Posted on 2021-03-30
As any self critical writer will tell you, the trick is the “details”, “development”, and “character interaction”. Every element just as important as the last.
First in line: details.
The most effective, quick, and best way in painting a picture with words is to relay every important detail. The word important is often confused with big, this being an awful misconception .
An important detail can be as small as the color of the rooms walls, the arrangement of a shoe pile, or even when the characters last watched television. Any detail that has gone through the writer’s mind for that story, should be inserted into that story; beginning the process of elimination.
Throwing everything from your mind onto the paper, or in the 21st-century sense, a keyboard, Will quickly help you distinguish what you find valuable, and what needs to be eradicated in your future projects.
With those now important details, we begin development of your character roster.
This begins a decision of the different depths you would want to give each character. Your front line, so to speak, is who you want to focus on the most. Those who will keep the story going, with their presence alone or interaction with one another.
Going strictly physical, one strategy to establish depth almost immediately, is the description of imperfection. Commonly starting at the face, the description of a scar, lazy eye, or some other abnormality will, more often than not, symbolize internal insecurities, or possibly a battle with these issues.
Although emotional depth is a tricky thing to traverse, it is scarily necessary for story development. Inside and outside of stories, what’s inside of a person, or character in this case, matters the most. Ambitions, interest, daily and long-term pursuits, all make for Development that will become either conflict, or further character interaction.
Character interaction comes last on my list, although it is far from the least important. Diversity amongst character interaction, is as vital as diversity amongst real world reactions between you and anyone you encounter through the day.
Very rarely in the world will you, or anyone else for that matter, have the same interaction with two people. Keeping up a consistent type of banter, conversation type Depending on relationship type between individual characters is an absolute must. when this conversation type gets broken by some sort of tension, or relief it will be very apparent to your audience, showing that shift in interaction.
Following these components will do wonders for your future endeavors in storytelling!