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Ways to Give Your Character a Life

Ways to Give Your Character a Life. And Other Tips. Dashes and Ellipses in Dialogue . Helps it sound like real conversation Dashes indicate interruption: “Hey, did you see that - ?” “Yes, it was awesome!”

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Ways to Give Your Character a Life

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  1. Ways to Give Your Character a Life And Other Tips

  2. Dashes and Ellipses in Dialogue • Helps it sound like real conversation • Dashes indicate interruption: “Hey, did you see that - ?” “Yes, it was awesome!” • Ellipses (…) indicate trailing off in thought / zoning out / pausing / searching for words “It’s just that I . . . I’ve never told anyone this before.”

  3. Internal Dialogue • Before your characters do anything big, they need to be thinking about it! • Example 1: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit.  Sure enough, I popped up on the roof.  It was really high up.  I decided to jump anyway, and I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, and then took a leap.  I landed, BOOM, and rolled like I had been trained to do.

  4. Internal Dialogue • Example 2: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit.  I knew that I had to get out, and fast.  If they caught me, they’d take me back to the home base, where it could mean torture.  I wasn’t prepared for that, and the thought made my heart pound and sweat come out on my forehead.  I popped up on the roof.  It was really high, and I had to take a deep breath before I looked over the side.  I knew I had to do it, I really didn’t have a choice, so I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, prayed that I wouldn’t break a leg, and took a leap.

  5. Internal Dialogue • Which one isn’t “better” but more memorable? • Why don’t we use internal dialogue for everything? • Example: In front of me was a box for Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and Cheerios. I knew I wanted cereal, but which one? I loved Cheerios on a normal day, but today I felt like some extra sugar. I thought briefly about the Rice Krispies, and dismissed them as too bland.

  6. Ways to Give Your Character a Life • Where does internal dialogue come from? • Your personal reactions / thoughts when faced with a situation • What you think your character would do or feel • Physical details of their reaction / feelings (heart pounding, sweat, breathing, shaking, body reactions, how people would move in that scenario) • Knowing enough about your character’s private life

  7. Learning about your Character • List-making • Personal history of character (Have they met this person before? What did they think of them?) • Rituals / World-building • Relationships with other characters • Steal moments from your own life

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