Character Development Exercise For Writers

Anyone who writes fiction needs to enrich their character development expertise.We build characters little by little. Today, I have an exercise for you that might be of a little help. 

Even those writing memoir or family stories should pay attention to character development. The reader much prefers you showing a character than simply telling. 

Some writers spend an entire paragraph, or even several, telling the reader about the character, then move on with the story. For me, it's preferable to receive the information about a character in bits and pieces woven throughout the narrative.  This method allows the reader to build the character in their mind little by little rather than having a glut of information all tied up with a red ribbon and handed to the reader as a gift.

 However, for the exercise, you will need to give the information in consecutive paragraphs instead of filtering it in a full chapter or more.

Study the photo of the young man including his facial features, his expression, his clothing and where he is posing. Note that I said study the photo. A quick glance is not going to bring the best results. For this exercise, paint a picture with words about who he is and begin to make up a storyline for him. 

To begin, ask yourself questions:

• What is his most outstanding facial feature?
• What is under his cap? A full head of hair or a bald spot in the center?
• Does he have a jacket to wear over that vest?
• Is he temperamental?
• What does he smell like? Good and/or bad
• Does he have a tic of any kind?
• What about his speech? Accented? Stuttering? Fast? Slow?
• Is he a kind person?
• Is he cruel?
• Does he smoke?
• Does he chew gum incessantly?
• Is he missing any teeth?
• Does he have an eye for the girls? Or boys?
• Does he live in the USA or a foreign country?
• What is his favorite food?
• Does he live alone or with family?
• What is his job? 
• What kind of sense of humor does he have?

Make notes as you answer the questions above and add a few questions/answers of your own. Then begin writing a few paragraphs to let a reader know what kind of person this young man is.

Believe In Yourself As A Writer

Have you ever tried to write like someone else? Maybe there's an author whose work you especially enjoy. You might close one of his/her books and think I want to write just like her/him. I'd advise you not to try it. You don't want that old childhood taunt tossed at you. You know the one--Copycat!

We should strive to write as individuals. We each have a separate 'voice' that is ours alone when we write. You might think John Grisham delivers great mystery novels. He does, but his voice is not yours. Nor should you try to make your mystery stories sound like his. 

There is nothing wrong in trying to write as well as John Grisham, just don't attempt to sound like him. Maybe you love novels by Rosamunde Pilcher (I do!) but she has her own style and you don't want to copy it. Instead, determine your own style.

When writers do the copycat mode, it's often because they don't believe in themselves enough to strike out and create their own voice. You want your own personality, your beliefs, your attitudes to shine through the words you write. Your voice also comes through in the way in which you use syntax, diction, punctuation and more. 

If you're a writer trying to earn a living or supplement your income, you must believe in what you're doing or it isn't going t work very well. If you are the one person in your family who wants to write the stories that are pertinent to your immediate and extended family, you must believe that you can do the job. With either type of writing, having the desire and believing in yourself is important. 

There are times when you might need to give yourself a little pep talk as a reminder that you are a writer and you believe in what you are doing. We can't only say it, we must accept ourselves as writers, too. 

Remember this--doubt creeps into the lives of nearly every writer at some time. Remind yourself of your successes and your strengths and sweep Mr. Doubt right out of your life. Most likely, he will come knocking at your door again someday. The more you believe in yourself as a writer, the easy it will be not to answer the door. Keep Mr. Doubt standing on the porch.

Believe in yourself enough to enjoy the writing of others but create your own style and stay with it.

October Inspires Writers

Hello October and hello to my readers. I am back from a week's vacation. We met three couples whom we've known for many years for an annual get-together where the men play golf and the women just play--in shops, restaurants and tourist spots. This year, we were just north of Oxford, MS at a very nice golf course that also has cottages that were made to accommodate eight people. 

Now, it's back to the routine things and a Kansas Authors Convention coming up this next weekend. Guess who is Convention Chairman?  More on that another day.

Today, let's think about what we can write regarding October and the activities it offers. The poster above gives us several thoughts and, surely, you can think of some others. 

Halloween pops up in the first photo. Have you thought about writing something regarding decorating for this holiday? Or just decorating for fall? You crafty people could give some nice hints. There are craft websites where you could submit an article like this. Halloween is far enough away that perhaps you could still be accepted. If not, keep what you have written for next year and submit early. Halloween stories for kids and grown-ups come into play this month, too.

The photo in the top right shows the best of this month. Fall color! Those who live in a place with four seasons look forward to the changing of the leaves. The lush green of summer slips into the reds, oranges and golds of the season. When I see some of the spectacular shows the fall trees and bushes display, I feel like writing poetry. Perfect for description and emotion. Give it a try when the trees turn in your area.

The photo of the street lamp and the bare tree brings thoughts of the shorter days we will begin to have. How about writing a memory piece about coming home when the street lamps come on? Summer days allowed us to be outside much longer. Dusk and darkness creep up much sooner this month. Do you remember staying after school for an activity, then walking home when it was nearly dark? Maybe you walked on the grassy area layered with fallen leaves just to hear them crackle as your feet smashed them. 

The bottom left picture calls out to me. What is better than spending a chilly fall afternoon or evening with a book? You might write a personal essay about the places you have read books in different seasons. In summer, we can find a shady spot outdoors. In October, we can curl up with an afghan and a book inside. 

