Creating Compelling Characters

Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters By Guest Author This is a guest post by Ali Hale. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. The success of a story rests on its characters. We remember truly compelling, vivid characters long after weve finished reading a novel or watching a movie: Im sure you can recall characters from books you read in childhood. Great characters can compensate for a weak plot or a so-so writing style – but if readers dont care about your characters, theyll put your story down. That clever plot twist or beautiful passage of writing might hook them briefly, but without characters that leap off the page, readers wont stay engaged. If you need more evidence that characters are crucially important, search Google for fan fiction. Many, many books, TV series and movies have spawned a huge amount of creative writing by fans – and this writing is all about the characters. The plots and sometimes even the settings are different from those in the original, but the characters remain the same. Simply knowing how important characters are doesnt help you much, though. You need to figure out how to create truly compelling characters who readers care about, laugh about, even cry about. Heres how: What Does Your Character Need? All compelling characters have a strong need, longing or desire. They should have a problem to overcome. They may not recognise this need (and indeed, many stories are about person coming to understand themselves better – for example, learning that they need companionship). I picked up a great tip on figuring out what characters need from Holly Lisles Create a Character Clinic. Use Maslows hierarchy of needs. Pick a level on the pyramid (you can find all you need to know on Wikipedias page) and then figure out what your character is seeking. At the most basic, physical level, your character might be in a survival situation and need food and water. Going up a level, you might have a character whose security is threatened: perhaps shes lost her job, or hes facing a health crisis. Quirks Dont Equal Character Many beginning writers make the mistake of thinking that giving a character a set of mannerisms or physical quirks is characterisation. It can be amusing and diverting, certainly. Sure, you can give your character a habit of whistling a particular tune, or jangling his keys, or peering over her glasses. But these alone dont make your characters compelling. When your characters do have unusual quirks, these need to be relevant to their back story – the things which happened to them before they appeared in your book. (Compelling characters need to be like icebergs: the reader has to have the sense that theres a lot more under the surface: characters shouldnt feel like they didnt exist before page one.) For example, Harry Potters scar is an important feature because it relates to his history and to the broader plot of the stories. Giving your character a mysterious scar which has no relevance to your story, however, isnt a shortcut to becoming as popular as J.K. Rowling In general, focus on who your character is rather than what they look like. Draw From Life – But Not Too Much So where do powerful, vivid characters come from? Often, the best place to start is yourself. What do you dream about, fear, desire? What secrets do you have? What are you most ashamed of – and most proud of? If youre trying to convey a characters internal thoughts, then you must be willing to draw on your only source of direct experience: the inside of your own mind. Dont go too far in drawing on real life, though. Beginning writers sometimes make the mistake of writing a version of themselves into their stories – often a perfect, flawless character who theyd quite like to be! While this might be emotionally satisfying to the writer, its either very irritating or very boring for readers. Some other tips when drawing on your life are: Were all complex people who may, at times, behave in contradictory ways. Dont make your characters too one-dimensional Most of us have quiet, even boring, lives. Your characters need to do more exciting things in order to engage the reader. Dont worry about describing your characters physically. Mention anything thats important (eg. a characters physical size may have a bearing on the plot and on their self-confidence) but dont burden the reader with details. Watch people when youre out and about, and make up stories about them. Let the Reader Empathise Your reader doesnt necessarily have to like your characters, but they should be able to feel a sense of empathy for them. Even your villains shouldnt be purely evil: there needs to be some explanation for why theyre such awful people – this often forms part of their back story. On the flip side, your heroes shouldnt be too perfect. We like to read about people with flaws, doubts and struggles – because when we read, were imagining ourselves in their place. Characters are compelling when we can share their struggles and cheer on their victories. Some quick ways to build empathy are: Show a character suffering (either mentally or physically) Include a brief flashback to an unhappy childhood or traumatic incident Write about your characters thoughts – especially if their actions might be hard for us to understand or treat sympathetically Use the first-person or third-person limited (deep) point of view Show a character being misunderstood by others Frustrate a characters attempts to meet their need Finally, have fun with creating your characters! If you find yourself writing about a character who bores you, then rewrite them – or recast them as a new character entirely. When you write characters that are truly compelling to you, theyll be compelling to the reader. Ali Hale is a writer whose posts getting more from life at Aliventures have been called so true, exactly what I need and exactly at the right time for me (click to grab the RSS feed here). When shes not blogging, shes working on her novel and other projects, including an MA in Creative Writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†The Possessive Apostrophe5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

