The WishKeeper is a Young Adult fantasy novel. This is where official book updates will be made, as well as individual diary entries from the books' characters will be entered.
Day 2 of Shea's posts. I have a bad feeling these will quickly turn into diary entries. I apologize to you all beforehand. And I know that you're always here, Shea, but also knowing you're staring at me while I sleep kind of creeps me out.
So, uh, Shea has been bugging me all morning about some letter she wrote. I guess she feels left out since I've been posting all of these social media updates lately. (Sorry about the stationary, Shea.) She promises to write a letter a day - which seriously scares me, since we have kids who read this page - but I guess I'll go with it.
Hey guys! Wattpad is an awesome resource to read books for FREE! If you haven't checked it out yet, head over to Wattpad and create an account. A very fun, cool way to experience social networking AND great books. And if you haven't yet read my first book, The WishKeeper, here is your chance to read it for free! I will be posting a new chapter every 4 to 5 days, so stay tuned and enjoy. Your WishKeeper is waiting, so keep wishing and keep believing. :) --Max
A Wishing Guide for the WishMaker - Anatomy Of A Wish
(A heartfelt shout-out to Mary Gutfleisch for the use of her artwork. See MaryDoodles on YouTube for more of her amazing talent.)
An Announcement from the Fairy Intelligence Agency
The Fairy Intelligence Agency has met, and due to the whispers of rebellion, we have come to the decision that informing WishMakers of how us Keepers manage your wishes can and will only result in a more educated and, most likely, stronger crop of wishes. We rely on your wishes, as you rely on us to grant them. So on with it, and if you wish for a fellow Maker to be privy of such vital information feel free to share.
This is merely a news release. If you wish to read a more in depth account of how our fairy world was saved and how your wishes were nearly destroyed, you may go here and read for yourself. We give thanks to the brave and honorable, Shea Evenstar, for her courage and service to the F.I.A.
You do it every day. Most often it is a passing desire within your current situation to either be rid of something or to manifest something. To have, or to have not. Every now and then, however, a greater desire overcomes us and we move from a basic want to a true intention. Or, in other words, a wish.
It’s easy to make a wish. Go ahead and try it now. “I wish…” It can be for anything: something grand and lofty or something small and simple. The true beauty of a wish is that the wish itself and the power it holds cares little for the level of difficulty or ease that you, yourself, place on it. A wish is a wish, and it will shine its delicate light upon you regardless. The act of wishing can be considered to be a drafting of a dream, a construction of the cosmos, a manufacturing of the improbable into the probable. Too many of you WishMakers, however, stop your wishing during its first stage of construction and in order for a wish to be granted, it must go through four stages. Exhausting? Probably. Worth it? To create something from nothing? What do you think?
Stage One: Desire
We briefly covered this above, however what is behind your initial attempt at saying, "I wish..."? DESIRE. It's easy to desire something, but it's more challenging to hold on to that desire and move through to Stage Two.
Desire is the simplest form of a wish and rarely do wishes become grated if it doesn't get past this state. if your wish is important to you, you will do more than just desire it.
Stage Two: Intent
By moving to the second stage, you're telling your wish that you not only believe in it, but you intend for it to come true. Here is where you are doing a lot of the work yourself. You're buying time for your wish to grow and expand, but understand that you still have control over granting it.
This is a dangerous stage of the wishing process as the life of the wish depends on your ability to balance action and receptivity. What is receptivity, you ask? Think of Stage Two as an ebb and flow of energy. A give and take. You're focusing effort on, "I can do this myself", but also letting go of the outcome. You are allowing the outcome to happen as opposed to trying to hard to make it happen. Some Keepers believe this is the most difficult stage and often if a wish goes unfulfilled it is because it did not pass this crucial step (and you, WishMaker, got a tad impatient).
Stage Three: Knowing
You believe in a lot of things. You believe you're good at math or science. You believe in your favorite sports team and their ability to win a match. You believe that dinosaurs roamed the Earth millions of years ago, and you believe stars twinkle because they're winking at you. That last part may not be entirely proven, but the point is...
...within each belief there tends to be a glimmer of doubt. No matter how strong your belief may be, somewhere deep down there is hesitation. By knowing something, you remove all doubt. You know how to breathe, how to walk, that your heart beats and keeps you alive. You don't have to try to keep your heart beating. It just continues to beat. You have to remind yourself to breathe, you just breathe. That's knowing.
