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Action/Adventure: January 04, 2006 Issue [#800]

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Action/Adventure


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  Edited by: The Milkman Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Without Action would live need an Adventure?


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

E.M. Forster said, "In no book did I put down more than the people I like, the person I think I am, and the people who irritate me." Chekhov said, "When men ask me how I know so much about men, they get a simple answer: everything I know about man, I've learned from me.

With these two quotes I think it should be quite obvious in which direction I'm going with this editorial... Characterization.

If selection of dramatic events is the first task of the author, selection of traits of character must come next: where a rounded character does not exist in life, it is a writer's job to create him.

Of course this is the Action/Adventure newsletter, does that mean we won't be including any dramatic events in our short story, novella or novel? If we aren't making dramatic scenes do we need to worry about character traits then? Hopefully your answer is the same as mine, a resounding "NO!"

Where are we getting these charaters from? The first quote, I think, sums it up well; our characters should come from those people we like, whether it be a butcher, cabbie, bus driver or our best friends and family members. Our characters should also include some traits from ourselves and also from those people who do, in fact, irritate us.

Look at the people around you, don't just look at what they wear or what they look like, search for unusual or common flaws or strengths. Their way of talking, moving, breathing, or their habits. Combine them into one or several characters.

What you choose to highlight in your characters is still your choice.

In one article that I read in preparing this editorial I heard that the hardest part to any story is naming your character. How many of you think this is true and how do you come up with names for your characters?

The best answers will be featured in my next newsletter.


Editor's Picks

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#1045360 by Teddy Author IconMail Icon

 
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

Thanks for the comments on previous newsletters...

Hey, MooMan, your analogy of the turtle and the hare to writing Action/Adventure is a good one and true. Action can't go off on a tangent or become bored. It must finish the race to the end of the story. ~~ Vivian Author Icon

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