Jan 17, 2022
What part of writing are you best at? Not compared to everyone else, but compared to you?
I once had a reviewer tell me how good I was at writing female characters. Which seemed strange to me, because, after all, I am a woman. So, I asked her about it, and it turned out she thought I was a man, based on how well I wrote my male characters!
Granted, I chose my pseudonym partly to disguise the fact that I am female. I wrote poetry when I first started writing, and it was a well-known ‘fact’ that it was harder for women poets to get published than male ones. (Lots of suspicions, but how do you prove something like that?) When I tackled fiction, I ignored the advice that said I needed a different pen name, having grown attached to this one, so the possibility of me being a man carried over.
But that’s part of what I like to think I am good at – being able to give my characters unique voices, allowing their personalities to come through their words. In the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, Eli is thoughtful and logical, Jake is seemingly impulsive but has a hidden agenda, and Harmony – she may appear to act irrationally, but that’s because her mind works in differently that most people’s.
The same goes for my Free Wolves series. Each of my main characters face varying challenges in different ways. That means not only do they have distinct personalities, so do the books themselves.
How does this happen? Where did I learn to do it? I suspect it was all those hundreds of books I’ve read., and the many, many people I’ve interacted with in my life. All those overheard snatches of conversations in stores and restaurants. Although I wasn’t very good at learning several languages besides English, I could work my way through the accents of non-English speakers and hold conversations with them. I understood their meanings even if the words weren’t perfect. I ‘read’ them.
And that’s what my characters do for me. They let me ‘read’ them, and translate their meanings to the readers. That’s why I feel like I can portray them accurately, in their voices.
Do I get it perfect? Heck, no. I don’t know how many times I get a character wrong at the beginning of a story and have to go back and change them. I’ve made bad guys into good guys and good guys into bad guys and everything in between. It’s a matter of understanding them.
I put a lot of effort into improving my writing. I’ve come a long way, and some parts are getting easier. I keep pushing the edges to become even better. But at long as my characters keep talking to me, there’s at least one thing I’m doing right!
We have a lot of talented writings in this group, and I’m looking forward to finding what each thinks their best talent is. You can find out too, by following the links below.
As always, until next time. please stay safe
Jan 17, 2022
What part of writing are you best at? Not compared to everyone else, but compared to you?
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I’ve been told I write good female characters, I blame my three daughters and my super hearing for that.
LOL. I suspect the three daughters part definitely plays into it.
I find it easier to write male characters. I’ve a husband and two sons, and have got to know all their male friends’ characters over time, which has given me experience of the male psyche. Now I have three grandsons to learn from as well!
I heard someone say that the trick is male or female, they’re just people.
Ha ha, but remember the Venus and Mars book? Men and women think differently.
I never thought about how I can easily do dialogue – I’d say it was from family get together. Being the youngest I was told to sit still and be quiet and I guess I just listened and learned.
Tweeted.
I was the one sitting in the corner reading while everyone else talked!