Fiction writing: How to create believable characters - by Gordon Hamilton. Gordon Hamilton's image for: "How to Create Believable Characters" Caption: Location: Image by: People read fiction and different types of same for a variety of different reasons.
When we are reading fiction, we of course know it is not real. It is all too easy to fall in to the trap of creating stale and stereotypical characters in short stories or novels. As a successful fiction writer goes about the course of his everyday life, he should always be on the look out for things happening round about him which he can incorporate in his later writing. I always began developing characters by giving them a name, a physical description and such as an occupation. By considering the characters we create in such a way as individuals rather than tools of the writer's trade, an authenticity is injected in to their presence on the page and the said characters become not just believable but almost living and breathing beings for the duration of our story or novel.
Writing Dialogue - Novel Writing Tips by Peder hill. If your Dialogue fails, so will your story Writing effective dialogue is often what distinguishes the professional writer from the not quite.
This is no surprise because dialogue is probably the most difficult novel element to master. And everything hinges upon it—if your dialogue fails, so will your story. What is Dialogue used for? 25 Things You Should Know About Character - StumbleUpon. Previous iterations of the “25 Things” series: 25 Things Every Writer Should Know 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling And now… Here you’ll find the many things I believe — at this moment!
— about characters: 1. Without character, you have nothing. 2. A great character can be the line between narrative life and story death. 3. Don’t believe that all those other aspects are separate from the character. 4. The audience will do anything to spend time with a great character. 5. It is critical to know what a character wants from the start. 6. It doesn’t matter if we “like” your character, or in the parlance of junior high whether we even “like-like” your character. 7. It is critical to smack the audience in the crotchal region with an undeniable reason to give a fuck. 8. You must prove this thesis: “This character is worth the audience’s time.” 9. Don’t let the character be a dingleberry stuck to the ass of a toad as he floats downriver on a bumpy log. 10. 11. 12. 13.
The law of threes. Random Name Generator. Checklist of 17 Character Qualities. Wow! Women on Writing - An eZine for women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers, and readers - StumbleUpon. It can sometimes be helpful to make a Trait Chart for each character.
This is especially helpful during the early stages of character development, before the character becomes as real to you as your mother. There are several charts of this sort available, some extremely detailed and some containing only facts and figures. I've tried to make one that includes the most important traits to help you visualize your character, both physically and emotionally.
To use this chart, print it out and make a copy for each of your characters. If you can't get it to print nicely, email me and ask me to send you a Word Document containing the Character Chart. Inspiration for Writers Character Chart Full name Date of Birth/Age Address Race/Ethnic Background/Nationality Height Weight/Body Build Hair Eyes Peculiar Physical Traits Glasses/Contacts Smokes Nervous Habits Distinguishing Marks Health Smell Voice Usual Walking Style Mannerisms What type of clothes/shoes/accessories does he/she wear?
Occupation/Social Class. Character Creation Made Easy, Pick a Personality-Method 6-MBTI Profiles.