Friday 24 September 2010

Caution: This is NOT a blogfest! ;o)

Howdy Doody! So, I'm participating in Elana's NON-BLOGFEST today to talk about Writing Compelling Characters! Woohoo! To see the other entrants you can go HERE-EY DUDE-EY.
So, how do I write compelling characters? I NEVER EVER tell you what their personalities are like. Confused? Don't be. When someone asks you, for example, why you love your hubbie, you answer,
"Oh, ah, um, I'm not sure. He's cuddly, kind-hearted, I love how he nibbles my ear in the middle of the night ... etc"
DON'T EVER DO THIS. DON'T EVER TELL YOUR READERS WHAT YOU THINK OF YOUR CHARACTERS. If the world were all just a place for fiction, I would tell that someone who asked me why I loved my husband,
"Why don't you find out for yourself? How about you spend a night in bed with him? A week, perhaps, getting to know him, and then you can tell me why I love him."
This is what you gotta do for your readers. You have to let them experience your characters for themselves.
For example:
DON'T SAY
Kit, a girl who likes to watch documentaries, and Ailish, who has pale freckled skin, and takes pride in her garden, are eating dinner outside on the verandah. Kit wants to find her father and asks Ailish where he is. Ailish doesn't want to talk about Kit's father, and answers back abruptly, preoccupying her mind with other thoughts.
DO SAY
“I know I asked you a long time ago, if you knew where he was. But I was just wondering if you’ve heard anything since then.”
“Sorry Kit, I haven’t.” Ailish continues to chew, swallows, and then gulps down the remainder of her herbal water in one go. The sound of it gushing down her throat reminds Kit of the whitewater rafting documentary she watched the other day. Ailish’s eyes begin to water. She wipes her mouth with the back of her pale sun-spotted hand, and narrows her eyes at the weeds to her left, which are invading her precious flower bed.
So that, my dears, short and sweet and to the point, because we all know long blog posts tick us off, is how I write compelling characters. I give my readers a ticket through the blue and purple tunnel and into my characters' lives.

Have a great day! And don't forget to check out the other NON-BLOG entries!!! ;o)

90 comments:

  1. Awesome. Well said.
    How does your husband feel about your proposed experiment ;^D

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  2. Love this. So true.. I don't want to be told to like a character I want to grow to like a character :)

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  3. Good post! This all goes back to show, don't tell. I completely agree though, you can't just list the things about a character -- you have to show; you have to let readers experience the character for themselves.

    By the way, love the photo. I love Coraline!

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  4. Good post, what does your husband think of your proposed offer to us????lol

    Yvonne,

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  5. Good post :-) This agrees with part of mine where I spoke about using DIALOGUE to show what type of person your character is....

    I'm enjoying this non-blogfest :-)

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  6. What a cool post. Loving your example, and that's too funny about your husband!!! :)

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  7. That's the best example I've seen :) I think that many writers forget to use the 'show, don't tell' method and it makes their chracters (and their writing) laborious to read. Thanks for the tip :)

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  8. Haha, that is an excellent way of putting it. And so true - I really detest books that tell me why I should love their characters...

    So, will your husband come visit me here, or will I have to fly down to Greece (not that I'd mind - you guys still have what we'd call summer, I believe)?

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  9. I agree, we have to get to know the characters just like people- through watching them. Kind of like in a movie. We don't know what the characters are about from the get go and just learn as we watch things unravel. Great post! I miss you too!- offline life has kept me from indulging in my favorite addiction. lol.

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  10. Yeah, once again show don't tell. Totally agree. Nice post.

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  11. Jessica I loved your take!!! This was a super fun way to actually SHOW how it's done!!!! Yay you!

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  12. Got it! Good point, and a great way to show how to do it rather than say it. ;)

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  13. Ah, show not tell! Great advice! And I'm wondering how I'm going to visit all these blogs! Ack!

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  14. Excellent point. I like being shown what happening, not told. Great examples, too!

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  15. Well said! Showing not telling always sits better with a reader. Great post!

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  16. Great example of showing, not telling! But I still think I'd rather tell people why I love my husband instead of letting them spend a night with him. ;)

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  17. Love your example. Though I have to admit I think it could be really comical to read more of the "don't" example!

