Head Hopping and Hemingway
A Write Practice reader and I recently got into a discussion about head hopping, which is when you switch from one character's thoughts to another in the middle of the action. It is generally known as an editor's pet-peeve, but my friend wasn't having it. “I do...Harry Potter and the Three Types of Heroes
JK Rowling’s journey with Harry Potter began, apparently, when Harry walked, fully formed onto her London bound train. She knew immediately she had been given a brilliant idea for a book. However, it still took her five years to brainstorm and write the rest. Which goes to show that while the hero might be the central character of the book, if you only have him or her, you don’t have much.
The Most Important Character Archetype
Pop quiz: what is one character archetype that appears in almost every Shakespeare play AND Disney movie?
I’ll give you a hint by listing some characters: Bottom, Puck, the Iguana in Tangled, Dori in Finding Nemo, the Clown in All’s Well That Ends Well, the Carpet in Aladdin. Got it yet?
Second hint: it’s not a Disney princess.
The Worst Christmas Ever
This short story, by Patricia W. Hunter, was the winner of our “Show Off” Writing Competition. Patricia is a freelance writer, a blogger at Pollywog Creek, and a photographer. She lives in the country outside of Fort Meyers, Florida. Follow Patricia on...The Weakest Form of Characterization
Orson Scott Card says action is the strongest form of characterization. We form opinions of people based on what they do. If Fred shoots someone, we’re going to think Fred is violent and may have issues controlling his anger. A character is as a character does.
This made me wonder, if action is the strongest form of characterization, then what’s the weakest?
