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When Characters Swap Names Two Methods To Re-energize Your Fiction by Stephen Allen
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When Characters Swap Names Two Methods To Re-energize Your Fiction |
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Education
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You've been writing for months, grabbing hold of every spare moment of the evening or perhaps, early morning. Characters who've loved, laughed and endured hardship together now seem caught in a wormhole that has frozen them in time. It's happened! The dreaded writer's block has hit your keyboard. You give it a day or two of convalescence but then suddenly weeks have gone by and you haven't come up with what happens next. You feel that heavy ache in your heart as you wonder if you'll ever rescue these friends from the trash bin. Don't panic! There are ways around writer's block if you are prepared to give up some control to your characters. Once they begin interacting in a whole new and unexpected way, you may have a whole new novel on your hands; one that just may be complete. One of your characters is begging to be front and center. Another doesn't like the attention he's getting. Perhaps the cool entrepreneur isn't really a good match for your heroine. She's more interested in the parasail instructor who up until now, has been her confidante. Here's how the logistics might work; you have agonized over the names of your characters to find one that suited both personality and first impressions. You have read everything from baby name books to the yellow pages to find something unique. Now, that character has done something you don't like or just generally doesn't live up to that name. Swap names! Okay, there's a little more to it than that, but consider your heroine's confidante. Is he calling out to be the hero of the story? Give him the meaningful name and let him take the lead. My quiet characters constantly surprise me. They always end up taking the title role. Sheguiandah Bay is a perfect example. Emily had more of a story than Miranda did. It's happening as we speak in The Hibiscus Path, my current project. Trust me, shake the characters up a bit and something is bound to happen. Group dynamics change, passions evolve and rumours abound. Here is another method that will cause a bit of commotion. Give one of your characters a secret. You will know which one is hiding something. What is it? Who is it about? It will surprise you how fast the pace will pick up and who will be involved. Don't forget the Fabulous Realities of your characters. It's all in the details but you know that, right? Do you know their middle name? What do they pick off their pizza? All right then, back to work! exclusivepapers testimonials
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