Tuesday, September 8, 2015

What a Character

My son's illustration for one of his stories. It appears I'm being hit by an airplane, or maybe an alien invasion.
I recently finished the character development chapter in James Patterson's Master Class. Writing a believable and relatable character is key in engaging the reader, whatever the age.

I find that the easiest characters for me to develop are the ones most similar to me, however, I love writing characters that I wouldn't normally relate to. In high school, I loved to play the part of the villain in our school plays.  

I think kids are like that too, characters that are a little bit, or even a lot bit, naughty are vicarious outlets for kids who feel like so much of their lives is controlled by overwhelming forces--namely parents. I think that's the appeal, in part, of Roald Dahl's characters. Pippi Longstockings is another and Curious George, to name a mere few.  

When it comes to more current children's authors, Mo Willems is one of the best in creating memorable characters with endearing foibles. We love Pigeon at our house, and we were lucky to find available tickets to the stage production of Elephant and Piggy at the Kennedy Center. My kids talked about that experience for weeks. Needless to say, I love the following videos, and I hope you'll find something of value from them too:






Have a great week!






8 comments:

  1. I've never read anything by Mo Williams. I need to check some of his books out!

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    1. Yes. He's fantastic. I still love Knuffle Bunny but the Pigeon books are super fun. My little one loves the call and response feel of it.

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  2. Willems is a genius in his genre, I agree.

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  3. Willems is definitely great. The characters I find most memorable are the ones who are quick to make smart comments. They just stick with me.

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  4. I love his books! Such memorable characters. And I love that drawing ...

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    1. Thanks. Me too. My son has a bright career ahead of him. :)

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