"I know you wrote that I could do nothing to my hair. You did, didn't you? Let me tell you I can do something to my hair. I can get a crewcut. What do you say to that?"
"If you make me a single mother with a boss from hell, a hormonal second grader and a Know-it-all mother, how do you expect me to survive without any vices? I don't care if passive smoking is bad for my child, I am going to start smoking."
The secret to writing compelling characters? Just let them decide how they want to be.
_____
A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
Today, I am also at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash with a Motivational Friday post that talks of getting the Fun back into our Life and our Writing.
Today, I am also at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash with a Motivational Friday post that talks of getting the Fun back into our Life and our Writing.
Rayna - What wonderful advice! And you're right; if we let characters develop as they want to, they become much more natural, don't they? They simply are more real that way.
ReplyDeleteI love how you are able to convey so much in 100 words.
ReplyDeleteClever, Rayna! I just knew you'd do it in a drabble, too.
ReplyDeletehahs! Unique!!! I loved this. Nice to see such a different take on this blogfest :o) Well done! :o)
ReplyDelete@ Margot- to be honest, I don't have much of a choice. I write only when those pesky characters start irritating me so much, I need to get them out of my brain.
ReplyDelete@ Kathryn- thank you
@ Alex- I couldn't disappoint, could I?
@ Jessica - thanks. My characters are mad at me because I have been neglecting them. So I decided to give them 100 words.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a unique take on this challenge, Natasha! The only time I tried this with a character, she ended up making fun of me. We are still not on speaking terms...
ReplyDeleteHaha you summed it up perfectly! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice, Rayna. I don’t always approve of what my characters do, but I find it’s important to let them be who they are.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I still remember the first time a character took over the plot from me. Strange but magical moment. I knew then I had a real person on my hands.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your entry to my blogfest! Click by today to see my entry and others'.
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
Fantastic! Sometimes I try to rein in my characters, and yeah, it never goes well. Excellent advice.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Hey, I get so much backtalk from my kids, why not take it from my characters?
ReplyDeleteLove your blog name!! :) Great example. I'm yur newest follower #185.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Natasha- this is so true! It is why I start my characterization by writing a scene or two, KNOWING it may get dropped, but how do I know how a character will act if I don't ASK HER?! (it is how my Cozy MC turned out to be a little fast & loose with the truth--I never would have intentionally put a liar in charge, but i think it WORKS!)
ReplyDeleteThat's great! It's so important to let our characters guide the story.
ReplyDeleteCD
That is so true!
ReplyDeleteThis summer I asked my readers to help me when I needed new names for the monster twins of my cosy mystery. They came up with several great ideas, and I had almost made up *my* mind before I remembered to think of their fictional mother. She said "Rhett and Scarlett" and was quite annoyed I could even consider any of the other names.
You say so much in so few words!
ReplyDeleteThat was amazing. You packed motivation and past history into a few lines of dialogue. Wonderful!
ReplyDelete@ Mari- I just let them take over! And do you think my characters don't mock me? They do all the time.
ReplyDelete@ Meika- thank you.
@ Jane- I am sure I will not get along with too many of my characters. But I love them all.
@ Michele- it is a magical moment, isn't it?
And I've read your entry, and am looking forward to the rest. Wish I could post mine right away, but it has to remain scheduled for a little later :-(
@ Elana- thank you. And characters never behave, do they?
@ Carolyn- that is another way of looking at it ;-)
@ PK Hrezo- welcome to the blog, and I shall look you up during the weekend.
@ Tami- yes, those scenes are so important, aren't they? Even if none of them make it, they need to exist to make the characters real
@ Clarissa- with my characters, I don't have a choice.
@ Dorte- how could you have not asked the mother? She is the best person to know!
@ Diane- thank you.
@ Tricia - thank you. Though, it was actually the characters who did it.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Had my character run away from me a couple of times. Sometimes that's the best thing to happen.
ReplyDeleteSuccess in 100 words! I love the way you amaze.
ReplyDeleteRayna, this is the single best piece of advice I've heard. I've tried to tell my characters how to be, and it's useless. The longer I write, the more I trust them to guide me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so impressed you did this in 100 words! I had trouble keeping my post under 500! Yikes!
Ha, what a different approach, I like it! Thanks for making me think ;)
ReplyDeleteOne of the most original approaches today.
ReplyDeleteOur characters should be how they want to be, not what we think they should be. Great.
Awesome!! So very, very true - great drabble :)
ReplyDelete@ Mary- thank you. Once you start writing in 100 words, it is easier to do it in 100 than in more!
ReplyDelete@ Vera- thank you. Trusting our characters to behave makes sure they do behave, isn't it? Same is true with kids too.
@ lettucehead- thank you for stopping by. And that is the only way that works for me.
@ Melissa- thank you. I've found the more you try to dictate your characters, the more they tend to rebel.
@ Jemi- thank you.
So true!! Let them be who they want to be.
ReplyDelete"If someone tells you who they are; believe them". Mya Angelou
Hugs
SueAnn
@ SueAnn - that is a lovely quote. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGood one, truly short but sweet
ReplyDeleteI love what you did with the photo! Very clever!
ReplyDeleteLove this approach & the accompanying photo! It's so true... we just need to let them speak and decide to listen.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I can relate to this blog's title. My rough drafts must hate me for all the coffee rings I leave on them... *blush*
@ Gargi - thank you for stopping by, and for your lovely comments.
ReplyDelete@ Sharon- thank you- was wondering if anyone would get it!
@ Faith- thank you. And we all leave tea or coffee rings everywhere, don't we?
This is perhaps the most unique post I've seen. Great advice too!
ReplyDeleteShow don't tell should start out that descriptive way of explaining 'How to Write Compelling Characters.'
ReplyDeleteNice.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
@ Quinn- thank you. And thank you for dropping by
ReplyDelete@ Nancy - I never thought of it that way. But to be honest, I would rather have a quick tell than a tedious show, if you know what I mean.
What a lot in only 100 words. Genius!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pam. You made me blush.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many times my characters dictate the story. Then again, I'm a panster so if they don't know where the story is going, I'm in trouble, lol
ReplyDelete@ Nicole - I am like you. But they do know where they are going, so I don't worry too much.
ReplyDeleteCompelling characters are strong-minded enough to boss their writer around!
ReplyDelete@ Sandra - they do, don't they? Thank you for following.
ReplyDeleteAND YOU ARE MY 200TH FOLLOWER!!!
FINALLY getting around to reading the rest of the "Character" blogs.
ReplyDeleteWell done! I really like the drabble for this day.
Nice to "meet" you. :)
-H