Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint

What's Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint about?

• Character Development Focus: The book emphasizes creating dynamic characters and effective viewpoints in fiction writing, offering techniques and exercises for crafting believable and engaging characters.
• Emotional Exploration: It delves into how emotions influence character behavior and how to convey these emotions through dialogue, actions, and thoughts, highlighting the significance of emotional arcs in storytelling.
• Point of View Techniques: Various narrative perspectives, including first-person, third-person, and omniscient viewpoints, are covered, explaining how they affect the reader's connection to the characters.

Why should I read Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?

• Enhance Writing Skills: The book is a valuable resource for improving character development and emotional depth in stories, offering practical exercises that can be applied immediately.
• Understand Reader Expectations: It provides insights into what readers expect from characters in different genres, helping writers meet those expectations effectively for successful storytelling.
• Comprehensive Guidance: Serving as a comprehensive guide, it covers everything from character creation to emotional expression, making it suitable for both novice and experienced writers.

What are the key takeaways of Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?

• Character Sources: Kress identifies four sources for character creation: yourself, real people you know, strangers, and pure imagination, allowing for a rich tapestry of character backgrounds and motivations.
• Emotional Arcs: The importance of emotional arcs is emphasized, stating that characters should undergo significant changes as a result of the story's events, crucial for engaging narratives.
• Point of View Matters: The choice of narrative perspective greatly influences how readers perceive characters and their emotions, urging writers to carefully consider whose emotions they are sharing.

What techniques does Nancy Kress suggest for character development?

• Mini-Bios: Creating mini-bios for each major character helps clarify their motivations, backgrounds, and emotional states, ensuring consistency in their portrayal.
• Dramatization of Emotion: Instead of simply naming emotions, writers should dramatize them through actions, dialogue, and bodily sensations, making emotions more relatable and impactful.
• Character Change: Showing character change through story events is important, emphasizing that characters should evolve in response to their experiences to keep the narrative dynamic.

How does Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint define emotional arcs?

• Definition of Emotional Arc: An emotional arc is the journey a character undergoes in terms of their feelings throughout the story, reflecting how they learn, grow, or regress.
• Importance of Change: Characters should not remain static; they must change significantly as a result of the story's events, essential for creating a compelling narrative.
• Connection to Motivation: The emotional arc is closely tied to a character's motivations, as what they want drives their emotional responses, helping create nuanced and believable characters.

What are the different types of characters discussed in Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?

• Changers vs. Stayers: Characters are categorized into changers, who evolve throughout the story, and stayers, who remain consistent in their personality and motivations, serving different narrative purposes.
• Protagonists in Genre Fiction: The book explores how protagonists in various genres often have specific traits that align with reader expectations, aiding in crafting relatable characters.
• Complex Characters: Even stayers can have rich inner lives and motivations, adding depth to the story and engaging readers more effectively.

How does Nancy Kress suggest writers convey emotions effectively?

• Show, Don’t Tell: Writers should avoid simply stating emotions and instead show them through character actions, dialogue, and physical reactions, making emotions more vivid and relatable.
• Use of Dialogue: Emotional dialogue should reflect the character's temperament and situation, allowing readers to feel the weight of their emotions with authenticity.
• Bodily Sensations: Incorporating bodily sensations, like a racing heart or trembling hands, enhances the portrayal of emotions, adding a physical dimension to the character's state.

What role does point of view play in character development according to Nancy Kress?

• Influence on Reader Connection: The choice of point of view affects how readers connect with characters and their emotions, impacting storytelling.
• Character Insights: Different points of view allow for varying levels of insight into a character's thoughts and feelings, influencing narrative depth.
• Narrative Control: Writers can control how much information is revealed to the reader through their choice of point of view, creating suspense or empathy.

What common pitfalls in character writing does Nancy Kress warn against?

• Lack of Depth: Creating flat characters who lack complexity or motivation can disengage readers and weaken the narrative.
• Overly Predictable Arcs: Avoid making character arcs too predictable or clichéd, striving for originality and authenticity in character evolution.
• Ignoring Reader Expectations: Failing to consider genre conventions and reader expectations can lead to dissatisfaction, emphasizing the importance of understanding what readers look for in characters.

What exercises does Nancy Kress recommend for improving character writing?

• Mini-Bio Creation: Writers are encouraged to create mini-bios for their characters to clarify motivations and backgrounds, ensuring consistency and depth.
• Emotional Dialogue Practice: Writing scenes focusing on emotional dialogue helps explore character expression, enhancing authenticity in interactions.
• Point of View Exploration: Experimenting with different points of view can reveal how they affect character perception and emotional depth, leading to nuanced storytelling.

How can I effectively show emotion in my writing according to Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?

• Use Body Language: Incorporating physical reactions to emotions, like trembling hands or a flushed face, makes feelings more tangible.
• Internal Thoughts: Characters' thoughts can reveal their emotional states, providing depth and insight into motivations and conflicts.
• Dialogue and Action: Emotional expression can be conveyed through what characters say and do, making feelings evident without explicit statements.

What are the best quotes from Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint and what do they mean?

• "Every character you create will be yourself.": This quote emphasizes the personal connection writers have with their characters, suggesting that their experiences shape fictional personas.
• "The body doesn't lie.": It underscores the significance of physical reactions in conveying emotions, reminding writers that non-verbal cues can be powerful indicators of a character's inner state.
• "Emotion is the heart of fiction.": This highlights the importance of emotional depth in storytelling, suggesting that relatable emotions drive reader engagement.