Seeing Double, Triple: Getting Into Each Character's Head

There's nothing necessarily wrong with a scene where one character dominates, but there may not be enough right with it either. It's fine for one character in a scene to stand out, especially if he or she is the story's main squeeze. But if the character dominates every scene, or most throughout the story, try editing the scene once for each character.

Here's a case where the best way to learn is by doing. Select a scene from a story you're working on now or a scene you've been mulling over. Edit it first from the mind-set of the main character. Then edit from the mind-set of the next most prominent character on down the line until you've edited the scene once for each major character. The result will be a richer exchange with deeper characters who know and engage each other on a deeper level, and who may surprise the reader, possibly even the writer.


Here are a couple of caveats:

• Don't view this as a major rewrite of the scene, but more of a way to refine it to reveal the essence of each major player, and some minor ones, too.
• Don't let surprises throw you. Instead, step away from the work. When you return, if there still seems to be a major shift in character or plot, list the ways this will impact the story and where. Review the list to see if the changes are worth making.

Happy writing!

How Is It Made: Taking Writing Apart

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Remember those cartoons where the guy (it's usually a guy) takes the car engine apart to see out how it works? Well, that approach can work for writing, too. Of course, just like that guy, you may end up with parts you don't need. But unlike that guy, you could end up better off without those parts. The key is to study the author's work and ask probing questions to get at how the writing is made.

Last summer I attended the Solstice Summer Writers Conference at Pine Manor College outside Boston. One of the workshop leaders was A. Manette Ansay, author of Oprah's Book Club selection Vinegar Hill and the recent Good Things I Wish You. One of Ansay's pieces of advice, which should become a tool in every writer's toolkit, is to study the writing of an author you like or one you don't and look at the story as a whole, then a chapter, scene, paragraph and sentence. See what the author does with:

• Dialogue
• Flashback
• Metaphor
• Motif
• Narrative
• Point of view
• Punctuation, including sentence, paragraph and chapter breaks
• Scene
• Simile
• Theme
• Word order
• Wordplay

Tip: Consider why the author made one particular choice instead of another. Do a little research to find an interview with the author explaining his or her decisions on the particular work. It will give you an idea of how to apply the same principles to your work.

Resources: For more on A. Manette Ansay's perspective, see "A. Manette Ansay on Writing."