I've heard some people say you should have as little as possible exposition in your stories. I disagree.
Exposition is important, in that it reveals important information about characters and locations, without which would make the story very hard to understand.
But of course, you can write too much exposition. It's about striking a balance.
One reason readers tend to find too much exposition disruptive is that it tells rather then shows. It tells the reader what has happened, rather than allowing them to experience it. One way this can be solved is by incorporating the exposition into speech, or indicating it through a character's actions. Another is by, after introducing something unusual into the story, giving some brief relevant details about it. However, this method must not be over used, as then it will become boring.
The most important think you can remember about exposition is that it must be relevant, and or, it must be short and to the point. No one wants to trudge through pages and pages of writing about your main characters's lifestory unless it has an actual relevance to the plot (or if your character has a particularly interesting or unusual lifestory).
Sometimes, the best thing to do is to leave the backstory. You don't necessarily need to explain what the character is doing in a graveyard in the middle of the night - humans are curious. Not telling them will encourage them to keep reading until they find out.
Long time no post :I The only word I need to say is: exams
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Sunday, 13 May 2012
D is for Dialogue
Yes, I know I said I'd post this yesterday, but I got home so late last night, there wasn't time :I
Onto the dialogue:
The first thing you must know about dialogue: It is not the same as how a person really speaks. It's supposed to mimic it. It's supposed to give the impression of real speech.
Dialogue shows character. If one of your characters is, say a successful banker from a wealthy background, they are not going to speak in the same way as a street urchin.
Where your character comes from is important in dialogue. Characters from the same place are likely to have the same accent, and use the same sayings.
On top of all that, the character's personality has a huge impact on what they say. If they are quite shy, they are likely to say little, if anything at all. In contrast, someone who is bossy will probably give orders, and then expect them to be done (and get upset if they aren't)
All dialogue must have a purpose. Your characters can't just have a random conversation halfway through a scene; they've got to come to an agreement (or a disagreement) or discover something new about the other character. Sometimes dialogue can describe the setting, such as the weather, or give a little exposition (but only in small amounts). But overall, dialogue must always move the plot forward.
If your characters are having a very important conversation, and it's getting a little boring or repetitive, try getting your characters to do something during the conversation. In real life, people don't just sit down an talk. They lounge in their chair, get up and pace around the room, fiddle with their pencil, leave the room to continue the conversation somewhere else, yell at each other during a gunfight...characters do stuff.
But, of course, another very important thing about dialogue is: sometimes it not what a character does say, it's what they don't.
I hope this has given you a little insight on how to write dialogue :)
The next post will be E is for Exposition.
Onto the dialogue:
The first thing you must know about dialogue: It is not the same as how a person really speaks. It's supposed to mimic it. It's supposed to give the impression of real speech.
Dialogue shows character. If one of your characters is, say a successful banker from a wealthy background, they are not going to speak in the same way as a street urchin.
Where your character comes from is important in dialogue. Characters from the same place are likely to have the same accent, and use the same sayings.
On top of all that, the character's personality has a huge impact on what they say. If they are quite shy, they are likely to say little, if anything at all. In contrast, someone who is bossy will probably give orders, and then expect them to be done (and get upset if they aren't)
All dialogue must have a purpose. Your characters can't just have a random conversation halfway through a scene; they've got to come to an agreement (or a disagreement) or discover something new about the other character. Sometimes dialogue can describe the setting, such as the weather, or give a little exposition (but only in small amounts). But overall, dialogue must always move the plot forward.
If your characters are having a very important conversation, and it's getting a little boring or repetitive, try getting your characters to do something during the conversation. In real life, people don't just sit down an talk. They lounge in their chair, get up and pace around the room, fiddle with their pencil, leave the room to continue the conversation somewhere else, yell at each other during a gunfight...characters do stuff.
But, of course, another very important thing about dialogue is: sometimes it not what a character does say, it's what they don't.
