For me really good acting is about subtext. Clive Owen Strong characters and strong stories often have subtext*–the story underneath that tells us more about our humanity, in some instances, than the main story. I think this is especially true in horror stories. At the front we have something sinister, horrific, terrifying, but the subtext…
Category: Writing Wrongs: Essays on Language
This blog is an opportunity to discuss language – its usage, its limitations, and its beauty—through an array of shorter and longer essays.
A thought for today: inspiration
Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it. —Bob Dylan The inspiration for an idea for a story, poem, or novel is sometimes immediate—you have an ‘a-ha’ moment where a thought floods you. What’s harder is finding the inspiration to complete a project. I look for motivation in…
White-washing the world: trying to handle race in your fiction (if you’re white)
Pick up a book. Almost any book. If it’s a white character, does the author ever say “white”—or is it just assumed? One difficulty (for me) when writing a character of a race (other than white) is that you have to be so blatant about it—because white is assumed. Racial identity is much more than…
Character motivation: a brief thought
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. —Kurt Vonnegut Knowing your character’s motivation, while seeming simple, isn’t always easy. First, different scenes will have different motivation. For example, in a murder mystery, the main motivation of the protagonist will be to solve the mystery. In another scene, the…
The dreams of characters — a brief thought
When writing characters, do we ever stop to consider the characters’ dreams? The things, places, and people that our characters dream about—including daydream—tell the reader so much about the true motivation and desires of our characters. How characters interact with their fantasies tell us much about the character: do they indulge their fantasies, do they…
Dialogue — a brief thought
“Dialogue should simply be a sound among other sounds, just something that comes out of the mouths of people whose eyes tell the story in visual terms.” Alfred Hitchcock This is excellent advice for a visual medium, like film. In writing, how do we accomplish the same affect? Communication is 90% non-verbal. When speaking, what…
The semicolon: half-right is all wrong
Something about the semicolon seems to trip people up. Maybe it’s the shape: the little round head and tail like a snake. I’m not sure. At any rate, here are a few basic examples of when to use the semicolon. Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses not joined with a conjunction, such as:…
Character and scenery — a brief thought
Something to think about when writing: striking a balance between description of place — to put the reader there — and developing the character who interacts in that place. How does the character feel about the scenery, how does it affect the character? “Scenery is fine — but human nature is finer.” —John Keats
The dash — a life lesson
Many of us have heard the touching poem, “The Dash,” about living your life to the fullest. I, however, am going to share some tips, not on how to live your life to the fullest, but how to use the actual dash to the fullest. Three types of dashes will be used in English: the…
So who is your character again? PART 2
Last week I posed the question, “So who is your character again?” Much of the article focused on raising questions to ask as a writer while developing a character. This post will focus on answering those questions. In general, a writer should know more about a character than ever appears in the book or story….
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