Why Job Hopping Can Boost Your Career

Why Job Hopping Can Boost Your Career Younger employees and Millennials (shout out to everyone with the Snake People plug in!) so often hear that â€Å"this isn’t their parents’ job market† and other frightening underemployment statistics. But here’s some  good news! It may actually be a smart career decision to fluctuate  in your employment history. Here are some  compelling reasons to have a dynamic track record instead of a mono-job history. Aim for 4 years max a one place, and then start looking for your next opportunity.  Rapidly Evolving Skill SetsIf you’re changing jobs every few years, you’re expanding and freshening up your skill set, learning new things, and just as important, acquiring resume-worthy evidence of your evolving job responsibilities. This is also good news for job seekers, because a job you wouldn’t have qualified for a few years ago may have shifted and revamped since its last tenant left.  Technological AdvancementsSpending 4+ years in t he same job is a great way to get comfortable with the in-house software, content management, sales procedures, etc- but even if your company isn’t constantly adopting new technology, your competitors might be. Whether you’re a systems administrator or occupy a more front-of-house role, stay on top of the technological options in your field so that if you change lanes, you’ll be able to keep up.  PerceptionDating analogies in the midst of job discussions generally creep me out, but in this case I think it’s a pretty good comparison. If you meet someone recently out of a 14-year relationship, are you more or less likely to go on another date with them than the person you meet the next night who’s had a series of stable but shorter-term relationships?Put yourself in a hiring manager’s shoes- someone with 3 jobs in 10  years can come across as easier to train, more adaptable, and more motivated.  Career AdvancementWhen you stay in one pla ce for a long period of time, if you’re behind someone on the job ladder, there’s always a chance you won’t get to move up until they move up or move on. But if you’re making ambitious moves and expanding your horizons as you change jobs, you can evolve more quickly than you would have done by staying put.As always, be thoughtful about all professional life choices- give each decision time, communicate honestly and in a timely manner with your employers, and make your best effort not to burn any bridges. You don’t want to come across as unfocused or irresponsible, and you certainly don’t want to leave a string of employers who think you’re a flight risk!

Philosophy of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Philosophy of leadership - Essay Example Leadership emanates from situations, person’s learning and knowledge, beliefs, passion and pragmatism. In the organizational context, although leaders are formed by virtue of their role and position, leadership capacity in other people cannot be ignored. This again becomes the role of the formal leader to identify leadership and nurture it for the organization’s benefit. Leadership is also situational, in the sense, leaders emerge based on situation. Identification of this quality requires high connectedness with people in order to know them well in terms of skills, attitude, behavior, talent and qualities. For example, a silent person may be very good at specific skills and can help other members of the team to develop these skills that can benefit the team as well as the organization. For this, most importantly, the leader must possess humility. Humility refers to adoption of an un-assuming nature with respect to assessing individuals or situations. Believing that individuals and situations are a product of historical moments helps in obtaining a better understanding of the current historical moment. This specifically is important for leaders to take on an unbiased approach to deal with situations and people. Arnett (1999) identifies this openness as humility, with the perspective of gaining knowledge, and not merely with the associated people and/or situations. Arnett and Arnesen (1999) define routine cynicism as the non-thoughtful attitude of people demonstrated through mistrust, non confidence, despair, suspicion, judgment, manipulation of thoughts and words meant to achieve either selfish motives, superiority, individual goals, wealth and power, or even mislead the other party. Leaders have to believe that people are their strengths who can accomplish anything. For this the leader needs to be connected with his people, and should be at individual as well

