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Guest Post:Characterization
Jun. 10th, 2011 08:35 amThe following is a guest post from Sharon T. Rose, a fellow weblit author. Sharon can be found on Twitter at @sharontherose
Characterization
If you want to write, you have to be paying attention. This goes for anything you want to write, whether it's a novel, a comic, a game, a song, or what-have-you. Pay attention to real life, because your experiences are the best research you could ever do.
Now, this is not carte blanche to put all your friends and family into your writing; odds are that someone will be upset at how you choose to portray them. However, the way that your acquaintances do things will be invaluable to making your writing more realistic. Every person has unique mannerisms and habits that make them who they are. Does your writing have its own idiosyncrasies to make it come alive?
Say you're writing something that's supposed to make the reader feel anger. It's a scene of betrayal, treason, stupidity, violence, whatever. It's an intense scene, but how do you make sure that the audience really gets into the heart of the action? Maybe it's the grin on one person's face. Maybe it's a peculiar word choice. A change in body language. A gesture. An attitude, a glance. What does an angry person look like? Pay attention to how real people express themselves.
( Read more... )
Characterization
If you want to write, you have to be paying attention. This goes for anything you want to write, whether it's a novel, a comic, a game, a song, or what-have-you. Pay attention to real life, because your experiences are the best research you could ever do.
Now, this is not carte blanche to put all your friends and family into your writing; odds are that someone will be upset at how you choose to portray them. However, the way that your acquaintances do things will be invaluable to making your writing more realistic. Every person has unique mannerisms and habits that make them who they are. Does your writing have its own idiosyncrasies to make it come alive?
Say you're writing something that's supposed to make the reader feel anger. It's a scene of betrayal, treason, stupidity, violence, whatever. It's an intense scene, but how do you make sure that the audience really gets into the heart of the action? Maybe it's the grin on one person's face. Maybe it's a peculiar word choice. A change in body language. A gesture. An attitude, a glance. What does an angry person look like? Pay attention to how real people express themselves.
( Read more... )
