THIS article written by the Mad Elvish Poet was well timed. When I read it, I was just beginning a new adventure in story writing. I found it extremely helpful, if only because it inspired and motivated me to really give this book a fighting chance. Because I know how intimidating a link can be, I'll repost a little bit of it here (I hope she won't mind!).
Of course, a simple discussion is not simple. The movements and tones and words will be dictated by where and with whom. For example, you could have a simple conversation in a courtly setting, where the characters will be stiff and tense, always watching for someone to slip up, always reading for double meanings. Or, the same conversation could happen in passing in a horse barn. See the differences? Keep track of hands and arms. They can do a lot to convey emotion. Also, a nervous person might fidget, shift his weight from leg to leg, or, if sitting, frequently change position.
I found this analysis (and the rest of it – you really should go read it) simplified the problem with dialogue and yet illustrated the complexity.
Then the other day, I overheard my sister discussing one of her characters with my father. Apparently they were under agreement that this character was a bit disappointing for the fact that he was a replica of the Emperor from Star Wars. So I suggested, "Come up with one characteristic that makes him… unique from all other characters." And I was struck by the wisdom of my own words! Perhaps, when describing characters, a writer should be thinking of ways to surprise the reader. Make the description stand out in the reader's mind – make him remember the character, see the character in his nightmares. …Or in his dreams, whichever is appropriate. I just hadn't thought of it that way before. Instead of just describing someone, make it so that the character imprints his image on the reader's mind.
I don't know – so many of my blog followers are writers themselves. You've probably already realized this. I just wanted to share it.
~Meggy
Poet doesn't mind at all, although when she saw this post in her feed, her criminal mind automatically went "What did I do? They've found me out!" :)
ReplyDeleteVery wise words. I often 'steal' characters from other books, and start out by just changing a few things about them, but usually by the end of the story, they're completely their own character, and I can't remember who I based them off of! It's sort of like taking the seed from one plant and growing an entirely new plant.
Characters are so complex...I love them. <3
Hahaha! Sorry to freak you out! I really loved that post.
DeleteI'm glad you liked it! I always hear the Horrible Critic in my head when I write instructional posts because I'm always like "Well, what if you do it wrong, and now you're telling all these people to do it wrong?" So for that post I had to skewer the Horrible Critic with a wooden stake.
DeleteMy own Critic suffered a similar fate for this one.
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