Comments on: Making Characters Click: Planning Interpersonal Relationships in Novels by Manda Benson

By: Tracy Byford

Tracy Byford — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:00:14 +0000

Manda, you are so right. The characters are what makes the story whole and real. Tension may drive it, but if the reader cares nothing for the characters then the tension drains away.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

By: Sheila Crosby

Sheila Crosby — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:50:41 +0000

Thanks for this. Did you see the thing on critters recently where Andrew Burt pointed out that the really memorable, famous stories almost always involve comlex personal relationships?

b.t.w. I’m happy to say that my own romantic relationship is much more than “slightly” nurturing. When I had multiple broken bones, he showered me and helped me get to the bathroom. And I’d do the same for him.

By: Alice

Alice — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:51:43 +0000

Hey Kathy, glad you stopped by!

By: Alice

Alice — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:32:27 +0000

Jan, so true. I find the more I write the more getting in touch with my more analytical self helps. For instance, I work best when I can see the wordcount increasing. That fuels me to keep writing. I know that I can always go back and edit, add/subtract layers, cut things that don’t work. But I never would have thought writing would be about the numbers. Most days it is, at least for me. Thanks for stopping by!

By: Jan Clark

Jan Clark — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:11:20 +0000

As writers, we do lots of thing instinctively or subconsciously. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t. It always helps when someone with an analytical mind points out the underlying principles of the writing process, so we can apply them more consistently. Thanks, Manda.

By: Kathy Crouch

Kathy Crouch — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:47:21 +0000

I like how you descibed these types of relationships,