Breathing Life Into Characters February 26, 2014
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Word Play, Writing & Writers.comments closed
Tim Dorsey knows how to breathe life into his characters.
In a single paragraph, he describes 7 characters using brief sketches, allowing readers to flesh in the rest:
* Major Fletcher ~ steady leader with blond hair, a close shave, and a square dependable jaw
* Lee Barnes ~ a crusty and foul-mouthed veteran with hangover stubble and a footlocker of vintage Playboys
* Milton “Bananas” Foster ~ a highly excitable yet gifted mechanical wizard
* Marilyn Sebastian ~ a plucky aerial reconnaissance officer, as tough as any man, but every bit a woman
* Pepe Miguelito ~ a forlorn youth with pencil mustaches and unending girl troubles
* “Tiny” Baxter ~ a massive country boy from Oklahoma with simple but strong values
* William Honeycutt ~ a former bantamweight champion
Dorsey provides enough detail to bring his characters to life . . . without beating them to death.
Sometimes a skeletal outline or quick sketch connects us to a character faster than too many extraneous details.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: Explanations (Candid Impressions) * Two Writers Debate: Pantsing vs. Plotting (Eric John Baker) * The End is Never the End (Grannymar)
Spirit Lights The Way 