What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. So says Juliet to Romeo, but we all know how that turned out. Sorry, Julie, but the truth is that names matter to all of us. For fiction writers, this truth is especially noteworthy. Novelists and short-story writers, you […]
October 13, 2013 by 38 Comments NarrativeAre You Benefiting From the Intimacy of Pronouns?
Pronouns are those clever little inventions that allow us to replace nouns and avoid clunky repetition. How awkward would it be if we had to mention our character Col. Daniel Fitzgerald the Elephant Trainer by name five times in one paragraph? Thanks to the pronoun, we only have to mention him once at the beginning […]
October 5, 2011 by 41 Comments CharactersDon’t Confuse Readers With Inconsistent Character Names
One area in which authors often create unnecessary reader confusion is in their usage of inconsistent character names. Sometimes the simplest things in a story can create distance between reader and writer. The last thing any author can afford to do is push readers away from the story by confusing them. We want readers to […]
March 23, 2011 by 79 Comments CharactersHow to Avoid Confusing Readers With Similar Character Names
It’s important for authors to avoid confusions big and small. We understand the importance of creating a plot and a character progression that keep readers from wrinkling their faces in confusion. But it’s equally important to avoid smaller confusions—such as confusing readers with similar character names. Consider, for example, a sci-fi book that featured as […]
October 10, 2010 by 17 Comments Dialogue6 Ways You Can Use Dialogue in Your Story
Dialogue is one of the hardest-working components in fiction—but only if you take full advantage of it. It’s easy enough to make your characters talk to each other and even relatively easy enough to make what they say interesting to readers. But if interesting is the only burden your dialogue is carrying, it’s not doing […]
May 26, 2010 by 31 Comments Characters3 Ways to Manage a Huge Cast of Characters
Ever read a book in which a huge cast of characters was dumped in your lap in a short amount of time? Confusing, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s even confusing to the point you put the book down and look for something more straightforward. As a writer, you want your book to be the straightforward one readers […]
November 6, 2008 by 72 Comments Characters5 Important Considerations for Naming Your Characters
My parents chose their children’s names according the meanings. They named me Kathryn in hopes its meaning, “pure,” would bear fruit in my life. (Of course, they also gave me a middle name that means “bitter,” so I’m still trying to figure out the ramifications of that… Pure bitter just doesn’t have quite the same […]
