SACHA BLACK

Character Creation

13 Steps To Evil – How To Craft Superbad Villains Is HERE!

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I know, I know. I can hear the groans of  ‘about freaking time, Sacha. What took you so long? It’s not like you’ve been writing for 7 years straight, Sacha, I mean Geeeez.’

All I can do is raise my weary eyebrow, wipe the sweat off my brow and down my glass of champagne.

FINALLY, today is the day I take the first steps toward fulfilling the dream little nine-year-old me had. Because right now, at this very moment, I get to put on that shiny gold badge I’ve been lusting after for an eon.

Today I become an author.

Fuck yeah, I do, people, Fuck YEAAAAAH I DOOOOOO!

I’m actually doing this dance. No, really.

The time for talking is over. 13 Steps To Evil – How To Craft Superbad Villains, is here.

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The Secret to Making Your Characters Memorable

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memorableWe readers are fickle beasts.

If you have a shit book cover we won’t pick up your novel. Sloppy blurb and we chuck the book on the NBR (Never Be Read) pile. If we get past all that and find forgettable characters buried in your pages, well… fuck you author, here’s a one star review.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lording it up in Paris with the girls for a cocktail fuelled weekend… I still have a hangover!

The thing is, I wouldn’t be a writer if I didn’t take advantage of any and every opportunity to spew some more of my hyperbolae into the world, and Paris has provided me the perfect opportunity to do just that.

I have a terrible memory. Like ,really bad. But my substandard brain cells got me thinking about books and specifically, about characters.

Without memorable characters, your book is worthless. Why?

Because books are written about characters. If your characters are boring, your books boring. But how do you make them memorable without turning them into the equivalent of a glitter covered literary drag queen? [Read more…] about The Secret to Making Your Characters Memorable

6 Points To Consider When Crafting An Awkward Character – Anne Goodwin Debut Novellist

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sugar-and-snails coverToday brings a special guest post from a wonderful and extraordinarily talented Anne Goodwin, who has also released her debut novel ‘Sugar and Snails’ TODAY. Get it on Amazon, immediately, I insist! Anne has kindly contributed to my Crafting Characters series and discusses creating awkward characters. So without further ado, I give you Anne Goodwin. [Read more…] about 6 Points To Consider When Crafting An Awkward Character – Anne Goodwin Debut Novellist

6 Terror Tactics For Really Scary Villains

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Villains are meant to be scary. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding them increasingly weak in popular culture. So here are 6 tactics to help you create scary villains.

I first watched the Exorcist when I was about 9, I don’t know whether it was the projectile green vomit or badly done makeup, but I wasn’t impressed. If I’d watched it for the first time now, it might be a little different. I was skeptical about everything back then. These days I’m only skeptical about some things because I know there really are things that go bump in the night. Scary movies, books or stories, have a bigger effect on me now—yes, I leave lights on, scan rooms and ceilings and ensure there’s a hockey stick within reaching distance!

I’m my own worst enemy and can never please myself. I started this series because I wasn’t happy with my villain or the villains in popular culture, guess what, I’m still not. So I started investigating what makes a really scary bad guy. This post aims to identify what sets apart your Lemony Snicket from your Michael Myers (Halloween). [Read more…] about 6 Terror Tactics For Really Scary Villains

5 Step Recipe To Create Your Protagonist's Inner Circle

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Creating A Protagonists Inner Circle

Who’s in your inner circle? You know, that group of friends that you can count on one hand. The ones you would pick up in the middle of the night, or who would hold back your hair whilst you throw up after a hard night out…?

What do you think of when you think of those friends? More importantly what single word would you use to describe them? If you were to write them into your novel what would their archetype be? Let me know in the comments below. [Read more…] about 5 Step Recipe To Create Your Protagonist's Inner Circle

Writespiration #45

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Worst Ending

A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to write the best worst opening line you could think of. Well now I am asking you to write the best WORST ending you can come up with. Once again, there will be a winner and runner up and if we get some funny entries I may just pick a comedic winner too!

What do I mean by worst? 1. Write it badly, break rules, make sentences long and arduous use adverbs… whatever you like, but do your worst, it needs to be so bad, its stinks. 2. Make the story ending stink too, what’s the worst ending to a story you can think of? Write that! Heres mine: [Read more…] about Writespiration #45