From the responses on my novel, right now titled The Line: Re-appearing, it seems that i do not convey the personality of my characters that well. I really need this for my book because i have a few more characters than usual. Any suggestions for characterizing my characters would be welcome.
It doesn't think, doesn't feel. It doesn't laugh or cry. All it does from dusk 'till dawn is make the soldiers die
1. Dialogue. How does your character say the things they say? Are there pauses? What exact words do they use? Try to convey your character's personality through their dialogue. It's the difference between a character saying "I'm exhausted." and "I'm going to fall down dead if I take another freaking step!"
2. Description. Ah, the glorious word. Describe your characters's expressions, the way they say things. Distinguish their body language, the look in their eyes from the other characters.
3. Time. Take the time to characterize them. Don't sacrifice characterization for action. Don't rush through whatever you are writing; write it patiently, recording all the things you imagine happening. Then you can go back and cut it. Rushing can kill characters.
4. Other's reactions to them. How do the other characters regard your character? What do they say about him/her? Are they friends or worst enemies? If so, then why are they like that? These are some things to consider when characterizing.
Just a list of ideas for ya.
And I think this should be Fiction Discussion or Writing Tips...
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
Body language--how your character moves can definitely convey a personality. How they walk, stand, do ANYTHING, really, can be critical to setting a personality.
Got YWS? I do.
Lumi: Don't you drag my donobby into this. Lumi: He's the sweetest angel this side of hades.
Don't forget the character Development group! Be sure you know your characters left, right, up, down, and all around.
Also, how are you conveying information about them? Through info dumps, or through well placed drops/dialog? Is it first person, or third? This matters because if it is in first person, everyone but the POV character is seen through the POV characters "filter" so to speak. Because if your main character is talking about his best friend, it's going to be in a good way. But what if this best friend is secretly trying to kill the POV character? In third person, this might be known, but in first, it would become a complete surprise.
I think that wasn't exactly what you were looking for though...but it was still helpful, right?
“It's necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
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