Tuesday Choice Words

-
After yesterday's blog post about whether we should have an understanding of why a villain is bad (their background), I'm still in a quandary over my own 'monster'. In the novel I'm working on, Jared is what they call 'damaged goods'. His mother was a drug addict and he spent a lot of time living on the streets. My quandary is that I can't decide whether it would add anything to the novel for the reader to know his back story, or if I do reveal his upbringing, how much of it to include. Will it move the story along?

The Other Side of the Story offers up many fascinating and incredibly useful articles on a regular basis and this one - 5 Steps to Better Characters Arcs - is no exception. It may well come in useful in making my decision about Jared.

Comments

  1. Kelly Hashway5 November 2013 at 11:44

    I only bring up backstory where and when it's important to know. Otherwise you wind up with an info dump and that just turns away readers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fi5 November 2013 at 12:14

      That's what I'm thinking, Kelly. We don't need to sympathise with Jared really. He's pathetic enough (but dangerous) by his actions alone.

      Delete
  2. Unknown5 November 2013 at 12:25

    I'm having the same debate with one of my own characters. At first, I thought my villain's background would leave my readers sympathizing with him but as I tried to untangle his past, I felt my writing getting more tangled. Unless you feel like your villain's actions really need to be defined by his background, then I would think hard about whether or not you want to invest the effort in trying to further uncomplicate the complicated. Good luck Fi!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5 November 2013 at 14:58

    I think it's helpful for you to know the backstory as the writer, but whether or not to divulge it to the reader is not really necessary - it becomes a case of "tell rather than show", which is information overload, and it's great to keep readers guessing. Why is Jared the way he is? How could he do what he did? It creates discussion between readers and that is exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chrys Fey5 November 2013 at 15:00

    Like Kelly, I only reveal information about my character's past when it influences the story and can help the readers understand my character (or even understand why other characters treat him/her a certain way). But if Jared's background doesn't explain why he is the way he is or does the things he does in your story then maybe it's not needed.

    Good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fi5 November 2013 at 16:52

    Thanks both of you for the helpful comments. Lots to think about.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Your comment will appear once it has been approved. Thank you for your interest.

Popular posts from this blog

Taking location inspiration from real life

-
Image
Real life doesn't just have to provide inspiration for our characters. It can also feed into the locations we use in our writing. This is the school I attended between the ages of seven and eight years old. This photograph, and more of the interior, was kindly taken by an old school friend. I always loved this building and now it has provided the inspiration for Darkacre School in my novel. Photograph taken by Dan Howard of 500px.com York Minster (from my home town) was the inspiration for the cathedral where Rex Haven's funeral takes place in my novel. Taken from www.rightmove.co.uk The terraces of the South Bank area of York, where I lived for a time, are the streets of the old town in my novel. The details don't have to remain the same - we writers are tailors of imagination after all - but basing our story locations in reality can add a grounding element to our writing that convinces our readers. What real locations have you used in your wr...
Read more

A Writerly Advent Calendar - Window No. 13

-
Image
There's nothing better than taking a little writerly touch along on an evening out - even if no one notices it apart from me. Why not buy your writerly friend a piece of writing related jewellery or cufflinks. The Literary Gift Company The Literary Gift Company DoonyAndMoony - Etsy JezebelCharms - Etsy charmphilosophy - Etsy Custom Made
Read more

Fresh Blood

-
Image
I've recently finished a new murder mystery play called Thoroughly Murdered Millie . Set in the 1920s, rich young widow Millie Harper-Smythe shocks her family (and the staff) with her plans for the future. Her stepchildren will lose their home, William the butler has no choice but to emigrate and who knows what she has in mind for the gardener? Can anyone stop her? You can find this play over on the Murdering The Text website. Have a look .
Read more