Have a character but no plot? Three easy steps you can use to make one

If you have an idea for a character but don't know what to do with it, here are three easy steps that will help you create a great story:

1. find out what your main character wants most and make him/her want it or need it more and more.

2. find something that prevents him/her from getting that thing and make the obstacle bigger and more urgent (it can be internal, another character, or the world your character is in). 

3. bring the conflict to a head until the character resolves it by getting what he/she wants, letting go of what he/she wants (and possibly getting something better in return), or coming to accept being without the thing he/she originally wanted. 

A plot can have several steps, so your main character can start out wanting one thing, get it, and then want something else.  For example, in The Cat in the Hat, the main characters ("me and Sally") want something to relieve their boredom until they get it; then they want to avoid getting in trouble. 

These three steps have infinite possibilities depending on the main character(s), other characters, setting, style, and want/need.

If you have an idea for a plot but not a main character, you can easily turn that plot into a main character, too: whatever the objective of the main character in a plot is supposed to be, create a character who is strongly motivated to achieve that objective. Create other characters who are strongly motivated to stop the main character from achieving that objective. For example, some of the people who are motivated to solve a crime are a detective, a reporter, the accused, the victim, and the likely next target. Notice that the more motivated the character is to achieve the objective, the more compelling the story becomes. 

Looking for Family Entertainment Deals in New York City? Check out These 11 Websites

New York City is one of the most amazing--and expensive--cities in the world, but deals abound if you know where to look. (Times Square in New York City, photo: Terabass)

A friend of mine from overseas will be coming to the New York City area with her family for summer vacation. We talked about it over Facetime (gotta love how Facetime can connect you with family and friends who are far away), and she told me her family wants to have a genuinely American experience. She mentioned seeing an auto race as an example.

She also said she wanted to see a Broadway show. Then we both said in unison, “But they're so expensive!”

And it’s true, they are.

But there are great deals out there if you know where to look.

For example, one year I bought tickets for the family to see Ovo by Cirque du Soleil, which is a great Cirque show. We sat only four rows from the stage, and the tickets only cost us $40 each.

Today I bought tickets for Rebounderz in Edison, New Jersey. This is an amazing indoor trampoline park that my family loves. Two tickets good for 90 minutes each were just $23. That’s $11.50 per person! Not bad.

I've also bought coupons good for discounted merchandise from some cool stores, discounted movie tickets, tickets to off-Broadway shows, like Stomp, and more.

So I compiled this list of places to look for good entertainment deals in the NYC area for my friend and her family, and I thought I’d share them here with you. 

After all, the only thing better than having a good time is having a good time at a great price. (If you're coming from overseas, be aware that you might need an American credit card to take advantage of many of these deals.)

Here's a short list of websites you should check out if you looking for entertainment deals in the New York City area:

1. Groupon

Groupon works with Expedia to bring you travel deals based on location. I bought those tickets to Rebounderz here, as well as movie tickets. It's best to subscribe a couple of months in advance, because you never know what you’re going to find.

http://www.groupon.com/new-york/getaways

 2. Goldstar 

Goldstar offers an eclectic list of events, some of them FREE, and many of them half or more off. Current examples are the Blue Man Group: Worldwide Theatre Sensation at Astor Place Theatre for $43.00-56.60 instead of $85.00 and Cirque du Soleil’s Totem for $37.00-$78.00 instead of $55.00-115.00. We've bought tickets to off-Broadway shows from Goldstar. You have to join the club to take advantage of offers, but it's free, so why wouldn't you?

http://www.goldstar.com/new-york/events

3. Living Social

Living Social deals are . . . interesting, and even more eclectic than Goldstar's. They're worth checking, though, because you never know what you're going to find: rock-climbing in Brooklyn for the kids or a pirate boat cruise for adults, who knows? It could be fun.

https://livingsocial.com/cities/231-nyc-midtown

4. Amazon Local

Did you know Amazon offers local deals? Well, now you do. There are deals for local services, activities, and products. For example, right now you can save 60% off a New York City ghost tour . . . if you dare. I wonder if my friend’s family would like that?

http://local.amazon.com/nyc-midtown/deals/all

5. School Tix

How does taking in a Broadway or off-Broadway show at a decent price sound?

School Tix has a nice selection of shows at discount prices, and you generally don't have to come with a school-age child to get these deals. Right now, for example, it’s offering Annie for $45.00-$85.00; Chicago for $49.50-$88.00; and Peter and the Starcatcher for $49-$69.

http://www.schooltix.com/

6. Theater Mania

Theater Mania also offers tickets to a nice selection of shows, on and off Broadway, at reduced prices.

