Wednesday 30 July 2008

Going Too Far - Exaggerate in your Writing

You want your writing to be memorable, so how are you going to make it so? Are you going to stick really closely to real life or are you going to make your writing larger than life? What sort of a character do you think your readers will be intrigued by, one who is mousy, quiet, careful, or one who is over the top, melodramatic, wild?

To illustrate this point, I'd like you to think of five characters from literature that stand out in your mind. List them and jot down why you think you remember each of them. Then take a piece of your own work that isn't quite working. Think of a character that you could exaggerate in some way and make them much bigger and more exciting. Go really over the top - think of what would be reasonable then multiply it by five. Be bold and brave!

If you have someone sympathetic who reads your stories, you could let them read the before and after versions and see which one they prefer.

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