Tag Archives: characterization

Thankful for Words of Wisdom, Part 2

By Catherine Hedge I used to shake my head at some of  Leonard Bishop’s teachings.  He’d harrangue us with writing advice.  His voice would bellow with authority…insistent, commanding, and frightening! Frightening because he said it with such force, I figured … Continue reading

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Learning to Write Dialogue

by Leonard Bishop One of the most important devices a writer uses is dialogue. Writing a novel without a plentiful amount of dialogue is like trying to create a gourmet omelet with yokeless eggs. To the reader, dialogue is just … Continue reading

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Forming Characters

by Leonard Bishop Fiction writers are alchemists. They draw together scraps of illusion and transform them into readable realities. Major characters must have size. Great ambitions, exaggerated passions, fascinating minds, superhuman capacities for love and hate, and monumental capabilities. If … Continue reading

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Write A Novel? Get Emotional

by Leonard Bishop Writers are considered ‘intellectuals’ when, in reality, and they are ‘emotionalists.’ Intellectualism is provocative, but emotions are dramatic. Thought is a result of feeling. If someone flings the torch into your filled gasoline can, you do not … Continue reading

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Write A Novel? Dramatize Life

  by Leonard Bishop When writing a novel based on your experiences at a particular age, you must view that time dramatically, and with size. There is no need to develop bizarre plots that happen in exotic locations. Nor do … Continue reading

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Writer’s Hint: Characterization

From Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare To Be a Great Writer Let characters live in a constant state of “Scream!”  (2/12/98)

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The Characters Don’t Write The Book

by Leonard Bishop  When speaking before groups who are interested in writing–or a classroom of students–there are two questions I am always asked. Here are the questions, and my answers. “Is the hallmark of a genuine writing talent only when … Continue reading

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Writer’s Hint: Characterization

From Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare to be a Great Writer: Readers want extravagant forms of behavior.  This makes them [The characters] larger than life.  (6-21-96) ©by Leonard Bishop

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Writer’s Hint: The Power of Invention

From Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare To Be a Great Writer The writer’s mind is a steel room with a bullet ricocheting inside (12/15/98)

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