We all want to write amazing dialogue, but it can be deceptively difficult. The rub is that few people actually say what they mean. Society, religion and class all put constraints on our desires, creating fear and shame that forces us to sensor our words. For the most part, that’s a good thing because it helps maintain the stability of society. But if you want to write complicated characters, you need to understand the juxtaposition of what they are saying versus what they mean. This is called subtext.
I have to be honest, I’m not a sports fan. But I love sports movies. That might sound illogical but when you consider that sports movies run the gambit of genres (sports/comedy, sports/romance, sports/bio-pic and sports/drama) there’s a lot to like. So, what are the common elements to a sports movie regardless of the genre its married to?
Indiana Jones. Hannibal Lecter. Seinfeld. Rocky Balboa. Walter White. These memorable characters are dynamic, puzzling, funny, terrifying, and inspiring by turn. Audiences crave characters that transport them to new worlds. They want characters who offer a vicarious thrill ride through lives they’ll never lead themselves – that’s part of the ...
What “sounds” good on paper might sound different when spoken in dialog. But ultimately, your job as a writer is to translate that story onto the page. So, let’s start with five ways to choose great character names for the best read.
Writers rarely stop to categorize the many different variations of characters out there. But categories can be useful if you are at the conception stage and unsure which way to go, or stuck in the middle of draft and wondering what your hero ought to do next. Let's look at five types of classic heroes.