Seven traits and a tool to create strong-willed characters who can carry the burden of your story and face plot
If we can summarize our protagonist in one sentence, she might come as flat in our readers' perception.
There are different ways to avoid this flaw.
Our protagonist should be able to create a surprise factor with her actions. However, this surprising capability shouldn't come at the expense of credibility. It needs to be done convincingly.
“One way or another, then, you’re going to need to know how to arouse audience sympathy or antipathy toward a character.”
— Orson Scott Card
To create this believable protagonist, we will flesh her up with more than one emotion, a sort of mix.
How do we write memorable protagonists?
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Unleash the power of your story using the superstructure’s fourteen signposts, a dissection to reverse engineer the book
When I watched The Hunger Games movie, I fell in love with it. I felt it was very faithful to the book and a superb adaptation, even though the latter is still better.
Yes, it is by far.
It’s mainly because of the first-person point of view that the movie as a story container cannot use. Basically, we cannot see what Katniss Everdeen sees. In the film, we are not in her head to experience in real-time her inner emotions and thoughts. Therefore we have to forgive the movie for being inferior in that regard.
However, the movie felt so…
Three strategies, four foundations, and a reason for conflict
Legendary writers cannot speak a specific topic without dropping nuggets of wisdom from other issues.
The book Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card isn't about conflict per se. However, you can find great teachings about conflict like this one “Any time you show a conflict between characters, you want your audience to care about the outcome.”
“Any time you show a conflict between characters, you want your audience to care about the outcome.”
That phrase sent me to dust off two books that deal with conflict The Golden Theme by Brian Mcdonald and Conflict and Suspense by James Scott…
Fourteen resources from Dan Brown’s toolbox and James Scott Bell’s four types of suspense
Reading the Book Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers, Dan Brown refers to a couple of books written by James Scott Bell that I happen to have on my bookshelf. And it was funny to see that James Scott Bell mentions The Da Vinci Code in his examples.
So, I decided to do a cross reading about suspense, giving birth to this article. We will use the four types of suspense and theory from James Scott Bell as the framework for the fourteen resources Dan Brown explains he uses to create suspense in his thrillers. …
A compilation of foundation, examples, and insights from writers
As a child, I grew up singing, “I wanna be the very best. Like no one ever was,” but certainly I wasn't singing about writing dialogues.
Writing good dialogues is hard. I remember I used to believe that I was good at it. After all, it's just people talking. How hard can it be? Very hard indeed. If it weren't, I would be already a best seller author.
Facing the possibility that we might not be good at doing something we love is ego-shattering. But I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. We all experience doubts…
Romance Short Story Part 1
Openings and feelings a tale of pieces and letters
“I will die if he doesn't fall in love with me!”
“You will die?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Too much passion for your age Lizzy, I am not sure I should let you take all these romances home.”
“I was just being dramatic. Being in love feels pretty,” she said, giggling.
“Well, love stories usually end in tragedy.”
“Those are not love stories. Those are tragedies.”
“Dear Lizzy, to be in love can be a tragedy.”
“Miss Hart, you are having fun with my crush dilemma.”
“I am not Lizzy.”
“Yes, you…
I thought the same! He is writing about the craft, I said. I look forward to keeping learning from your insights and experience. I am glad you liked the Hunger Games article.
“I don’t care, honestly, how she performs,” Greta said
I found myself laughing watching Greta’s interview with Trevor Noah. Greta was so funny and charismatic that I wanted her to be the protagonist of a novel and start reading it.
I even imagine her throwing arrows in The Climate Games or racing in a broomstick in Greta Thunberg and the Pollution's Stone.
That is when it hit me. We can analyze their interview and learn to write witty dialogues. This is a great opportunity because they are real people, and similar dialogues will be believable.
Trevor Noah interviews Greta Thunberg
Trevor starts the interview by recounting her traveling to New York by boat.
Warming up dialogue
“Welcome…
Experimental Flash Fiction
Is jealousy a shadow that projects unwillingly in the presence of light?
I read something today by a fellow writer on this platform and was about to leave without reacting or showing some appreciation.
This is not uncommon. But I got aware of something, and it was uncomfortable.
I was jealous.
I stared at the screen of my computer. At a certain angle, I saw my reflection, “What are you doing,” I asked.
It felt wrong because I enjoyed the reading. And learned valuable information.
Why was I feeling these contradictory emotions?
I was feeling happy because that piece of information was useful. But I was feeling awful resentment with the author.
…
J.E. Guzman
Writing and sharing writing tips I learn by doing my writing. You might end up giving better use to the tips and notes than I do.
