The Subtle (and Annoying) Static Trait

Secret Weapon of the Clever Writer

 

The Static Trait is the small personal HABIT an individual character displays which reveals their personal Neurosis; their driving NEED, especially in stressful situations. 

This habitual or even ritual behavior acts as both their greatest source of trouble and the linchpin to their success. 

This Static Trait is the individual character's
“Accident Waiting to Happen”.

The most obvious place to find visible Static Traits is in both Comedies and Tragedies. These stories (and movies) RELY on their characters' Static Traits to linchpin the plot.

Laurel & Hardy

What made Laurel and Hardy so funny, were the little neurotic habits -- the static traits -- that would appear under stressful situations.

Abbot & Costello

Abbot and Costello built whole routines on Bud Abbot’s little twitchy responses. The climactic scene in every one of their movies involved Abbot in a panic attack. 

 

 

You spent half the movie going “Oh no! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!...AH! He did.”

I don’t watch tragedies as a rule, but just about every Greek play I’ve read involves the Protagonist acting on their Neurosis, the emotional need they can't -- or won't -- control which brings them crashing down.

• Pandora acting on her uncontrollable Curiosity – opened that box of ills.
• Paris acting on his uncontrollable need for Love – picked Venus as the loveliest goddess in a contest with Hera and Athena, to gain the most beautiful woman in the world who was already married to a powerful warlord.
• Oedipus acting on his uncontrollable need for Recognition – killed the king and married the queen, who turned out to be his biological parents.
• Ariadne acting on her uncontrollable Pride - bragged that her ability to weave was greater than a goddess's and was turned into a spider.
• Prometheus acting on uncontrollable his need for Revenge - gave fire to mankind and was thus chained to a rock to be eaten alive by buzzards for the rest of eternity.

In stories that are Not tragedies, this neurosis-based habit DOES cause their downfall, but also comes to their rescue at the Climax then CHANGES by the end of the story, quite literally Showing that the character has conquered their neurosis. 

 

For those who like to write their stories with humor, adding Static Traits to your characters is the easiest and most effective way to have zany antics happen in any scene.

 

 

The movie The Mummy (1999)
was loaded with static traits.

Just about every single character in the movie had a static trait based on their personal neurosis, and either lived or died, because of it. This made the movie very Comedic despite being listed as Horror.

Evelyn (Evie) 

• Her personal neurosis was her obsession with being an Egyptologist. 
• Her static trait was her obsession with books.

If it was a book, she had to touch it. Evie’s opening scene defined her character – she was filing books and knocked over an entire set of bookcases (rather like dominoes) because she simply HAD to put that book where it needed to be. The entire catastrophic release of the Mummy happened because she simply HAD to have (as well as open and read) the Book of the Dead.

Her Trait came to her rescue because her Habit allowed her to be able to Read ancient Egyptian, allowing her to be able to not only find the correct book to dispel the Mummy, but know which spell was the right one to use. She conquered her neurosis when she allowed the book to be destroyed.

Jonathan

• Evie's brother’s personal neurosis was monetary greed. 
• His static trait was kleptomania.

If it was small and shiny, he had to have it. His opening scene involved showing off to his sister his latest theft. Because of his habit for picking up shiny things, he never quite lost the object he stole – the key to the Book of the Dead.

His trait came to his rescue when he pick-pocketed the needed 'key' from the bad guys. However, he didn't conquer his neurosis. He walked out of that temple with a huge stash of gold.

Rick' O'Connell

• His personal neurosis was anger. 
• His static trait was biting sarcasm.

His solution to everything was “fight it” with his wits or his fists. He was constantly leaping into one fight after another. Evie met him while he was in jail for being in a brawl. "He had a very good time." In every scene involving an attack of some sort, he was the first one to dive into the fight.

His trait came to his rescue when he needed to go on a one-on-one battle with a supernatural creature without immediately dying. He conquered his neurosis when he allowed Evie to destroy the monster with a spell rather than trying to do it himself.

Beni 

• His personal neurosis was cowardice. 
• His static trait was freezing in place then bolting.

He ended up working for Imhotep, because he simply did not have the guts to run away.

