If The Viewpoint Character Is A Secondary Character, Have You Established Who He is?

If The Viewpoint Character Is A Secondary Character, Have You Established Who He is?
by: Nick Vernon


Creative Writing Tips –

I have said above that if a secondary character tells the story of the main character, then the spotlight should be kept on the main character.

This shouldn’t be taken to the extreme though.

In other words, you don’t just write the story of the main character without telling your readers a bit about your secondary character.

Unless the reader understands the reason a secondary character is telling the story, it will seem peculiar that the main character isn’t telling it himself. It is, after all, the main character’s story.

So, the following have to be answered…

* Who is this secondary character?
* Why is he telling the story instead of the main character?
* What is his connection with the main character?

Weave in some information about the secondary character so we can gain a better understanding of his role in the story.

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com >>Read more...

Does Your Theme Contain Character, Conflict, Resolution?

Does Your Theme Contain Character, Conflict, Resolution?
by: Nick Vernon


Creative Writing Tips –

For a theme to work and the story, which will revolve around the theme, it has to contain three things…

1. Character
2. Conflict
3. Resolution

What’s the reason for this?

If your theme doesn’t contain these three essential elements, then you won’t be writing a proper short story. It might turn out to be an essay instead.

Because without…

1) Characters

You can’t achieve emotional depth. Readers become engrossed in stories because of the characters in them. They either become the character (sympathize), or read about an interesting person (empathize).

Emotional depth is achieved when readers use their imagination and senses and/or experiences to live the story through the characters.

2) Conflict

Your story will be boring. Why? Without conflict, something to stir things up, nothing happens. And a story, in which nothing happens, is one not worth writing about.

Your characters don’t lead carefree lives. Well, not in the instance you are writing about them. In that part of their lives they are faced with a problem. They want something and can’t get it because of the conflict, which is preventing them to do so.

And it’s that conflict and the struggle the characters has to undergo that keeps us readers interested and in suspense. Will the character succeed or won’t he? And when is this all going to happen? And how is it all going to happen?

3) Resolution

Something that starts has to finish, one way or another.

Once you have created great characters, which the reader will come to care about, and you have placed them in conflict, that conflict at the end of your story has to be resolved. The characters will achieve their goals or they won’t.

That doesn’t matter.

You can end your story as you please and as it suits your story – but you have to end it. Ending the story means resolving the conflict.

Does your theme contain character, conflict, resolution?

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com >>Read more...

Does Your Plot Suit Your Characters And Vice-Versa?

Does Your Plot Suit Your Characters And Vice-Versa?
by: Nick Vernon


Creative Writing Tips –

When an idea comes to us for a short story, we either think of a story line first or a character first. Whichever we think of first, and later on build, we have to make sure the plot and the character suit each other.

Example one – We think of a story line first.

Your story is set in a rural area. A company opens a factory and employs workers from that small town. The residents welcome this, as there aren’t many jobs going around. The management takes advantage of that fact and exploit the workers.

Using a technicality in the system, perhaps listing them under different job titles in their books, they pay them less than they are entitled. Your main character sees this injustice and leads the workers to rebel against the management.

Now in a plot like this you will need your main character to posses certain qualities. Like…

Leadership

To be able to lead the people to rebel.

Convincing

The workers are from a rural area. Some might be uneducated and not aware of their rights. The main character has to convince them that what the management is doing, is wrong.

Persuader

Living in a rural area, jobs are hard to find. Most of the workers will view the company as their saviour. Their thinking will be that receiving little money is better than none at all. The main character has to persuade them that being in a rural area the company needs them as much as the workers need the company.

Strong Personality & Confident

We need a strong character that will see things through to the end. We don’t want someone giving up when things get tough. He will also need to be confident that he is doing the right thing (not to make things worse for the workers) and believes in himself (knowing what he’s doing is right).

Strong people skills

To be able to speak and relate to people on all levels.

Negotiator

To negotiate a solution with management and workers.

Public speaker skills

To be able to address this mass group of workers, in a voice that is confident, persuading, authoritative etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So these are the qualities we will need our character to have.

Now let’s see if we can make him believable. Remember he lives in the same rural area, so what makes him different from the rest of the workers who are willing to settle for less?

I could say he recently move to that rural area from the city. He used to work as a union leader and wanted to get out of the rat race. But having fought for workers rights his entire career, he can’t stand now to see injustices and comes to the decision to fight for them and himself.

So this character would suit our plot because we need someone like him for our story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Example two – Thinking of a character first

We notice a man on the street. Something about him triggers our interest so we decide to write about him in a short story. So at this point we will build the character first and then work a story around him.

Let’s go back to where we saw him…

He’s walking briskly along a busy street. He’s in a hurry. He’s dressed in a three-piece suit, which indicates he might be a businessman. He’s got a stack of documents under his arm; a briefcase in his left hand and his right hand is occupied by holding the phone to his ear, which he’s shouting into.

Let’s observe him closer…

He’s in his mid thirties. He looks authoritative. Perhaps he has his own business. Why is he shouting into the phone? Perhaps one of his employees made a mistake, which has cost the character a lot of money.

What if this employee made the mistake on purpose? What if he’s secretly working for the opposition, planted to destroy the main character’s company? What if the owner of that opposing company is the main character’s own brother? Etc…

So as we analyze this character and ask questions about him, our plot begins to unfold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plots and characters have to suit each other.

When we have finished plotting and are ready to write the story, they shouldn’t be ill-fitting pieces of a puzzle – They should be a perfect match.

Does your plot suit your characters and vice-versa?

