Cracking The Short Story--Part Four

By ppruel, 5th Jun 2011 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/1vko.d2t/
Posted in Wikinut>Guides>Writing

There are dozens of different techniques for creating stunning and memorable characters or individuals when writing short stories. But whatever ingenous tricks you may dream up, all use the two most important elements of characterisation – putting over (1) how someone looks and (2) how he acts and thinks. In other words, it is his appearance and personality.

Shortcut Ways of Telling What Your Cast Looks Like
Characters are Strong and Believable
Character Names are Vital
Another Powerful Way of Suggesting Character
Make Your Characters Real and Different

Shortcut Ways of Telling What Your Cast Looks Like

Image via Wikipedia

If your interest is to write short story (fiction) you would have to accept it that in a short story you have not got the space for long, involved, descriptions of your characters. The reader is only going to be in their company for a little while – just as long as it takes for the central drama to unfold and be resolved. So you need to find shortcut ways of telling what your cast looks like. The most effective shortcuts are names, unusual features and mannerisms.

Characters are Strong and Believable

In addition of what I am feeding you now – you may consider the following good points for your short story characterisation.

It’s the characters in stories the people that we care about, not the setting, the building, the landscape or the weather.

A fiction writer has to make sure that his characters are strong and believable. He can’t get away with vague outlines.

Characters don’t have to be realistic to be believable but they have to be fully-rounded individuals.

Even if they are aliens or goblins they must still have personalities, likes and dislikes, faults and good points, motivations and goals.

In a short story you need to describe your characters quickly.

Character Names are Vital

Everyone needs a name. You can’t expect a reader to feel empathy for an anonymous figure. You can suggest a great deal about a person’s age and background by the name he or she has. Unless a name is exactly right for the setting, era and genre, it will seem odd and risks destroying the suspension of disbelief.

Know when a name feels right – short, strong names for powerful characters; long, fussy names for officious or pompous individuals. A safe bet for a name that won’t date or seem out of period is to go for Biblical names like – Ruth, Mark, Daniel, Luke, Rachel and etc. Pick names that are distinctive and as different as possible from each other. Don’t let the reader mix up characters in his head.

Stick to describing the basics (age, sex, height, build and etc) as swiftly as possible. Readers are interested in what makes someone look different from other people. Only tell the reader about unusual features. When describing a person, you can suggest his personality and individuality through his mannerisms.

Another Powerful Way of Suggesting Character

Image via Wikipedia

Dialogue is another powerful way of suggesting character. Every utterance provides information about an individual background. The way people speak reveals their background, up-bringing, the closeness of their relationships and the era in which the story is set.

Once you identify what motivates your characters, you will know why they think and act as they do. The reader needs to understand your hero’s or villain’s motivations. What drives him is as important as a good description of his appearance.

Make Your Characters Real and Different

Often it’s the characters motivations that make your readers decide whether or not they like him. A person may not be evil but he may act in an evil way (completely out of character) if the right motivation is provided.

Always make your characters real and different. Don’t use stereotypes. They insult the intelligence of the reader and reinforce prejudices. Using stereotypes is defensible only when you are using the reader’s own prejudices and lazy thinking against him.

To read my previous articles visit the following links:

About the author – I am a father of 3 for 24+years, OFW for 16 years +, A Blogger, Sometimes a Poet, A Writer, Self-motivated. I am friendly animal but can kick you off when it is needed. LOL. I have no specific areas where my writing will focus on. I write any subject under the merciless sun. I am a writer/contributor of Wikinut, Triond, Bukisa, Hubpage and Allvoices.

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Meet the author

ppruel
My favorite Saying: "Dream Big and don't stop without giving it a chance to come true."

I have no specific areas where my writing will focus on. I am Pinoy...