We were talking about this at my critique group on Saturday. Sometimes characters seem to blend together. Maybe it's because they are all too similar. In real life, no two people are the same - not even twins.
So how do we create characters that stand out from one another?
We shouldn't even have to use tags to know who's talking. No more, "Ellen said", "Jim answered" or "Josh screamed". We should know who screamed just by the way he did it.
Maybe easier said than done. But I was thinking about this when I was sewing new cushions for my benches outside.
Maybe most people don't even have benches outside and those that do, might be happy just to have the benches - but not me. I want soft, cushy pillows to sit on.
What does that say about me? Maybe I'm a WHIMP or spoiled, it might even mean I have problems with my butt - who knows. But it has to say something. And we should make sure we create characters that are saying something about themselves by what they do, wear, or even the way they position their bodies during a conversation.Everyone has their own way of doing activities, saying simple phrases or even wearing their clothes.
Here's one little Youtube video I've shown before but I think it's helpful. My family and I tried to show what voice means, simply by the way we say things. See if you can guess what kind of personality each person has just by the way we say this one famous sentence.
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