Dheera's Workshop of Whimsy

CHARACTERS AND SETTING have a few things in common. You have to know both of them well. Even if your main character is wicked, the reader must like him to read about him/her.

It is true in real life that even the wickedest have some good in them. Give your character a balance of good and bad. It can be more good than bad if you like but some quirkiness is essential to make anyone interesting.

Similarly the bad guy must have some redeeming feature.

Choose your characters from everyday people you meet and then magnify certain aspects of heir personality.

Make the setting of the story interesting. If you know the place you are describing well, you will be able to paint a word picture which the reader will be able to see.

For style and tone, just remember that your language must be simple and the story line clean. By that I mean don’t go into flash back and come into the present so many times that you confuse the reader. At first, just try to tell a simple tale with a beginning a middle and an end. Try not to narrate too much. Intersperse it with direct speech, it makes the page look lighter and makes for easier reading.

And finally edit your story several times before sending it in. Use the best words, phrases, sentences that you can. Ask yourself, is this the very best I can write? If the answer is yes, press send!

I am waiting!

XOXO

Dheera