6 Ways to Hook Your Readers. Although I consider myself an avid reader, I must admit I have a short attention span when it comes to getting into books. If you fail to grab my attention in the first few lines, I start spacing out. Most readers are like me. Most people don’t want to spend the first 50 pages trying to get into a book.
Here are a few things I find annoying in the first lines of a story: Dialogue. The last thing you want to do as a writer is annoy or bore people. (N.B. 1. Put a question in your readers’ minds. “Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” 2. By starting at an important moment in the story, your reader is more likely to want to continue so he or she can discover what will happen next.
“It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” 3. Description is good when it encourages people to paint a picture in their minds. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 4. 5. “They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet.” 6. How to Create Good Personalities for Your Characters. Edit Article Sample Character DescriptionsCreating Personalities for Your Own Characters Edited by Secretive, Julia Maureen, Flickety, Ben Rubenstein and 19 others You're on a plane to a distant country to visit some weird old relatives you are somehow related to.
In your hands, you hold a book that your friend recommended. But wait...as you begin to read you realize that the characters are really boring! This is a typical scenario, probably familiar to a lot of readers out there. You, a writer, can help those readers by creating a story with likeable, realistic characters!
Ad Steps Sample Character Descriptions Creating Personalities for Your Own Characters 1Start with a simple profile including these categories: Name, Age, Gender, and Occupation. 6Continue developing characters until your story is finished. Tips Keep the characters true to themselves. Warnings Don't copy off other characters in different, already well known books, such as Harry Potter. Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles - Creative Writing Help.
Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. The one thing I love, you take everything apart and give examples. " - Katlen Skye "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction, rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson. “Essentials of Fiction proved that I could indeed write and I wrote every day, much to my boyfriend's dismay (waa sniff).” - Jill Gardner "I am loving the course and the peer interaction on the blog is fantastic!!!
" "I'm enjoying the weekly email course, Essentials of Poetry Writing. "Thank you for all the material in this course. "Thanks very much for this course. "I'm learning so much. "Thank you so much!! Creating Villains People Love to Hate. By Lee Masterson Every story has to have a bad guy. There wouldn't be much conflict for your protagonist to overcome if there was no antagonist to stir the pot. Yours might be the evil villain who opposes everything your hero (or heroine) does. He might be the treacherous double-agent from the past, or the psychotic evil scientist, or maybe just the "other woman" fighting for your hero's attention. Whoever your villain is, making sure he is believable is far more difficult than simply creating a character who does bad things to hold up your protagonist's progress. You job here is to make your villains credible, logical, and believable, but not likeable.
But it's more involved than just explaining their adverse actions. Basically, you need your villains to be real, three-dimensional people. Unfortunately most "bad guys" are shown as being shallow, narrow-minded creatures whose only ambition is to be as evil as possible. Your villain is no different. How Not to Create a Villain, by Anne Marble. Characters on the Bus. When I was a senior in college, I took the city bus to and from school and took notes on my observations. And if you've ever taken the bus before, you will know that it is rich with characters and strange events, just waiting for a story to be told. So this post (and those that will follow after) are inspired by these trips. At the front of the bus, sits the guy who stands every time the bus driver makes a stop and opens up the doors.
I wonder if he does that out of respect or as a way of announcing his self-proclaimed authority on the bus. I wait to see if he starts saluting the people who get on next. Nearby, I notice the guy who took several classes with me and takes the same same bus as I do who never remembers who I am. Sitting beside me, I notice the lady who wears a wool hat every day on the bus no matter what the weather is like.
Sitting towards the back, a guy who takes a slurp of his drink and when he finishes his sip will say, "Arrgh, matey. " Character Motivation Goal. Establishing the Right Point of View. Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid "Stepping Out of Character" by Marg Gilks Return to Characters, Viewpoint, and Names · Print/Mobile-Friendly Version "Dalquist was shaking with rage, tears streaking down her face. 'Get out,' she whispered.
Then she lunged for the other woman, shrieking, 'Get out! Yikes! If you can see what's wrong with this excerpt, congratulations. What's wrong with the above excerpt? Paragraph one is ambiguous. Every scene should have only one POV character, and everything must be filtered through that POV character's perceptions.
