At a rummage sale, I discovered a book
about Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband, Franklin, and I snatched it up before
anyone else discovered it. With a grin, I plunked down my money.
I was eager to know more about that
remarkable lady so I hurried home and curled up with it, thick and heavy, anticipating
a delightful read.
The book was anything but delightful,
however. My eagerness turned to disappointment, and disappointment turned to
dislike. After an hour, I quit.
A few days later I gave that book a
second chance: I forced myself to read but, after a few minutes, I closed it
with that same disinterest.
That book lacked appeal, it lacked
charm, it lacked personality, it lacked life.
It contained page after page of dry,
dull facts.
The lesson for all of us: Let’s give our stories’ characters life.
Recently I suggested that summer might
be a good time to take a break from
writing so you can revise vignettes
you’ve already written.
We covered clarity on June 23, and today we’ll look at the people in your stories.
How do we craft multidimensional characters?
We use details to describe our stories’ main people.
Let’s start with their quirks, their idiosyncrasies,
their oddities.
I was tempted to give examples by telling
you about friends’ or relatives’ eccentricities but instead, I’ll poke fun at
myself.
Recently someone pointed out that I
slurp my coffee. Then someone pointed out my husband and my kids slurp their
coffee. My brother slurps his coffee. This slurping has gone on for generations
but we weren’t aware of it. Our habit drives family newcomers nuts.
My daughter teases me for never
remembering a joke’s punch line. The family cracks up just watching me try to
remember it.
My husband ribs me because, he says, I sneeze
like a horse.
And I learned this tidbit a few days
ago: “Linda has this funny way of gasping when she sees something funny, or
scary, or sad, or amusing, or interesting, or dangerous, or boring. I often
think something is about to fall on my head.” I had no idea.
I also learned that after
impressionable young people hang out with me for a few days, they start to
gasp, too. I had no idea.
OK, so there you have it: some of my
quirks. I hope they give you ideas for capturing uniqueness in your stories’
characters.
Include body language, gestures, and mannerisms.
Slip in their habits, their education, their
likes and dislikes.
Was his career also his passion? Or did
he work at a job to feed and clothe his kids and seek his passion on weekends
and evenings?
What were her talents, hobbies, pastimes,
dreams, and hopes for the future?
What were his values, beliefs,
political leanings, and philosophies?
Use dialog to capture words she often
used, the way she put words together in a sentence, and her tone of voice.
When you describe your main characters,
use all five senses: Let readers see, smell, hear, feel, and taste what you experienced.
Shallow, hollow, dull, and bland are out!
Charm, fascination, and
entertainment are in!
For inspiration and smiles, I recommend
Connie Schultz’s vignette that ran in Sunday’s Parade magazine; click on It’s a Wonderful Life.
Always remember Donald Murray’s words: “Revision is not punishment.”
Revision is your opportunity to polish your
manuscript and make it shine.
