Anyone writing books for children would know that detailed character descriptions are important. Children's books focus on characters with such detail because in general, the story is made up with very few distractions, very few sub plots, no passing characters and a solid main theme. When considering the types of character, a hot tip is to create a 'bank' of characters to draw from. This may sound difficult, but this hot insider tip makes this task so simple when writing books for children that it even assists in developing theme.
Spend an hour or two, or even an afternoon in 'observation' mode - just people watching. Children's characters stem from all walks of life. The old lady at the bus stop, the postman, a gatekeeper, farmer, cyclist. Anything. Anyone passing by will have characteristics. Note them down. Childrens books tend to cover an immense amount of detail when describing characters. In particular focus on attitutes - how do they interact with their environment; Actions - are there any particular activities that these people are doing that you would normally not notice - are they swift, slow, forceful, jolly? Habits - are these people doing anything that adds to their character - fumbling, walking in a particular way, doing things with their hands? Listen to the way they talk - what is their tone like, how do they address other people? Are they snappy, mild mannered, fast or slow talkers, loud, quiet or humble? Look at what they are wearing - a necklace? A hat? strange shoes? A specific jacket, trousers, belt, tie? What is their hairstyle like? Jot this down and you have an instant character. If and where you choose to place them in your childrens book is up to you. But in no time you will be able to create a whole bank of characters that will assist you in telling your children's story. These and other writers tips can be found in a concise course - Writing For Children. More information can be found at write-for-children.co.uk
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Monday, 5 September 2011
Choose Your Viewpoint - And Stick With It!
Before you start to write, you must decide upon which viewpoint you will tell your story. For new writers it may seem easier to tell a story from a "first person" viewpoint - in other words, telling a story "as it happened to them". It's easy to see why as this seems the easiest way to go about it - particularly if the writer has had a personal experience that could be developed into a good story. To help you understand this, think about your last holiday. Think about how easy it would be to describe what you did. I am sure that you would agree that this would be very easy. Not only can you describe what you did, you can also describe how you felt, what you saw, what you heard and how this had an affect on your overall experience of any given situation. Now think for a moment about your friends or your family that you went on holiday with. Try and describe what they did, how they felt and what they saw. This is of course writing in the "third person". This sounds a little more difficult doesn't it? - unless of course you were really paying attention (In which case 10 out of 10 for character observation!).
The trouble is, the former of these two examples, writing in the "first person" can become a very difficult way to write. It is an easy trap to fall into as it seems so straightforward at the beginning and the easier of the two. Whilst writing in the first person does have the advantage that it gives full intimacy with the main character, there is also an important and limiting difficulty with using "first person" which is this: Whether you choose to be the main character, or a subsidiary character telling the story, you can only describe what you saw, what you heard and what you thought. You cannot know anything else that happened "off stage" - unless you were told about it and you must report it in those terms. This sets you apart from the action if you are not the main character, and it is important for children to immerse themselves in the action.
Neither of these two viewpoints are right or wrong. What is important is that you choose the viewpoint that best suits your story. Whose eyes and voice will you be using? Whichever you choose, first person or third person, you MUST cointinue with it. Changing viewpoint during a story is one of the quickest ways to mark out an amateur writer. Think hard before you start, choose your viewpoint - and stick with it!
The trouble is, the former of these two examples, writing in the "first person" can become a very difficult way to write. It is an easy trap to fall into as it seems so straightforward at the beginning and the easier of the two. Whilst writing in the first person does have the advantage that it gives full intimacy with the main character, there is also an important and limiting difficulty with using "first person" which is this: Whether you choose to be the main character, or a subsidiary character telling the story, you can only describe what you saw, what you heard and what you thought. You cannot know anything else that happened "off stage" - unless you were told about it and you must report it in those terms. This sets you apart from the action if you are not the main character, and it is important for children to immerse themselves in the action.
Neither of these two viewpoints are right or wrong. What is important is that you choose the viewpoint that best suits your story. Whose eyes and voice will you be using? Whichever you choose, first person or third person, you MUST cointinue with it. Changing viewpoint during a story is one of the quickest ways to mark out an amateur writer. Think hard before you start, choose your viewpoint - and stick with it!
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