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How Fiction Works Writing Meme - Index
Mar. 3rd, 2012 06:31 pmI've completed the How Fiction Works Writing Meme :D Links to all the posts are under the cut.
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End of Section Exercise 2: Choose a pre-existing character that you do not like. Write a paragraph or two from their point of view. Is your writing shaded by your dislike of the character? Has writing from their point of view changed the way you view them? Write your thoughts at the end of the exercise.
I'm not doing this exercise directly but I will say I've written characters more sympathetically when writing from their POV or from the POV of someone inclined to be sympathetic to them; Arthur in 'A Glimpse of Avalon' and Cersei in 'Brothers, Betrothals, and Broken Things' for example.
I'm not doing this exercise directly but I will say I've written characters more sympathetically when writing from their POV or from the POV of someone inclined to be sympathetic to them; Arthur in 'A Glimpse of Avalon' and Cersei in 'Brothers, Betrothals, and Broken Things' for example.
End of Section Exercise 1: Create an original character. Use one sentence to "get them in." Now use one paragraph. Do the same for a pre-existing character, and compare the two. What do you notice? Write your thoughts at the end of the exercise.
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24 - Does characterization change depending on who a character is seen by, much like how a child sees their father much differently than their mother does? What are examples of this in your own writing?
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22 - Are the characters you create like you? If you write fanfiction, are there shades of yourself in the characters you choose to write about? Some people suggest that the mark of a great author is the creation of free and independent characters that are separate from the author. Can an author who writes characters similar to themselves still be a great author?
Sometimes yes. Sometimes they embody characteristics I wish I had. Sometimes they're not. It depends. And yes, an author who writes similar characters can be a great author – I'm fairly certain that some of the classics reflect the author's own 'coming of age' or 'development of religious or moral philosophy' real life narratives.
23 - Static and Dynamic Characters: By definition a static character possesses one key attribute and does not change, while a dynamic character is possessed of several characteristics and changes over a story. Is one superior to the other? Do these categories really exist, or all characters simply characters? What kind do you use most often?
A static character isn't much of a character, surely? All characters grow and develop. Any who don't are probably more background figures than true characters – I'm thinking in terms of full length novels, a movie, a series here rather than a ficlet or one episode of something. I think perhaps characters just become more themselves the more you write about them; the more detail you give them, the more real and dynamic they become.
Sometimes yes. Sometimes they embody characteristics I wish I had. Sometimes they're not. It depends. And yes, an author who writes similar characters can be a great author – I'm fairly certain that some of the classics reflect the author's own 'coming of age' or 'development of religious or moral philosophy' real life narratives.
23 - Static and Dynamic Characters: By definition a static character possesses one key attribute and does not change, while a dynamic character is possessed of several characteristics and changes over a story. Is one superior to the other? Do these categories really exist, or all characters simply characters? What kind do you use most often?
A static character isn't much of a character, surely? All characters grow and develop. Any who don't are probably more background figures than true characters – I'm thinking in terms of full length novels, a movie, a series here rather than a ficlet or one episode of something. I think perhaps characters just become more themselves the more you write about them; the more detail you give them, the more real and dynamic they become.
21 - The Myth of the Solid Character - even "well rounded" or "fully fleshed" characters are less solid the longer we look at them, writes James Wood. Agree? Disagree? Is there always room for more? In canon? In fanfiction?
I'm not sure about that. Is there always room for more? Yes, because you can't know everything about a fictional character – nor a real person.
I'm not sure about that. Is there always room for more? Yes, because you can't know everything about a fictional character – nor a real person.
20 - An absence of characterization can be as powerful as characterization in knowing a character. Agree? Disagree? Any examples in your own writing?
Disagree. It can be useful as a sort of 'blank slate' for readers to fill up with their own impressions, perhaps, but it doesn't help anyone to know a character.
Disagree. It can be useful as a sort of 'blank slate' for readers to fill up with their own impressions, perhaps, but it doesn't help anyone to know a character.
19 - How much time must be spent on a character for them to be a character? Does a character have to be living, have a voice, or can it be a place, an era, a coffee cup? Do characters exist at all?
I don't know, it varies. No, other things can be characters, although I probably wouldn't list London (city) or Autumn (season) as characters per se. They are integral to the story but not…dynamic? I might include objects as characters in parody/crack and I'd include non people things as characters if they are sapient or sentient like a horse, or a magic mirror.
