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Fiction writing: The importance of your character's thoughts

thought processes, we no longer have a woman and a man in a room with a bomb. We have real people in real situations which make a reader believe and feel for the characters.

Thoughts which lead to motives.

Part and parcel of fiction writing is plot building. It isn't enough that your character wants to kill someone. It isn't enough that they are looking for a mistress. In order to make sense of the story, it is the background and logic of why they are in that particular situation which defines the depth of the story. Thoughts of a woman who hates someone enough to kill them must be defined. A reader must understand why they are in this given situation. Thoughts are building upon scenarios and adding reason.

Thoughts which explain behavior.

Tell a reader that a character is afraid. Tell them that the channel of their thoughts was confused by memories that haunt them, and you open up a dialog with the reader. They want to know more about the past of the character. They want to know why they are afraid. Thinking back on past is what many human beings do in their everyday life. The writer who forgets the significance of these thought patterns treads a very narrow path, and can only produce images in black and white. The thoughts fill in the colors and make characters behavior understandable.

Memories and how they affect the character.

A child grows up in a perfectly normal background with every comfort they can possibly want. They have normal ambitions and then are suddenly faced with a wife who has a past as a prostitute. Conversely, the prostitute grew up deprived of love and had an addiction which required more money than she could afford to pay for her drug needs. She turned to prostitution to help her out of a bad situation. She suddenly finds herself in love with a man who is security in itself and whose life has never been touched by anything bad.

These characters need development. It isn't enough to talk about their past, their careers, their families or their meeting. This won't get the reader enthused. What is needed is thoughts from both sides of the coin to make the picture complete. The adjectives which make the characters jump from the page are those which define them as people, rather than defining the circumstances they find themselves in. Thoughts define who we are, and will do so to readers. One of the greatest users of adjectives in modern literature is Sarah Waters. In her book, Affinity, the ladies who starred in


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