Audit & Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Audit & Assurance - Essay Example Therefore US introduced the Sarbanes Oxley Act in 2002 and UK, in 2003, set up two reviews- RRAP (Regulatory Regime of Accountancy Profession) and CGAA (Coordinating Group on Audit and Accounting) (Gray & Manson, 2007, p.140). The audit committee consists of board of directors who are entrusted with the oversight of financial reports preparation and disclosures. The more reliable the information is the more it is useful and through the auditing this purpose is achieved. The shareholders of a company are its owners who appoint the stewards in the form of directors and managers to manage the company on their behalf. The problem arises when the stewards place their personal interests before the owners’ interests. And as the managers are at an advantage over shareholders in terms of information the auditing (both internal and external) functions become all the more important. The recent financial crisis has led to the requirement of enhancing the transparency on the managerâ€℠¢s activities and their risk management. The identification, analysis and management of the operational as well as strategic risk are the key to avoid failures of firms if the crises were to occur in future. The audit committee alone is not responsible to prevent the economic downturn but plays an important role by challenging the assumptions and estimates the auditors undertake as part of the audit process as the economic environment changes with time (FRC, 2011). Objectives of the Paper This paper has mainly five objectives. Firstly, to understand the rights and responsibilities of the audit committee and their importance in today’s volatile financial environment. Secondly, why firms need audit committees and what they are doing to improve audit committees’ effectiveness. Thirdly, the meaning and importance of Audit Assurance has been explained. Fourthly, there is an explanation of the audit process both internal as well as external. Fifthly, the role of regulators a nd audit firms in bringing more effectiveness in audit process and transparency in financial disclosures so that the investors able able to take informed decisions. Rights and Responsibilities of the Audit Committee The Financial Reporting Council has provided the guidelines on Audit Committees. The rights of audit committee are as follows: 1. All the directors and management staff are obligated to keep the audit committee properly informed even if not asked. They must be cooperative with the audit committee. 2. The opinions of the audit committee should be listened and discussed by both the management and the board. 3. The audit committee has a right to intervene if it finds any discrepancy in the audit and financial controls process. And if not satisfied by the explanations given by the management then it may seek independent advice. 4. The work of the audit committee gets time consuming and intensive; therefore management must provide them with the necessary resources including t he payment. There should also be a provision of induction and training of the new audit committee members in the company. The training may be continued if required. The board of the company should establish an audit committee with at least two to three members in consultation with the nomination

Hunting is a Crime, Not a Sport :: English Literature Essays

How many animals will be slaughtered before it is decided too many are dead? Will species die out and fade into obscurity? Isn't it our job to prevent this from occurring? With the large prevalence of hunters in today's world, it is time to define what hunting is. Hunting is not a sport due to the waste of precious animal lives, moral ethics, and its inability to follow the definition of a sport. The dictionary defines a sport as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules and often undertaken competitively"(Dictionary.com). Under this definition, hunting is considered a sport, although this definition seems to be lacking a few main points. When surveyed, many people thought that a sport should be fair to both sides. There should always be a chance for the other team to win, otherwise there would not be a point. Also, a sport should be fun for both sides. If it is not, then the sport stops being recreational. A third addition is the fact that people participate in sports by choice. An animal does not choose to be hunted, it is chosen by the hunter. Therefore, looking at the new definition, it would seem that hunting is no longer a sport: it is unfair to the animal, the animal is definitely not having fun and the animal has absolutely no choice about participating. In previous centuries, First Nations peoples hunted animals throughout Canada. When they killed an animal, they would honour its spirit. This was done because they believed that all creatures, including humans, were equal in life. One of the ways they honoured the animal's spirit was to use every portion of the body. They would use the skin for clothing or shelter, the stomach for cooking, the meat for eating and many other portions for various uses. They would waste nothing, and this practice continued for hundreds of years. It still exists today. Many modern day sport hunters do not follow this ideal. A lot of hunters stuff and mount their kills as trophies, or decorations. This is a waste of the animal. Before the dead animal is stuffed, the taxidermist removes the internal organs and scrapes the skin clean. The waste is then dumped into a garbage bin and disposed of. This is an enormous waste of the animal. While some hunters do eat the animals they kill, and use most of it, the majority do not.

How Technology Has Change Our Lives Essay

Throughout the years technology is in constantly changing. It’s almost impossible just to think how different the technology was. I noticed how rapidly the technology change in our classrooms. For example, a video recorder or a side projector is almost obsolete now in days. We can now rely on most efficient technology. There are some good sides to this, for example we are no longer held captive by the prime-time schedules of a handful of networks. Now, with cable, internet and DVRs, we don’t have to wait for our favorite shows. Now we can go back and watch an entire seasons that we may have missed the first time around Social media has been for me the most important change; because, we depend on them as a way of communicate nowadays. Websites like twitter and Facebook have given birth to the new concept of social media marketing. From chat rooms, Messenger, Myspace and social dating has changed the way we are communicating, Instead of sending letters to respective destinations, it is very easy to send an email which will be received instantly. Along with these social sites, the way that people put themselves in the internet has now more impact in others than it did ten years ago. I think we underestimate the power of social media. Now days whatever you put on any social site is for the entire world, and is likely to be for a long time in the future. Family, friends, new bosses and co-workers, potential clients and business partners, prospective love interests they’re all checking you out. How you present yourself in the province of social media can change your life in ways you never thought possible for better and for worse. Read more:Â  Technology Changed Our Lives

