In writing, the best stories are the ones with “believable” characters and plot lines. Now does that mean they need to be factual, based on real people, or revolve around actual events? No, not at all actually; some of the most believable writing can be the most far off fantasy with the most random of places and or characters. As long as the story remains constant with language and context any story can be considered “believable.”
Take the story of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is centered on a boy who is taken from his home and thrown into this world of pirates and buried treasure. For the time, it might not have been so farfetched, but now it doesn’t seem likely. After reading it, from cover to cover it can be a very believable story. The characters are interesting, the plot is exciting and adventurous, and the overall feel of the story captivates the reader into reading more.
My general feeling with believable people and place in writing has to do with the details. If you can picture the main character in your mind through what is written on the page, then the writer has made the character believable and real enough to see. If you saw just the words “The man over there” in a piece of writing, you can’t really picture what he looks like; but if you were to read “The old man in the hat sitting there on his porch,” you can make you own picture of how he looks. The same goes for places. If the writing said, “the house down the street” you might not get the idea; but if it said “the old spooky house at the far end of the street,” you defiantly could see the house in your head. Just these little things make the characters and places in writing more believable and ever more real to the reader.
- David J Scalea
I loved, loved, loved your example of writer patient must intact to develop a plot. I would add that body language is also important, especially when it comes to describing your characters actions. But if you are only looking to create a character in personality think about what people around you are like.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone can be musically inclined geniuses that ride motorcycles and fall for the main character even though they're bad boys or vice versa.
Characters need to have flaws emotionally, mentally and physically. And I don't mean Stephanie Meyer flaws where the character is "average" looking and klutzy. That's only what people can see that are physical attributes and behaviors.
I found that writing a character page to come up with what my characters looks like physically and maybe add in strengths, weaknesses, favorite foods, worst fears and make up a background story.
I enjoyed reading, very good job.
Craig Fontenot
I feel that any great story makes you believe in that reality. If it's about cars that can propel you through time or if it's just about your day at the beach, if the characters, their emotions and motives, and the plot are sound, then it works for me. I like how you touched on details. Even the smallest or seemingly insignificant can have the power to change a story and the reader's view.
ReplyDeleteJae Khoury
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you, some of the most believable stories that I've read have involved things that don't exist in real life. It's just the writers' job to make a character and plot believable. Strong descriptions can lead to a person feeling empathy and being able to see where the character is.
ReplyDelete~Nitesh Arora