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
>>Read more...

Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire?

Another good article from Nick

Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire?
by: Nick Vernon


Creative Writing Tips –

Complete a character questionnaire for each of your main characters or even secondary characters that play a vital role in your story. This way you will know your character(s) well before you start writing about them.

Fill in as much information about them as possible. Don’t only answer what you will need in your story. The objective here is to get to know your character till he becomes a ‘live’ person in your mind.

So let’s begin…

1. In a few sentences write down a summary of the plot

2. Character’s personal details
1. First name
2. Surname
3. Age

3. In a few sentences write down the character’s back story (a bit about his background)

4. The role of the character in your story
1. What are character’s goals?
2. What are character’s motivations?
3. What is the character’s conflict?
4. How will the conflict stop the character from reaching his goal?
5. What is he going to do to overcome the conflict?
6. What problems will crop up during the story?
7. How will those problems get worse?
8. What will the character do to overcome those problems?
9. How will he resolve the conflict?
10. How will your character’s background influence how he behaves in your story?
11. What is the relationship with other characters, if any, in your story?

5. Physical Descriptions
1. Height
2. Eye colour
3. Hair colour
4. Hairstyle
5. Hair length
6. Complexion
7. Shape of face
8. Body type
9. Weight

6. How does his expression change when…
1. He’s with a loved one
2. He’s with someone he dislikes
3. He’s with his boss
4. He’s with a colleague

7. Personality
1. Type? (shy, outgoing, insecure, dominant etc)
2. Distinguishable traits?
3. Mental scars? (Complexes etc)
4. Ambitions?
5. Sense of humour?
6. Fears?
7. Anxieties?
8. Phobias?
9. Overall personality?
10. How does his personality change when he’s experiencing different emotions?
11. How does he act when he feels confident?
12. How does he act when he feels inadequate?
13. What gestures does he use when he talks and thinks?
14. How does he walk? With confidence? Does he slouch or stride?
15. What mannerisms does he have? (Does he fold his arms? Does he flick his hair?)
16. How does he speak? (Clearly, mumble, confidently, drawl etc.)
17. His voice? (Rich, loud, soft, etc)
18. His vocabulary? (Casual, formal, illiterate etc)
19. What does he think when he’s alone?
20. Does he have any secrets he hasn’t disclosed to anyone?
21. His prejudices?
22. Dominant motives?
23. Values most?
24. Desires most?
25. How does he treat those around him? (children, superiors, etc)
26. Any vices or virtues?

8. Likes and dislikes
1. Favourite colour, food, etc
2. Favourite music?
3. Taste in clothing?
4. Does character like something in particular?
5. Does character dislike something in particular?

9. Lifestyle
1. Where does the character live (country, city)?
2. Does character live in a house, apartment etc
3. Does character like where he lives?
4. Does where he lives reflect what kind of person he is?
5. Does he have a favourite room? (Or a piece of furniture or other object etc)
6. Does he have a car? What type? Does the car reflect the person he is?
7. Any hobbies? Personal habits (neat, sloppy etc)

10. Background
1. Parents names
2. Parents occupations
3. Describe relationship with parents
4. Any siblings?
5. Describe relationship with siblings
6. What kind of childhood did the character have?
7. What kind of adolescence did the character have?
8. What kind of schooling did character undergo? (Private or public? Has this shaped who he is?)
9. What was the highest-level achieved in school?
10. Citizenship/Ethnic Origin?
11. In which country does he currently live?
12. If the country he lives in is not where he was born, why does he live there?

11. Character’s current position
1. Any friends?
2. Any enemies?
3. Acquaintances?
4. Has character been married before?
5. Has the character been engaged before?
6. Any children?
7. Most meaningful experience?
8. Any disappointments?
9. What is the character’s goal in life?
10. Attitude towards the opposite sex?
11. Attitude towards life?

12. Employment
1. What kind of job does character currently have?
2. What kind of jobs has the character had previously?
3. Is character content in current employment?
4. If not, what would be their dream job?

13. What do you feel for this character?
1. Admire
2. Love
3. Hate
4. Dislike
5. Like
6. Pity
7. Envy

Whatever you feel for this character, your emotions must be strong. If they are not, either build on this further or begin building another character altogether.

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
>>Read more...

Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind?

Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind?
by: Nick Vernon


Creative Writing Tips –

You are plotting the story. You write down what will happen, what problems will arise, what obstacles you will place so the character won’t reach his goals immediately, what he’s going to do to overcome these problems etc…


So all these things will be happening to your character since it’s his story we are telling.

Does it make sense then to have your character in mind as you plot these things?

It does. Because it will depend, based on the type of person he is, how he will face these problems, what he will feel, what he will think, what he will do.

Different types of personalities make up our world. Some people worry too much, so whatever problems come along, they will worry with the same intensity. Other people view the lighter side of life. Minor problems do not affect them as largely as major problems. To some challengers are welcome - they thrive on them. To others, challengers are viewed with fear and uncertainty.

As you’re plotting the events of your story they have to correspond with the type of personality your character possesses.

What happens when you plot without thinking of your character?

He will act ‘out of character.’ He will do, say, think, feel things that don’t suit his personality.

For instance…

If your character is a worrier and you place him in a situation where he doesn’t worry, then that’s making him act according to how you want him to act in your plot.

You’re manipulating him to suit your plot - You’re not writing with his personality in mind.

As you plot the events in the story, simultaneously build your character.

Cross-reference what you have written about your character and the situation he is in. Do they correspond?

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
>>Read more...