MATT CASTS REVIVE ON HIS BLOG!

So, if you started following this blog last year, then you might be wondering what happened to it. Unfortunately, over-scheduling happened. Once SHU’s MFA program got into full swing, my schedule filled up really fast. I had to prioritize my work and this little blog fell right through the cracks. This year, I’m going to work on my scheduling and time management. I have a lot of goals, I’m no longer new to the program, and I’m hoping to accomplish quite a bit.

In celebration of the new year, new semester, and new direction of the blog, I’ve decided to change the format. As you can see, this format has more of a typewriter feel. I also think it has a slight newspaper feel to it. Anyway, I love this new format. I know that some bloggers like a lot of flash on their pages, they love a lot of images and fancy things. I love those things too but in the interest of time, I can’t keep up with it. Instead, I’ve chosen this very clean format that should make the site easy to navigate and enjoyable to look at. I like the way it looks on a computer and I love the way it looks on a tablet.

I’ve also created three new categories that I’ll try to write about once a week. We have Writing Wednesday, Fan Friday, and Story Sunday.

Writing Wednesday: This will be a place to talk about writing, reading, or concepts within a genre. I might give writing advice, talk about an issue I’m having in my own writing, or address certain things I see in writing today.

Fan Friday: Honestly, I’m just going to dedicate a post to being a fan of something. I like a lot of things from books, to shows, to products, and so on. On Fridays, come by and tell me what you’re interested in this week. Everyone has likes and interests and this is a place for you to share them.

Story Sunday: Let’s talk about stories! This is a place there I might do some reviews or just talk about different stories I’ve encountered. This isn’t limited to novels, feel free to talk about stories in any form or genre.

Once in a while, I might introduce a theme for a certain week. Off the top of my head, I can tell you that I’ll probably have a week for George R.R. Martin. I’ll talk about his writing, fan out about once of his books, and then talk about one of his story arcs.

This is a blog, it’s a place for me to post ideas but it’s also a place for you to come and express your own ideas.  So join in and have some fun!

“Hazard Yet Forward,” On Sale Now!

Wonderful writing for a great cause. Please check out this collection put together by a wealth of talented writers to help out a member of our Seton Hill family.

Seventy-six writers connected to the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction program have created a multi-genre charity anthology entitled Hazard Yet Forward. All proceeds from this project will benefit Donna Munro, a 2004 graduate of the program. Munro, a teacher living in St. Louis, Missouri, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Genres represented in the book range from horror to romance to mystery – and everything in between. Some of the notable writers in the anthology are World Fantasy Award winner Nalo Hopkinson, Bram Stoker winners Michael A. Arnzen and Michael Knost, Bram Stoker nominee Lawrence C. Connolly, ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults winner Jessica Warman, Rita finalist Dana Marton, Spur award winner Meg Mims, Asimov’s Reader’s Award winner Timons Esaias and WV Arts and Humanities literary fellowships winner, Geoffrey Cameron Fuller.

New Interview 7/21/2012

So my very talented friend, Mary DeSantis, interviewed me this week for her blog. You can find the interview here… http://outofthelockbox.blogspot.com/2012/07/wpfer-interview-matt-odwyer.html

It was a really great experience.

The Goal

I’m just going to do a short post about my goal for this blog. A lot of people try to be informative and I will do the same. However, I would also like this to be a place of discussion for people who find a topic particularly interesting. I’m not an authority, I’m a writer constantly trying to improve my craft. So these blogs are going to be working through something I’m thinking about, like what makes fantasy characters relatable. So please feel free to comment on any post, contribute your own ideas, ask questions, and so on.

What Makes a Great Fantasy Character P.1

I’m sure I’ll revisit this topic several times within the next few months, so I’ll title this part one. Today I’m going to focus on what makes fantasy characters relatable.

Brandon Sanderson, master craftsman, likes to reference super heroes when talking about things like this. I really like that approach, so I’ll go ahead and start there as well. Let’s take a look at Spider-Man, arguably Marvel’s most loved character.  Spider-Man can shoot webs, he’s incredibly agile, has a “spider-sense,” and can climb on walls. All of these things make him visually interesting (whether being drawn or simply described) but they don’t really make him relatable. Peter Parker is the relatable character.

Depending on what snapshot of Peter’s life you’re looking at, you’ll see many different problems. He usually has a problem with money. When he’s a teenager, he doesn’t really have enough money to go hanging out with friends all the time. When he’s an adult, him and Mary Jane have a tough time paying the bills. Spider-Man could sometimes be seen as the antagonist getting in Peter Parker’s way. This makes Spider-Man the story of continuous sacrifice for Peter. He could have a better education, a better job, and more money if Peter Parker would give up being Spider-Man. These are some of the large reasons we love Spider-Man.

Let’s look at another character, Ned Stark from “A Game of Thrones.” I’ll keep this post as spoiler-free as possible. Ned Stark is the lord of Winterfell, a father to six children, and a friend to King Robert. He’s called upon to be the Hand of the King. It’s a wonderful job with a lot of responsibility and absolutely no perks. Despite being a lord and Hand, he remains a relatable character. This is largely due to how we see him interact with everyone. At times, he’s doing things a reader might have a hard time connecting with. He’s ordering people around, commanding knights to find someone, and speaking with King Robert about the state of the realm. However, we also see his small moments. We read about his doubts and we see the interaction he has with his children. These are some of his most relatable moments. They’re not always his most interesting moments. When he talks to Arya about playing with swords, it’s not as thrilling as when he gets into a fight outside of a brothel. However, talking to Arya is his fatherly moment. It’s the moment that grounds and connects us to Ned.

What I’m working through today is the idea of interesting vs. relatable. When making a fantasy character, I start with what makes the character interesting. Will their name be meaningful? Will they have a special ability? Will their be something strange about their appearance? That’s a lot of fun but I think it’s also the easiest part. The more challenging part comes when the writer says, how will this character be like my reader? Where does this character stop being “super” and start being “human.” Sure, they might be a hero on the battlefield. They might even swing through the streets of New York city, but would they stop and pick up someone’s wallet to return it to the owner? Would they scold their children and explain why it’s important to be a good person?

Feel free to share any thoughts you may have, build on what’s here, or even talk about some of your favorite relatable characters.


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