5 Lessons Writers Learn from The Office About Crafting a (Genuinely) Funny Character

5 Lessons Writers Learn from The Office About Crafting a (Genuinely) Funny Character

You ever feel like some “funny” characters tend to use the same sarcastic lines you’ve read before in 500 other books? Doesn’t it feel like this character obnoxiously holds up the “I’m ThE fUnNy oNe!” sign with every cringe-y, forced line they spit in the novel? As a writer, you want to avoid this painful pretender like the plague. But how do you write a character that has his/her own unique sense of humor not seen in twenty other novels? How do you write a funny character– one that your readers will genuinely lol at? Writing a funny character, scene, or smattering of dialogue can be an intimidating challenge, especially if humor isn’t in our wheelhouse. But, fortunately for us we have a great teacher in the funniest show of all time (don’t challenge me on this I will use Basher, Thrasher, Crasher, AND Fireball on you) The Office . The Office teaches us a bunload about writing comedy, but today I’m breaking down 5 things it teaches us about writing funny characters. So buckle up, because Prison Mike is here to scare you straight!!     1. Choose a Style of Humor for your Character A sense of humor is a sense of humor, right? All humor is the same! Right?   That’s the beauty of comedy: it comes in as many styles as there are Office characters! The first thing you need to do when creating a character is decide what style of humor they will have. Will they have a comedic style like Jim? Witty, subdued, prank-centric kinda guy? Will they be like Erin? A goofy, lovable, child-like beam of sunshine?...
How to Avoid Writing a Mary Sue Character

How to Avoid Writing a Mary Sue Character

She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s just another pretty face… in other words, she’s a Mary Sue and she’s ruining your story, dude. Sure, you want to avoid creating a Mary Sue. But how can you avoid this trope if you don’t know what actually defines a character as a Mary Sue? If you’re not sure, you’re def not alone. See, the ‘Mary Sue’ title is slung around so much, the term itself has lost its true identity. So what is a Mary Sue/Marty Stu trope and, most importantly, how can you avoid creating one in your story? I’m getting to the core problems of the Sue/Stu character, without mentioning names. Why am I avoiding showing an exhibit of examples? Because a big issue the Mary Sue trope is facing is the pointing of fingers. We lose the sense of the term the more we point and say “LOoK AnOthEr mArY sUe!” Simply disliking a character does not a Mary Sue make. The point of this article is to help you identify Sues/Stus without playing to the surface. We’re going deep, people. Getting to the real issue with this trope. So put on your diving masks and let’s break this trope wide open.   The Mary Sue/Marty Stu Breakdown First of all, let’s talk about what a Mary Sue/Marty Stu is NOT: A Mary Sue/Marty Stu is not a typical, basic or repeat looking character. Now, I know some peeps would say run-of-the-mill looks would fall under the Mary Sue category, but that’s where we start losing the meaning of the word. Sure, having a basic looking character may not be...
8 Creative Outlets You Can Try (Besides Writing) to Help Bring Your Fictional World to Life

8 Creative Outlets You Can Try (Besides Writing) to Help Bring Your Fictional World to Life

Doesn’t it feel sometimes like the more you put pressure on yourself to write, the less you seem to accomplish with your story? Sometimes it’s necessary to walk away and give yourself a little break from smashing the keyboard. But what if you don’t want to lose that connection you’ve built with your story? What if there was another creative way to bring your fictional world to life that didn’t require writing? Well not only is there another way, there are eight other creative ways to keep that connection and bring your fictional world to life. Today I’m sharing those eight alternatives you can try as well as a few suggestions from teen writers like you who share their own creative alternatives and why they love them. So roll your sleeves up and break out your craft bin, because it’s time to bring your story to life in a whole new, exciting way!     1. Painting/Drawing Painting is a relaxing and even therapeutic way to express yourself creatively. From oils to watercolors, you have a variety of mediums at your disposal to have fun with. Drawing also can be a great way to bring the world you’ve imagined to life. But how can painting/drawing keep you connected to your story? Painting/drawing is an awesome way to enhance your world building process. You can paint a map of your world in epic watercolors or draw a scene in your story. You can paint that sick monster that lurks in the ocean near your fantastical city or sketch your main character. You can also paint/draw something your main character would paint/draw if...
Why Every Teen Writer Should Write a Short Story (and How to Write your Own!)

Why Every Teen Writer Should Write a Short Story (and How to Write your Own!)