In order for your wish to move to the final stage of fulfillment, you must come to a place of knowing. A place of undoubting revolve where your wish already exists in full form. What resides within the wish at this stage is full potential. The power of potential exists everywhere in your universe, but in order to manifest that potential into form, you must be completely unattached to the importance of such potential. And, ah, there is the trick. You can't think your wish will be granted, nor can you simply believe that it will, but you know that it already is. There is no doubt there.
If you can pass your wish through this stage, your wish is on its way to fulfillment. There is one last crucial stage, however, through which your wish must venture. It is the most mysterious and the most unknown stage of wish fulfillment. Stage Four.
Stage Four: The WishKeeper
Technically speaking, your WishKeeper is managing and tending to your wish at every stage of its development, however most Keepers wait to wrangle your wish until at least Stage Two. Some of the slightly lazy Keepers wait until the wish has reached Stage Three, though they are simply being a bit more careful than necessary (or you've already made so many darn wishes, they're a bit tied up).
It is your WishKeeper, however, that must see your wish through its final process. Without the accompanying Keeper, your wish will dangle in a powerless stasis and most likely grow so bored it just vanishes. The question is, though, do you believe in your WishKeeper, or do you know your WishKeeper exists?
Thankfully, WishKeepers don't worry about whether or not you believe in them. They know they have a job to do and look forward to serving you. Here is an important note about us WishKeepers:
At the day of your birth, you were assigned a WishKeeper and your Keeper is the only one who is able to bring your wish to the final stage of fulfillment. To give a slight description in case you are hearing about us for the first time: A WishKeeper is a small, winged creature, male or male, no bigger than a crow yet no smaller than a robin that tends to, helps, and assists a wish in its fulfillment process. The goal of a WishKeeper is to bring your wishes to complete fulfillment, and to guide your eager little wish with love, patience, kindness, and unconditional will. Once your wish has made it through Stage Three, your WishKeeper carefully brings it to a Pointe. This Pointe is an ancient, secret place that only the fairies are aware of, and we would rather not share such top secret information with the casual WishMaker. We do hope you understand, but please make note that without your WishKeeper, regardless of how steadily your wish moves through the first three stages, it will never be granted.
We visit you quite often, though we're terribly skilled at keeping out of sight. There are stories of WishMakers seeing the Keepers flying about. Some have even claimed to speak with us, but this is all just legend and lore as the consequences of talking directly to your WishKeeper are disastrous. We can hear you. Don’t worry.
You Makers tend to know of us as fairies, and while it is, in most respects, correct to call us such a thing, it is merely scratching the surface. We will refrain from explaining the history of our classes and races. If you have a magnifying glass handy, you are welcome to search for the voiceless and boring tome, The Listings, Races, Classes & Ancestral Markings of the Little Folk. It can be quite helpful when fighting insomnia.
On to the slightly more interesting. The Six Wish Types.
Due to the countless things you Makers wish for on a daily basis, the WishKeepers have had to categorize wishes into six types. We are quite organized, WishKeepers, and a system is needed in order to store and manage all of the your wishes. To the Keeper, no category is more important than the other, but here is a list of the types of wishes that should prove helpful to you, the WishMaker, in your understanding of what category your wishes may fall as any help you can give your WishKeeper is, well, helpful.
The Money Wish
A Money tends to be the most popular and the most self-explanatory of the wish types. It covers the wishing realm of material items, and they glow in the obvious color of green. They also tend to be wondrously annoying for any skilled Keeper to wrangle due to their naturally taunting and manner-less behavior.
The Athletic Wish
While, yes, sports can be an important element in a WishMaker's life, not all Makers are purely physical athletes and thus not all play sports. We understand your longing to achieve and fit in, to have a place in the world, be it on an athletic field, in a classroom or personally and internally. The Athlete, like the Money, can at times be connected to material items if the intent is to achieve the collection of such an item based on your longing to connect with another Maker. The Athlete resides outside of a Ladder Wish type since not all achievement is relegated to the workplace. Athletes want to be seen, glow bright blue and are one of the brightest of all wishes.
