Comments on: The writer’s toolkit: A voice journal for character development

By: v

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:24:16 +0000

i found this site helpful. im thinking of starting my own character journal and seeing where it goes. Maybe my character will surprise me! Who knows.

By: Literary Gift Roundup | Sarah Enni

Literary Gift Roundup | Sarah Enni — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:36:18 +0000

[...] I think I first read about Ex Libris Anonymous years and years ago in Jane magazine (which I miss desperately). They have only gotten bigger, expanding their inventory and even blogging. They take vintage books and turn them into blank journals. Could be a really inspiring place to jot down new story ideas or keep a character journal. [...]

By: Literary Gift Roundup «

Literary Gift Roundup « — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:45:00 +0000

By: James Scott Bell

James Scott Bell — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:14:01 +0000

As several of you note, this seems like an acting exercise. Maybe that’s because I was an actor for several years, mostly in New York. I did a lot of improv, too. It helps to get you out of the purely objective mode and gets your imagination running.

By: Marissa

Marissa — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:59:03 +0000

This is a wonderful idea. I’m embarking on writing my first children’s early chapter book and I know this will help me develop authentic characters. The idea of making characters “little versions of you” is hard to avoid if you don’t flush out all the facets of each character.

By: Seamus

Seamus — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:45:33 +0000

This is a lot of fun. I have experimented with just this approach on a blog. Every entry is a different voice. And you are right: sometimes I sound like mini-me’s and sometimes I nail it. I also tend to make the dialogue less self-conscious and more in-the-moment than this example. I think I like your “who I am” approach better. If you have a minute, take a look and help me improve. http://oh-thereyouare.blogspot.com/

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:28:54 +0000

Yes, this does sound like a drama exercise. I remember doing “hotseating” in drama classes, where one person would go in the middle and, in character, answer questions from the rest of the class.

Blending free-association writing with this kind of technique is a great idea, and sure to bear fruit. There will almost always be something you can use, and the rest can be thrown away, or perhaps saved for another character.

Speaking of Elmore Leonard, here’s a link to his ten rules for writing, plus a load of rules from other authors:
http://www.getmewriting.com/techniques-and-tips/guardian-posts-writerly-advice/

By: Patty Blount

Patty Blount — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:59:42 +0000

I think this is a great tip. I loved the Twilight books but I believe Bella IS Stephenie Meyer… Edward’s character has a tremendous voice, but I think she could have done better with Bella.

Now, Nora Roberts is a voice master… I’ve read many of her romances and recently finished a trilogy set in Ireland. The way Roberts weaves the Irish lilt into her dialogue is pure genius.

By: Cher'ley

Cher'ley — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:24:27 +0000

This is really good. I’ve been so bad about blogging on my book, that I may use this as a blog post idea. Plus I will get to know my characters better. Thanks.

By: Dianna

Dianna — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:38:47 +0000

I’ve been doing something similar for a while now and I love it.