A
teacher asked students in an ESL class reading about author Amy Tan what would
they ask Tan if they could. One student said, “I would ask which experiences
led her to write her stories. After all, we can’t communicate without stories.”
The student’s observation, especially in that context, shed new light on why we
encourage writers, “Show, don’t tell.” We don’t want readers to be spoon-fed a
plot or characters; we want them to have the joy of discovering the story en
route because journey is as important to readers as destination, maybe more so since
the most intimate communication comes by experiencing the tale.
See us next
time for Part 2 of this musing.
Do you have a writing question to share? Email WordforWords.
Editor's Blog for Writers – Continuously Published Since 2008 Jon Landau — Music Critic, Manager, Record Producer
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
Grow Your Up Characters Through Voice
Does
your story span generations, and do your characters go from youth to age in maturity
or chronology? One way to accomplish this and emphasize their development is to
grow your characters up by how they sound.
Typically, the closer the viewpoint the deeper the writer is within a character’s thoughts and feelings. Thus, we’re not always conscious of the age-appropriateness of the character’s voice as we write. But once the first draft is done, we can go back and listen to how the character sounds at the beginning versus the end of the story to see —and hear —how much he or she has grown.
It’s also helpful to realize that each character will vary in degree of development and/or devolution. To emphasize these changes, be deliberate in revealing the maturation of your character’s voice throughout the story, especially at pivotal points, such as when they achieve their dreams — or don’t. This will also help support for the story’s pacing.
Do you have a character who seems flat or stuck in a developmental rut? Listen to how he or she sounds at the beginning versus the end of your story. There may be room for growth.
Do you have a writing question to share? Email WordforWords.
Typically, the closer the viewpoint the deeper the writer is within a character’s thoughts and feelings. Thus, we’re not always conscious of the age-appropriateness of the character’s voice as we write. But once the first draft is done, we can go back and listen to how the character sounds at the beginning versus the end of the story to see —and hear —how much he or she has grown.
It’s also helpful to realize that each character will vary in degree of development and/or devolution. To emphasize these changes, be deliberate in revealing the maturation of your character’s voice throughout the story, especially at pivotal points, such as when they achieve their dreams — or don’t. This will also help support for the story’s pacing.
Do you have a character who seems flat or stuck in a developmental rut? Listen to how he or she sounds at the beginning versus the end of your story. There may be room for growth.
Do you have a writing question to share? Email WordforWords.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)