An Issue Of Television Violance - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 975 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Television Violence Essay Did you like this example? Ever since television stations made their debut in the 1920s, there have been different types of genres and tv shows that have aired on television. Some of these genres and tv shows include fantasy, science-fiction, action, sitcoms, soap operas, cartoons, and the news. Of course, a lot of these genres and shows include violence, such as a shows in which a superhero defeats the villain and the news reporting a mass shooting. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Issue Of Television Violance" essay for you Create order Violence on television has been a controversial subject for quite some time now. Violence on television has adverse effects on people, especially children. A negative effect of violence on television is that it desensitizes not only children to violence but people in general. As humans, we have a natural dislike towards violence. On our pastimes.com, According to a 2007 study conducted by the Association for Psychological Science, Most people have an automatic aversive emotional response to scenes of violence, often assessed by changes in heart rate and skin conductance. Such negative emotional responses help inhibit aggressive behavior and inspire helping behavior. But the study went on to state that people exposed to violent television showed reduce skin conductance and heart rate reactivity when facing real-life violence. Adding on to this point, livestrong.com states that violence on television also becomes enjoyable and does not result in the anxious arousal that would be expected from seeing such imagery. People think a reason why violence on television is good because it teaches kids about the consequences of violence. According to pastimes.com, Jib Fowles, an author who wrote a book touting the benefits of TV violence, believes most television shows teach children that good will prevail over evil and crime doesnt pay. If children know about prison and vengeance and fines and all the negative after effects of violent acts they are less likely, according to Fowles, to commit those same violent acts in real life. The problem with this is that after watching violence on television, what if the children learn about the consequences of violence, but it doesnt stop them from becoming violent? According to apa.org, Huesmann and Eron found that the ones whod watched a lot of TV violence when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults. There are more appropriate ways for children to learn about the consequences of violence that could also be more effective than watching violence on television. In addition to the point made previously, people think violence on television can be beneficial because it serves as a socially acceptable way to relieve anger and hostility. According to latimes.com, Jib Fowles said, Viewers use television content and, in particular, television violence, to help them manage their own emotions. So I see televisions violent content as therapeutic for the population. Watching television violence could be a way to relieve anger and hostility, but it could also be a factor to why children acquire an aggressive behavior or harmful ways. According to apa.org, Research by psychologists L. Rowell Huesmann, Leonard Eron and others starting in the 1980s found that children who watched many hours of violence on television when they were in elementary school tended to show higher levels of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers. If anyone needs to relieve anger and hostility, they could talk to a psychologist, and they could learn how to manage their ang er. Because of its negative effects, violence on television, and media, in general, should be regulated. How should it be controlled? Well, in households, parents should have power on what their children watch on television. They could decide on things like what their children watch and how much they watch television and make a verbal agreement on it. If they want to make sure their kids have no access to violence on television, there are ways to set parental controls to help prevent it. You can choose what can be restricted, and some parental controls require a code to be able to watch whatever program that is restricted. If more violence in the real world starts to link to possible influence from violence in the media, the government should try to regulate the amount and type of violence it shows. An example of a violent act that could be linked to influence from violence in the media is the Columbine shooting. The Columbine Shooting was an incident in which before two teenagers killed themselves, shot and killed 13 peers, including a teacher, and hurt 21 others. Although analysts concluded that the two teenagers were mentally ill, Other analysts have argued that a possible causal factor may relate to the young killers obsessions with violent imagery in video games and movies that led them to depersonalize their victims, according to psychiatrictimes.com. Since the Columbine shooting took place in 1999, there has been a lot of acts of violence, including some that could have been influenced by violence in media. Regulating violence in media wont stop all acts of violence, but it could help prevent the ones that are influenced by it. In conclusion, looking at the evidence that is in favor of and against the violence of television, it has adverse effects on people, and it should somehow be regulated, whether its regulated within a household or by the government. It is proven that violence on television has a negative on impact because it desensitizes people to violence, it increases the chances of people acting out in violent ways, and it could be a factor to why children acquire an aggressive behavior. Violence on television should be regulated to help prevent any of those things from happening. Although people find reasons why it has a positive effect on us, such as teaching kids about consequences and it helping relieve anger, there are different and more efficient ways to do those things.