I hope this has given you a little insight on how to write dialogue :)
The next post will be E is for Exposition.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
C is for Characters
Characters are one of the most important things in a story. Without your characters, your reader has no one to root for.
You've got to make your reader care about your character. They don't have to like them, as in, want to be their best friend or anything. They've just got to be interested in them, and they've got to care what happens to them.
In order to start creating a character, you've got to know their role in the story.
The Protagonist
The protagonist is the lead character. They are the character your story will focus on. You can have more than one, but usually it is easier to have one particular character leading the story. This character will need to be pretty well rounded to be believable.
Major Characters
The major characters, like the protagonist, have a lot of 'screen time' in the story. They also need to be well developed, as they often have their own subplots. Major characters are characters like the protagonist's friend, or the antagonist (the villain of the story).
Minor Characters
Minor characters, believe it or not, have minor role in the story (le gasp). They tend to be characters like the shopkeeper your protagonist buys bread from in chapter two, or the mailman who brings your protagonist an unusual letter. These characters don't need to be that developed. For your minor characters to add interest to your story, give them one or two character traits, eg, impatient, suspicious, playful, depending on their specific role.
There are several ways to develop a character. Here are three.
1. Writers who like to plan hugely before even starting often use a character profile template to develop their characters, because it literally tells you everything you could ever know about your character. Here's an example.
2. Another way is getting a basic idea of your character, then writing and developing the character as you write.
3. The method I use is a mixture of both.
My version of a character template goes a little like this
Character's name:
Role in the story:
Primary goal (what they wish to achieve, like rescuing their kidnapped friend):
Underlying goals (such as emotional goals, what kind of person they want to be):
Motivation for these goals:
Family and friends:
Basic backstory:
So, not quite as detailed as the first method, but not as vague as just writing an hoping they develop properly.
However, the method that works for you is completely down to your preferred writing style. Do whatever suits you best. You may have a way of creating a character of your own.
Thanks for reading! D is for Dialogue won't be posted tomorrow, but I'll get it out the day after (I have a busy weekend coming up :) )
You've got to make your reader care about your character. They don't have to like them, as in, want to be their best friend or anything. They've just got to be interested in them, and they've got to care what happens to them.
In order to start creating a character, you've got to know their role in the story.
The Protagonist
The protagonist is the lead character. They are the character your story will focus on. You can have more than one, but usually it is easier to have one particular character leading the story. This character will need to be pretty well rounded to be believable.
Major Characters
The major characters, like the protagonist, have a lot of 'screen time' in the story. They also need to be well developed, as they often have their own subplots. Major characters are characters like the protagonist's friend, or the antagonist (the villain of the story).
Minor Characters
Minor characters, believe it or not, have minor role in the story (le gasp). They tend to be characters like the shopkeeper your protagonist buys bread from in chapter two, or the mailman who brings your protagonist an unusual letter. These characters don't need to be that developed. For your minor characters to add interest to your story, give them one or two character traits, eg, impatient, suspicious, playful, depending on their specific role.
There are several ways to develop a character. Here are three.
1. Writers who like to plan hugely before even starting often use a character profile template to develop their characters, because it literally tells you everything you could ever know about your character. Here's an example.
2. Another way is getting a basic idea of your character, then writing and developing the character as you write.
3. The method I use is a mixture of both.
My version of a character template goes a little like this
Character's name:
Role in the story:
Primary goal (what they wish to achieve, like rescuing their kidnapped friend):
Underlying goals (such as emotional goals, what kind of person they want to be):
Motivation for these goals:
Family and friends:
Basic backstory:
So, not quite as detailed as the first method, but not as vague as just writing an hoping they develop properly.
However, the method that works for you is completely down to your preferred writing style. Do whatever suits you best. You may have a way of creating a character of your own.
