Sometimes we’re tempted to explain to our readers how our characters feel. It’s as though we don’t trust the power of our own writing. Even when our scene is inherently frightful – our character is being held up at gunpoint let’s say – we might fall back on something like, David shook with terror….
Category Archives: Characterization
Building Character by Raising the Stakes
Happiness might be great in real life. But it’s fatal in fiction. Few things numb readers more than a character surrounded by birdsong and puppies, who isn’t risking something deeply important. There’s no payoff when everything works out all hunky dory. Or when the outcome is as simple as a character getting what he…
5 Ways to Love Your Villain
A common criticism that comes up in writing workshops is that a particular character isn’t “sympathetic.” I once had a student who seemed pleased with this response. “You’re not supposed to like him,” she said. Her character was the stereotypical bad husband; Tucker cheated on his wife, Gina, and to make matters worse, had initiated…
Revealing Character Through Body Language
The human body is the best picture of the human soul. ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein It’s a scientific fact: body language speaks volumes about what’s truly in our hearts and minds. Postures, facial expressions, mannerisms, gestures, movements, the way someone holds his arms, what his eyes focus on — all these things, no matter how subtle,…
