"Dream what you want to
dream; go where you want to go;
be what you want to be…..
because you have only one
life and….
one chance to do all the
things you want to do!"
Writing tip for the day:
1. How do I create characters? The easiest way is to think of people you know well - men, women, boys, girls, even animals. They might be relatives, friends or associates. Using people you know as characters, allows you to make that character consistent throughout the story. You will know their facial features, foibles (nose-twitching, frowns, scowls etc) or how they will smile or react to a happy moment. Also, how they will react to a cranky moment when a disaster occurs, how they deal with other people, their sense of humour or lack of it. Do they swear, lose their temper, act passively?
2. Once I create a character, someone I know well, I give them a name that is relevant to the era and one that might be enjoyed by readers. An example might be 'Boo' in 'Pa Joe's Place' - story of a seven-year-old Thai girl, or 'Smokey Danson' in 'Gunnedah Hero' - story of a fourteen-year-old drover in 1910 in Australia.
3. Maybe I am lucky. Having chosen a character and named him or her, I climb into their head and write their sections of the story as if I was them ... physically feeling their reactions to circumstances within the story. Many writers would not find that easy. I do, and I'm convinced it makes you write clearly and make the character appear more realistic to the reader.
4. Another idea is to collect full page photographs of people in magazines and newspapers. Place them around your office / study / writing place and name them so you can constantly refer to them - inspired to mention their expressions, scars, smiles, hairstyles etc as you write about them.
Don't be shy ... head to the top of the page and leave a comment.
Clancy Tucker
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