The final photo on the bottom right is most definitely a reminder that changes are being made. Instead of iced tea and lemonade that we've been enjoying all summer, we switch to hot drinks like the cup of chocolate we see here. Or a cup of peppermint tea. Write about the foods and drinks we enjoy in fall. This topic cries for a memoir piece of your mother's kitchen on a fall day. Or of a visit to Grandma when the leaves have turned and Halloween approaches. Maybe she always made a special treat this time of year.

Look around you as you go about your daily routine. Notice the changes in the retail shops and grocery stores, the magazines and more. Let the season inspire you to write. You've most likely turned the page on your calendar today. Did you find a lovely fall scene? Don't just admire it. Write about it!

Writer Granny's World On Short Vacation

We're taking a vacation the week of September 24-28. Next post will be on October 1. 

Keep on writing!

Writers Make Lots of Decisions

Today's quote is true in about every part or phase of our life. It works the same in our writing life. 

As writers, we make many small decisions during the actual writing. We must decide what a character will look like or act like. The little things we choose to add to that character could make a good story even better. Small but important details. Will it change your life? Most likely not but it will bring you the status of being a 'better writer.'

We have to make up our mind whether the outcome of the story will be sad or glad. Isn't it great that we, as writers, have the power to make the story end any way we want it to? Susie Q next door isn't going to make that little decision. Monty, the mailman, isn't going to choose the ending. You are!

A piece of dialogue might give you problems. Changing it just the tiniest bit can make all the difference. A flat line becomes strong with a small change. Don't be afraid to make the change. 

What if you receive a critique on a story you've written and there are multiple spots that the critiquer has marked that could use changing in some way. Maybe you've used far too many passive, weak verbs. Making the small decision to change all of them could let you end up with a far stronger story. Yes, it's a small thing--to follow what the critiquer suggested but you could end up reaping big benefits.

How about the stories you wanted to submit to a paying publication but were afraid they weren't good enough? Making that little decision to do so could result in selling your story. Maybe not ever time but now and then. If you are too hesitant to submit, nothing will get published. We, as writers, must make that effort or everything we write will gather dust in files. 

There are many writers, many people actually, who have trouble making decisions. They cringe at the thought, think of every little thing that might go wrong and back down completely. Not making a decision is worse than making a bad decision. If you don't try, you'll never know what might have happened. Start with the little decisions and move on up the ladder to the bigger ones. Maybe you'll see results and maybe not but that's alright. Life isn't perfect.

Remember Those New Year's Goals?

This guy is a goalie and his goal is to keep that ball away so no points are scored by the opposing team. We writers have goals, too. We talk about our goals. We write lists of our goals, especially when we are celebrating the New Year. We occasionally think about our goals.

The question is Do we actively pursue our goals? And What percentage of our goals do we achieve each year?

Did you make a list around the first of January 2018? My post for December 31st of 2010 mentioned making goals instead of resolutions. Read it here.

We all have the best intentions in working toward our goals on a consistent basis. Then Life steps in and we push the thoughts of those goals aside to address things that appear to be more important at the time. I'm not pointing fingers because we all do this, myself included.

Every once in a while, one of the goals I made pops up in my mind and I have to ask myself what have I done to meet that goal. I don't always like the answer. Then, it's pretty easy to push it back into oblivion again.

I copied two paragraphs in the 2010 post mentioned above because I think it is still good advice today. Good for you and for me. This is what I wrote:

You don't need to make a list of 25 goals for this year. Try one or two or even three, but keep the number achievable. Anyone who creates a lengthy list of goals is going to feel overwhelmed before they even begin. Whether the goals are about your personal world or your writing world, you won't want to make the goals so difficult to reach that you feel defeated before you get started. There are many steps in every stairway. Take your goals as you do the steps--one at a time.

When the first of each new month arrives, make a quick assessment of those goals. What did you do the previous month toward each one? Then ask yourself what you would like to do, or need to do, in the new month. It's better to do this monthly than wait until next December 31st and ask yourself if your goal(s) was achieved.

The suggestion that I liked best is to try looking at your list of goals, whether it is an actual list or tucked away in your mind, on a monthly basis instead of once a year.  

Creating goals is great. Achieving them is even better. 

Three Autumn Exercises For Writers

Autumn  Glory

Saturday is the first day of fall, or autumn, in the northern hemisphere. Summer temps may still be with us but it won't be long until all the parts of fall that so many adore will be evident. A great number of people would name fall as their favorite season. Or they might say 'autumn' instead. 

I am posting three exercises today. Choose any one or try all of them. They're not difficult and won't take a lot of time but they will get you in the mood for what is nearly here and might inspire a story or poem with a fall theme.

Exercise #1

For writers, this upcoming season offers a lot in sensory details. For an exercise, write a phrase or two to answer each of the following questions using something that is reminiscent of the fall season. 

1. What sights can you see?
2. What smells remind you of fall?
3. What do you hear during this third season of the year?
4. Are your taste buds ready for fall foods? Which ones?
5. What can you touch in fall that you cannot during summer?

Exercise #2

I have read several quotes from famous people about the fall season. I'll post a few below. 

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall."  Oscar Wilde

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."  F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Autumn, the year's loveliest smile." William Cullen Bryant

Now, get creative and come up with a quote of your own about fall. 

Exercise #3

Make a list of words that remind you of the season, ones you could incorporate into your writing.