Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint: Amazon.ca: Orson Scott Card: Books

Product Description

Vivid and memorable characters aren't born: they have to be made.

This book is a set of tools: literary crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers and tongs. Use them to pry, chip, yank and sift good characters out of the place where they live in your memory, your imagination and your soul.

Award-winning author Orson Scott Card explains in depth the techniques of inventing, developing and presenting characters, plus handling viewpoint in novels and short stories. With specific examples, he spells out your narrative options–the choices you'll make in creating fictional people so "real" that readers will feel they know them like members of their own families.

You'll learn how to:

draw the characters from a variety of sources, including a story's basic idea, real life–even a character's social circumstances
make characters show who they are by the things they do and say, and by their individual "style"
develop characters readers will love–or love to hate
distinguish among major characters, minor characters and walk-ons, and develop each one appropriately
choose the most effective viewpoint to reveal the characters and move the storytelling
decide how deeply you should explore your characters' thoughts, emotions and attitudes

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR FICTION are people. Read the first page

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Concordance

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4.6 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll need no other book on Chacters!, Jun 3 2004

By

Carlie (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint (Paperback)

First off, this book is very readable. I have now read two books by Orson Scott Card, both non-fiction, and they were both very enjoyable. Which is a good thing - who wants to take advice on writing when their writing is horribly boring?

More importantly, this is perhaps the only book you'll ever need on writing characters. Not only does it talk about characters, but it talks about your story too.. For instance, how much characterisation is needed within your story may depend on the type of story you are writing.

I was also pleased to note that from his chapter on creating humorous characters - The Comic Character, Controlled Disbelief - I was already doing the right thing. What a relief!

Another part of this book I really enjoyed were the two chapters How To Raise the Emotional Stakes, and What Should We Feel About the Characters?

Very enjoyable!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All you want to know and more, Jun 1 2004

By

M. E. Volmar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint (Paperback)

Orson Scott Card, a well-known, successful sci-fi writer, master of the craft of characterization, gives us with this book one of the few writing-reference volumes that flawlessly delivers everything it promises and more. Whether you want to write fiction of any genre, or scripts and plays, and whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer, this book has tons of essential, useful and solid information to offer.
Written in a clear, engaging style and organized in a user-friendly format this thoroughly informative volume is divided into three parts (Inventing Characters, Constructing Characters and Performing Characters) that cover everything you need to know to breathe life and believability into your characters and mold them to accurately fit your story, including among others:
*The factors that make a good character
*How to come up with ideas for your characters
*How different types of stories relate to the characters
*How to give emotion to the characters
*The different types of characters
*Transformations in the lives of characters
*The pros and cons of each point-of-view
The author's suggested exercises reinforced by the excellent examples that illustrate his exposition are helpful additions that allow the reader to immediately apply the lessons learned. Humorous anecdotes and important advice on general storytelling (sources for ideas, plot twists, story structure) are an added bonus.
With this book, you will not only learn how to create great, memorable characters, but you will also attain a greater appreciation of fiction, whether in book or film format, by gaining understanding of the processes required in all aspects of characterization.
With a great binding, sure to resist constant rereads and quick consultations, and a modest price this book is the best value on the market for the advice offered.
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Characters and Viewpoint, Jan 14 2003

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"phoenixw" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint (Paperback)

Really excellent book gave me three questions to answer, to avoid having the reader throw my book against the wall:
1. So what?
2. Oh yeah?
3. Huh?

Orson Scott Card takes a very personal, story-telling approach to instructing us in writing better characters. His anecdotes are humorous and get the point across.

I do wish he'd spent a bit more time discussing viewpoint and especially issues surrounding changing viewpoint, but what he does give us is some excellent advice. I highly recommend this book to anyone who writes fiction.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for character, not viewpoint
If you're interested in developing a character who's interesting, believable and belongs in your story, look no further. Read more

Published on April 20 2009 by R. Lloyd

5.0 out of 5 stars Create characters that your readers will care about
Reading a work of fiction (and some works of non-fiction) is an experience that allows you to meet a host of new people. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2006 by Danny Iny