By:
Katherine O’Chee
Character-building is
a crucial step in the creative writing process. However, we often become
too focused on creating and developing isolated character profiles that we
overlook one of the most crucial aspects
of character-building: the relationships that exist
between these characters.
A
fictional world would collapse if not for the networks of people and
creatures who hold it up.
As
a writer, it becomes your imperative to shape the ways in
which characters participate in dynamic interactions with one
another, as well as the ways in which their stories influence and
are influenced by the motives of other characters.
Use
these 8 secrets to craft stronger characters, with more authentic
relationships.
1.
CHARACTERIZATION
Whether
it’s about physical appearance or personality, describe your character in
relation to your other characters. This technique is particularly useful when
writing in first person or third person limited.
For
example, rather than saying that Anna is five foot tall or that she is short,
say that she only reaches to the protagonist’s shoulder despite wearing high
heels, or that the protagonist has to tilt his head downwards in order to meet
her eyes.
In
this way, you more vividly conjure an image of your character within the
reader’s mind. In other words, you’re leveraging the ‘show, don’t
tell’ mantra. It’s far more effective to use actions rather
than abstract measurements (like “five feet”) or ambiguous terms (like
“short”) to animate description.
2.
SETTING
. .
.
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~*~
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