bookmark feature and apps like Evernote, my stuff will be there ready and waiting for me to use it whenever called upon.
And therein lies the rub. Bookmarking is too easy. Click, click, click, and before I know it, I'm featured on a technology version of Hoarders. That stupendous mound of info lies there like Smaug's treasure, serving not to enrich my writing career as intended, but as a glorified prop for my writing tuchus. I can loll about on my info pile, pointing to it and saying 'Look! See what I did? I bookmarked all this stuff!' But guess what: it's not worth anything if I never use it!
At last I have reached a point in my current writing project where I am going to try something new: I'm going to spend some of my information hoard. I'm going to dig through my writing bookmarks in the Character and also the Plot folders, and apply that glorious info to my current manuscript as part of the editing process. I've already gone through and checked the copyediting stuff - spelling, grammar, moving scenes around, and so forth. Now it's time for some polishing. Using these bookmarked articles as my guide, I'm going to go through them one by one and use them to improve my story.
As of today, I have nineteen articles bookmarked in my Character folder. Here's the cream of the crop:
Creating Stunning Character Arcs from K.M Weiland. This is a multi-part series, including this one on wants (the lie) vs. needs (the truth). "The lie your character believes is the reason for all character arcs."
Understanding Character Wounds: A List of Common Themes from Writers Helping Writers. Wounds, flaws, lies, and their impact on your character's behavior.
Character Building: Using Quirks To Reveal Personality, a guest post by Becca Puglisi on Jody Hedlund's blog. "Quirks can be used not only to show positive attributes, but flaws, too."
Crafting Interesting Characters by Karen Woodward. "First impressions count. When your character comes onto the page for the first time take the opportunity to do something characteristic, unique and memorable."
Secondary Characters With Their Own Needs by C. S. Lakin. "Every character needs a core need, a deep fear, and a lie they believe about themselves and their world."
My bookmark collection is evolving constantly. What have I overlooked? Send more, please!
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