ORNAMENTS AND CHARACTERS Dismantling my Christmas tree is like a trip down memory lane. First I’ll tell you of some of my memories, then I will show you how it can help when you’re creating your fictional characters. PINE CONES. I love these, and use them on the tree and in my wreaths. I collected…
Tag: characterization
Magic-Wand Words
Remember the Disney production of Cinderella, when the good witches waved their magic wands of blue, red and green? Their glitter flowed like Fourth of July sparklers, creating magic. That’s what my blog is about this month—the magic that happens with words. In an entire novel, only a few or at most several dozen of…
Your Character’s Umvelt
What is your character’s umwelt? Yes, umwelt. Pronounced OOM-velt. I came across this concept while reading Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz. (If you have a dog, like dogs, are curious about dogs and dog behavior, it’s a fascinating book.) Anyway, the idea of the umwelt came from an early 20th Century German biologist…
Lesson Two: Where to start? Point of View, Setting and World Building
By Jeanne C. Stein The topics we’re going to cover today involve some basics of storytelling. In fact to some of you, this may be nothing but review. Especially if you were lucky enough to attend last weekend’s conference. It’s the first one in the seventeen years I’ve been a member of RMFW that I…