The Purity Wish
Possibly the favorite of the WishKeepers since Purities are the easiest to wrangle due to their soft and peaceful nature. These wishes cover the realms of health, familial and relationship bonds, and spiritual prosperity. Usually these wishes tend to be unselfish and unconditional, glow with a soft pink hue and gladly float toward their pursuing Keeper with ease.
The Ladder Wish
We giggle at a WishMaker's longing to succeed in their workplace, and we can't help but laugh at your incessant need to reach for the next and highest rung. Distinct from an Athlete not only due to the difference between the classroom and the workplace, but because of a WishMaker's intent to rise above certain circumstances and situations, be it career promotion, or industry success. A Ladder's glow radiates with a deep purple and are rather tricky for a Keeper to wrangle merely because of their darker shade (and these wishes tend to be made mid-day when there are many WishMakers to avoid).
The True Love Wish
Extremely rare, we had to create a separate category for this wish type. Not because it’s so different than the rest, but actually quite the opposite - it contains elements of all wish types in one. What we find most intriguing about a TLW is that while it contains elements of all wishes, there is an unknown and unexplainable source of energy radiating from within it.
Historically, WishKeepers have rejoiced in the making of a True Love Wish, not just because of a Maker’s ability to do so, but because if granted, a TLW immediately brings balance to our world of Paragonia and your world (The Other Side, as the Keepers call it). A True Love Wish is only made once in a Maker’s lifetime, and sadly, most Makers go a lifetime without making even that one.
They glow a fiery red color, tend to be oddly shaped resembling that of a heart, and are near impossible to wrangle as it is the most wild and naturally free wish that could ever be made.
The Death Wish
We should not be sharing this information with you, but we feel that knowing is power, and the more you know regarding the types of wishes that whiz from your heads, the better off our worlds will be.
Known to the WishKeepers as merely 'The Sixth', a Death Wish is a mystery that has yet to be solved. All we can determine is that A) it is not only a wish for someone or something to die, but B) it is a wish for a thing to 'end'. It is tricky to determine how a Death Wish is made, but almost as rare as a True Love Wish, its energy exists due to its Maker's deep, heart-aching intent for something or someone in their life to end - not out of love, but out of fear.
It is important to note the existence of such a wish since it, along with the other five, is a part of the basic nature of any WishMaker. Not all wishes are positive ones and therefore, not all WishMakers are either. Because it is our job to support any and all wishes made by our assigned Maker, we cannot be partial to one wish more than another. A WishKeeper must assume his or her responsibility for granting it. All made up of distinct colors, shapes and intent, the Six Wishes are the elements that make up Paragonia and its WishKeepers, and all are essential to their continuing existence.
Only one secret has ever been kept from the WishingKings. The sixth wish type. Purposely kept separate and in secret storage due to its dark properties and danger if harnessed by the wrong hands, it is shaped like a rounded pyramid, glows with a black light, and is the true essence of bittersweet.
In its most basic form, a wish is intent. Intent is the force that drives action and creates a result. Simple. A positive result, however, is relative to the WishMaker’s intent. Good or evil has nothing to do with it.
Be wise and weary of what you wish for. it is not enough to simply be careful, but to instead, be aware. We will be here. We will help.
Help Me Obi-Wan: Creating A Dynamic Secondary Character
Frodo’s Samwise. Luke’s Obi-Wan. Don Quixote’s Sancho. Marty’s Doc Brown. As memorable as any Main Character can be, his partner is equally memorable.
("The force is strong here…and it’s telling me you need a haircut.")
Why is this? Why is it that when Harry Potter is quite obviously the hero, we fawn over Albus Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione? A very real and obvious response is that such characters are well-developed, layered, emotionally charged, and just plain well-written. There is, however, another reason - one of extreme importance when building and developing a concept.
("Take the ring to Mordor, Harry. Er, I mean…")
“Behind every great man there is a great woman”, is a nod to this belief of a story’s Dynamic Character (secondary character) being equally as important as its Main Character.
("He's behind me, isn't he?")
This blog post could be cut quite short with the simple statement of, “No Main Character or hero can change, evolve or develop without the assistance of an outside force.” We will dive deeper into this particular statement, though, since this post would be rather boring and unhelpful without some form an explanation. More importantly, understanding the importance of a Dynamic Character within your story could be what propels you to craft a more exciting, emotional, and enjoyable project.
("Maybe this Almanac thing isn’t such a bad idea.")
