In Brian Klems' Writer’s Digest Column on Writing, I read a great article titled, "The 5 C’s of Writing a Great Thriller Novel.”
While I’m not a thriller writer, the information in this article is applicable to just about all fiction writing.
There are fundamentals elements needed in all fiction to make it reader engaging and friendly. In other words, to make it ‘page turning good.’
The
Whether your manuscript is a picture book or novel, it can be tempting to create a wide variety of supporting characters to help tell your story. But too many characters can be hard for young readers to keep track of, and can dilute the focus. So how do you decide which secondary characters to keep? Keep these tips in mind:
* All characters should be multi-dimensional, authentic, believable and interesting to young readers – even if they’re bad guys.
* All characters should have a role to play in relationship to your main character. Whether they are a catalyst, a foil, a mentor, an antagonist, a challenger, a sidekick, the voice of reason, a tempter, or something else, they must serve a purpose in relationship to your hero’s journey.
* All characters must be in pursuit of something: a want, or a need, or a goal. They should also have to make their own choices to pursue that want or need.
* Consider whether or how the story would change without them. If you removed this character from the story, would it affect the course of events one way or another? If not, they should probably go.
* Secondary characters should also learn something or grow by the end of the story. They need to have journeys of their own. For example, in Where the Wild Things Are, the secondary character is Max’s mother (even though we never actually “see” her, she has a huge influence on the story and on Max’s journey, and is a presence nonetheless.) We know Max grows and changes by the end, but Max’s mother does, too… because she delivers dinner to his room after she’s promised that he’s going to go to bed with no supper. We can infer from this that she has softened and forgiven him. We want all our supporting characters to have the same kind of journey.
Writers on the Move is offering another great workshop; this one is on Creating Great Characters.Don't miss out - take advantage of this free writing workshop! *****
Title: Creating Great Characters
Presented by: Maggie Ball
Date: December 07, 2011 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:00 - 5:45 PM EST (U.S.)
Format: Live Webinar
Handout: Yes
Cost: Free
Workshop Description: Think of amazing characters, such as Sherlock Holmes, Scarlett O'Hara (Gone with the Wind), Tarzan, Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), Peter Pan, Charlotte (Charlotte's Web), T. S. Garp (The World According to Garp), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), Harry Potter, the list goes on and on.
Characters are at the heart of every great story and every fiction author needs to know how to create good ones. Think temperament, intelligence, appearance, physical characteristics, quirks, moods, mannerisms, and so on. Great characters need to be real, engaging, and motivating; they need to keep the reader reading. They need to touch something in the reader; they need to be remembered.
Join Maggie Ball as she discusses characterization.To register for “Creating Great Characters” email Maggie Ball at: [email protected]Details to attend the LIVE WEBINAR will be provided upon registration.There will also be a bonus PDF workshop handout included and registered attendees will receive a recording of the live webinar.
For full details go to: http://www.writersonthemove.com/p/writers-on-move-workshop.html PLEASE SHARE THIS WRITING WORKSHOP INFORMATION! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer, Editor
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