Do characters exist at all? This is way out of my comfort zone. I'd need to do some reading to begin to formulate an intelligent answer to this.
I don't know, it varies. No, other things can be characters, although I probably wouldn't list London (city) or Autumn (season) as characters per se. They are integral to the story but not…dynamic? I might include objects as characters in parody/crack and I'd include non people things as characters if they are sapient or sentient like a horse, or a magic mirror.
Do characters exist at all? This is way out of my comfort zone. I'd need to do some reading to begin to formulate an intelligent answer to this.
18 - How much time do you take to "get in" your character? In your opinion, is it possible to "get a character in" in one sentence? Is it different for original fiction and fanfiction?
I don't know. I think it probably is, in terms of a quick character sketch – bumbling professor for example, with a tweed jacket with leather patches on the arms, dropping his books and picking them up. It's not the whole character and he could be a Clark Kent decoy cover for someone else, but you now have a mental picture of him. The only difference between fanfic and original fic is that readers will already have a mental picture of the canon characters and so you don't have to work so hard at drawing these sketches.
I don't know. I think it probably is, in terms of a quick character sketch – bumbling professor for example, with a tweed jacket with leather patches on the arms, dropping his books and picking them up. It's not the whole character and he could be a Clark Kent decoy cover for someone else, but you now have a mental picture of him. The only difference between fanfic and original fic is that readers will already have a mental picture of the canon characters and so you don't have to work so hard at drawing these sketches.
17 - We can tell a great deal about a character by how they talk and who they talk to. Are you aware of any changes you make from character to character in either narration or dialog? Show us an example. Is this something you choose, or do without fully realizing it? Do you do this at all? Why?
I hope I do this; it's an essential part of characterisation. Here are some dialogue examples, fanfic and original fic, male and female charcters, that I've written that I hope illustrate this.
"I can't hear the soul of All That Is," she said. "I know it's not normal to hear it. Thoughts and feelings and the heartbeat of creation…I don't think I'm explaining it right. The words aren't right. I lack the vocabulary and you lack the understanding. But I heard these things and I'd adapted…Now I'm lost. Alone."
"When you're a mercenary, it pays to know whether your employer is telling his men to 'give him the money' or 'shoot him in the head'."
"Dearest stepmother, I wish to make amends for my behaviour," she lied.
“Curse-smurse,” he said. "You're not cursed and we both know it. I'm a dragon. We have a nose for that kind of thing."
“Look, all that lovely blood going to waste, feeding the ground instead of us. The ungrateful soil doesn’t want it, and the moon laughs at us!”
"I have no idea. But you should pray it isn't. A serial killer is bothersome enough. One of us displaying such a disturbed personality...that would be bad. Very bad indeed."
“What’s wrong with menstruating? It’s a perfectly acceptable term.” She gave an evil grin. “Or would you prefer fertile?”
"If you cannot scry the location of this one simple thing, you are of no use to me...And I do not allow useless people to remain as my guests."
"I think I'm your bodyguard," he returned, "and if something did come over those fields, I'd be remiss in my duty if I was asleep upstairs while you were being attacked."
I hope I do this; it's an essential part of characterisation. Here are some dialogue examples, fanfic and original fic, male and female charcters, that I've written that I hope illustrate this.
"I can't hear the soul of All That Is," she said. "I know it's not normal to hear it. Thoughts and feelings and the heartbeat of creation…I don't think I'm explaining it right. The words aren't right. I lack the vocabulary and you lack the understanding. But I heard these things and I'd adapted…Now I'm lost. Alone."
"When you're a mercenary, it pays to know whether your employer is telling his men to 'give him the money' or 'shoot him in the head'."
"Dearest stepmother, I wish to make amends for my behaviour," she lied.
“Curse-smurse,” he said. "You're not cursed and we both know it. I'm a dragon. We have a nose for that kind of thing."
“Look, all that lovely blood going to waste, feeding the ground instead of us. The ungrateful soil doesn’t want it, and the moon laughs at us!”
"I have no idea. But you should pray it isn't. A serial killer is bothersome enough. One of us displaying such a disturbed personality...that would be bad. Very bad indeed."
“What’s wrong with menstruating? It’s a perfectly acceptable term.” She gave an evil grin. “Or would you prefer fertile?”
"If you cannot scry the location of this one simple thing, you are of no use to me...And I do not allow useless people to remain as my guests."
"I think I'm your bodyguard," he returned, "and if something did come over those fields, I'd be remiss in my duty if I was asleep upstairs while you were being attacked."