Many of you, I am sure, have heard of the basic story structure statements of, “Man vs. Nature”, “Man vs. Man”, “Man vs. Self”, etc. Such statements are far too general when attempting to create entire worlds and engaging characters, however. Take, for instance, the statement of, “I am writing a Man vs. Self story.” That’s nice, but what does that mean? Is he punching himself in the face at any given moment? Is he sitting in front of a mirror all day, every day, and having conversations with his own image? Does he have a doppelganger that mimics his moves, intent, thoughts, etc? All of these questions create completely different stories, adventures and potential themes, so why be vague?
(Even the purposely independent Batman has Commissioner Gordon and Alfred.)
It is crucial to understand a particular aspect of such a statement as Man vs. Self. All stories have some semblance of “Man vs. Self”. No matter the movie, book, theatrical play, poem or TV show, every single story has an aspect of a person fighting to gain control over some kind of aspect of his life, and therefore becoming a little better than he used to be, OR failing at becoming better than he used to be and thus learning a valuable (albeit depressing) lesson. And here is a newsflash; all of these stories had a Dynamic Character of some kind embodying the qualities that will allow the Main Character to change.
("Did I leave the iron on?")
I can hear the comments now, “What about Tom Hanks in Castaway? He spent the majority of the movie alone on an island! Who was his Dynamic Character?” Robert Zemeckis needed more than a photo of Helen Hunt for Tom Hanks to evolve, so he created Wilson, the volleyball. What does Wilson do in the end? He floats away, forcing Hanks to make a decision. Wilson embodied Tom Hanks’ need to let go, move on, and trust the unknown. What was Tom Hanks’ character’s job in the movie? He was an overly organized logistics manager for FedEx that lived a life based completely around schedules and planned expectations. The following scene, after Wilson floats away and Hanks is rescued, is an amazing monologue where Hanks describes his time on the island and how he, “had power over nothing”, and all he could do was “keep breathing”. Could it be argued that the island itself was his Dynamic Character? In some ways, yes, but the island was embodied by a bloodied volleyball named Wilson because there was a human, relational aspect to the character dynamic and in a subtle, but very real sense, Wilson helped him change.
("No! You can not have any ice cream before dinner!")
The Dynamic Character as an Opponent: The best of friends is not someone who consistently says ‘yes’ to you, agrees with everything you say, and dotes upon you like a servant. The best kind of friend is the one who challenges you, pushes you toward a mountain that he knows you can climb even when you have given up. This friend, with certainty based in a realm of love and acceptance, knows what is best for you because he knows the best in you has yet to shine. Can she be annoying? Can she frustrate you beyond words? Can he assume the role of an enemy? Yes, but why can they be such things? Because they are forcing us to make the hard decisions, change, and to be better than we used to be all while admitting we are imperfect. Since character development and evolution most often drives an adventure, the essence of change becomes evident through every obstacle, and such change is charged and catalyzed because of the Dynamic Character.
In order to create a strong Dynamic Character, your Main Character’s internal struggle and problem (or “Misbehavior”) needs to be clearly defined. Without knowing what emotional struggle your MC is trying to manage (or trying to ignore), then you won’t truly understand how the assigned Dynamic Character will be able to help, and much less provide moments and setpieces during the Adventure that affect and change the Main Character. Yes, you read that correctly - “Dynamic Character provides moments and setpieces during the Adventure”. If you need to read it again, please do so.
("He made fun of our hats. Shoot him.")
This is such a vital aspect of storytelling that writers tend to either forget or not understand. When you are having difficulty brainstorming scenes and moments for your concept and Adventure, look to your Dynamic Character and how he can make things more difficult for your hero. By brainstorming a list of ways your DC can place obstacles in front of your MC, you suddenly create a list of scenes and moments that outline the 2nd Act Adventure. Evolving such obstacles so that they become more and more entertaining, challenging and/or difficult will then create more conflict, drama, action, suspense…you get the idea. Every character in your story is tasked with the responsibility to affect change in and therefore develop your hero. If there are characters in your story that do not progress your hero’s Adventure in some way, they need to go.
(“Who’s the real winner today? Mikey’s the real winner!”)
The Unsung Hero. The force behind the force, or to quote the Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn flick, Swingers, “the guy behind the guy”.
