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Tag: Characterization

April 12, 2016

Literal-Minded People: Add Humor, Plot Complications, & Characterization

Figurative Language : Literal-minded People :: Specific Colors : Color-blind people It’s a little harsh, but it’s true. And it’s not because they’re not smart. People who are literal-minded take words at face value. They don’t understand puns (bad pickup lines are lost on them), they find loopholes in all but the most specific instructions, and heaven help them if they’re...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay Comments: 4
April 1, 2016

An April Fools’ Day Writing Prompt

Happy April 1st! April Fools’ Day: The day of mild to malevolent trickery, laughter, and hurt feelings. If you’ve ever played a trick on someone for April Fools’, or if you were unfortunate enough to have a major one played on you, then you probably have some strong emotional memories about April 1st. Time to turn that torment into writing inspiration! Here...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Holiday & Seasonal/Inspiration/Literary Device Exercises/Worldbuilding Exercises/Writing Prompts Comment: 1
March 29, 2016

2 Types of Kick-ass Old Characters That People Love

Has anyone else noticed how much people love old characters who kick butt and/or defy social norms? They tend to become favorite characters because they’re so unexpected – they break our concept of old people. As a rule, we expect older characters to be weak, confused, and either excessively grumpy or sweet. When they say shocking things or suddenly destroy someone...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0
March 8, 2016

With Dialect, What Words You Say Are as Important as How You Say Them

One reason that some authors say not to write in dialect at all is that syntax and word choice can be used to suggest a dialect, region, or first language without modifying the words whatsoever. For example, in the U.S., specific kinds of pronoun errors are common to more rural areas (also often poorer areas with worse education though not always)....
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0
February 6, 2016

5 Ways to Improve Your Writing with Improv Exercises

Have you ever done an improv exercise as part of a camp or icebreaker? If you did, you probably thought it was either 1. hilarious, energizing, and fun OR 2. ridiculously hard, stressful, and embarrassing. Well, that’s improv for you. As a rule, improvisation training involves intense scenarios, fast-paced responses, and a lot of strained brain cells – which is...
Categories Creative Process/Creativity Builders/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Plotting Exercises/Writing Prompts Comments: 0
January 12, 2016

The Art of the Unlikely Coincidence: Serendipity & Synchronicity in Writing

One of the biggest challenges of writing novels well is tying everything together in a believable way. Part of the difficulty comes from how heavily plots rely on coincidences: little details that seem insignificant at first glance but somehow tie into the resolution. Like life, some coincidence is necessary; however, finding the right amount can be problematic. Too much reliance, and it...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comment: 1
December 22, 2015

Worldbuilding Without Traditions Feels Fake

December is one month where many different cultural holidays overlap. Even those without strong religious beliefs often have certain activities they associate with the holiday season. That makes it a particularly appropriate time to talk about traditions and worldbuilding. As far as I know, every single culture in existence has traditions that it relies on (they are generally different from culture...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0