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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Characters =P

Characters are one of the most important elements in a story. They are what causes the action. So what makes a perfect character? Emotion. A reader who can feel the character's emotion, will connect more with the character. You really want your reader to connect with the character in some way, because it makes them want to read on. Since the reader "becomes" the character, they get experience the story, which causes them to not want to stop reading. They get to enjoy disappearing into the book. What helps create emotion? Description. Description is the key to success in a character's emotions. So if you're looking to make a perfect character, that captivates the reader, use description and emotion together. Its like peanut butter and jelly, making a wonderful sandwich. Be sure not to overdo it though, because that too, can become messy. Too much peanut butter and jelly can make the eater sick =/ Or in other words; Too much description and emotion can make the reader frustrated. You have to find your happy medium. Here is a paragraph about a faerie character:

Jolie combed the last strand of her blond locks into the bun. She tied the short vine around it and sprayed it with dew to keep it in place. She smiled with her tiny red lips at herself in mirror. Her navy blue eyes darted to the door, as the door bell rang. She dusted off her petunia-petaled skirt, and flitted over to the gray leaf door. She opened the door and smiled, highlighting the freckles across her nose and upper cheeks. This was going to be the best day of her life, for sure. She tried not to cry a tear of joy. Her best friend stood at the door, smiling her big, sparkling smile. "Amber!"

See how I gave plenty of description and emotion, without going over the top? I blended it in with the story instead of just describing her. For example:

There once was a blond haired faerie named Jolie. She had blue eyes, and freckles. Her lips were thin and red. She was expecting someone, and was super excited. There was a knock at the door, and she flew to it and opened it. "Amber!" 

Notice how much more choppier and boring that was? It doesn't take much more effort to make the story play in someone's mind like a movie. Plus, you don't understand one of the most important elements of the story. The character. Which one did you actually connect with? Yeah, the first one. 

I hope this helps with character intros! =]

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