Every writer has to be at least a little bit sadistic. Why? Because we have to torment our characters. There is really no way around this. We have to thrust them into the deepest depths of hell and then say, well, how are you going to get out of this one, […]
Yearly Archives: 2014
74 posts
When we craft characters, we often do it half-blind. As we draft, a character’s form, both physical and psychological, takes shape in our minds. By the time the first draft is complete, our characters often resemble Frankenstein, cobbled together from pieces, lurching inanimately across the page. Even writers who outline […]
There are books in which characters don’t change, and that is ok. When we enjoy TV sitcoms it is precisely because we know that Homer Simpson will be the same person he is in episode 1 and episode 500. The same with a mystery series; readers expect that the detective […]
Last week, we learned the difference between Character Driven fiction and plot-driven fiction. But whether the focus of your story is the character or the things that happen, understanding and managing your characters’ motivations is the key to managing plot and tension. What is motivation? It is the inner drive […]
Today we have a special treat! Amanda June Hagarty, a talented and gregarious local writer, editor, and social media maven has agreed to help me out with a guest post about what it really means to write character-driven fiction. It’s a term we all toss around a lot, but how […]
Just as a movie camera cannot film anything beyond its scope, or outside of its field of view, your POV narrator cannot know, and therefor cannot tell the reader, anything that he or she does not know. This presents a challenge, because sometimes it’s very tempting to try to sneak in […]