Characters want, therefore they do; desire drives the action. It is what makes characters real, and it is the writer’s job to connect the characters’ wants to the reader’s own longings. Like characters, readers want justice, love, redemption, freedom, connection. Desire propels. Mistakes, irrevocable blunders get made. The story quickens. But while characters want things […]
Tag: fiction
The feel of a book
When an author makes you feel, she has you. I remember reading a manuscript, enjoying the characters, and wondering where the story would lead. Then, in the middle of a conversation, one of them cocked his head. Something wasn’t right. A noise that shouldn’t be there. I felt a chill. Suddenly, those wonderful characters — high […]
The geography of fiction
Novels are tricky. Is upbeat artificial? Is dystopian faithless? Are plot line and characterization exclusive? Robert D. Kaplan’s new book, The Revenge of Geography, hints at the link between realistic characters and complex scenarios: Geography is common sense, but it is not fate. Individual choice operates within a certain geographical and historical context, which affects decisions […]
Things you can’t say in words
As an author, the less you say, the better. Strunk and White ring this bell in Rule 17 — omit needless words. But what if your theme eludes description? Novelist Jennifer DuBois provides an example of what to do in her Word Craft column from last Saturday: In the middle of a novel about music […]
Seven Things I’ve Learned About Writing Fiction (from The Hunger Games)
(1) Tension. Something’s not right about all this. (2) Respect. A strong, competent hero. (3) Empathy. Characters I care for. (4) Conflict. Most of these characters are in mortal danger. (5) Enemies. Opposition that is believable and overwhelming. (6) Romance. Between characters I’m rooting for, but with plenty of #1, above. (7) Resolution? Wrap things […]
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