It’s the Details that Count: How to Develop Characters Part 3
Last week I shared about how to get clear on our character’s motivation. If your readers don’t “get” your readers it is often because they don’t understand her.
This week I want to focus in how another aspect of character development: the details.
With details, you can relay a character’s voice, share a bit of back story, and create a sensory experience for your readers, so they can forget themselves and immerse themselves in your story.
By details I mean concrete and specific:
- verbs
- nouns
- and their helpers: adverbs and adjectives
Make sure your details words convey a clear picture, specific sound, smell, taste or texture.
Stay away from vague nouns and verbs that you can’t grasp.
Regarding nouns and adjectives, which sounds better and shares more about the character?
She wore a red dress.
or
She wore the floral print strappy thing she’d picked up at the yard sale.
For verbs and adjectives, which one works for you?
She looked at me and pointed a shotgun in my face.
or
She glared at me and shoved a shotgun in my face.
What do you think about using details in your novels? Thanks! I love hearing from you! We love hearing from you! And to prove it and show my love and adoration, for the month of August, everyone who leaves a comment to this post and any post on the Writer’s Fun Zone I will enter your name in our giveaway. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you’ll get your name in the giveaway twice.
If you leave a comment and link back to my blog, and mention my books Overcome Writer’s Block: 10 Sparks to Ignite Your Creativity or The Writer’s Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book in your blog, you get your name entered three times. What do you win? Book mentoring support from the newest member of our team, Book Mentor, Ezra Barany.
We will pick a winner every week for 30-minute complimentary consultation about your novel with Ezra. At the end of August we will pick a winner for the grand prize: A 60-minute complimentary consultation about your novel with Ezra. Good luck!
Note: We’re keeping all the names for a final GRAND, GRAND PRIZE of a complimentary ticket in Ezra’s year-long program Finish Your Page-Turning Novel launching January 2012. ($2,000 value) For now, we will draw weekly for 30-minute consult and monthly for a 60-minute consult.
Be sure to leave your email in the email field so we can contact you if you win.
In the meantime, we invite you to pick up copies of Beth Barany’s best-selling books Overcome Writer’s Block: 10 Sparks to Ignite Your Creativity or The Writer’s Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book. Both books are like having a book coach at your side. Experienced and novice writers have said that these books have saved them time and avoided heartache, as well as helped them get their books done. And that it’s all about!
