Sandra Miller's Website

http://www.pgtc.com/~slmiller/index.htm

Sandra Miller offers many features to a writer: her own writing, reader reviews, fiction writing tips, and more. This is a great resource for those who are struggling at any stage of writing, whether it's just starting out or those last finishing touches. I recommend exploring her website!

Here's an example of her tips for character development, something all of us have struggled with at one time or another:

Here are a few things to consider when developing your character:

What are your character's vices? Unfortunately, we all have them. A vice for your character doesn't necessarily have to be drinking or swearing--perhaps your character is a compulsive spender. Perhaps your character's vice is something as innocuous as a habitual over-consumption of sweets; maybe your character is a chocoholic. And perhaps your character has just been diagnosed with diabetes. As you can see, what is considered a vice will depend largely on your character's situation.

What are your character's pet peeves? Sometimes a person's pet peeve can give you insight into their personality, and what things are important to them. For example one of my biggest pet peeves is people who say things like "the floor needs swept" or "the dishes need washed". From this, you can tell that grammar is important to me (and a good thing, too, or I would have a hard time of it as a writer!) If I had a character whose biggest pet peeve was having a pair of slacks without creases, what would that tell you?

What is your character's strong point? Every story involves hardship, and your character will need a way to survive this hardship. Usually, this involves the character's strong personality strength, or plays off of that strength somehow. Scarlett O'Hara survived Gone With the Wind because of her strength of will, her single-minded determination to get what she wanted. What is your character's strength?

What about a nickname? Does your character want to be called Bill, or William B Holladay the Third? Sometimes you can tell quite a bit about someone by what their friends call them.

On my nightstand...

I'm reading Kate Elliot's "Crown of Stars" series and loving them so far. I'm currently reading "Child of Flame" and it's even better than the last one. There's a bit going on and everyone is in different places so I'm curious in finding out how it comes back together, and trust me it will!

Each book is roughly 800 pages off adventure, romance, political intrigue, and religious implications. There's a mix of high magic and low magic depending on who, what, where, and when. This series is well worth the read if you have the patience and time.

Introduction to the writer

I have been writing since I was in grade school, short stories, then poetry, and hopefully novels. I enjoy reading as much as writing and currently have a large collection of fantasy. My first fantasy author was Terry Brooks and his Shannara series. I also enjoy classics and children's fiction.

I plan on writing fantasy novels, sci-fi tech novels, and maybe even some general fiction and non-fiction. I have so many ideas that I just need to start jotting everything down and write until I can't write any more. And hopefully that will not happen for a long time.