Karen GoatKeeper's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-characters"
Reading and Writing
Authors write. Yet no author is a perfect master of writing. Always there are items that come up leaving the author at a loss. Reading can help.
I am again plowing my way through Capri Capers. I am also trying to take to heart P.J.'s comments on not hoarding books.
Although some of my difficulties are solved with a little research and drawing two maps, one problem still dogs me in my novel draft. The characters seem too flat, contrived.
Out of frustration I started looking through some old Children's Writer books sitting on my bookshelf to sort a few out to pass on. Old means old: 1998. And an article about Katherine Patterson about creating her characters.
This author wants to be deeply acquainted with her characters. She wants to know their deepest thoughts and desires. Only then do the characters come alive on the page.
It is so tempting in my creme fluff novel to ignore this advice. I could leave it as a light chase novel. It would be done. I could go on to other projects.
And I would forever be unhappy as I would know this novel might have been so much more. I don't like this alternative.
Who is Harriet? Who is Arthur? What motives drive Roscoe Rascal?
At least two minor characters, Capri and Agate, are easy. Goat motives are something I understand without deep efforts.
I am again plowing my way through Capri Capers. I am also trying to take to heart P.J.'s comments on not hoarding books.
Although some of my difficulties are solved with a little research and drawing two maps, one problem still dogs me in my novel draft. The characters seem too flat, contrived.
Out of frustration I started looking through some old Children's Writer books sitting on my bookshelf to sort a few out to pass on. Old means old: 1998. And an article about Katherine Patterson about creating her characters.
This author wants to be deeply acquainted with her characters. She wants to know their deepest thoughts and desires. Only then do the characters come alive on the page.
It is so tempting in my creme fluff novel to ignore this advice. I could leave it as a light chase novel. It would be done. I could go on to other projects.
And I would forever be unhappy as I would know this novel might have been so much more. I don't like this alternative.
Who is Harriet? Who is Arthur? What motives drive Roscoe Rascal?
At least two minor characters, Capri and Agate, are easy. Goat motives are something I understand without deep efforts.
