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
Category: Monday Tool Day
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: 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: What are they?
Tags, markers, labels, traits. The craft masters have a lot of words for the details that help readers identify and distinguish the characters in a story. Here are 6 character aspects that you can mine for tags and 5 ways to put those tags to work. What are character tags? Jim Butcher says "TAGS are words you hang … Continue reading Character Tags: What are they?
The Reader-Character Identification Bond: 9 Ways to Create It
9 ways to forge a reader-character bond
Three-Dimensional Characters: 3 Ways to Create One
We know them when we see them. We all want to create them. But what exactly distinguishes a three-dimensional character from that other kind? What exactly does "three-dimensional" mean and how do we render it on a two-dimensional page? Three-Dimensional Characters: What are they? Honestly, I had a hard time finding (as in, "I didn't … Continue reading Three-Dimensional Characters: 3 Ways to Create One
Structure of Plot: The Outer Journey
Last updated 2.5.20 The outer journey is also known as plot, structure, narrative structure, and 'what happens.' PLOT: WHAT IS IT? "The what happens is your plot," says James Scott Bell. "Plot structure consists of the specific events in a [story] and their position relative to one another," says Michael Hauge. "Structure," says Larry Brooks, … Continue reading Structure of Plot: The Outer Journey
Character Change: The Inner Journey, Part 2 — A Master Outline
We're looking at the Inner Journey this week (Part 1 here), and today we're looking at the structure of the character arc over the course of a story. In general, a story has four Parts with key Points happening between each Part (more on this next week when we get to the outer journey). The following … Continue reading Character Change: The Inner Journey, Part 2 — A Master Outline
Character Change: The Inner Journey, Part 1
Other names for the character's inner journey include character arc, character change, character transformation, ritual pain, and range of change. CHARACTER ARC: WHAT IS IT? "Character change, also known as character arc, character development, or character range of change, refers to the development of a character over the course of the story," says John Truby. … Continue reading Character Change: The Inner Journey, Part 1
Setups and Payoffs: What are they?
Here’s how Robert McKee sums 'em up: "To set up means to layer in knowledge; to pay off means to close the gap by delivering that knowledge to the audience. When the gap between expectation and result propels the audience back through the story seeking answers, it can only find them if the writer has … Continue reading Setups and Payoffs: What are they?
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