Category: characterization
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Seven Tips for Bringing Your Characters to Life
At Imaginarium 2019, I sat in on a panel of several writers who gave tips for creating characters. Here are seven tips I took away from that session: Know the needs of your characters. What do they want most out of life? Figure out what your character wants concretely (e.g. to succeed at the small…
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Friday’s Findings
Here are some articles on writing I’ve read lately . . . The Secret to Writing Fascinating Villains Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains — The Fatal Flaw and Unlikely Heroes Do Some People Lack the Talent to be a Successful Author? Dynamics in Fiction Writing (Advanced Writing Technique) Motive: The Key to Writing Stories…
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Friday’s Findings 06.22.18
Here are some articles on writing I’ve read lately: 6 Secrets of Science Fiction and Fantasy World Building Five Steps to Writing Great Character Chemistry Don’t Worry about Success and Failure The Basics of World Building Screenwriting Tips & Insights from Michael Zam, Writer of the Emmy-Winning Series Feud: Bette and Joan Explore the Consortium…
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Fleshing Out One-Dimensional Characters
NOTE: I dusted off some notes I took for a webinar, How to Revise Your NaNo Novel, from January 2016. Grant Faulkner hosted the segment on writing advice with guest speakers KM Weiland, James Scott Bell and Kami Garcia. The following was one of the questions asked. How do you take a one-dimensional character and…
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Books on writing I read in 2015
Every year I try and read a couple of books on the writing craft. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but, honestly, I love reading stuff on how to write fiction. Here is what I read in 2015: Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir by Hank Quense Quense offers practical tips on how…
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What I’m learning as I write my novel
When I say I’ve written six novels, this is what I really mean: I’ve written the rough draft of six novels. Sure I like to say “I’ve written six novels” to try to impress people, but if anyone would read these “novels”, he would read for five minutes, stick out his tongue, squinch up his…
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Writing Exercise: Describe One Thing Ten Ways
This writing exercise challenges the writer to describe something ten different ways. I chose Andre, a french bulldog whom I watch when his “mommy” and “daddy” are out-of-town. I have grown quite fond of him and he offers wondrous opportunities for description. Now, for my list, I decided to tackle description using the five senses…
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Writing Blog Roundup: brain function, life tips, first page, three stages, writing sequence
Some blog articles on writing I’ve read recently: Brain function ‘boosted for days after reading a novel’ Being pulled into the world of a gripping novel can trigger actual, measurable changes in the brain that linger for at least five days after reading, scientists have said. Three Life-Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer.…
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Hero’s Journey
I found this helpful for writing fiction: The Hero’s Journey. “The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves…
Andrew M. Friday 