Questions on dramatic tension and character development answered...

Question 1 from Cynthia:

As a first time novelist I am finding that my scenes where I need to give technical information to move the plot ahead in time (i.e. showing my artist character and his new assistant framing out a canvas) tend to be a bit ho-hum no matter how lightly I go on the facts--very different from my scenes where emotions run deep--so much more engaging. how can i change this?

Emily's response:

Less is definitely more in a situation such as this. I have personally run into this situation while writing historical novels. What to do with all the history or all the research one has accumlated... A problem is that we, the writer, usually loves the research and so first time around, we write too much. Alas, too, I am sure you have read novels where too much of the writer's research has been left in and you, as the reader, thumb through it until the dialogue of action begins again.

So write whatever you need or love to write and then put it aside for a few days and go back and cut cut cut. But cut from this perspective: what does your point of view character see or feel about the moment. In Cynthia's example, what do your character see, think, feel about framing out the canvas? What is going on between them as they do it? I have no idea what is happening in Cynthia's story, but say, for example, that the two characters are attracted to each other. Then there might well be something sensual about the way they interact with the framing of the photo. This creates tension. Then again, what if the characters don't much like each other...then the way they handle the materials and talk about them would grow from their animosity and tension would come from that.

As most things it story telling, the answer comes down to point of view. If your point of view character doesn't see or feel something about the action or scene, don't put it in. This will keep the description much tighter and keep it related to the character, which is what usually interests the reader most anyway.

Question 2 from Bob:

Perhaps you could offer some advice or tell me where to look for an answer. My problem is character development. I can come up with rivers of excellent story lines but I really suffer when it comes to fleshing out a main character. How can I sharpen my character development skills?

Emily's response:

This is a very very complicated and alluring question, which can not be answered simply. Nothing is more important than character development. What I recommend is not to predetermine anything about your character -- not the way he or she looks, acts or thinks. You want your character to reveal themselves, to emerge from the inside out not from the outside in.

Interviewing your character is a good way of finding out what he or she is about. Also, not telling in your story writing but showing. Show don't tell means putting the story into scene as opposed to narrative.

My book, The Art of Fiction Writing, has a lot of material on character development and goes into detail on the technique of interviewing your characters. In fact, there are over 50 interview questions both in the workbook and on the tape. The Art of Fiction Writing is on sale right now. You can explore it at http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/A_book_on_writing.htm

This is an endlessly fascinating subject and there will be more on it in the blog. Also check out the rest of the blog, as there is material on character development already here.