|
|
Post by stormiel on Aug 3, 2013 3:21:48 GMT -5
I was watching tv the other day and one of the characters on the show I was watching dropped a breadcrumb about his past. I was totally hooked because it made me want to know more. I cant wait to figure out what makes this character the way he is. So this leads me to the question, how do I incorporate this kind of "hook" into my own writing?
What about you all, what have you seen that works best? What characters have had you hooked and why? How do you drag people into your characters' stories?
|
|
|
|
Post by Bainespal on Aug 3, 2013 9:41:55 GMT -5
I was watching tv the other day and one of the characters on the show I was watching dropped a breadcrumb about his past. I was totally hooked because it made me want to know more. I assume that the character had already had a lot of screen time before the hint about his or her past was revealed. So, the circumstances surrounding the "breadcrumb" are probably important. I don't think you can just drop pieces of background at any old time. I think it has to be the right time and place in the story. But that's really just a guess. |
|
|
|
Post by tris on Aug 3, 2013 22:12:03 GMT -5
One way to drop "breadcrumbs" is the tantalizing glimpses of that past in the middle of action as the character responds to the situation. Sometimes this can be an emotional reaction to something such as an otherwise calm and controlled person snapping when someone pulls her ponytail. (makes the reader wonder why). It can be a fragment of a thought or a very brief mention of something that connects to the here and now: The hollow ping of the gunshot triggered unwelcome memories. Todd could still taste the anesthesia.
The main thing is just a little snippet that tantalizes without explanation. And as Bainespal said, "right time and place." Otherwise it's like a bowling ball dropped into the middle of a conversation.
|
|
|
|
Post by stormiel on Aug 4, 2013 3:24:35 GMT -5
Bainespal: That tv show is in its 4th season I think. They are just now telling anything significant about that character and I think it works because that character keeps everything to himself, so when you hear something it makes you want to know more. So, for that tv show they have given a pretty solid picture of who that character is, but almost nothing of how he got to be that way, so now that its getting into the how, its getting interesting.
Tris: Giving a character a trigger and response seems like a good way to grab the reader's attention. I'm not sure I understand what you are saying about the timing. Are you saying to try to put it an action type scene? If so how do you do that without distracting from the current action?
|
|
|
|
Post by Bainespal on Aug 6, 2013 17:08:10 GMT -5
Bainespal: That tv show is in its 4th season I think. They are just now telling anything significant about that character and I think it works because that character keeps everything to himself, so when you hear something it makes you want to know more. So, for that tv show they have given a pretty solid picture of who that character is, but almost nothing of how he got to be that way, so now that its getting into the how, its getting interesting. I wonder how that would have come across if the story had been told in a novel instead of in a show. Television is more episodic, and I think that allows revelations to be carefully stacked and balanced. I bet there's really only room for a couple major reveals in a novel, so you probably have to make the reveals more significant. |
|
Torrias
New Member
slightly imperfect
Posts: 44
|
Post by Torrias on Aug 13, 2013 16:59:48 GMT -5
On the original post, I'd have to say I need to like the character (as a character, not necessarily someone I'd want to know, because some delightful characters are just plain unmentionables) first, before I'll be all that interested in their background or exploits. It's very rare for me personally to find a story, in book or on screen, that I'm drawn into solely on the merit of the writing and/or plot twists without being drawn to a character in it.
That said, I tend to love too many of my own characters, and that leads me off into a million backstory or present-day scenario rabbit trails :-P
|
|
|
|
Post by tris on Aug 20, 2013 16:51:15 GMT -5
Stormy,
Sorry took so long to get back to this thread. School is kinda overwhelming adjusting to a full schedule.
Crumbs can be dropped into the action scene or folded into a contemplative scene or blended into description of a scene. There are lots of ways. The best way to learn is to re-read your favorite authors and look for the ways they did it. The first time I re-read a fav book deliberately looking for how the author handled a certain aspect was eye-opening.
So, timing in an action scene: has to be short and quick, like a glimpse out of the corner of one's vision. It can be revisited later when the hero has a chance to catch his breath. There's a good example in a book called Jenna's Cowboy by Sharon Gillenwater. The hero and heroine are at a parade and he hears a backfire. Without blinking an eye he grabs the girl, dives behind a car and rolls on top of her. first glimpse in to his post traumatic stress syndrome. The writer doesn't take the time to explain all that until later. The hero has to deal with the results of his sudden and inexplicable actions, which makes for great reading.
|
|