His trait NEVER came to his rescue, and in fact destroyed him.

Imhotep

• The ancient Egyptian Mummy's personal neurosis was obsessive Love.
• His static trait was Scarabs; the symbol of his personal destruction. He was riddled with the beetles and they showed up in hoards whenever he was nearby.

Imhotep got into trouble and became the Mummy because he was in love with the pharaoh’s concubine. Everything he did was to get his one true love back from the dead at any cost.

Because Evie resembled his beloved, his neurosis made him grab for Evie -- which was his biggest mistake. If he had grabbed any other female, he would have gotten away with the resurrection of his beloved.

How to use this in your Fiction…

Start with your character’s personal neurosis and pick a small habit that shows their personal neurosis in action. 

 

This Habit should get them In to as much trouble as it gets them Out of trouble, and it should be the lynch-pin that either sets off or defuses the climactic scene.

Having a hard time finding
your character’s Personal Neurosis?

Try looking at your character’s core Motivation.
What obsessive habit would define this?

In Walt Disney’s Beauty & the Beast…

Gaston’s motivation was his Selfishness. “I deserve the best!” This was reflected in his static trait of always looking in the mirror. Even when hunting the Beast, he stopped to look at his own reflection.

Beast, in complete reverse of Gaston, utterly Refused to look into mirrors because his Original personal neurosis was exactly THE SAME as Gaston’s: Selfishness.

They were BOTH obsessed with their APPEARANCE. But then, the movie’s Premise was all about “Looking Beneath the Surface”.

In Erotic Fiction...
The Static Trait should be Sexual in nature.

• A woman who wears skimpy clothes.
• A guy who wears tight jeans and/or leaves his shirt open to the navel.
• Long Hair on either gender. This IS a sexual trait!
• Fur, Leather, or shiny Plastic clothing on either gender.
• An oral habit such as licking the lips, biting the bottom lip, chewing on pens, sucking on lollipops, or even smoking.
• Physically Touching anyone they speak to.
• Posing provocatively instead of merely sitting or standing.

For another example...

One of my personal Static Traits is redefining difficult concepts into simple terms. This comes from my obsession to write as clearly and concisely as I can, and is motivated by my personal neurosis of Avoiding Reality – by creating fantasy worlds real enough to hide in. (grin)


Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mysterious and Maddening PREMISE

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Haunted ~ The Writer's Vision

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Filthy Truth about Sex & Love ~ In Fiction

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Villain's Point of View?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

STORYCRAFT - by Lynne Connolly

-----Original Message-----

"...I like to write in an organic sort of way but I'm thinking I should put more energy into creating a conflict of some sort to drive my tales even though they are short. The problem is, when I think too much, it gets contrived and I hate that.


"I am looking for the way other people think about this issue rather than advice. How do you keep things moving? Do your conflicts and points of tension emerge naturally out of your stories or do you really think hard about what they will be? Can just painting a picture of something beautiful be as worthy of reading as a full blown plot arc?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(from Ms. Connolly) - Are you writing purely for your own pleasure, or are you writing to sell your work to a publisher or magazine?

If you're writing for yourself, the only person you have to please is yourself. You don't have to finish anything you get bored with, you don't have to worry about tension and conflict.

Writing to sell, or even to encourage other people to read your work, you have to take other matters into consideration. Your first customer is your publisher, so you have to study what is popular, what is selling, and what is not.

Know What the Publisher will Publish.

Publishing is a business like any other and if you want to sell you have to live by (the individual publisher's) rules. That's just the way it is. It's only courteous not to waste (a publisher's) time by, for instance, by sending an erotic story to a Christian publishing house.

In a recent WIP, (Work in Progress) I wrote a serial killer. I wanted to ratchet up the tension by making him a child killer, but my publisher doesn't allow child killing, so I redrafted and rewrote.

In the field of erotica, you have to take note of taboos. Most mainstream erotica publishers ban; 'real' rape, bestiality, pedophilia and sex involving bodily waste. There are some rules I choose to break, and some publishing houses that will not accept them. But I know what I'm doing.

Fill your Writer's Toolbox...

