WRITERS WORKSHOP

character development

our topic 4 this sunday will b character development.

we will select a genre & construct a character from scratch & watch as he takes shape on paper.

we will discuss how 2 develop a well rounded character & what it means 4 a character 2b "3 dimensional"; y is that important? (f it is)

"it is the character's motivations that produce conflicts & generate the narrative tension ur novel must hv f it is 2 succeed n holding the readers attention"

is that tru?

join us n class sunday @ 6pm (eastern) 2 discuss this aspect of fiction writing.

 
workshop 6/24 material

'twain has a difficult time meeting as many females as he would like b/c of his work schedule, but b/c he is a recent hire, is forced 2 work the least desirable shift. eventually, n spite of his mothers encouragement 2 "find a nice colored girl", he falls 4 a puerto rican woman, elena, a waitress at a cafe near where he works. his longing 4 her is intense, but even when he manages 2 meet her & has regular amicable discussions w her, she is reluctant 2 go out w him b/c of her familys objections. '

twain is desirous of impressing her with gifts & wants to upgrade his car 4 the same reason. his mother, patricia, feeling almost desperate 4 $ b/c she just paid 4 her middle daughters, alice, overly expensive wedding, begins playing the # s regularly & asks 'twain 2 place her wager 4 her, so she can avoid her hairdresser (flo), who ribs her about not coming n more often 2 hv her hair done. flo, 37, has the hots 4 twain, 22, & her gr8 legs combined w his sexual frustration at not being able 2 get w elena, lead 2 him bedding flo, his mothers hairdresser. flo convinces twain he cld make some ez $ by taking a 'route', i.e.: become a bag man or runner 4 the # s. all he has 2 do is keep her satisfied & go around collecting the accumulated bets from 'a few' drop off spots & take it downtown.

 
character development - continued

i'm spending a 2nd wk discussing characters b/c i believe thats what makes a work of fiction most memorable n the minds of most readers. a hi octane plot is diminished precipitously w/o credible, larger than life highly developed & rounded players 2 make it meaningful. n short, gr8 c's r the key 2 gr8 fiction.

we talked about that whole 'larger than life' aspect last wk, but, as a reminder, basically, when a fictional C exhibits qualities that r out of the ordinary, we say that they r larger than life. the C's n ur story will not engross readers unless they r out of the ordinary. f u think about it, how cld it b otherwise? n real life, ordinary ppl do ordinary things every day. how much of that do we remember? on the other hand, n life, as n fiction, when ppl act n ways that r unusual, unexpected, dramatic, decisive, full of consequences, & irreversible, we remember & talk about them 4 yrs. here's something 2 keep n mind: most ppl read fiction, not jus 2 c themselves, but 2 imagine themselves as they might b.

when we recognize ourselves n a novel we feel gratified. we crave stories especially the intensely intimate form of story called the novel, b/c a novel, uniquely amoung art forms, presents powerful points of view, strong conflicts, & possibly a helping of human life that affirms a higher truth. C's n gr8 fiction may seem realistic, appear average even, but n almost every case, they will b bigger than the adverse circumstances they face. they refuse 2 simply suffer n silence, they strive 2 overcome. they do not practice interminable patience - they act. they don't merely survive - they thrive!

 
w fiction writing, struggle is far mor compelling than satisfaction. conflict is still the 1st principle of plot construction &, implemented correctly, it will b an immense aid 2 u n developing gr8, memorable C's. and, as u construct those nearly insurmountable forces aligned against ur protagonist, remember 2 include a generous amount of inner conflict as well. mix both of those n2 a tangled web which will leave ur readers wondering which, f any, of the mounting problems facing ur protagonist can b delt w successfully, & n what order. this brings me 2 another important aspect of creating ur conflict, referred 2 n literary circles as: the bonding principle, or, keeping ur C's n the cricible. i want 2 pause here & ask f any1 is familiar w this principle, or, heard of it b4?

well, according 2 "the science of playwriting", by moses malevinsky - published way back n 1925 (when i was only 10), the crucible is the pot or the furnace n which the drama is boiled or stewed. it is, he writes, "1 of the most important aspects of the drama's organic structure". all he's saying w that statement is, think of the crucible as the container that holds the C's 2gether as things heat up. the crucible is the bond that keeps them n conflict w 1 another. C's that r bonded 2gether n som manner won't simply suddenly make a truce n the middle of ur story & call it quits. they can't quit. usually, w exceptional writing, it is the motivations or ur C's which form the bonds of the crucible. w/o a crucible 2 contain ur C's, there can b no lasting conflict; absent any lasting conflict, there is little drama.

wheneva u place ur C's n a crucible, ur protagonist & antagonist, each 4 their separate reasons, r committed 2 continuing the conflict till there is a final resolution: they finally get married - or divorced; the war ends, @ least 4 ur character; their long journey ends, etc. lets look @ an example, from a submission i was given 2 edit & critique.

 
cancelllation

un4tunately, at the present time, i am unable to stay n the chat room for any length of time b4 my screen locks up & my keyboard freezes. i will b unable to conduct writers workshop till i get these issues resolved.

i'm working on resolving this problem - but 4 now, till i get som stability n the chat room - i must regretfully, cancel writers workshop 4 sunday, 7/1/07 :SuN026:
 

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