Most people who read fiction do so to take a journey with and
through the characters. They want to lose themselves in the book as an escape
from their own world. As writers we need to invite them into our fictional worlds,
let them meet the characters we create, and allow them to feel and experience
everything that is happening within the pages of our book.
Make sure your characters are multi-dimensional and REAL.
Real people don’t always act rationally, they don’t always do the right thing,
and they will always react in some way to any stimulus around them. Unless the
character you’ve created was literally just created in a lab, he or she has a
history that most probably began long before page one. Everything that has
happened prior to the actions in your story will affect every response they
make within the confines of your story.
You’ve heard the old adage “show don’t tell”. Don’t say your
character is angry, let him BE angry. Let his jaw clench, let him slam things,
scowl, be brusque, yell, shove a piece of furniture or even another character.
Don’t just say that your character is scared, make her tremble, let her feel
her heart literally stop and start again, make her hesitant as she reaches to open
a door, let her feel and think as if every breath could be her last.
Don’t stop showing even for the inanimate objects. Don’t talk
about the imposing bust in the middle of the exhibition, mention how the eyes
seem to follow someone around the room, talk how the lips are stuck in a
permanent scowl, and let the character irrationally expect the bust to answer
her when she whines about her lot. In real life every room has much more than just
furniture and painted walls — there are smells (pleasant or unpleasant); there
are things to feel such as the cold glass of a coffee table, the soft velvet of
a throw pillow, the crackly crispness of plastic chair covers; and there is
temperature that makes a character shiver or sweat, invades the walls so that
they are cold to the touch, or the metal hair back that burns a character’s
fingertips.
Don’t waste a lot of time on descriptions unless it is
relevant to the story. Mentioning the big round clock with the long thin minute
hand can be used to help express how impatient a character is while waiting for
another. A locked jewelry box can hint at mysterious objects waiting to be
unearthed. The dripping of a faucet helps to show how empty the house is and
how alone the heroine is. Make sure than any physical descriptions you offer
add to the actual story and are not just filler on the paper.
Use general descriptions of your characters as well, mention
what is important, magnetic eyes, an ugly ragged scar, a tiny waist IF it lends
to the story — is it something the future love interest notices, is it
repulsive to others, or is it something artificial like the character? Mention
what is important and let your readers imagine the rest. If you offer too much
exact description about the character or setting and the reader cannot relate
then you risk alienating them.
Writing Exercise: List at least five physical reactions
YOU experience for each of the following emotions: 1)happiness; 2)sadness; 3)anger;
4)love; 5)grief; 6)fear; 7)happy surprise; 8)death of a loved one; 9)victory;
10)tiredness.
Writing Prompt: What emotion would you experience to
the following (use one or two words only): 1)you see a dent in your brand new
car; 2)petting a pussycat or a puppy; 3)biting into your favorite piece of cake
or candy; 4)finding out that you aced an important test; 5)the room you are in
suddenly goes pitch dark and you don’t know where the door is.
Challenge Assignment: Think back to a large, memorable
gathering such as a family dinner, a wedding reception, a prom, etc. Write
about the food, the people around you, the venue, and something about the
conversation and/or activity. Describe people, smells, noise keeping in mind
that you need to show and not tell.
