|
|
 |
|
|
Five Tips Of Characterization To Gain Cash Prizes In Writing Awards by Albert Kelly
|
|
|
Five Tips Of Characterization To Gain Cash Prizes In Writing Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
Education
|
|
|
Imagine we meet a complete stranger for the first time. What's the primary thing we notice about that person? Their distinctive face. It's logical. That's the way we've trained ourselves from infancy to recall strangers later on, however they're dressed. The drawback is, there are only a few ways we can define a character's facial features in a story, short of caricature. Tip 1. Make the character's face distinctive Should we state they are clean shaven, sparkle-eyed (has anyone seen a sparkle-eyed person lately?), brown haired, beaky of nose and sallow of skin? That is a forensic report. It's uninteresting. Your reader will have forgotten that person by the next sentence. Or do they have sad wet eyes, like a badly poached egg? The reader will recall that. Tip 2. Dress characterizes quickly Of course, the way we dress discloses how we want to appear to public inspection. So our readers will recall a person by the things they wear. You can pack a lot of character description into a single piece of apparel. If a character on their arrival sports a shawl like a strangled hen, it says a lot about them. Furthermore, you can usefully refer to their unfortunate dress sense when they appear in the future. The reader will remember that person at once. Needless to say, this tactic makes sense only with minor characters. You will need to characterize your main players far more creatively. Tip 3. Have them exhibit some unique behavior Beware of stylizing your character when they make their entrance by making them conduct themselves in some outlandish fashion. The audience will recognize a first-time writer who has read too much Dickens. Be more discreet. It's better to make a minor character incessantly chew on a hang nail or pull their nose or admire the rafters above their head. Little things are much more credible. To spotlight a trivial mannerism is very well when personalizing a minor figure but beware of over playing it with a major player. It's important for that character to grow into a full-blooded and complex creature. Tip 4. Odor is another characterizing tip Here's another tip. Folks are so conscious of personal hygiene nowadays, almost everywhere, that we rarely differentiate a character simply by their aroma. So a figure can be made all the more unforgettable if they possess a noticeable smell. But beware of drawing attention to a person's aroma unless it's peculiar or out of place. Historical writers often have their players notice the strong body stench of the people around them. In fact, in a period when very few people bathed regularly, body odor would not have been noted. If the owner of a pig farm reeks of manure, that's quite normal. Your reader will pay no attention to it. However, if that person invariably smells of rose water, it says something unforgettable about the character. Tip 5. Speech is best used to misdirect How a character talks is also very important in conveying instant markers to their inner personality. If they speak in a loud, truculent manner then the reader will make their own judgment. But the character's speech may be a totally false token of their nature. Give the characters an ironic dimension, and it may wow the examiners of atop writing award. Voice is a primary tactic for building character or misdirecting the reader. These are just a few of the clever strategies you can use when you need to introduce a 'spear carrier' to your story but you don't want to over-shadow the protagonists. Of course, at times you don't want the reader to recall a minor character. A waiter brings a drink or a nonentity serves lunch. These people should remain invisible. But if you need to return to that character, little tricks can this can ensure they are not forgotten. buy an assessment
Related Articles -
Five, Tips, Characterization,
|
Rate This Article  |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
| Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Author Login |
|
|
 |
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
MICHAEL BRESCIANI
Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books. One book is an important and concisely written b...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Steve Bye is currently a fiction writer, who published his first novel, ‘Looking Forward Through the...more
|
|
|
|
|
LEVAL AINAH
I am an internet marketer and also an educator. My goal is to help others who are looking to improve...more
|
|
|
|
|
PAUL PHILIPS
For more articles, blog messages & videos and a free e-book download go to www.NewParadigm.ws your p...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