When I first started getting into writing at age eight, I dreamed of writing one big novel. You know the type: hundreds of pages, thousands of words, countless imaginative worlds, a bundle of characters and one big super idea that shared a powerful, totally unique message with the world. I imagined a novel so fat that it could be used as an anchor for a ship.   You know what happened to that story? I started it. Never finished it. But, yeah, I started it, and it’s still somewhere in my attic collecting dust. Poor novel. Never got to live his dreams of being an anchor.   So why did I give up on my big, ambitious dream novel? Because I started too big too soon.   As a young writer yourself, you might have the same ambition: write an epic novel. And honestly I believe you can! But don’t make the same mistake I made. Don’t start your writing career by writing that epic novel. Why not?    I want you to picture that novel like a video game: if you skipped ahead to the boss battle, you wouldn’t have the tools, the upgraded weapons, the boosts that you gain from defeating lighter bad guys. Those lighter battles prepare you for the big guy and are just as important as defeating the main boss.   By starting out with such an ambitious project, you could unintentionally intimidate yourself into giving up– or worse– lose faith in yourself.  You can’t hop into a massive novel without writing a few short stories first. WHY Write a Short Story Neil Gaiman said about...
3 Reasons Why you Must Allow Yourself to Write a Crappy Story

3 Reasons Why you Must Allow Yourself to Write a Crappy Story

Your goal?: to write THE BEST STORY THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.   But you’re not going to write the best story the world has ever seen. Not yet anyway.    Before you DO write the best story the world has ever seen, you have to write not one- but MANY- crappy stories first.   Chuck Jones (famous for animating dudes like Bugs Bunny and Wiley Coyote) said, “You have a million bad drawings in your pencil, your job is to get them out so the good ones can follow.”   This fundamental truth can be said about ANY creative process– including writing.   But why write crap if you want an amazing novel? Shouldn’t you just write your best work all the time in order to achieve greatness?   Here’s the Problem:   Society believes in burying the crap and sharing only the gold. So all we see is gold and we don’t believe crap exists, period. But that toxic process teaches us to fear failure, even to hate failure. The “bury crap, share gold” mentality subconsciously trains us to avoid mistakes like the plague and only produce perfection– all the time. So, we hiss and scorn our ugly duckling projects and hide them until they are beautiful swans. And that’s just bogus!   Today, I’m smashing that concept because I’m sick of it. I’m instead talking about how producing crap (and embracing it) is the best thing you can possibly do for your writing career today. There are, not one, but three reasons why making mistakes and writing a crappy story is the most important goal you should have as a young writer. So...
3 Fundamental Storytelling Techniques Teen Writers Can Learn From One Amazing Video Game

3 Fundamental Storytelling Techniques Teen Writers Can Learn From One Amazing Video Game

Wouldn’t it be awesome to just plug ourselves into the wall and write nonstop for 24 hours a day 7 days a week?  First of all, NO because that’s crazy and secondly, I’m glad we don’t run on batteries because I’m happy to run on tacos.   But when you’re not writing, there are other creative outlets that inspire you to brainstorm and get back to writing.   For you, that creative outlet might be Monopoly (you monster), or maybe it’s reading (you nerd, I like you) or maybe you’re like me and you like to play video games.   Now, some look down on video games like they’re nothing more than brain-dead, button-mashing, obesity-inducing competency traps that suck the potential out of all teens.   But those peeps would be wrong. DEAD wrong. Why?   A) Because these peeps swear every video game out there is either Call of Duty or Fort Nite.   B) And because these peeps don’t understand that video games have advanced so far in the last couple of years, that writers like you and I have much to learn from their storytelling techniques.    Maybe you’re one of those peeps who still feels turned off by the very word “video games” and are ready to write this article off as a joke. But again, you’d be wrong to do that.    Brian McDonald, author of Invisible Ink, a sought-after instructor and storytelling consultant, has instructed video game companies, like Sony Interactive Entertainment, to build strong storylines into games: Brian shared his priceless insights with a team determined to create, not a brainless button-masher, but a truly...
How to Write a Fictional Romance that’s Not All Fluff

How to Write a Fictional Romance that’s Not All Fluff

You can’t deny the sizzlin’ chemistry between your characters any longer and now you’re ready to give in to their demands. But maybe you’re a little nervous to add a romance into your story. After all, you DON’T want to be “that writer” who throws in a cheesy romance just for the sake of having a romance in the story! BLECH! So how do you write a romantic relationship that’ll have readers cheering and not gagging? How do you create a relationship that has value, substance, and is totally 100% shippable? You do four things, my friend: Build up each character’s unique identity Challenge their devotion to each other Avoid cliche dialogue Focus on love, not lust So what do these four tips mean? Let’s break it down little by little, bromigo!     1. Build Up Each Character's Unique Identity Look bub: NO ONE exists merely for the sake of being “the other half” of another person. As “romantic” as that might sound, it’s just not believable.   The same goes for your characters. You can’t create a character just to be the romantic interest for another character in your story! That’s a rookie mistake, friend-o. If you want readers to appreciate the relationship your character enters into, readers must first appreciate the character for who they are.   So, focus on building a unique identity for your individual before you ship them off to Loveland.   But what does that entail, exactly? The three vital building blocks of character:  His personal goal and primary objective His flaw(s) His strengths   A personal goal is a character’s unique motivation for...
3 Ways Teen Writers Can Avoid Burnout