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  18. Great advice that is often overlooked. It's easier to tell someone instead of show them.

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  19. Nicely put!

    Like all things when writing, a character should be shown, not explained.

    :-)

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  20. OMG. Awesome. So different from most of the other posts but so equally true. I love how you went about this Jess!

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  21. I bet your husband will love it! Or maybe not!
    Great post, though.

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  22. So funny. When I read your example of what not to do it reminded me of the movie Amelie. They DO shoot off a laundry list of likes and dislikes, but in that case it works really well. The funny part is I realized in your photo, you kinda resemble Amelie. And she's such a doll so that's a huge compliment. :)

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  23. Yes! Fantastic post. Great take on it and so true ;o) Thanks for sharing!

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  24. So perfect. I'd much rather get to know my character than be told everything about them. :)

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  25. very true - don't shove it down their throats, let them discover it for themselves :)

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  26. If my husband nibbled my ear in the middle of the night, I'd smack him. LOL. I'm part of the fun too.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  27. I like your examples of showing and not telling. People always say "show don't tell" but then don't show you how to show not tell!

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  28. It's harder to show instead of tell with your characters. It feels a lot quicker and more complete to explain explain explain. I like your example.

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  29. Excellent point! You summed it up pretty darn good. :)

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  30. Great post! But boy am I glad I've never asked you why you love your husband...

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  31. Just found your blog! Great post! I really loved your Dos and Don'ts. :)

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  32. Um, no one is getting in bed with my husband. He's all mine. ;)

    Great post, Jessica. You said it perfectly. :D

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  33. Jessica, you're a funny rabbit. ;)

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  34. You got me there... just just a second. Then I figured it out :)

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  35. Ha! Great analogy. That was an analogy, right? I mean, you're not actually offering people a night with your husband, are you? ;)

    Fun post, just started following!

    ~Tere

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  36. I loved your trip through the blue and purple tunnel! And LOL about helping someone understand why you love your husband. But that's exactly what you have to do with your characters. Love it!

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  37. Excellent example from the show don't tell school of thought. I like the way you handled this topic shortly, sweetly. A good lesson well illustrated.
    I didn't think you were married.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  38. great point! If you can make a reader discover the traits of your character, I think they feel more invested, too.

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  39. So... to get this week in bed with your husband... do I have to get to Greece myself, or can you send me a ticket? *shifty*

    Great example though--it's so true! My editing round has a number of brackets that say [tell, don't show] because I wrote what I needed to get across, so as not to lose momentum, but now it needs fixing... (though I do the other extreme too--long scenes of dialog, where some convos can be summarized)

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  40. Such great advice! I'm keeping that one in the back of my mind.

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  41. The ultimate in show don't tell. Great post. Learning lots today.

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  42. You've nailed so well what that much-quoted maxim "show don't tell" should feel like in action. Kudos on a great, helpful post!

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  43. Ah, so wise. We definitely want to formulate our own opinions of characters. That's why some of us love books that others of us don't. It's all about discovering that character.

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  44. I love your non-blogfest post :) And yes, short simple and to the point, fabulous info and I love your little pic!

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  45. This is amazing advice. Thanks!

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  46. Excellent point! The reader has to be able to experience the character rather than the author dictating everything. :D

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  47. So much info in all these posts!

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  48. Well said, Jessica! Have an awesome weekend...

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  49. Hello Jessica! Thanks for visiting my blog...it's nice to meet you! Great post! I love it!

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  50. Very nice example demonstrating your point.

    LOVE the Coraline pic!

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  51. Excellent visual!
    NB - Wish I had dolmades for lunch today :)

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  52. I like to use the five sense to relate to the reader. Can you hear the fajitsas sizzling on the platter? Can you smell them? All before seeing them as as the waiter walks up from behind to your table? Excite the reader's senses. If you like fajitas, your mouth may start to water and your stomach grumble as you read along.

    Stephen Tremp

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  53. Very well said!! And yes, we hates long blog posts. Hates them.

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  54. This was perfect! One of my favorites so far, Jessica. I love your examples. :-)

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  55. Great post! And also a great example of "show, don't tell". Thanks!