In order for any publisher to take your work seriously, ie that your manuscript is sellable, you have to take note of certain conventions. Lets not get into what (writing) rules you can break and what you can't. A lot of that depends on the story you want to tell, and your skill. All writers have things they are good at, and things they need to work at.

Learn your strengths and weaknesses.

Read books on plot, characterisation, pov and the rest, attend classes, online or off. It is important that you know the rules before you decide to break them.

For story arcs, try reading Vogler, Campbell and Evan Marshall. All great discussions, and very well illlustrated. Watch "Star Wars" because Lucas admitted he followed Campbell's model very carefully when he made the film. It's a start, and it might give you the 'spark moment' you need.

Suggested Books on Writing

• 'The Writer's Journey' by Christopher Vogler
• 'The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing' by Evan Marshall
• 'The Screenwriter's Workbook' by Syd Field

Tension and Conflict.

Tension and Conflict are vital to a publishable novel, and to many short stories. When you set up your characters, set them goals, and make sure those goals conflict in some way with someone else's. With a romance, it should ideally be the Hero and Heroine who are in conflict. That's why I've moved from romance to romantic suspense. Very often my conflicts come from outside the central relationship. I really don't like my central couple fighting all the time.

Go to: Motivation and Conflict, an article by Patricia Kay

Before I start to write...  

...I've (already) been through a process that takes from a week to a month. I know my characters, (Character sheets) and I have a chapter by chapter outline to work from. (Also known as BLOCKING.) This method might not work for you, but I've tried other methods and this is the one I'm comfortable with. Obviously the pantser method (writing by the seat of your pants) is only working so far for you, so you may need to develop your prewriting technique.

Go To: Assorted PreWriting Exercises by Vickie Kryston

Lynne Connolly
GSOLFOT, Author of urban Gothic romance

Vanity Presses and Self-Publishers are BAD ~ Okay?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The BIG Secret to Marketing Erotic Romance

The Trut

h is: When it comes to Erotic Romance PR doesn’t do diddly-squat
for sales.

Posting announcement after announcement, after announcement, after announcement,...etc, will NOT get you buyers ~ it gets you BITCHING: "Quit Spamming me!"

Seriously Hot, Well-written, Erotic Romance
Sells Itself.

Put juicy excerpts on your website, post juicy excerpts on readers' email lists and, put excerpts in your release announcements – THAT sells books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victoria stepped out of the forward lift and followed Ravnos down the hall. At the command lift her worry deepened. They were definitely headed back to the captain’s quarters. She bit her lip as the lift doors closed behind them. What the hell was he planning now?

Ravnos turned to the keypad and the lift suddenly stopped between decks. He turned back and focused on his executive officer. “Seht, do it now.”

Seht’s head came up in a froth of long white hair. “What? Here?”

Ravnos nodded. “The yeomen have dinner set. I don’t want you shocking them, should you snap.”

Seht flashed long incisors. “I’m not that far gone!”

“And I need your brain back online to make plans,” Ravnos continued smoothly. “We both know you can’t think when you’re in this condition.” He held out his hand. “I’ll hold the coats.”

Seht backed up a step and eyed Victoria. He spat out a vicious oath that Victoria’s internal translator refused to register, and jerked out of his coat. He dug at the buttons of his waistcoat.

Ravnos looked at Victoria. “Take off your coat, and remove your waistcoat.”

Victoria unbuttoned her coat. I really hope this isn’t what it looks like. She shrugged out of it and handed it to her captain. Her fingers fumbled on the buttons of her long waistcoat.

Seht pulled off his cravat, baring his pale throat. He handed everything to the captain, then turned to Victoria. His expression bordered on pain, but his eyes were nearly white-hot with leashed passion. Lust was almost a scent in the air.

Oh, shit -- it is what it looks like. Victoria could not stop her instinctive reaction. She took two quick steps back and pressed against the lift wall.

Seht moved in a blur of speed, his palms flattened against the steel behind her, trapping her against the wall without actually touching her. Heat rolled off his body, and he seemed to tremble. His mouth brushed her ear. “This is not quite what I had planned,” he whispered.

“Then let’s not do this.” Victoria shifted to slide away only to find him pressing full-length against her. His hands slid down the wall to frame her hips.