But, isn't it so much easier just to tell the reader what character X is thinking, rather than trying to show it in ways the POV character (and thus, the reader) can see and understand? Let's look at that again, and we'll see a hint: isn't it so much easier just to tell the reader what character X is thinking, rather than trying to show it in ways the POV character can see and understand? Yup: "show, don't tell. " How to Plot a Character Driven Book in 3 Easy Steps | Historical Romance Author Robyn DeHart, Legend Hunters , Ladies Amateur Sleuth Society. Theme & Premise: Or How to Plot a Character Driven Book in 3 Easy Steps It is said that there are two types of writers: plotters and seat of the pants writers (or fly into the mist writers).
Obviously the majority of us fall somewhere in between. I’m a serious plotter, one of those scene-by-scene plotters who knows primarily everything that will happen in the rough draft. But don’t let that frighten you pansters away. These tools can be used no matter what type of writer you are. I happen to think that using them BEFORE you write is more efficient, but not everyone works that way. Well, I promised you 3 steps, so let’s get on with it. Step 1 – THEME. To define your theme, you need to know what theme is, so what is theme? But how do you come up with a theme out of thin air, especially if you’re doing this with a book you haven’t even written yet?
So now you have your theme, let’s move on to Step 2 – PREMISE/CHARACTER LESSON. This is the biggie for me when I’m doing my prewriting. Seven Keys To Unforgettable Characters | Bob Mayer's Blog. Think of your favorite book. What the first thing that comes to mind when you bring it up in your brain? I’m willing to bet, it’s the characters. Most people relate to people, not things. Characters bring emotion to story, and emotion is what attaches readers to books.
It took me a while to truly appreciate this fundamental truth of fiction. I remember meeting Elizabeth George in Denver while she was on book tour about ten years ago. Here are some of the key lessons I’ve learned about character development over the years, which I’ll be covering in more detail next month in the Write It Forward on-line class on character: 1. 2. 3.
What do you want? 4. What do you want? 5. Archetypes. 6. 7. These are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned about character over the years. Write It Forward! Like this: Like Loading... West Point Graduate, former Green Beret and NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has had over 50 books published. Sci-Fi Names. What shall you name your baby nerd? Tired of ordinary, run-of-the-mill names? Maybe you'd like to find a sci-fi themed name for your yet-unnamed geekling, dog or gerbil. Do you want your little nerdlet to stand out from the rest? Perhaps you've been looking in the wrong places. At any rate, this is a list of characters from a number of Sci-Fi movies, books and television shows. Note: there are way more male names than female names on these lists. DISCLAIMER: I know that these lists probably contain tons of inaccuracies. For robot, android, gynoid and computer names, see this list.
Evil Names. Medieval Names - List of Medieval Names. Creative Writing Prompts…Real Life to Characters. For many writers (like me!) The beginning of a story is character. Something about a character intrigues me and I find myself wanting to follow them to see what makes them tick. Being a pantser (writing by the seat of my pants) as opposed to a plotter, I meet a character, write to figure out who they are, then keep writing until I discover a character’s story.
Many times someone I know inspires me with a quirk or trait, or an idea emerges from a chance meeting with a stranger and my first impression of them. When someone is rude to me, I use that in my writing. Charming? That too, can be used. Here are some creative writing exercises for you to use to discover some new characters through people you may know. Write about the head of the PTA, or Library Board. Write about a frightening or mysterious person in a neighborhood. Write about a person who makes a lot of enemies. Write about a person who has no enemies. Write about a person you admire. Write about a person you dislike/detest. Character Profile Templates. Writing Prompt: Get Into Character « Novel Novice. Welcome to Novel Novice’s Writing Prompts! Reading and writing go hand-in-hand: reading makes you a better writer, and writing makes you a better reader. Whether you’re aspiring to be a novelist, just having fun, or interested in trying your hand at writing, we welcome you to join in.
Here’s how it will work: Prompts will be posted on the 1st of the month, every other month, Feb-Oct.Stories will be due 6 weeks later, on the 14th of the following month.Stories will be posted on the website for everyone to read, so that we can learn from each other.Each prompt will focus on a writing technique to help you sharpen your skills.Prompts are open-ended so that they may be used for fan fiction for any book/series.
