First Assignment
Level 2
Beswitchingly Positive
On Characterization
I have never considered tallying my characters statistics. Not disliking the idea, I just never thought of it. Character sketches could be very handy and easy to put together.
One way to do it would be to write a story or a chapter freely, and then during the first edit, save all descriptive passages on each character in their own files. This way I would not lose my flow. I could save characters from drowning in a sea of my writerly forgetfulness; break down a list of facts about each entity. Saving the main descriptive passages and the lists, I could recall the physical facts as well as the feeling, making it possible to not only revisit a description, but the essence and mood of a character’s development.
This is a great tip, keeping sketches. I might as well not remember tiny details, saving my brain space for other things.
Nothing is more jolting than a character changing hair color, or even names, in midstream. I saw a character change names once in an erotic story. It felt like I had been cheated on. Character sketches are a good safety net to use to avoid these errors during final edit. The advice that no matter how well acquainted you feel, you might lose details, is good advise.
I always feel as though I remember everything, but it is not true, I don’t. Recently I ran into an old friend, long moved away, and during our catch up I mentioned I had been married and divorced since I saw her last.
She was a little miffed and said “Julia, I know you got married, I was at your wedding.”
I still can’t remember seeing her at the wedding. I can’t remember her there at all. There were only forty or fifty people, it was not a large wedding. I love this woman, we have been friends for fifteen years and had some adventures together, but that part of my memory of her was missing. I still haven’t found it.
Being in love with my characters doesn’t mean I will remember everything about them, or even everything they have done.
My ex mentioned that during the time we got married, it seemed we “shared a brain,” After our divorce, it seems each of us could only keep certain memories when our brains separated. He confirmed that my friend had been present at the celebration.
I imagine if two writers worked in partnership on a project, character sheets would become a necessity. Just one more reason to consider keeping lists of statistics on characters.
On Dialogue
The brief tip about using dialogue to carry a story by revealing details appeals to a voyeuristic part of me. I think I already do this. Long narratives can be interesting, but learning details of a scene or story through dialogue is like listening in on a conversation. I agree there are times dialogue could be more effective than a long narrative.
Eavesdropping on a conversation could also give insight as to how a character appears to other characters, as opposed to being able to read a characters internal thoughts, which gives insight into a characters self perception and internal perspective.
On Conflict
I would like to learn more about conflicts, and how to use them in a story. This is another element of storytelling that I never paid much attention to, it just seems to flow. Writing my novel, this is becoming more important to me as I see how to weave the tale I want to tell.
I think examples might have made the point about external and internal conflicts more clear.
On Scene and Sequel.
Again, this is something I never thought much about. Considering my action scenes in the context of the sequel and the next action will definitely help the plot of the book I am working on.
The question of how much to reveal early on was pointed out to me as I read my first completed chapter out loud to another writer friend the other day. He suggested I keep a particular element of the story secret until later, for greater effect.
Burn the “Deadwood”
The advice on using unnecessary words is sound advice. Nice list of choices and how to avoid this habit.
Let your characters lead you to your plot
This list of questions to ask a character was great. Even with a plot in mind, this list could help to see if the character will fit the plot. I have never come up with a character and no plot, but it could happen.
Dialect
The advise about dialect was common sense. Dialect should read easily and the idea of misspelling and trying to change words to sound like a dialect rarely works. Using syntax and words that fit the dialect would be a much better solution to an issue of dialect.
The Pros and Cons of Outlining
I have rarely met a writer that uses outlines. I don’t know that many writers. The triple “O” method is a nice simple idea, and I believe this tip will help me with my current project more than any other advice in this thread.
How can I become a better writer?
I am very lucky. Born, raised and living in New Orleans, having travelled as well, I have no shortage of inspiration for stories and plot ideas. Our local paper is a treasure trove of fodder for the writing fire. All of my friends know they are giving me characters and I use them in my stories. My buddies here also know their own stories might find a way into my books. I have their permission to steal from them. Bartending for years, it is my habit to converse directly with strangers everyday. Talking to people, listening to their stories, has given me many ideas.
One of my favorite games to play, when sitting on my balcony with friends, is to watch the body language of the people in the street and make up their stories and dialogue. The trick when I write is to shave it down to a central idea and build around that.
Editing was painful for me when I was younger. As I grow and evolve as a person and a writer, the process is becoming not only enjoyable but more productive. It has also become easier for me to let other people edit my stuff. Considering structure and scribbling an outline and character descriptions will certainly improve my writing. Editing is essential to building a well written piece.