The invisible energy that propels action, conquest, and resolution, and yet finds solace in never receiving credit. This is the Dynamic Character. Your hero needs help, whether he knows it or not, and the Dynamic Character will be there for her to spot the cracks in the hull and either make the cracks even bigger in order to prove a point, or patch them up. Samwise Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings epitomizes the role of a Dynamic Character - ever loyal, ever helpful, and always pushing Frodo to keep moving forward. And when Frodo physically couldn’t go on, “I may not be able to carry it for you, but I can carry you.” Samwise knew what was best for Frodo, despite Frodo’s plea to stop. Had Sam given in, there wouldn’t have been a story in the first place.
Your Dynamic Character deserves more credit than you are giving him. Let her shine by focusing just as much time on her character’s development as your hero’s. Your story, and your writing, deserves it.
To learn more about the author, Max Timm, you can go here, www.wishkeeperbook.com, or visit him on Facebook www.facebook.com/thewishkeeper and Twitter @iMaxTimm
Tips for the Wishful Writer - Main Character In The Driver’s Seat: Creating Your Hero
Your Humble Writing Instructor At Your Service
Sure, some of you may wonder where I come off offering advice. "Just because he's a writer doesn't mean he can teach me how to write." It's an excellent point because not all writers are teachers and not all teachers are writers. BUT for the past ten years I have educated myself in the craft of both screenwriting and novel writing, as well as working as the Director of Development at Writers Boot Camp, and as a writing instructor/consultant focusing on character-driven stories.
No, I am not Joseph Campbell, but due to the 10,000+ hours I have put into studying the craft and the elements of a hero's journey, I feel I at least have an informed opinion.
Part of my weekly blog routine will be teaching you fine folks suggestions, ways, routes and methods as to how to create and develop entertaining stories. At the end of the day, we ALL love a good story, but what makes a story truly entertaining? A LOT of things - there are so many components that make up the "whole" that it's a waste of time to argue over which is more important. My personal opinion, however, is that virtually any story is at least more entertaining if you have well-crafted, interested, layered and emotionally-connecting characters. Below is Part 1 of my "Tips for the Wishful Writer".
Enjoy...and please get your writing hours in! You owe it to yourself and your audience to finish what you've started.
Quick Tips:
Basic Character Tip #1: The audience should root for or against him or her, and yet always find some way to relate.
Examples: Hiccup (How to Train Your Dragon) and Walter White (Breaking Bad). Two VERY different heroes and yet the audience is able to relate on an emotional level AND root for them despite their actions.
Basic Character Tip #2: The MC (main character) is the driving force behind a story’s emotion. If your story is not creating some form of an emotional reaction in your audience, your MC is probably not strong enough (well-developed).
Basic Character Tip #3: Your Main Character should have an “internal goal” AND an external goal.
**Below, George Bailey from "It's A Wonderful Life". Simple: an external goal of needing to get his hands on $8,000, and an internal goal of accepting his sense of self-importance. "Ya know, George? You really had a wonderful life." --from his supporting character, literally a guardian angel, Clarence Oddbotty
Whether a Character Knows It or Not, He Has a Contract With Himself - A Contract That Must Be Successfully Fulfilled
What this means is that whether or not the hero knows of his internal goal, he must go on an adventure in order to achieve this goal. This is often the difference between a “reluctant hero” and a “willing hero”. It is in the overcoming of emotional barriers and obstacles that provides entertaining setpieces and moments throughout the middle of the story.
Without a fully developed main character with thoroughly detrimental emotional issues, the adventure and overall story will very simply fall flat. Does this mean that every character needs to be some form a mental patient? Of course not. But I do mean that every character’s emotional obstacle needs to be important to THEM (him, her, etc).
Take The 40 Year-Old Virgin as an example.
He’s 40 years old and terrible with women. So terrible, he’s never had sex. On the surface and a materialistic level, this is not front page news nor is it a socio-political problem, etc etc. But to the main character, this problem is so detrimental it is ruining his life. That’s how big the internal goal for any hero needs to be – it needs to be life changing in SOME way to him or her. And it is our job as writer to convince the audience how important this issue really is.
Maybe I should say, “life-altering”. Not all emotional issues will necessarily change a person’s life entirely, but we as writers need to present to the audience such an emotional issue as if it is that important. The reader/audience needs to be “all in” or why are we even bothering? The audience is watching this particular moment or series of moments of the MC’s life because it is the most important series of moments of the character’s life thus far.
