Waking up miserable
Show, don’t tell. A golden rule for writers. Don’t write about characters. Let them speak for themselves. Let their actions and words and thoughts reveal their quirks, personality, flaws, motivations, secrets. It’s all about revealing, not telling.
I kept this in mind for Jade's first appearance in my novel-in-progress.
A strong first impression
I realise when I introduce Jade by zooming in on her hangover, readers will likely make assumptions and judgments about her. It’s not exactly the most flattering of first impressions. But that’s what I want. I’ll get to spend the rest of the story showing all the other sides of her character—if and when she chooses to reveal them to me.
This is good practice for me in real life. I’m too quick to define people, to latch on to my first impressions and form judgments. Are you a good person or a bad person? A safe person or a dangerous person? Easy-going or hard work? If I hang on too tight to these judgments, I’ll miss the chance to discover your complexities, your spice, the surprises that practically every person, every character has hiding behind that first impression. I won’t recognise the depths of your character, if and when you choose to reveal them to me.
What is Write Out Loud?
It’s an experiment in sharing writing-in-progress. Every post I’ll read something I’ve written, and write a brief commentary on the process. Since I published my memoir, Unlikely Stories of a Perfect Childhood, everyone I know has asked me, “What are you going to write next?” This blog is the answer.
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