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/discount-tickets/

7. Your Broadway Genius

Your Broadway Genius has discount tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, too. The selection is small, but interesting. And I was surprised to see reduced tickets for The Ride: $50 instead of $69 (not including tips). I've always wanted to take The Ride, which is part bus tour and part musical-variety show. You sit facing the windows, while actors and entertainers perform on the sidewalks of New York City in front of your eyes. Now I’m even more tempted.  

http://www.yourbroadwaygenius.com/locations/new-york-city-discount-broadway-tickets/

8. DealCatcher

No matter what you're looking for, DealCatcher is a great place to check prices first. I usually go there to look for deals on products, but they offer activities too. I’d be particularly tempted by the Improv and comedy club offerings they have going now. (I love, love, love Improv and stand-up comedy.) DealCatcher catches deals from other websites, so if you find something you like, you might want to follow the link to the other site to see what else they have to offer.

http://www.dealcatcher.com/local/new-york

9. SlickDeals

SlickDeals is a lot like DealCatcher, but not all of their deals are the same. They're worth checking out too. And you might want to subscribe to both newsletters so that you can be aware of new deals before they're sold out.

http://slickdeals.net/localdeals/new-york/

10. TravelZoo

And finally, one of my favorite travel deal aggregators, TravelZoo, also offers entertainment deals by area. Of course, their New York City entertainment deals include Broadway, off-Broadway, and so much more, including unusual tours of the city, sport events, and activities on the water. TravelZoo is also a good place to look for travel deals near and not so near New York City.

http://www.travelzoo.com/entertainment/new-york/

Oh, and I should include this one last website just for the locals . . .

11. New York City Patch

I don't know if these exist around the country, but in this area, most communities have a Patch website with local information, such as news updates, classes, events, and much more. Here's a list of family events in the New York City area over the next few days, and most of them are free:

http://newcity.patch.com/events/category/family

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I hope this helps my friend make the most of her family trip, and I hope it helps you too.

This isn't a complete list by any means, so try searching on your own. And let me know what you find. I always love learning about great deals, particularly ones my family can enjoy close to home.

ADD ON: I realized after I wrote this that I completely forgot about AAA. If you have a membership--and you should if only for the roadside assistance should your car break down in the middle of nowhere for whatever reason--you're entitled to some great discounts at theme parks, restaurants, the movies, and lots more. Here's a link that should work if you can enter the site with your membership card: http://midatlantic.aaa.com/Store/Travel/AttractionandMovieTickets For example, Hersheypark tickets, which usually cost $58.80 are just $38.00 when preordered online and shipped to you (at no additional charge).

Want to get it perfect? Why that's the worst thing you can do.

I've been teaching my home-schooled daughter a course on creating graphic novels. The course is partly about writing and partly about illustrating. Both are connected. They're both ways to tell a story. The story you want to tell is up to you.


My daughter has come up with a great idea for a story, and she's very excited about it. That's wonderful. She wants to be a writer someday, and this course will teach her a lot about that. I'm teaching her a lot about that. I've been an editorial cartoonist, and I used to edit a comics magazine. Each issue of Iton HaComics (The Comics Paper), which was a Hebrew comic book comprised mostly of American comic strips, included an article I had written on a comics related topic. I also have a teacher's certificate, and am an experienced writer, editor, and illustrator, so I think I'm a pretty good teacher when it comes to this topic.


We've been using You Can Do a Graphic Novel by Barbara Slater as our "textbook." Slater shows you don't have to be a great artist to create a great comic book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how to write and draw a graphic novel. It might be just a start, but it's a very good start.

There are some things the book doesn't get into, though, things like overcoming perfectionism. You might think perfectionism is a good thing--wouldn't it be great if we could all get it perfect the first time?--but perfectionism leads to fear, and as Yoda says,  “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” 

First you want to get it perfect. Then you're afraid that--surprise, surprise--you can't get it perfect. You can't. No one can, especially not the first time. It's impossible. Then you get angry with yourself and with your work because you can't do the impossible. Then you hate your work, so you give up on it. And then you and your work suffer. And that does lead to the Dark Side, because you're depriving the world of the gift you could have given it, and if you go around feeling miserable all the time, you'll make the world around you miserable as well.  

You suffer because you've given up on something before you've barely started. Creating a comic book--or a graphic novel, or a short story, or even a blog post--isn't about getting it perfect. No one cares if your character's eyes look gorgeous. No one. So stop obsessing over those eyelashes, and just get the story written and the pages laid out. You can edit later, but only if you actually write the darn thing. You can change the drawings around over and over, but it will be a lot easier to do if you didn't waste ten minutes drawing eyes you might have to edit out later. 

Look at Barbara Slater's artwork. It isn't gorgeous. But it's THERE. She's done it. She created something. So has Scott Addams, the creator of Dilbert; Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts; Cathy Guisewite, the creator of Cathy; and many other comic strip artists who don't draw particularly well. Maybe one day you'll be a great illustrator or a great writer. Let me tell you a little secret. Even then you will not get it perfect. It's an impossible dream.

So forget about trying to get it perfect. Let go of your fear. Instead, embrace joy. Because the truth is that writing and illustrating are a pleasure. They're fun. They're all about dreaming on paper. As far as I'm concerned, they're the most fun you can have. So have a ball.