Allow your Hero to Have One Main, External Goal - Something He or She Needs To “Do” In order to “Win”.
This is a basic, object-based goal, i.e. “bring the ring to Mordor and destroy it” (maybe not Frodo Kitty, but go with me here).
But a more important goal is an internal one, i.e. “learn how to let go and not control others”. Finding Nemo is a perfect example.
The external goal is in the title! Find Nemo! The thematic reason Marlin (Nemo's father) is going on the adventure, however, is not just because he needs to find and rescue his son, it’s because he needs to learn how to let go and let his son grow up.
This ties into the hero’s emotional obstacle; what the character needs to overcome personally. So, in order for Marlin to learn how to let go (internal goal), he needs to lose his son and try to rescue him (external goal). In the image above and being pure Disney, Dory literally yells at Marlin, "YOU NEED TO LET GO!"
Now...we're not all writing Disney movies, but it is at least a quite obvious example of stating theme (which is naturally connected to the main character's internal goal).
He didn’t know that he had the internal goal at the outset of the story. It’s like an emotional "switch-eroo" for the character. He starts out on an adventure for one very specific reason and realizes, through facing and overcoming obstacles, the true reason for the adventure by the end. Ahh, morals of stories and thematic resolutions.
Most Of The Time The Hero Doesn’t Know He Has An Internal Goal
Almost always does a hero first have an external goal - something of which he or she needs to achieve. As the adventure continues, though, he realizes what emotional issues need to be fixed (and rarely are they fixed easily).
Most often, the realizations of an internal goal are hit head on, create obstacles and therefore denied by the MC (denying that he or she actually needs to change). The MC notices how difficult it will be to overcome and achieve the internal issues and goal because he is so used to "being" this way (Yes Man, above, is an all-too perfect example). This is incredibly common in "real" life, much to our own dismay. We know we have to change certain habits, but change is never easy - especially when it is on a personal or spiritual level.
In order for a movie or book to be entertaining, the obstacle course the MC endures should reflect the hero's personal issues in some way - whether obvious and deliberate, or subtle and simple. (Here's another image from Yes Man because it makes me giggle.)
Layered Emotional Obstacles
A lot of writers and story creators consider giving a hero multiple emotional issues in order for him or her to better relate to an audience, or to strike additional emotional chords with the audience throughout the adventure.
It would be ideal to focus on one major issue like “so risk averse, he never leaves his house”. You will notice, however, that additional “layers” naturally present themselves when creating and brainstorming such an emotional obstacle, because questions arise as if you’re sitting your character down in front of a psychiatrist.
“What caused you to be so risk averse? What happened – specifically, what event – to make you so terrified of life?”
Maybe an answer during your brainstorming/psych session is, “My father was a risk management advisor for the government. He died in an explosion that I caused.”
So, sure, we can see why he might be terrified of life, but is his true emotional obstacle just simply “risk averse”? I would argue there is more to it then that. I would say this character has major trust issues, and possibly not just of others. Maybe he doesn’t trust himself. What does that mean, really?
It could mean he doesn’t have any self-confidence. It could also mean that he has major parenting issues and refuses to ever be a father himself, so therefore he ignores women and is horrified of being affectionate since it might cause someone to fall in love with him and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, etc etc etc.
You can see where I’m going with this, but as you start listing the issues this character may or may not have, you immediately start picturing – naturally, because you’re a hell of a storyteller – moments and obstacles throughout the adventure that will force the hero to face up to his emotional issues. In other words, the characters he meets and obstacles he overcomes represent in some thematic way, the very emotional issues he is trying to suppress and ignore.
Example: scenes that show him parachuting from a plane, or even as simple as shaking the mail man’s hand - maybe that mail man has a daughter he would like to introduce to the hero...
First considering your main character’s internal goal – whether he knows what it is or not – will allow for the external goal to become that much more important and, therefore, more of a challenge.
Writers Tend to First Consider an External Goal or “Plot Hook” For a Story or Project
There is of course nothing wrong with this, but it only becomes a problem when the writer forgets to connect how the hero is affected by the external goal…or more importantly, why the external goal (overall adventure) is so important for him to experience.
