"What makes a character stand out"

“Writing is an artificial activity. It is a lonely and private substitute for conversation.” Brooks Atkinson

Character building for me is an ongoing work in process. At the moment I’m working on a short story who’s main character is an eight year old boy. Well, it’s been ages since I was eight and I don’t have any eight year olds around, so making his dialog seem realistic is a challenge. Try looking on the internet for examples of speech patterns for eight year olds. Not that easy.

I write fantasy mainly so there is almost always some form of magick lurking about in anything I write. In regards to the eight year old, he is enlisted in helping a Bengal Tiger in his efforts to get back home to Siberia. The tiger has a Brooklyn accent that he picked up while in a circus in N.Y. The accent really helps make him a memorable character. Finding the right voice for the main character however still eludes me.

I may have to break down and read some childrens books or, as a last resort, take a class on writing childrens stories. Oh well, enough ranting for now. Anyone who has any suggestions or comments is, as always, welcome to post them here. Aelf

Remember, your comments and suggestions are always welcome


Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

My Writing Friend: mailto:writingfriend@yahoo.com

Nick Daws Writers Circle:Click link on this page.

Writing Workshop: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/

Newbie Writers: http://www.newbiewriters.com/

Writers Prompts: http://writingfix.com/

Duotrope Digest: http://www.duotrope.com/digest.

I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.