Thanks for reading! D is for Dialogue won't be posted tomorrow, but I'll get it out the day after (I have a busy weekend coming up :) )
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
B is for Beginning
...and not bumnugget as some will lead you believe *coughcoughMaresNestcoughcough*
Moving on.
Beginnings are pretty important to a reader. If the beginning catches their interesting, they're more likely to read on.
The first things you have to know before you can start is:
Who your major characters and protagonist are.
What you want to happen in the first scene, and, loosely, in the rest of the story.
What usually starts a story is a catalyst. A catalyst is an event which causes something to change. It's also known as The Inciting Incident (now that sounds dramatic).
The catalyst doesn't have to happen right at the beginning. Usually, we see the status quo, the way things are before the story starts, first. That way, what happens afterwards has more of an impact. Then the catalyst happens (which could be anything from starting a new school to someone being kidnapped), and that status quo changes, because the catalyst has affected the characters in some way.
Let's put that into steps:
1. Status quo
2. Something happens
3. The characters react to it
That last bit is important. The event has to affect your characters, even indirectly, or it's not a catalyst.
Now that you know the basic structure, now it's time to start putting sentences on the page.
If you're stuck on what to actually write, I find the best way is to make your protagonist do something. Something that is relevant to their current situation, perhaps tells you a little about their character, and possibly foreshadows the catalyst.
Eg, Jessica watched the rain glumly.
Now you can think about where Jessica is (in school, at home, outside in the park?) and why she's glum about the rain. If you know what your idea is, you can lead on from there.
I hope you found this post helpful :) Come back tomorrow for a post on C is for Characters!
Moving on.
Beginnings are pretty important to a reader. If the beginning catches their interesting, they're more likely to read on.
The first things you have to know before you can start is:
Who your major characters and protagonist are.
What you want to happen in the first scene, and, loosely, in the rest of the story.
What usually starts a story is a catalyst. A catalyst is an event which causes something to change. It's also known as The Inciting Incident (now that sounds dramatic).
The catalyst doesn't have to happen right at the beginning. Usually, we see the status quo, the way things are before the story starts, first. That way, what happens afterwards has more of an impact. Then the catalyst happens (which could be anything from starting a new school to someone being kidnapped), and that status quo changes, because the catalyst has affected the characters in some way.
Let's put that into steps:
1. Status quo
2. Something happens
3. The characters react to it
That last bit is important. The event has to affect your characters, even indirectly, or it's not a catalyst.
Now that you know the basic structure, now it's time to start putting sentences on the page.
If you're stuck on what to actually write, I find the best way is to make your protagonist do something. Something that is relevant to their current situation, perhaps tells you a little about their character, and possibly foreshadows the catalyst.
Eg, Jessica watched the rain glumly.
Now you can think about where Jessica is (in school, at home, outside in the park?) and why she's glum about the rain. If you know what your idea is, you can lead on from there.
I hope you found this post helpful :) Come back tomorrow for a post on C is for Characters!
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
A is for Alphabet
I've decided to start an alphabet blogging challenge. This blog has been rather inactive recently, and with a prompt, I might actually blog more frequently instead of just staring at a blank page.
The challenge is going to be themed on writing, because I like writing, and also because I could not come up with 26 words for the Sims (I did try, honest).
Don't fear! I'm not giving up on the Sims entirely! I'll still post about it. I'll just post about writing too :)
Anyway, the first word is Alphabet, because this is the alphabet challenge and the word begins with A and I'm not that imaginative.
I'll start properly tomorrow, with the letter B for Beginning.
How apt.
The challenge is going to be themed on writing, because I like writing, and also because I could not come up with 26 words for the Sims (I did try, honest).
Don't fear! I'm not giving up on the Sims entirely! I'll still post about it. I'll just post about writing too :)
Anyway, the first word is Alphabet, because this is the alphabet challenge and the word begins with A and I'm not that imaginative.
I'll start properly tomorrow, with the letter B for Beginning.
How apt.
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