Do not become bogged down with plot/hook and concept for too long. Throw the plot down on paper, and then move on to how the hero is affected by it. I promise that the plot and external goal will change because of your brainstorms and inspired ideas regarding your main character's internal and emotional issues.
Put the main character in the driver’s seat – whether he is willing to sit there or not.
A little self-promotion - image of my hero in my book, The WishKeeper
Want to read more about Maximilian Timm, or check out his recent book? Click here. OR follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
Amidst all the craziness and chaos surrounding the Free Kindle Download Promo last week (7500 downloads!), I have been away from Tumblr...BUT I'm back to share with you some very happy news.
Kirkus Review (www.kirkusreviews.com) is one of the leading review sources in the industry and they have just submitted their review of The WishKeeper. I'm very happy with it.
Here it is, and get your little wings over to Amazon to wrangle yourself a copy!
KIRKUS REVIEW - The WishKeeper
Timm, in his debut, enters the YA world with an imaginative take on pursuing dreams.
Timm masterminds a fantastical setting, rife with inventive terminology: the Fairy Intelligence Agency; Exclamation Point, the cliff where every wish goes to rest until its fulfillment; and the WishKeepers (fairies) and WishMakers (humans), simply referred to as Keepers and Makers. Due to all the unfamiliar language in the foreign land of Paragonia, the first 15 of 48 chapters paint a curious world with numerous questions that are answered later in the relatively lengthy book. The action follows Shea, a stubborn fairy with a tumultuous past whose present reality includes a lot of disappointment and bullying. She evolves into a classic YA heroine: broken but brave, angry but hopeful. A relatable protagonist, she begins taking risks to make her own wishes come true: “All she ever asked or wished for was a chance. But she might just need to create that chance on her own and she was done feeling sorry for herself.” Timm takes some risks, too, by navigating the relatively uncharted territory of lesbian love in YA fiction via Avery, who has deep feelings of love for Elanor. Timm takes on the fantasy gamut with finesse, including everything from high jinks to romance. There are cry-worthy scenes, as with the drama of a daughter grieving for her dead mother, and amusing moments, particularly with Shea’s snappy assessments of various wishes. In many ways, the conflict is resolved by book’s end, though a two-page epilogue will whet readers’ appetites for Book 2. Parents will appreciate the book’s inspiring message and the courage it might stir in young readers.
An action-packed, dramatic tale with a nonstandard relationship and a winning message.
Hello my little Tumblerians, and happy Thanksgiving.
I secretly hope no one reads this post today! I say that with love and a little dash of humor, of course. My point is that today is a day for laughing with friends, sharing stories with family and hugging turkeys. Hugging turkeys? Where did that come from? At the very least, it is a day to look back on the past nine months and review all of the challenges you've faced, and not just a day to surf the internet and stare at strange, bug-eyed meme's of morons being, well, morons.
No year goes without its mistakes, bumps or bruises, but every year does end with a chance to reflect on what you do still currently have in your life. I can promise you that there is always something or someone for which you can be thankful. Focus on that one thing or person, and take it with you into the following year.
I was inspired by an article this morning posted by parade.com. It asks, "Which Book Are You Most Thankful For?" Here is the article. It's fantastic! A few young adult authors cited books such as Little Women, Harry Potter, Dreams of Victory by Ellen Conford. I would like to weigh in on the book that I am thankful for and would love to hear about yours.
I invite you to share the article and tell folks which book you're most thankful for. Which book stuck with you and made an indent on your soul? Books can do this sort of thing...leave marks. We readers need to be more thankful for what an author goes through in order to tell a story. Often times it is an incredible amount of pain, anguish and self-deprecating journaling! To release an end result - a story - that enriches our lives and energizes us to the point of affecting us to alter the course of who we are and who we intend to be...that is a remarkable thing, and I am sure we have all experienced such a book.
Here is a book that changed my life and pushed me in the direction of becoming an author.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
It seems too "easy" of a choice, really. I bet you were hoping for some relatively obscure book title, but nope; Tom Sawyer it is. Why? For one thing, I remember being around ten or eleven years-old and my dad forcefully telling me that I needed to stop reading books about sports. He kind of made me read it...but I'm glad he did.
