| Here are a few of the common errors most writers make without even knowing it because they are concentrating on plot development and not on content: BEHAVIOR
Character Development. Many writers fail to realize that characters must be believable. They need to be real. They should mirror individuals the reader has known, met, or heard about. The best way to accomplish this is to understand behavioral styles of people and base a character on the style you want.
People Do Not Change. For a person to change their natural tendencies, there has to be a reason, an event, a circumstance of such magnitude as to warrant change. It is naturally unlikely for a character to change in a story, however, if one is to change, there needs to be an understanding as to how and why.
Inconsistent Behavior. A simple understanding of this can be found in the fact that some people are fast-paced, and think, act, move, etc. in a quick manner; while other people are slow-paced. The important thing to remember is that slow-paced people rarely act fast, and fast-paced people rarely act slow. The same can be said for people orientation, task orientation, manner of speech, etc. While a reader may not know the difference, they easily perceive the lack of reality and inaccuracies of such inconsistent writing.
CONVERSATION
Dialogue. Many writers fail at writing interesting dialogue-not so much in the words, but in the way they are delivered. “----,” he said doggedly [or casually, carefully, briskly, breathlessly, anxiously, ardently, eagerly, flatly, forcefully, etc.] all convey different tones, meanings, and feeling-all of which helps the reader understand your meaning. In addition dialogue can come before, after, or on either end of such explanation. Knowing when and where to put dialogue is critical.
Character Dialogue. Often, writers fail to step outside their own gender or behavior to try and understand how one of the characters would speak. There are male, female, and neutral dialogues.
DESCRIPTION
People. Naturally, no two people are alike, but many writers fail to draw distinctions between how people look, move and act in their novels unless the distinction is excessive. Normal differences do exist and when illustrated through descriptive, adds believability to your writing.
Inconsistency. When describing face, body, and limbs, writers often forget the nuances of their characters, which leads to a lack of reader interest, thus devaluing characterization. This also includes expressions, movement of head and body, and appearance.
Feelings. What are your characters feeling? Your description of their feelings, as opposed to statements of feelings, makes a big difference in the sympathetic status of your characters. Descriptions of emotions that drive people
ACTION
Conversation Action. Writers often overlook the importance of putting action into conversation, such as: She flinched as she said--; He lowered his voice as he said--; She looked left and right clandestinely before saying--; He silenced her with a sharp look before replying--
Movement Action. Often, writers forget to let the reader what is happening in the scene. As any playwright or screenplay writer knows, you have to show where the character is at all times and what he is doing.
Interaction Between Characters. In all situations, and in all types of circumstances, where two or more people are together, there is some type of interaction taking place between them. This type of action is often overlooked in its subtleties, unless critical to the story line. But subtle interaction helps the reader know what is going on among and between the characters. IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
CHECK OUT THE MANY CATEGORIES OF DRAG AND DROP HELPS AVAILABLE
Click here | | |
