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Category Archives: Characters
How well do you know your characters?
Why is it difficult to write complex and interesting characters? Because I must resist the temptation to simply tell about them. I cannot get upset by readers who expect to jump into immediate action and learn all about the character … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Writer's resource, Writing trends
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Mature content
As a grade school child, I read a book called Black Beauty. It was actually written for adults. In the first chapter the son and only heir to the family dies of a broken neck in the foolish sport of … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Trends in books, Writer's resource
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Try a little name dropping
Imagine you are discussing a current government situation with a friend. You mention an insight you learned about behind-the-scenes working of government while in our capitol. Perhaps you briefly mention that when George Bush explained this the first time, you … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Trends in books, Writer's resource
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In praise of the passive hero
Don’t create a main character who just is passive, watching the other characters without taking charge or getting things done. Also, don’t read books by two of the most famous American authors Herman Melville and F. Scott Fitzgerald because they … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literary devices, Writer's resource
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Not exactly human
While embarking on a new type of writing, creating alternate world fantasy, I rebelled against copying what I already knew. Instead I insisted on creating my own species and giving them my own names. However creative I attempted to be, … Continue reading
Simmering the main character
Character development is probably the only way to make a protagonist that is someone else than a flat or stock character. However, this takes time and results in a slower pace of writing, like a stew that must simmer for … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Writer's resource
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“Crazy” characters
If you want to write fiction involving mentally ill characters in a realistic way, to show how and why they no longer think clearly, you must get to know real people with real psychiatric disorders. There are many places that … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Mental health
Tagged mental illness, psychotic, Psychoticism
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The nature of an epic
Before “epic” became a name used by companies to suggest their fame, it was a type of poem. A long one describing the exploits of heroes and often involving the rise of a nation. The poetic meter made memorization of … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Trends in books, Writer's resource
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Real characters
The difference between being believable and being realistic may not be that different between works of fantasy and novels about “real life.” Books about life as we know it are often not realistic but contain an adrenaline-charged or romanticized version … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged Fantasy, limitations to power, realism, Science fiction
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Don’t let your main character get away
One item that agents and editors expect—or demand—is that the author provides enough about the main character to draw in the reader from the very beginning. They don’t want a detailed description of appearance, education or employment. However, the text … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Writer's resource
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