The “There were characters that were introduced but nothing happened to them” Comment
Whenever I read that comment in a review of my book or others, I’ll admit it’s infuriating. I do it because when my characters look into the eyes of the people around them, they are humanizing them. As a writer, I feel it’s my job to humanize them all, even the security guard, the hot dog stand guy, or the friend who’s in town for the day. Take Once Upon An Unrequited Love. Ana, Lake’s friend, had a real life before she entered the scene and during and after she left the scene. However, I wasn’t telling Ana’s story. She had her own life to live. And everybody doesn’t “get a book” because they showed up as a human being and not a cut-out-character for five minutes. I’m not into crafting paper dolls around my main characters. Sometimes I feel it’s wannabe writers making those comments because it diverts from what some formulaic instructor has taught them. Also, it’s a lot more difficult to craft a full, 3-dimensional world where every character is a human being with a backstory, and that backstory informs their present interaction with the main character(s). I’ve lasted this long without writing to market for one reason – I craft humans. No matter what situation they’re in, they are human beings, and so are their friends, family, and the people they interact with. Put in craft terms, that is B characters, C characters, D, E and F characters. Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I wanted to explain that because it’s a flawed comment. I have not made an error, but it could be a matter of taste. For instance, another tool I love to use in my writing is not to tell you what my characters are feeling in a moment but to show you through interactions, body language, dialog as subtext, and choices made. You don’t usually find these machinations employed in romance, which is why I’m always amazed I’ve lasted this long, but I use them. I also get marked down for doing that too. But I will never stop writing this way because I’m simply unable to. Peace,Z.L.
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