I'm sure my father was a bit cautious as to how to approach the conversation; "how do I tell my kid to stop reading?" I was devouring biographies and autobiographies on athletes like Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan, and my obsession with sports was getting a tad overwhelming. I knew my dad was happy that I was reading anything at all, but while my father is and has always been a jock, he is equal parts artist and dreamer. He has always understood the importance of a good story. Maybe he could never truly articulate why "story" is so important in our everyday lives, but he knew that his son needed to branch out. He would watch me play with my He-Man guys and G.I. Joe's on a daily basis; setting up massive still-frames of tremendous battles with action figures suspended in mid-fight. He knew there was a storyteller inside of me, at least in some way, and he knew which book to give me that could unleash him.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was at first an annoyance. "Who is this kid and why should I care?" I didn't know who Mark Twain was, nor did I give a hoot. But as Tom "adventured" - ultimately finding a new adventure around every corner - it hit me that I was exactly like this Tom kid. Tom was an athletic boy who had a wild imagination. It wasn't until I read Tom Sawer that I realized I didn't need to compartmentalize who I was. I wasn't just a kid who liked sports, and I wasn't just a kid who loved playing with action figures. I could be both.
Don't get me wrong, these attributes did not make me "special" or unique; a lot of kids have imaginations that keep them physically active, but since I have always been a slightly obsessive person, reading about Tom allowed me to be OK with blending the two "people" inside of me. I didn't know I was able to do that. I was trying to figure out who this little Max kid was supposed to be - even if the "figuring" was on a subconscious level - and really, I was just doing and being what my parents thought I should do and be. Tom opened me up to not only new imaginative adventures and the rewards that come from taking challenges and risks, but he helped define who I was; a boy who lived in his head, but wanted desperately to see those imaginings come to life. Tom propelled me past the point of a simple "dreamer" and toward someone who pursues those dreams in real life.
I could not be more thankful for the wild, straw-hat-wearing little Tom who found adventure with every step.
Now share which book you're most thankful for, and please enjoy your holiday season with as much gratitude as possible. There is a reason we are still here...so let's find it and make the most of it.
It's been far too long since I've shouted at you. I have been busy finalizing my Kickstarter campaign's pledge level rewards and shipping all of the various goodies to my backers. To those of you who supported the campaign, you're amazing and I love you (on a completely platonic level, of course).
Here is the cool news: between December 2nd through the 5th, The WishKeeper will be available FOR FREE on Amazon Kindle! Tell your friends, your parents, your doggies and kitties, and remind your WishKeeper! My goal is to surpass the 7,000 downloads mark over the span of four days.
Now, the even cooler news: if you download the eBook and tell me here on Tumblr or on The WishKeeper Facebook page, I will ASSIGN A WISHKEEPER JUST FOR YOU. This fairy will be named and come with a set of fairy specs (height, wing span, usual attire, body art, etc). The only way this will work though is if you post to the Facebook page a screen capture of your download and mention it here on Tumblr! I won't know if you downloaded the eBook if you don't post about it!
I could be digging myself a huge Wishing hole here; in other words, if 7,000 people actually tell me about downloading the eBook and want a WishKeeper fairy of their own...I can spit my social life goodbye for a while...but it's worth it!
ALSO even cooler cooler news: BOOK CLUBS! If you are a part of a book club, please message me on Facebook or get in touch with me here on Tumblr. I will email you a copy of either the Nook version of The WishKeeper or the Kindle version for FREE. This is only if you're a part of a BOOK CLUB and if everyone in the club agrees to post their reviews and comments on Amazon. Book Clubs are awesome, even if it's just to get together and drink caffeinated beverages and consume an incredible amount of sweets (while talking about books, of course).
So there ya go! I'm digging in my heels and expecting a big December. You all can be a part of the next big thing, so let's do this.
Yours truly and inevitably.
(I went a little overboard with the photo linking, but I enjoyed myself immensely.)
After eight long years of developing, writing, researching, and more rewriting, The WishKeeper is finally available to the public! It's only available as a Kindle download through Amazon FOR NOW - the paperback will be available no later than December 1!
For this weekend, as a promotion for its launch, the book is available for $1.99 on Amazon Kindle. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can download the book for FREE! Who doesn't like free stuff? Especially when it comes in the form of a rebellious little fairy desperate to grant wishes??
Here is the Amazon Kindle download! Go get the book! What the heck are you waiting for??
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