14 - Thisness and the written word: Do you ever use abstract descriptions in specifying little details? Given an object or interaction a sense of "thisness"? For example, "the clouds were glassy in the sky." Clouds cannot literally have a quality like glass, yet in this sentence they have been given a sense of "glassness" that gives the reader a more specific description of them, and somehow maintains an air of believability. Discuss why this is a believable description, though it is not actually possible.
Why is it believable? Because we understand metaphor, and because language is imperfect. Sometimes the wrong words are the only ones we have to describe something – think of the words that exist in other languages that have no equivalent in your own native tongue. Sometimes the wrong words are more appropriate than the technically right ones – I want to see the clouds in a way that is appropriate to the tone of the novel, not in a way that's only suitable in a meteorological textbook.
I just read a beautiful entry over at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
lj_scribe by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
somehowunbroken about a woman who may or may not be a vampire: He thinks she looks like danger - sharp and taut, wicked smile gracing her face like a knife slash, long and lean and lithe. Someone cannot look like danger, a smile does not really look like a knife wound, and yet this description is delicious and chilling and appropriate for the ficlet.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
Why is it believable? Because we understand metaphor, and because language is imperfect. Sometimes the wrong words are the only ones we have to describe something – think of the words that exist in other languages that have no equivalent in your own native tongue. Sometimes the wrong words are more appropriate than the technically right ones – I want to see the clouds in a way that is appropriate to the tone of the novel, not in a way that's only suitable in a meteorological textbook.
I just read a beautiful entry over at
lj_scribe by somehowunbroken about a woman who may or may not be a vampire: He thinks she looks like danger - sharp and taut, wicked smile gracing her face like a knife slash, long and lean and lithe. Someone cannot look like danger, a smile does not really look like a knife wound, and yet this description is delicious and chilling and appropriate for the ficlet.I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:hereSection III - Significant Insignificance
12 - In literature, the well rounded author accompanies the fantastic with details of the mundane. Do you agree? What is an example of your own writing in which you combine the fantastic and mundane?
I think I covered this in question 11 when I said that 'I'll often ground the fantasy with real life concerns – birth control, bodily functions, remembering to lock the door when leaving a residence; I'll sometimes include these things – or their fantasy/sci-fi equivalents because at the end of the day most characters are [or were, eg vampires] human'.
13 - Have you ever taken a small detail, such as a character rubbing their lips, and given it greater importance through narration? Why? Do you enjoy reading such details?
Doesn't every author do this to some extent? Isn't is one of the ways we develop character by these characterisations, these quirks, and what they do or may represent? People don't just stand or sit and talk; they chew their bottom lip, sip or gulp at their drinks, stare out of windows, pick up photographs on mantelpieces, pace, tidy their hair, examine their nails, check their watch, roll their eyes, lean forward or backwards…without details, the scene is very bland to read. Unless it's a screenplay with minimal stage direction, a story needs details.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
12 - In literature, the well rounded author accompanies the fantastic with details of the mundane. Do you agree? What is an example of your own writing in which you combine the fantastic and mundane?
I think I covered this in question 11 when I said that 'I'll often ground the fantasy with real life concerns – birth control, bodily functions, remembering to lock the door when leaving a residence; I'll sometimes include these things – or their fantasy/sci-fi equivalents because at the end of the day most characters are [or were, eg vampires] human'.
13 - Have you ever taken a small detail, such as a character rubbing their lips, and given it greater importance through narration? Why? Do you enjoy reading such details?
Doesn't every author do this to some extent? Isn't is one of the ways we develop character by these characterisations, these quirks, and what they do or may represent? People don't just stand or sit and talk; they chew their bottom lip, sip or gulp at their drinks, stare out of windows, pick up photographs on mantelpieces, pace, tidy their hair, examine their nails, check their watch, roll their eyes, lean forward or backwards…without details, the scene is very bland to read. Unless it's a screenplay with minimal stage direction, a story needs details.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:hereEnd of Section Exercise: Choose one classic author and one modern author. Write a paragraph or two for each, original or fanfiction, mimicking their style as closely as possible. What do you notice about the different styles? Record your thoughts at the end of the exercise.
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How Fiction Works Writing Meme - Day Elven
Sep. 6th, 2011 07:57 pm11 - Are you a realist or a stylist? Do you record every detail, every moment indiscriminately, or do you prune your prose for the sake of style and story focus?
I've struggled with this question because I wasn't sure of the meaning of the terms. Realism seems to be mostly associated with:objective, unbiased perspective; detailed descriptions of everyday life in realistic settings; natural human speech. themes of socioeconomic conflict; urban environments. [ref: http://www.enotes.com/realism] Therefore I'm guessing stylists are the opposite in approach, using fantastical prose to describe extraordinary events in unusual or exotic places.
Since I write for a lot of fantasy and science fiction fandoms, I'm going to say I'm more of a stylist than I am a realist. That said, I'll often ground the fantasy with real life concerns – birth control, bodily functions, remembering to lock the door when leaving a residence; I'll sometimes include these things – or their fantasy/sci-fi equivalents because at the end of the day most characters are [or were, eg vampires] human. I hope I record enough detail to make things interesting and real for the reader without losing focus, but sometimes it takes a beta reader to point out where tighter prose would be an improvement – and of course, where more description would benefit the story.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
I've struggled with this question because I wasn't sure of the meaning of the terms. Realism seems to be mostly associated with:objective, unbiased perspective; detailed descriptions of everyday life in realistic settings; natural human speech. themes of socioeconomic conflict; urban environments. [ref: http://www.enotes.com/realism] Therefore I'm guessing stylists are the opposite in approach, using fantastical prose to describe extraordinary events in unusual or exotic places.
Since I write for a lot of fantasy and science fiction fandoms, I'm going to say I'm more of a stylist than I am a realist. That said, I'll often ground the fantasy with real life concerns – birth control, bodily functions, remembering to lock the door when leaving a residence; I'll sometimes include these things – or their fantasy/sci-fi equivalents because at the end of the day most characters are [or were, eg vampires] human. I hope I record enough detail to make things interesting and real for the reader without losing focus, but sometimes it takes a beta reader to point out where tighter prose would be an improvement – and of course, where more description would benefit the story.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:hereHow Fiction Works Writing Meme - Day Ten
Sep. 1st, 2011 05:16 pm10 - Do you show, or tell? Wax poetic on the emotion of the moment? Or simply describe the moment and let the reader find the emotion for themselves? Which do you prefer reading?
Again: it depends. I know we are supposed to show, but sometimes you need to tell things in order to get the story moving along – facts, background information, and so on.
Wax lyrical? If it is a character piece, then probably so. Again, I don't think I'm the best person to ask. I can't see the wood for the trees with things like this. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but I'm just guessing.
As for reading, well that depends too. I'll only get frustrated with the 'poetical' if I'm feeling an emotion other than that which the author thinks I ought to be. I'm not going to get all teary eyed over a relationship breaking down if I didn't think it was a good one in the first place and besides, I'm shipping the heroine with the cute cop from chapter four :D
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
Again: it depends. I know we are supposed to show, but sometimes you need to tell things in order to get the story moving along – facts, background information, and so on.
Wax lyrical? If it is a character piece, then probably so. Again, I don't think I'm the best person to ask. I can't see the wood for the trees with things like this. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but I'm just guessing.
As for reading, well that depends too. I'll only get frustrated with the 'poetical' if I'm feeling an emotion other than that which the author thinks I ought to be. I'm not going to get all teary eyed over a relationship breaking down if I didn't think it was a good one in the first place and besides, I'm shipping the heroine with the cute cop from chapter four :D
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:hereHow Fiction Works Writing Meme - Day Nine
Aug. 31st, 2011 02:05 pm9 - The devil is in the details - which ones are important to you? To your characters? Is it you, the author, or the character narrating that notices certain details throughout the story? Is every detail brought to light important to the plot, or are some presented for another reason? Why?
I'll give detail where I think it is necessary, whether that's scene-setting or something that will be important for the plot later. Sometimes I get carried away with plot and have to slow down and include detail – people can't see inside my head :P – so that the fictional world becomes real for the reader. Sometimes detail is all-important, as in a missing scene or character study, where small items are deeply insightful or symbolic.
As to character vs narrator, it depends. Is it scene setting or a clue disguised as scene setting? Or does the character notice these things, so we get their POV on what on they are seeing – the difference between 'a fascinating abstract watercolour picture' and 'a picture that looks like a four year old painted it and then the cat piddled on it'.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
I'll give detail where I think it is necessary, whether that's scene-setting or something that will be important for the plot later. Sometimes I get carried away with plot and have to slow down and include detail – people can't see inside my head :P – so that the fictional world becomes real for the reader. Sometimes detail is all-important, as in a missing scene or character study, where small items are deeply insightful or symbolic.
As to character vs narrator, it depends. Is it scene setting or a clue disguised as scene setting? Or does the character notice these things, so we get their POV on what on they are seeing – the difference between 'a fascinating abstract watercolour picture' and 'a picture that looks like a four year old painted it and then the cat piddled on it'.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:here8 - Do you use the passive voice or active voice? Both? Do you make a conscious decision to do it, or is it simply something that happens? When do you use passive voice versus active voice, and why? Example of passive voice: The ball was thrown by the boy. Example of active voice: The boy threw the ball.
I don't know. Sometimes Word insists I'm using the passive voice – but Word is often wrong about grammar, especially when it comes to creative works rather than formal letters. Sometimes the passive voice works – maybe the ball is the important object here; the ball lands in a clump of grass and lies hidden for years... until the protagonist finds it.
Some of these questions, more so than the previous meme, are harder for me to answer – if anyone who has read my work wants to differ on my interpretations, feel free. I might be doing things that I'm not aware of :D
ETA: I found an article that gives some examples of when passive voice is undesirable as well as some examples of where it can be useful.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
I don't know. Sometimes Word insists I'm using the passive voice – but Word is often wrong about grammar, especially when it comes to creative works rather than formal letters. Sometimes the passive voice works – maybe the ball is the important object here; the ball lands in a clump of grass and lies hidden for years... until the protagonist finds it.
Some of these questions, more so than the previous meme, are harder for me to answer – if anyone who has read my work wants to differ on my interpretations, feel free. I might be doing things that I'm not aware of :D
ETA: I found an article that gives some examples of when passive voice is undesirable as well as some examples of where it can be useful.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:hereSection II - Modern Narrative and Classical Style
7 - Are you a modern relativist, or an author of more classical style, or the rare bird that is somewhere in between? The modern relativist divorces themselves from their writing, makes no judgments upon good and evil, lets the reader decide many things for themselves. The classicist has a more clear moral or message, and sometimes speaks directly to the audience. Which are you, and why?
I probably lean towards the classicist style in that sometimes I have messages I want to communicate, and am less than subtle about it. On the other hand I love anti-heroes, so the message isn't always clear-cut when it comes to good vs evil or right vs wrong – the real world [whatever that means for your characters] isn't the black and white place of heroes vs villains, and so a character's actions will often be varying shades of grey.
Conformity is a short Firefly fic I wrote with a message behind it. I'd seen a rather proscriptive list of rules at a local cemetery, especially with regards to places for cremated remains rather than graves, and I felt it was telling people the 'right' ways to commemorate loved ones, as well as cashing in on grave sites by allowing more expression at those. It fitted a prompt for a landcomm too and the story wrote itself around those two themes. There's no doubt that I, the author, feel strongly about enforced conformity.
On the other hand, Beyond Good and Evil is a Burn Notice/Dollhouse crossover where every major character is a anti-hero by virtue of canon, and they come to a sort of understanding despite the circumstances they meet under.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions atpristineungift's entry:here
7 - Are you a modern relativist, or an author of more classical style, or the rare bird that is somewhere in between? The modern relativist divorces themselves from their writing, makes no judgments upon good and evil, lets the reader decide many things for themselves. The classicist has a more clear moral or message, and sometimes speaks directly to the audience. Which are you, and why?
I probably lean towards the classicist style in that sometimes I have messages I want to communicate, and am less than subtle about it. On the other hand I love anti-heroes, so the message isn't always clear-cut when it comes to good vs evil or right vs wrong – the real world [whatever that means for your characters] isn't the black and white place of heroes vs villains, and so a character's actions will often be varying shades of grey.
Conformity is a short Firefly fic I wrote with a message behind it. I'd seen a rather proscriptive list of rules at a local cemetery, especially with regards to places for cremated remains rather than graves, and I felt it was telling people the 'right' ways to commemorate loved ones, as well as cashing in on grave sites by allowing more expression at those. It fitted a prompt for a landcomm too and the story wrote itself around those two themes. There's no doubt that I, the author, feel strongly about enforced conformity.
On the other hand, Beyond Good and Evil is a Burn Notice/Dollhouse crossover where every major character is a anti-hero by virtue of canon, and they come to a sort of understanding despite the circumstances they meet under.
I'll make an index post when I've completed the meme with links to all my answers; they will all be tagged #how fiction works meme. You can find the full set of questions at
pristineungift's entry:here