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  56. I love the example you gave I think it would be a good resource when I do rewrites to look back on this one and check myself. thanks for posting

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  57. Very nice example. As always, showing versus telling wins!

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  58. Awesome post, espcially the Coraline reference :)

    Cheers!
    Jen

    PS: thanks for the follow!

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  59. Excellent examples! The blue and purple tunnel is a great metaphor. Thanks!

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  60. I like this one a lot. You did a great job of telling us and an even better job of showing us how to do it. Thank you!

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  61. Wow, that's awesome... loved the examples.

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  62. Perfect examples. Let the characters be seen through the eyes of the other characters.

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  63. Clear and as they say, in a nutshell. Nice way to get to the point.

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  64. Yes, you're right, Jessica. Don't you love hearing those words? I hear them so seldom myself.

    It's a case of told versus unfold. One puts the reader at a distance. The other draws the reader in.

    Come read my short advice on how to write a compelling character and my somewhat longer "unfolding" of that advice for another blogfest. Two for one. Roland

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  65. "How about you spend a night in bed with him? A week, perhaps"

    Ha, ha! That made me laugh. You're right, though, it's just as important to show not tell characters' traits as it is move a plot forward. It makes for bad and boring writing.

    Thanks for sharing, Jessica! Have a lovely weekend. :o)

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  66. Love the husband example!

    Show don't tell. You're so right.

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  67. You tell us all we need to know when we take the tunnel ride.
    Your husband could be kind-a busy in the next few wee- months. There are two hundred links over there. ;)

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  68. Well-said! I liked how your examples made it so clear - the 'don't' sounded like an outline or a character sketch while the 'do' sounded like something I'd like to read. Can't get much clearer than that!

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  69. I love your analogy. Thanks for the tips!

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  70. I love your examples Jessica! What a great way to show it.

    I totally forgot this was an experiment and not a blogfest. Opps. *face turning red*

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  71. One thing I always go on about is 'show, don't tell', and it applies just as much to characters as anything else when writing. Showing the reader what a character is like, rather than just telling, allows the reader to experience the character for themselves, as you say. Great post!

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  72. Jessica, great post, great sense of humour. How many takers for your husband? Seriously, thanks for giving the examples. Who would want to read the first?

    Thanks for the short and sweet post. Done well..:)

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  73. Well said! I can deal with a writer telling me plot. I don't like it, but I can deal. Not with characters. If I'm not allowed to get to know characters on my own terms without being spoon-fed, I'm going to put the book down and not pick it up again.

    Oh, and excellent point about real life being different from fiction. Good thing, too, or we'd all be busy little bunnies.

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  74. Great post! And yes, it's a good thing life isn't like fiction because I'd hate to have so many extra people living with me to discover why I love my husband. :)

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  75. Great example of showing the reader the story instead of telling!! Thanks!

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  76. Loved the example, and I agree,showing is much better than telling. Good post, thanks so much! Thanks also for stopping by my blog:)
    Have a great weekend,
    Karen

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  77. Well written. It's better if we don't tell people about our characters and let them decide for themselves how our characters are.

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  78. Ha! GREAT TIP! Love it--thanks! :D

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  79. HI Jessica! I do get your gist, but what if it's an agent at a writer's conference asking you to describe your hero? I'd have to get creative!
    Thanks for participating in this non-blogfest. XoxXOx

    Thanks for visiting my blog! <3

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  80. I like your use of concrete examples! And showing vs. telling is something we all need to keep in mind, as it's not just a thing to watch out for with description... yep, it applies to character development too.

    Love the Coraline image!

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  81. Nice take on the showing vs. telling. Just wondering though, does your hubby know about this proposal? ;0)

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  82. Amen! I hate being told what to think; I like deciding for myself. Don't rob me of that chance with your characters.

    So nice to see the success of Elana's project here, and your awesome post is a great #1 for the list. Thanks!

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  83. I love how you introduced this idea, because I think everyone can relate to blanking when asked why they like/love something. I'm definitely going to remember that next time I create a character.

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  84. Bet your husband loved the hypothetical:) Very clear example of show don't tell.

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  85. Loved the example! It does so much to illustrate your point: show, don't tell. I don't like being TOLD how I should think or feel about a character.

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