There is no judging, voting, or winners. To have funTo improve your writing skillsTo share your writing with others On to this month’s prompt…. The Focus: Ahhh…the age-old writing debate — what’s more important: characters or plot? Voice Every character has a distinct “voice”. World View. 100 Character Development Questions for Writers. How to Write a Character Sketch: Learning More About Your Characters’ Motivations and Personalities. Regardless of the type of writing you are doing, knowing who your characters are and knowing them well will add greatly to your work.
Understanding your characters’ personalities through a character sketch helps you to understand where they are coming from and what motivates them. This, in turn, helps you understand what drives all of the action in your work, and the clearer this is, the easier your audiences will be able to connect with your writing. But how do you go about writing a character sketch? There are numerous ways to go about it. What follows is a look at a few different methods for exploring your characters. Interview Your Characters Perhaps the most straightforward way of getting to know who your characters are and what drives them is by asking them outright in an interview. It may seem like a very obvious or banal exercise, but even minor details will help you understand who your character is.
Write a Character Monologue Write a Day-in-the-Life Character Sketch. Seven Common Character Types. Seven Common Character Types by Terry W. Ervin II Fiction writers employ a variety of characters while weaving their tales. Beyond the standard definitions of protagonist (the main character in a literary work) and antagonist (the main character or force that opposes the protagonist in a literary work), recognizing the types of characters and the parts they play while reading an interesting story can add to the experience. In addition, a fuller understanding of the character types and their uses can increase a writer’s effectiveness in weaving his own fictional tales.
Below is a list of common character types, followed by an explanation and short example. Confidante- someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions. Example: In a story, Melvin Sanders is a detective on the trail of a serial killer. In this example Chops is a confidante. In this example Ebenezer Scrooge is a dynamic character. Copyright © Terry W. Random Name Generator. Archetypal characters in the Hero’s Journey » Jordan McCollum. Writing Realistic Injuries. Quick Contents Introduction General remarks What's normal? Reactions to injury - including emotional reactions, fainting and shock. Minor injuries - such as bruises, grazes and sprains Head injuries - from black eyes to severe concussions Broken bones Dislocated jointsCutting and Piercing - for various locations, including blood loss symptoms and figures.
Blunt trauma - getting hit, internal injuries.Burns - including electrical burns Hostile environments - such as extreme cold and heat, oxygen deprivation and exposure to vacuum. References - useful websites. Introduction Characters climbing cliffs with broken arms or getting knocked out for an hour or so and then running around like nothing happened, bug me.
Back to Quick Contents General Remarks There’s a lot of ‘relatively’ and ‘probably’ in this article because everyone reacts differently to injury. What’s Normal…? For a normal, reasonably healthy adult the following reading are ‘normal’. Pulse rate between 60-100 beats per minute. Shock. Character Personality Stereotypes » Manga Tutorials. 25 Things You Should Know About Character. 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! 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. 15. 16. 17. 18. 100 Character Development Questions for Writers. 10 Days of Character Building: A Day in the Life. Top Questions for Fictional Characters -- Questions to Help in Creating Characters.
100 Character Development Questions for Writers. 25 Things You Should Know About Character.
Personality. Writing Prompt: Get Into Character « Novel Novice. Character Trait Chart. 25 Things You Should Know About Character. Stock Character Cliches - Risusiverse. 300 Multiple Choices. Fiction Writer's Character Chart - EpiGuide.com. 5 Building Blocks of Your Characters Personality. Personality Traits, Character traits, Human Traits, personal characteristics, human qualities, Traits of Human Consciousness, human makeup, personal attitudes, negative attitudes, positive attitudes, list, makeup of the individual human, endowments, consc.
Character Traits. Writers' Workshop | Characterisation. Creative Writing For Dummies Cheat Sheet. How To Kill Your Imaginary Friends. Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles - Creative Writing Help. 25 Things You Should Know About Character - StumbleUpon. Character Chart for Fiction Writers - EpiGuide.com - StumbleUpon. 25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters - StumbleUpon.
Top 10 Tricks to Make your Villain Stand Out. Stock character. Character Chart for Fiction Writers - EpiGuide.com - StumbleUpon. List of superhuman features and abilities in fiction.