Story development: Some tips on making a character more interesting

 

Writing a story is truly not a simple task. For this reason, character development is key to making the story interesting. Discussed in this blog are some suggestions on how to do this. John Eilermann St. Louis 

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A character should represent a number of things. One way that makes a character interesting is that he or she belongs to a particular life context that makes it easy for the audience to relate. Forrest Gump was effective as a character because of his ordinariness, which is a trait that audiences can easily relate to. This is also why it made perfect sense for Cinderella to come from the poor and the oppressed. John Eilermann St. Louis

Another thing that makes a character more effective is a flaw. A character flaw is important to the character’s success, because this is the handicap that the character must live with throughout the development of the story, making redemption much sweeter in the end. In some cases, the character’s flaw is part of the problem that must be solved. In other cases, the character gains some sense of victory despite having the flaw. Either way, the flaw shows its importance in a character’s success. John Eilermann St. Louis 

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Finally, it helps for the character to have a lot of internal dialogue. Internal thoughts have an elaborate way of showing who a character truly is. Intrapersonal thoughts also work wonderfully in a number of ways. First, it is a reflection of the character’s own journey and growth. Second, it is an aspect of the character that only the audience is fully aware of. John Eilermann St. Louis

Work your writing muscle with these tips

In order to be a good writer, one must have a good command of the language they are listening, reading, and speaking. Improving in the practice of writing requires time, effort, patience, and intentionality. Here are a few tips to help work your writing muscle.

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Keep a diary. While considered an old-fashioned and outdated way of documenting one’s daily encounters and musings, it still helps develop one’s appreciation for writing. For those who partner writing with calligraphy, keeping a diary may also help improve one’s handwriting. Writers who consider themselves extroverts are more inclined to start a blog than keep a physical journal. Maintaining a blog can help a writer become more confident in putting their material out for the world to see. John Eilermann St. Louis.

If keeping a public blog seems like a stretch for one, they can always write for school magazines and newsletters. Doing this can give a writer their first taste of journalism. Fiercely confident writers work their muscle by joining literary article competitions. Such competitions double as an avenue for a writer to improve their style. One can gain invaluable knowledge and experience by participating in such competitions. John Eilermann St. Louis.

Accept that most of first drafts don’t pass. Editing is a skill a writer must possess. Thus, one should edit one’s own work. Before accepting editing jobs from other writers, learn to edit yourself without mercy. As experts say, majority of writing is rewriting. Having the cold eye of an editor enables a writer to work with more accuracy and less nonsense. John Eilermann St. Louis.

Can love for reading make a person a better writer?

It is no secret that those who love to read can explain their thoughts well through writing. However, over the past decade, children have become more inclined to use gadgets, getting into gaming, and forsaking reading. While parents can argue that gaming apps can promote reading, nothing can really beat some good old-fashioned D.E.A.R. Time. John Eilermann St. Louis.

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Children and adults must redevelop a love for reading, as this skill improves other skills such as writing and comprehension. Those who have an appreciation for reading may find writing as second nature. In reading, one learns how to comprehend the subject matter and retain the material read. Over time, one’s understanding and memory are improved through habitual reading. John Eilermann St. Louis.

While there is no better way to get good at writing than to actually write, reading exposes one to various writing styles, other voices, and different genres and forms of writing. Reading reminds a writer that there is always room for improvement. Whether good or bad material, reading encourages one to keep writing and keep moving forward with their own development. John Eilermann St. Louis.

Habitual and intentional reading makes way for one to become a better writer and linguist. As another form of reading is reading aloud, people who are fluent in more than one language can give credit to reading and listening as their ways of learning a new language quickly and effectively. There’s no denying that success in writing comes from the love for reading. John Eilermann St. Louis.

A beginner’s guide to postmodern literature

Postmodernism in literature essentially means writing that’s concerned with writing itself. It’s a self-reflexive and metalinguistic approach; the idea is to pay attention to what frames the world, even the very ink and pages used to write, say, a story or poem. All of these are subjects in postmodernist thought, as though one is looking through infinite mirrors, explains John Eilermann, a St. Louis comparative literature student.

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In postmodernist literature, the narrator becomes heavily involved in the said framing, often coming across as questionable or open to scrutiny as the characters themselves. In other words, he or she is not detached from the narrative; unlike in the linear progression of modernist story arcs, the point of view can reflect the narrator, the medium, and even the reader in a paradoxical sort of way.

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One way to approach the postmodernist text is to treat both language and structure as part of the so-called “consciousness” of the work. Again, it’s the framing that’s most important, leading to this suspect or unreliable narrator. In any case, style and ideology merge to utilize literary terms like fragmentation, author self-referencing, dark humor, and parody.

Multiplicity in meaning is preferred in postmodernist literature over singular insights. This is because the idea is to involve the reader in the meaning-making, which we often see in devices or techniques such as intertextuality, non-linear timelines, metafiction, magical realism, and pastiche. St. Louis-based comparative literature student John Eilermann names Samuel Beckett and Bret Easton Ellis as two of the first purveyors of the postmodernist movement.

Comparative Literature studentJohn Eilermannis based in St. Louis, Missouri. He likes the cross-disciplinary approach of the program, which enables students to take courses in philosophy, politics, and culture while allowing for the intersection of literature and history. Visit this pagefor more of John’s writings.