“Do you want to argue with him?” Seht tilted his head a fraction toward their Captain.

She looked over at Ravnos.

He watched them with cool eyes and a slight smile.

She bit her lip. “No, not really.”

“Neither do I.” Seht’s nod was barely discernable. “Our captain is a little too clever when it comes to retribution.” His hands closed on her skirt, pulling it up her thighs then over her butt.

She sucked in a breath and discovered that lust did indeed have a scent, and it rolled off of Seht, rich, thick, and heady. And exciting.

“Please don’t fight,” he breathed. His lips brushed her throat. “I am closer to the edge than I want him to know. If you fight, I may not be able to control my … appetites.”

From VICTORIOUS STAR
Why do excerpts work so well?

Because Sex - like Food – is a Physical need. Erotica is a snack that feeds the physical need for sex. Excerpts show the readers a taste of what you have to offer and this builds an appetite for more.

All the best marketing ploys for erotica operate under the same philosophy:

“Make them HUNGRY.”

-----Original Message----- "And leave them wondering what happens next. I have seen excerpts that were as erotic as all get out, but told me the entire story, so I had no need to buy the book--especially when the excerpt followed the blurb." - Jackie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be CHOOSY about your excerpts.

The LAST thing you want to do is give away the PLOT! If you can't post an excerpt without giving away the plot in your story - then you have one of two Serious Plotting Problems.

- Plot Problem ONE -
ONE sex scene in the entire book.

If your Erotic Romance only has one sex scene, then that story had better be under 20k. If the story over 20k then it's not an Erotic Romance. It's a romance with an Erotic Bit.

Having only ONE sex scene does not mean that the story isn't worth reading or even Erotic, especially if the sexual tension is there throughout. But the bulk of the Erotic Romance buyers are looking for Sex first.

There ARE top-selling authors whose stories Do Not rely on Sex.

Mary Janice Davidson writes spectacular romantic paranormal comedies and Brenna Lyons weaves epic adventures, for example, but they are VERY GOOD, and these authors are Very Established. If a newcomer wants to compete with them, they had better be good enough to tempt the readers who are shopping for sex-books if they intend to sell a Second book.

There ARE readers who prefer Story to Sex.

But they do not represent the largest ratio of BUYERS. If you want to make decent sales numbers, catering to the smallest denominator of buyers is NOT the way to do it. If you want to make Big Sales you have to catch the attention of the largest ratio of buyers - and they want hot, juicy, and Detailed SEX. It's ugly, but it's the TRUTH.

Sexual Tension is NOT enough. 

A book over 20k with only one sex scene (no matter how much sexual tension is in the rest of it) is NOT what the largest ratio of buyers in this market are Shopping for. The biggest ratio of Erotic Romance buyers are Shopping SPECIFICALLY for Sexual Adventure Stories. A story over 20k should have at least 2 sex scenes.

Adding Sex to an existing story is a BAD IDEA. 

You should never put anything into a story that does not belong there -- ESPECIALLY SEX! Even I don't write that way. Every sex scene in each of my books has a reason to be there.

Don't know where to put the sex?
Go To: "Steam 101" by Angela Knight

- Plot Problem TWO -
Boy Gets Girl - IS the plot.

If boy and girl getting together IS the plot, then that story had better be under 20k. If it's over 20k then you've got a problem. If it's over 40k you have a Serious problem - NO PLOT.

If all you have is two people falling in love and nothing else, your story lacks MEAT. Sex alone does not sell to this market; they want a Good Story too!

In this jaded market, boy and girl STAYING Together --not Getting together-- should be the plot IN ADDITION to the story's actual plot-line. Technically, the Romance should be a Sub-Plot with the rest of the story trying to keep them apart.

This is a Choosy market and there are too many really talented authors that know how to weave a STORY with their Erotica and Romance. If you expect to compete for those buyers, you had better have a Meaty Plot - in addition to Love.

EXCERPTS Sell books.

Trust me; I know what I’m talking about.
You wanna do Press Releases anyway?
Then do it right.
Go To: Getting Good Press by Robert J. Sawyer

Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~