Point of View in Literature -- Perspectives — The Writer’s Craft In order to fully understand point of view in literature, we need to explore the different perspectives from which a story may be told. Bear in mind that the Perspective is the scene as viewed through the eyes/mind of the chosen character. The story, however, can be told from any one of several points-of-view regardless of the perspective chosen. Single Major Character Viewpoint The story can be told from first, second or third person POV but it is told throughout by just one character. The single-character perspective is the most common viewpoint used in children’s literature and a lot of adult literature as well. Minor Character Viewpoint Again the story can be told from the first, second or third person POV. This method isn’t chosen very often in modern literature, but can be used to good effect in literary works where you need to keep some distance to really see what is happening. Omniscient Viewpoint This was once a very popular method of storytelling. Multiple Viewpoints
Book Manuscript Format – The Writer’s Craft Book manuscript format is too frequently overlooked by many beginning writers. Of course, story is king. Nothing will help in your search for an editor or an agent if your story is weak. There must be something about the story which stands out—an essence which makes it memorable and unique. These book manuscript format conventions are what make your work acceptable to an editor and presentable to the writing world, much like your personal manners and style of dress influence the opinion of the public or your peers. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. After writing and rewriting your novel, you may think that book manuscript format is a small concern.
First Person Point of View — The Writer’s Craft When you tell a story through a viewpoint character using I or we, you are using first person point of view. Example: The banging on my door reverberated within my skull like a giant church bell in an empty hall. I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, pulling the pillow over my head. Every detail of your story must be filtered through the storyteller. First person point of view is the most reader friendly. This can be a comfortable point of view as it allows the writer to get right into the character’s head; however, beginners often find first person challenging because you really need to understand your character and his role. The most common problem when using first person POV is that it is difficult to resist the urge to tell the reader everything rather than show it. Even if you choose another point of view in the end, I always find it helpful to write a couple of scenes in first person as an exercise to really get into my main character’s head. Considerations: • Short stories
Setting of a story — The Writer’s Craft The following exercises will allow you to create a rich, vibrant setting of a story, giving the reader the full vicarious experience. 1. Use the setting worksheet we have provided. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and imagine a particular setting for your scene. Using all of your senses visualize or experience everything that you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Make notes in the appropriate boxes. 2. You can do this in any setting-—the mall, the grocery store, a bar, a city street. 3. 4. 5. 6. Character ExercisesCreative Writing Exercises
Second Person Point of View — The Writer’s Craft Enrollment Limited Sherry Wilson's step-by-step method helped me organize my thoughts and transform a simple idea into a full-fledged plot. Without her help and guidance, I'd still be walking around with just another "great idea for a story." Thanks to Sherry, though, I've published three novels and know there are more on the way! ~ Debi Faulkner, Summoning, LilyPad Princess and Murphy's Law "Sherry is extremely professional and knowledgeable in this field. As well as being technically proficient in many styles, she also possesses a rich imagination, offering suggestions and alternatives in a way that doesn't impose on the writer's own style. Her observations are honest and valuable, beyond what many others can give. A. "WOW! I really appreciate the work you've done so far. --Lena Jones "Sherry Wilson has a deep understanding of the craft of writing and a natural gift for the art of writing. Being an editor myself, there are not too many people I would trust with my own work.
Fiction Writer's Character Chart - EpiGuide.com If you're a fiction writer -- whether you're working on a novel, short story, screenplay, television series, play, web series, webserial, or blog-based fiction -- your characters should come alive for your reader or audience. The highly detailed chart below will help writers develop fictional characters who are believable, captivating, and unique. Print this page to complete the form for each main character you create. IMPORTANT: Note that all fields are optional and should be used simply as a guide; character charts should inspire you to think about your character in new ways, rather than constrain your writing. Fill in only as much info as you choose. Have fun getting to know your character! If this character chart is helpful, please let us know! Looking for more character questionnaires / charts?
Unique, Uncommon, Unusual Baby Names for Boys and Girls, (Male, Female, Meanings) Creating an Original Character By Maisha Foster-O'Neal You've heard the old maxim before... 'a character can make or break your story.' Okay, okay, so you want to write an interesting character. Ah yes, such is the desire of all writers. Enough already! Before we dive into Creating Original Characters, I'd like to offer a disclaimer. Disclaimer: I don't claim to know everything about writing. Note: There is already an excellent tutorial about writing the Villain, so I won't make specific references to writing an antagonist. The Basics of Characters The first thing about characters - They are just one facet of a good story. Character Creation: Little Exercises Open up a phonebook and pick out a name, and write a description of that person based only on their name. Types of personality flaws These are just a few of my favourites to give you an idea of what you can add to a character. Sarcastic or cynical. A note on Romance A note on Character Death '...and they lived happily ever after.' Clichés: What NOT to do Patricia C.
Seven Common Character Types Seven Common Character Types by Terry W. Ervin II Fiction writers employ a variety of characters while weaving their tales. 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. Dynamic Character - a character which changes during the course of a story or novel. Example: Ebenezer Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol by Dickens, was very stingy with his money. In this example Ebenezer Scrooge is a dynamic character. Flat Character - a character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits in a story or novel, and the trait(s) do not change. Example: In a story about a friendly teacher named Sandra Smith, Louis Drud is a janitor in her building. In this example Louis Drud is a flat character. Foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast. Copyright © Terry W.
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? 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 Another fantastic and highly effective way of getting to know your character is by writing a monologue as your character. Write a Day-in-the-Life Character Sketch
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
Writing The Perfect Scene Having trouble making the scenes in your novel work their magic? In this article, I’ll show you how to write the “perfect” scene. Maybe you think it’s impossible to write the perfect scene. After all, who can choose every word perfectly, every thought, every sentence, every paragraph? Honestly, I don’t know. But structure is pretty well understood. The Two Levels of Scene Structure A scene has two levels of structure, and only two. The large-scale structure of the sceneThe small-scale structure of the scene This may seem obvious, but by the end of this article, I hope to convince you that it’s terribly profound. Before we begin, we need to understand how we keep score. Your reader is reading your fiction because you provide him or her with a powerful emotional experience. If you fail to create these emotions in your reader, then you have failed. Large-Scale Structure of a Scene The large-scale structure of a scene is extremely simple. A Scene has the following three-part pattern:
CALLIHOO Writing Helps--Feelings Table Character Feelings You can describe your character's feelings in more exact terms than just "happy" or "sad." Check these lists for the exact nuance to describe your character's intensity of feelings. SF Characters | SF Items | SF Descriptors | SF Places | SF EventsSF Jobs/Occupations | Random Emotions | Emotions List | Intensity of Feelings Creating a character profile When you get an idea for a short story or a novel you probably get the basic idea of the characters with it. But in order to build believable characters you need more than just a basic idea of them. You need to really them. NAME: Put your characters full name - first, last, and any nicknames that he goes by. BIOGRAPHY: Write a description of your character's life; past and present. AGE: If you don't know the exact age of your character then you can put it's approximation, such as late thirties, mid-twenties etc. HEIGHT: How tall is your character? WEIGHT: You probably won't know your character's exact weight, but I'm sure you can guess its approximate one. BODY TYPE: Is he wiry and agile, or does he work out and his body is the proof? FACE TYPE: Is your character baby faced, or does he have a sharp, chiseled bone structure? COMPLEXION: Is she ivory white or does she have more of a cream and coffee color? EYES: Be specific about the color. HAIR: Put not only the color, but also the style.