Almost done with Character! We've been looking at how to select details to best convey characterization. Last week we came up with some details for Amos Anderson, the main character of one of the stories we've been developing. Now let's use those details as fodder for his introduction using the seven methods of character introduction … Continue reading Character Introductions: In our own work
Category: Character
Character Names, Details, and Introductions: In our own work
We've been looking at how to select character details and introduce characters. Today, we're going to select some concrete details for the main character of one of the stories we've been working on and then next week we'll try out some introductions. Let's use the main character from our human-rights-attorney story: Set in the mid 1950’s, … Continue reading Character Names, Details, and Introductions: In our own work
Characterizing Details: How Thomas Harris Does It
I read Red Dragon* again recently. Let's look at the details Thomas Harris chose for his antagonist's introduction, in Chapter 9, which consists of a scene at work and a scene at home. These details are mostly from the first scene, his public persona. Name: Francis Dolarhyde. People at work call him Mr. D, which … Continue reading Characterizing Details: How Thomas Harris Does It
A Particular Character Detail: Choosing Names
As Nancy Kress says, "Characters have to be called something. And since they do, you may as well . . . make your names contribute to world building, characterization, and plot development." To that end, here's what the craft masters have to say about choosing character names. Is this post on names really necessary? Dwight … Continue reading A Particular Character Detail: Choosing Names
Character Details: How to Choose
Whether you know everything about your characters before you start writing or nothing about them, you can't include every single detail in your manuscript. (Well, you can, but you probably shouldn't.) As Nancy Kress says, you'll want to "choose artfully." You'll want to home in on the particular details your readers are looking for. Which details … Continue reading Character Details: How to Choose
Characterization: What is it?
We've been looking at character: introducing the character, forging the reader-character bond, creating contradictions . . . All good stuff. But let's back up a bit. There's a word that gets thrown around a lot about character, and, I'll admit, sometimes I feel like maybe I don't actually know what it means. The word is … Continue reading Characterization: What is it?
Character Introductions: How the Masters Do It
In the last post, we listed seven techniques to use when introducing characters. Most of the masters use a combination of techniques. Here's how. Method 1: Out-of-Viewpoint Description In this method, the narrator (not a view-point character) tells us about the characters. JKR uses this method to introduce the Dursleys at the beginning of the … Continue reading Character Introductions: How the Masters Do It
Character Introductions: Characterizing from the get-go
A character's first appearance in a story is a big opportunity to characterize. Here are several ways to fulfill its potential. BRING CHARACTERS ON IN CHARACTER If you take home nothing else from this post, at least take this: bring characters on in character. "To introduce any given character effectively, you must first of all … Continue reading Character Introductions: Characterizing from the get-go
Character Tags: In our own work
If you've got lots of characters in your story or just have characters who leave the page for a while--or, you know, just have characters--it's nice to remind readers who these people are. Enter character tags. A couple of weeks ago, we identified six or so ways to tag characters, and last week we learned … Continue reading Character Tags: In our own work
Character Tags: How the Masters Use Them
We're looking at character tags. Here's how some of the master story tellers help us remember who their characters are. Jim Butcher's Dresden series Harry Dresden is a practicing wizard who hires out as a detective. Jim Butcher has said that he consciously creates tags and traits for his characters to help readers identify them. In … Continue reading Character Tags: How the Masters Use Them
