Katherine Frances's Blog, page 241
March 29, 2016
March 28, 2016
readingwithavengeance:
Introducing a character is hard. You have to figure out how to make...
Introducing a character is hard. You have to figure out how to make the reader interested in them right away, how to present their sparkling personality
just right without info dumping, how to casually work their name in a conversation when no one would reasonably have cause to say it…
Yeah, well, I’m here to make it harder. Here are some character intro pet peeves.
The vigilante intro
. Wherein the character performs some heroic act (or relatively heroic) in order to show off their good heart or something, after which point the entire
incident is completely dropped and no one ever speaks of it again. Depending on the details, this can go from irritating to downright dangerous, because
stopping a bully/mugger/whatever once and then never calling authorities or following up, etc, doesn’t do jack diddly.
The ‘it’s just a mask’ intro
. Wherein the character will behave one way, but it’ll turn out to just be a social front which is then never used again, and it only exists in
order to set up conflict between two characters. (I don’t care if it is a facade, if it’s one you’re dedicated to, that means habits. Habits don’t
disappear overnight.)
The ‘woe is my life’ intro
. Thoroughly possible that this is just me, but I hate being slapped in the face with how bad a character’s life is right from the start. I’m going to need
a little neutral ground before shit starts hitting the fan.
The ‘trying way too hard to set up contrast’ intro
. So your jerk is a jerk, and over the course of the book they turn into…well, at the least, less of a jerk. Cool! Great! Bring it on! Ooo, but not all
at the start. Please, please, please do not, knowing that they get less jerky, try to front-load all of their bad traits at once. Come on too
strong, and their transformation seems less authentic. You do not need to reach vile extremes in order to have contrast.
What are some of your pet peeves?
m-l-rio:
I think the reason party scenes are such a challenge to write is because it’s never really...
I think the reason party scenes are such a challenge to write is because it’s never really one scene–it’s a bunch of little scenes strung together, a bunch of little conversations contained within the larger event of the party. The one I’m working on now has fifteen distinct scenic ‘moments’ (and that’s just up until the guests leave) within the same actual scene, like narrative nesting dolls.
What’s more of a mystery is why I keep writing party scenes when I know how bloody difficult they are. Either I’m a masochist, or they’re as much fun as they are hard work, or both.
I just love writing drunk characters.
Like a lot.
"The phone in my hand
Feels heavy
With the weight of messages
You never sent"
Feels heavy
With the weight of messages
You never sent”
- Reg B. (via wnq-writers)
I dare you to write about the top of a mountain
Be creative! Does the character belong there or are they dragged along by circumstance? How likely is it that they will survive? Are they there by choice or by force? Is it a hunting expedition? A quest? A ritual? A small animal looking down at the significance of the world? What does this mountain mean to those who live near it, to those who are far away, or even between the characters?
Think outside the box!
If you’re brave enough to post, don’t forget to tag I dare you to write and indicate whether or not concrit is welcome.
March 27, 2016
Sorry I’ve been so inactive latley
Technology issues :( Not to mention it’s coming down to the end of the semester when I GRADUATE! (heavy breathing, wee woo wee woo) Anyway, I’ll be better.
