Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 6, Issue 5 | Page 34

WHO IS MY CHARACTER? (CONT’D)

Even now reading this, you may be wondering what to fix for dinner, what your character is doing or
going to do. In school we often thought about non-school activities. We called it daydreaming. I think it
was internal dialogue. And I believe it’s a great opportunity for authors to further develop characters. We
get a peek into their minds; see what really makes them tick. Visualize your characters and become them.
I get goose bumps sometimes when one of my characters does or says something totally unexpected. I
wonder where that comes from. I became my character. We can also heighten suspense by knowing
inner thoughts, some fear not spoken. Have her ask herself questions.
8. Point-of-View
We hear a lot about what point of view to use. Often agents and editors insist upon third person. Yet
some very successful authors use first person. I have tried to use first person in my writing. One book
had me ditch first person almost halfway through. I needed that other POV to fully flesh out the
characters and describe scenes where my protagonist was not present. There are advantages to first
person. We are totally in her head - thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling what she is
experiencing. She may be calm on the outside but we can see her fidgeting in her mind. Suspense is
increased with a progression of internal thoughts.
It’s a good exercise for a new writer to use first person, as it’s easier to write from inside that
person’s head and get to the character’s internal feelings. However, third person is predominant.
9. Word Choices
Our writing can be grammatically correct and precise as to plot and scenes, but something simple can
render it boring and lifeless. Poor choice of words. If we use passive verbs, unfamiliar terms, or words
that cause us to stop and run to the dictionary, we’ve lost our reader. Word choice is our single best
chance to make suspense crawl into the reader’s mind. To make her sweat and yell at the protagonist,
“No! Don’t open that door.”
10. Body language, mannerisms
Cracking knuckles, popping gum, twisting her necklace, snorting when she laughs, crossing arms
during a conversation, twirling a hunk of hair – each character has some mannerism that identifies her.
Use them. Add nervous habits, facial expressions, and changes in voice inflection. Find her quirks, likes
and dislikes, fears and passions. These allow us to know her. The more we develop the ways characters
act every day, the more we can show reaction to danger. Suspense comes when we anticipate something
happening. If the reader is into the story, not just reading along, suspense is heightened when our
heroine is confronted. Our reader is committed to feel what the protagonist feels. Yes, we can make the
reader sweat. The hook is set.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016

PAGE 26

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE