I've been reading Stephen King's It. If there's one thing about King's writing that makes it brilliant, besides the action sequences, it's his grasp of character. After reading several of his books this year, I think I understand how he creates characters that stick with you. The question is. Can I do the same thing? I don't know if I have it in me. Nothing to do but try.
And, if you're a fantasy/scifi writer or reader, consider signing up for BookBreeze. You'll receive a weekly email with a free fantasy/scifi title along with links to other works of interest from the author. This isn't one of those pricey email blast promotions. I signed up as an author member a couple weeks ago. I can't say what the results are yet but I'm hoping to find some new readers. If you're interested in the author membership benefits, click here.
Until next month, keep writing.
King definitely is excellent with characters. I've been disappointed in some of his endings, but I've always enjoyed seeing where his characters will take us.
ReplyDeleteSome writers really rock at characters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on Book Breeze!
I love how Stephen King does characters and It is one of my favorites. I'll have to check out Book Breeze.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck! I know characters are the meat of most books. Gotta love them.
ReplyDeleteStephen King does an amazing job at creating characters we care about - even when they aren't "nice" characters. Thanks for the tip about Book Breeze!
ReplyDeleteHave a great month, Jeff. I miss your posts about word lineages . . . I mean, word history. :)
King is a conundrum. He basically "tells" about all his characters, but he uses such fantastic prose and unusual metaphors that you fall in love with them. Good luck trying to recreate what he does. I'm trying to master save-the-cat and beats, and how to write short chapters a la authors like Preston&Child and Patterson.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the Dark Tower saga? Holy cow, what a ride. Awesome characters.
ReplyDeleteIT was one book that has definitely stayed with me as have the characters. Just thinking about it now scares me:) Of course you can do the same thing and maybe even better.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and Happy Writing!
Jeff, hope you're doing all right. Hadn't heard from you in a while.
ReplyDeleteKing is definitely in a league of his own. Greetings and best wishes!
ReplyDeleteI just signed up for BookBreeze. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI haven't actually read a Stephen King book...but I think you can create characters like he does. Use his techniques but also do your own thing and you'll have awesome characters. :)
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