tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post24227751193089739..comments2024-03-28T06:59:34.982-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Interpersonal CharacterisationDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48835625009802631332019-01-01T12:13:45.477-07:002019-01-01T12:13:45.477-07:00An emotional connection between readers and the ch...An emotional connection between readers and the characters is what makes a story the most interesting to me.<br /><br />www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.comGina Gaohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13744170029911926909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-90282688147893442082013-01-30T16:35:34.162-07:002013-01-30T16:35:34.162-07:00Kathryn's right about show-don't-tell. Tha...Kathryn's right about show-don't-tell. That's what gives emotional scenes their impact. To say a child is crying is a fact. To show huge tears tumbling across chapped cheeks from wide, blue eyes as a toddler watches his mother leave for the last time touches the heart. I repeat, Elle, this is a great post.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-37733502135697177862013-01-30T16:34:06.909-07:002013-01-30T16:34:06.909-07:00So true. We are emotionally involved with what'...So true. We are emotionally involved with what's going on inside the character. Showing the character dealing with the emotions, fighting them, then succumbing creates so much more of a connection than just telling us. Susan Wiggs gets me every time. I had to stop taking her books to read at the gym.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-87000037490681602922013-01-30T16:31:42.447-07:002013-01-30T16:31:42.447-07:00Thanks for the comments, ladies.
Kathryn, that&#...Thanks for the comments, ladies. <br /><br />Kathryn, that's a good point about this applying to <b>any</b> relationship, although the characterisation would then be mostly one-way. How a character relates to a pet, and is loved by a pet, is also quite a common technique for establishing emotional connection. But, as in <i>Cast Away</i>, inanimate items can also be effective - characters could talk to their cars or plants, as other examples. Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-43467126241762196372013-01-30T13:59:30.599-07:002013-01-30T13:59:30.599-07:00As I was clicking away from this site (had to go t...As I was clicking away from this site (had to go tweet this!) I realized that this topic could be expanded to any relationships, not just interpersonal. The relationship between Tom Hanks and the volleyball Wilson in "Cast Away" comes to mind.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-76396773578904616272013-01-30T13:54:01.026-07:002013-01-30T13:54:01.026-07:00I love the focus of this post, with its one clear ...I love the focus of this post, with its one clear point that all who read it will now keep in the back of their minds. It's a show-don't-tell thing: telling us a character is much beloved is just not as potent as showing that love through the character's specific relationships. The more specific that love is, the more universal it will feel to the reader. Super!Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-89944786954369246442013-01-30T11:00:37.400-07:002013-01-30T11:00:37.400-07:00Great post and photo, Elle. I'll have to think...Great post and photo, Elle. I'll have to think back to what made me cry a half dozen times in the past week reading manuscripts. Something I could relate to in my life, I'm guessing, or something so universal, any normal person would be touched. Good thing to think about!Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-69535444618319323682013-01-30T08:24:18.734-07:002013-01-30T08:24:18.734-07:00The emotional connection between the reader and th...The emotional connection between the reader and the characters makes or breaks the story in my opinion. Case in point: if I really want to grab for the tissues, I'll read something by Nicholas Sparks. He does it to me every time.<br /><br />Seriously, Elle, this is a great post. A story must be more than the relation of facts, the history of a family, or the expressions of an agenda — it must be the relationship that grows between characters and readers. That's what gives it emotion. That's what gives it heart.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.com