3 Ways Teen Writers Can Avoid Burnout

YOU’RE A WRITER. And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo or are just a highly disciplined writer (what’s that look like I wonder??) that means you have goals to slay. LOTS AND LOTS. Stacks of assignments, goals, ambitions, and daily word counts will bear down on you like a pressure cooker of responsibility. But all that pressure doesn’t turn you into a better writer simmerin’ in a stew of creative juices. Instead, you become a burnt out human seasoned with a dash of sadness and sorrow. And I’m not talkin’ crispy grilled cheese with those crumchy, cheesy edges kinda burnt out. Nah. I’m talkin’ blackened, burnt to a crisp burnt out.  You are charred to a crisp thanks to physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and UNENDING stress. You feel overwhelmed, emotionally sapped, and unable to meet constant demands. And as a result, you lose interest and lack the motivation to continue your writing journey. (NO THANKY)     Look, kid, If you don’t have your health, you’ve got nothin’. Remember that. I should know, I’ve been battling chronic illness for years now so I know the value of taking my writing journey one day (one step!) at a time and avoiding burnout. What you’ve got to do is put your writing game in perspective. So, here are 3 ways to avoid burnout while maintaining a healthy perspective on writing.     1. Me Time “Hey no offense but between school, homework, chores, writing, and all my extracurriculars, there’s no way I can take one long luxuriant spa day just for me.” Woah, friend. I’m not asking you to do that. Look, new age music...
3 Secret Tips you Need to Help you Slam Dunk NaNoWriMo!

3 Secret Tips you Need to Help you Slam Dunk NaNoWriMo!

NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) HAS ARRIVED FOLKS. That means it’s time to roll up our sleeves, crack our knuckles and get to writing a 50,000-word novel in JUST 30 days. Easy peasy lemon sneezy, amiright? Not really. Especially if you’re new to the NaNo game. So is this NaNo thang new to you? If yes, then there are a plethora (God I love that word) of ideas out there claiming to help you succeed. But all you really need is three secret tips to make sure you reach your goal. So what in the heck are they already? Be a planner AND a pantser Eat, sleep, breathe Set goals (and treat yo self) What’s the secret sauce stewing behind these three ideas? Let’s dissect them, friend!   Be a Planner AND a Pantser According to the official NaNoWriMo guidelines, we can choose to be a planner or a pantser. What are these crazy nouns you ask?: Planner: A writer who carpes the heck out of each diem by sticking to a pre-organized, well-outlined NaNoWriMo routine. Panster: A writer who has fun, flies by the seat of his Spiderman pajama pants, and lets the unique NaNoWrimo experience namaste him to the finish line.  See, you tackle NaNo as either a planner or a pantser- it all depends on your personality and mindset as a writer. But here’s the secret no one’s telling you: YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE (and quite frankly you shouldn’t). Yes, don’t just be a duck or a beaver- be a platypus. (AKA be a li’l of both!) From the planner’s perspective, you could benefit from just a smidge...
3 Ways to Authentically Write Characters Who are Not your Age

3 Ways to Authentically Write Characters Who are Not your Age

What’s more painfully obvious to us than an unauthentic or poorly represented character? NADA, BROMIGO. What if you’re a teen writer who has a character that’s forty years your senior? Say he’s a war veteran with PTSD? Or what if you’re leaps and bounds from your teen years but you’ve decided your main character is an angsty teen who’s just trying to survive high school? The prob is this, bob: you’re a kid who doesn’t have enough life experience to know what struggles an older character genuinely faces. Or you’re an adult who feels out of touch with what the kids are into these days. So how do you bridge that gap? How do you write characters of a different age that are authentic and believable? How do you write characters of a different age that readers of the same age bracket will celebrate? You use these three methods guaranteed to get you acquainted with an unfamiliar age group (and therefore help you create spot-on characters!): Study the real deal Interview friends and family Read great example works So what do these three methods entail? Let’s break it down and apply it ASAP!     Study The Real Deal You need to study your target age group. Now, I don’t mean study humans like rats in a maze for the sake of your craft. Nah, that’s just weird. I mean this: place yourself in a public setting like Starbucks– a place where young and old alike gather for their legal hit of venti pumpkin spice uppers and do your research. Be where your target age group likes to gather and simply listen. Be aware. Without creeping on people, listen to how...

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