To come alive on the page, your hero and heroine must be more than two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs that you move around the stage. You should not be asking yourself “what can I make them do next”. If your characters are blood-and-bones, heart-and-soul real, you will know what they would do, just as you instinctively know what someone close to you would do in any given circumstance.
You may hear authors talking about characters who “take over” the story. That is not because the author is not in control of her characters, but because she has created three-dimensional, living, breathing people, men and women she knows so well that her writing brain is flying ahead of her fingers on the keyboard.
To truly know your characters you must understand not just what they look like, where they went to school, what they do for a living but see them living in their own world, having a life before you write Chapter One.
Here's a link to download to your Kindle.
10 comments:
These snippets are so true.
Hi Liz! I just finished reading my copy. I wish it was the first book I'd bought when I started trying to write because it pares down the advice so well. For a while I was buried in nuts-and-bolts craft books with tons to take in when what I wanted was to get started putting pen to paper. Especially like the character advice - imagining myself shopping with my heroine gave a three dimensional quality that I've never achieved before from filling out questionnaires. Brilliant starting point guide book.
Charlotte, that is exactly what I hoped to achieve, so thank you for making my day!
Great snippets Liz. Please will you have a word with my characters, they never tell me their back story before they have me writing!
But they do know exactly what they expect me to do!
This book is fabulous, go snap it up now!
Liz, for those of us who don't have a Kindle, is this book available as a paperback?
Hi Gail
Little Book is available on paper yet. I'm considering how best to do this - POD tends to be an expensive option for readers and I've heard a few horror stories about some of the providers. Needs some thought. Meanwhile, you can download a Kindle app to your PC from Amszon (it's just below the buy link) and read it on your PC.
Thanks for the link, Liz.
Nice blog...new follower.
I am stopping by from the Top Writing Blog competition.
Just wanted to say hello. This is a great way to find new blogs. :)
Elizabeth - Silver's Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
Thanks so much, Elizabeth. So right - excellent way to find brilliant new blogs. :)
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