Character Backstory

How important is background information?
I'd say it largely depends on the story.
I am currently in the process of watching the TV series, Lost. I will say this: The characters are round and dynamic.
Is this important to the story? Absolutely.
Why? Because it clues us in to two major things: 1) why each acts and thinks the way they do. 2) it may be a reason/clue as to why they are there to begin with.

Backstory is vital to character development.
Possibly the most developed character I personally have ever written is Gatorverne McLeod. She is one of my supporting characters in Catching the Sun. She continues to surprise my readers as I continue her story.
I think of Flashpoint when I think of very round and dynamic characters. I think of Ed and Sam and Jules when I think of a past that brought them to where they are. I think of Greg when I think of a character who has overcome so much and has been through so much. When pressure is high I think mostly of Spike, who never lost his cool until it was all over.
And there is a reason for each and every characteristic and flaw in each and every one of those characters. And it all comes from their past.

We are who we are today because of something that happened yesterday. Either we did something right or wrong or did nothing, and it could have been so much different, but it isn't. We don't notice things like that; neither should our characters. But we should most definitely consider, as the writers, what could have been.

I am most attracted to characters who have problems in their past. The trials they face and overcome mean so much to me; it shows just how much I, as a reader, can overcome if I put my own mind to it. It also shows that some people don't "get over" it.  I think of Ed Lane and Sam Braddock (from Flashpoint) in particular, who clearly still deal with what they caused to happen. They struggle internally, and it shows through in the form of actions.

Our words and actions always, always result in reactions. Shouldn't it be the same with our characters? Everything they say should result in something being said or done by another character. Everything they do and say should reflect something else.

Nothing without purpose. Why did that character die? Why didn't that one? Why did she torture them? Why did he ignore her. Why did he fall in love with her? Why didn't she fall for him?

Everything happens for a reason, and you need to know that reason. This is why history is important.

Keep it up!

Character Mannerisms

John walked up to the porch were she was sitting. He stood on his toes and touched the tin roof with his fingertips. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Hey Kasy, do you want to go to Razor Burgers and eat lunch with me?"

John walked up to the front porch, turning his hat over and over in his hand. "Hey, Kasy, do you want to go eat lunch with me? I've heard the burger joint downtown is good."

John's boots dragged across the driveway as he moved toward the porch. He carelessly tossed his hat onto the swing and asked, "Hey Kasy, wanna go eat lunch with me at Razor Burgers?" 

Which ones show John to be more comfortable with Kasy and which one shows him as a bit more nervous or self-conscious? 

Which John would you be more at ease with? Which one would you be more likely to say 'yes' to?

Mannerisms are important to the story. In fact, a character's actions are what makes the story. Think about it; if you were to read a story where every character just walks to wherever he's going and just says what he wants to say and then does exactly what he aims to do and then goes home, how boring would that be?
I can tell you this: I ain't gonna be finishin' that one.
So, rather than just stating the facts: John walked up to Kasy and said, "Hey wanna get some lunch with me?", let's work with something more lively: John sprinted up to the porch, "Hey Kasy!" Swinging his arms, he gestured toward his pickup, "You want to go grab some lunch with me?"

This shows a bit more of who John is. He seems to be in a hurry. He's energetic, whether it's because of his hurry, or because of his personality. The energy is clear from the fact taht he sprinted instead of ran. But look at this: swinging his arms, he gestured toward the pickup. That should clue us in to the idea that he is fairly comfortable and loose. He's open, rather than nervous and tight.

Mannerisms make the character, not the other way around.
A character may be easy with one person and not so much with another.
Kasy's dad walked out on the porch, "Howdy, John."
John grinned, "Hey Mr. George," he said, reaching out to shake hands.
A moment later, Mrs. George also came out, "Hello, John."
John swallowed, then replied, "Good morning, Mrs. George," and he pushed his hands into his jeans pockets.

When Mr. George came out, John was relaxed, but when Mrs. George came, John grew tense, as we see from his physical actions.
So, different actions can give clues to the character's personality and emotion.
Emotions, action, personality. Often, but not always, the three are connected, and that is also a very important thing to be aware of.

A character may be emotionally devastated, but have a very outgoing personality. His actions are going to reflect both.
On the flip side, he may be emotionally excited, but generally a very quiet person; his actions will likely not be as visible; rather, it is what is going on in his mind that matters. It would also be a good idea to take into note the fact that his facial expressions will be more prominent and important here than his words.

I suppose that's a bit of a lot to chew on, so I'm going to leave you to it!
I'm glad I've finally finished this post; it's taken me about a month to complete. :)
If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them! Comment below; I'd love to hear from you. 

Non-Fiction...And What It Takes to Write It

Sometimes characters do exactly what we don't want them to do.
Sometimes a post winds up teaching us something, rather than us teaching someone else something.
Sometimes we want a coffee in the morning and wind up with a tea or hot-chocolate instead.

In other words, sometimes life just doesn't go our way.

I tend to pride myself on my fictional works.
I tend to brush off non-fiction.
But, as I have recently discovered, I am better at non-fiction.

In light of that, I'd like to give a shout-out to all those who are writing non-fiction. Fiction is often fun, and can even be important, but

the world wouldn't exist without the non-fiction as well.

So, this post is for those of you who like non-fiction, whether it's biographies, documentaries, journalism-related material, etc.

When writing non-fiction, I think one of the most important things to remember is you don't have to get it 100% perfect in the first draft. As a matter of fact, if you feel like you need to, even make up a few details along the way. That's what second drafts are for. 

I love detail. In my opinion, it's difficult to have too much detail. (Which probably is why I adore literary works such as The Hobbit and Pride and Prejudice and Little Women.)
When I don't know all the details, I use "filler" text. (And when I do this, I generally highlight it as I go so when I am ready for the revision steps, I can easily spot what is made up.)
When I'm done with the first draft, I like to simply read through it once.
Then I create a new document and copy everything from the original onto the new. I go over the new one and take out all the highlighted fictitious parts. I read through it again without them.
Now I have a "editing document" and an "original". This helps to see what kind of extra or previously missed information I need to "smooth it out".

  Then, depending on how long of a work it is, I put it down for a while. If it's 3-10 pages, I generally just leave it for a day or so. If it's 10-30 pages (which a lot of my works turn out to be) I leave it for one to two weeks. Anything over 30 pages, I tend to just lay it down and whenever I get the itch for it, I pick it back up.
While revision is difficult for some, it comes somewhat easily to me. I am particularly fond of job, so to say, but I don't hate it, either.

I like to do my "largest chunk of research" during my break. This is where I look for those little details I need for filler text--little things to make certain actions more "real" to the reader. I don't just use Google. I love to read just as much--if not even more--than I love to write. So, that said, I love spending hours upon hours at the library. There's something special about working while you're in a library.
So, once all research is done, I usually move on with the second draft. This is where I do all the fill-ins.
Third draft is for general grammatical mistakes (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).
And the last is the final copy.
That's a typical non-fiction work for me.
But I'm curious to know how the rest of you handle it, so comment and let me know!