How do you write characters in a short story?
Why on earth would you start any story, short or otherwise, like that? It's a surefire way to lose your potential reader's attention before you even get started. No one cares exactly where the character lives and what the character does unless it matters to the story. You ALWAYS start the story by telling the story, not the background. Just tell the story. You have to develop the character as you go. Characters in a short story are generally less developed than those in a novel, but that doesn't mean they're flat. You have to round them in a shorter amount of time. That said, telling us where they live, what their occupation is, and every detail of their lives is not what makes a character round. It's how they think of themselves and how they treat others that develops their character.
How can I cleverly reveal the past of my characters - without being explicit - in my creative writing?
In screenwriting terms, what you are asking is how to “bury” the exposition so that it isn't a clumsy info dump on the viewer. The classic method is to turn exposition into ammunition. This occurs when characters with conflicting goals use each other’s backgrounds to their advantage. A snide remark in a bar like “Shouldn’t you be at a meeting somewhere” can suggest a history of alcoholism.Imagine that a character needs a very big and risky favor from an old friend that's reluctant. It's natural, even inevitable, that he will use an incident where their situation was reversed as ammunition.Another possibility is having a character make an intriguing choice that is the opposite of what we expect. A man still wears his wedding ring a year after his divorce.What you don't want to do is create contrived moments that serve no story function except to reveal exposition. For example, someone opens a drawer and comes across photos that they look through somberly, solely for the benefit of the audience. Compare that to a scene in which a woman collects and hides framed photos because a prospective new boyfriend is coming over for the first time. Here she has a goal of concealing her past and every photo suggests something about it.It usually comes down to character's intent versus author's intent. If the info revealed serves the purposes of a character, it works. If it's only there because the author needs it to be there or, worse yet, thinks it's interesting, it doesn't work. Remember that the only value of a character's past is to motivate their choices in the present as that is where the audience's emotions are invested.
What makes a story character believable?
There are three main elements that make a character live in our minds. 1) We identify with the character, they have a noble goal we would like to see them achieve. 2) We sympathize with the character, they endure hardships, deal with flaws or are in some sort of danger. 3) We empathize with the character, their reactions and emotions are shown, rather than told. Their surroundings are relayed vividly using all senses.
How "deep" should secondary characters be?
So while it is useful to separate main and secondary characters when reading a book, I would argue that it is not useful to separate between the two when writing.For writing I prefer to think of characters as three, two, and one dimensional. Three dimensional characters are fully realized people, complex, have personalities, faults, and motivations. Two dimensional characters are “tropes.” They exist for very uncomplex reasons yet occupy a lot of space. Like that kid in the superhero movie that’s obsessed with revenge-revenge is his only defining feature and only motivation. A one dimensional character is one that serves a purpose: a cash register, a driver, a bartender, a friend of a friend, a stranger. They exist as decorations and occupying little dialogue like “the store is at the corner,” or “would the owner of a white sedan move your car you’re blocking the entryway.”Having three and one dimensional characters is okay. Having two dimensional characters is not.It’s fine to have a character exist only to fulfill a purpose to move the story along (one dimensional). But outside of that, all your characters should be fully realized human beings with many motivations, goals, defects, etc.So don’t worry about main or secondary characters being deep. As long as you don’t have a single two dimensional character in there you’re golden.
What can I do to make my flat characters less... Flat? +BQ's?
Do a character questionnaire :) http://www.writingclasses.com/Informatio... http://www.scripsit.com/questionnaire.ht... http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.... They should make you think about your character, and you'll find yourself developing their traits as you go along. It's what I do to help flat characters... Rise? And then once you've done that, you should double check that he/she isn't a Mary-Sue :) This is my tried and tested questionnaire: http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html Another thing I like to do is sketch my characters. I'm not the most artistically gifted person in the world, but it definitely helps to have a hard-copy of their appearance lying around. That way I don't always have to rely on the projection I have of them in my mind. BQ1: what do you want for christmas? The Pretty Reckless CD. BQ2: What are two things you do to keep in touch with your characters? Sketch them and I... Somtimes talk to them. BQ3: Do you pick your title before or after you finish the novel? Usually before, but this time I'm going to do it after. BQ4: Have you ever started your novel at the end and worked your way up to the beginning? Never, ever.
I have a tendency to lose interest in the stories and characters I'm writing before I finish. How do I get and stay emotionally attached to them?
Thanks for the A2A.When I lose interest in a story (and it does happen), it tells me that I need to change the story, but not abandon it. If a character bores me, then either I need to kill them off, write them out, or - and this is where it really gets nasty - torture the complete hell out of them.When a character seems to dull, write a backstory for them. In that backstory, you have to severely traumatize them, emotionally, physically, or both. Interesting characters have baggage and we can feel the weight of it when we read.Maybe he has abandonment issues because his parents divorced - he had to move from town to town as his mother went wherever there was work. He couldn't keep friendships for the same reason. He was bullied in school, and was picked on. As he grew up, his relationships with women were always short and fraught with a sort of emotional disconnect. He turned to alcohol and narcotics to blot out what he was feeling and developed an addiction to opioids. He's on a verge of a nervous breakdown but doesn't know who he can turn to for help.And that was just the throw-away character who delivered the pizza to your protagonist's place that night. Imagine what you need to do to your main characters!Give EVERY major character in your story three or four dark secrets. Here's the fun part - at no time can you reveal to your readers what those four secrets are. You just write the characters with their secrets in mind and your reader is left to try to figure out why your characters behave that way.TL/DR: Break your characters and give them the equivalent of a band-aid to get better. If your plots bore you, break them too and change the dull bits.
I have a question about writing a bisexual character.?
Recently, I have come up with an idea to make one of the main characters in my story bisexual instead of straight. His name is Dakota just FYI. I want to do this because I feel like it will make him a much more loveable, happy character. However, I’m asking this question because of this reason. Before I even had this idea, I already planned an entire relationship with Dakota and a girl later on. So...does that kind of defeat the purpose? I just feel like making him bi will help his character and also strengthen his bond with his friends. But I don’t want to just trash that relationship with the girl either... (btw, the story is not in his POV. It’s in another boy’s POV named Alex who is Dakota’s best friend. Alex is the one who I plan on Dakota admitting his unsure sexuality to). I don’t mean for this to offend anyone, so I’m sorry if you found something offensive in some way. And please, don’t answer harshly. I want a serious answer that will help me out. Thanks :)
What is the best way to start a first person story?
Just start out in the middle of a scene, and then back tract to where it all started and lead up to the day and then up to the end or outcome.. those stories are always great and suspenseful.