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Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets A Novelist Can Learn From Actors
£3.60
EDITION 2: Revised and with new added material, gathered through 13 years of teaching these concepts at writers conferences.
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Want to bring characters to life on the page as vividly as fine actors do on the stage or screen? Getting Into Character will give you a whole new way of thinking about your writing. Drawing on the Method Acting theory that theater professionals have used for decades, this in-depth guide explains seven characterization techniques and adapts them for the novelist’s use. You’ll discover concepts that will lead you to understand and communicate the motivation and psychology of all your characters.
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Want to bring characters to life on the page as vividly as fine actors do on the stage or screen? Getting Into Character will give you a whole new way of thinking about your writing. Drawing on the Method Acting theory that theater professionals have used for decades, this in-depth guide explains seven characterization techniques and adapts them for the novelist’s use. You’ll discover concepts that will lead you to understand and communicate the motivation and psychology of all your characters.
These highly effective techniques will help you:
~ create characters whose distinctive traits become plot components
~ determine each character’s specific objectives and motivations
~ write natural, meaningful dialogue that moves the story forward
~ endow your characters with three-dimensional emotional lives
~ use character motivation to bring action sequences to exuberant life
~ write convincingly about any character facing any circumstance
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Additional information
| Publisher | 2nd edition (27 April 2015), Challow Press |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 746 KB |
| Simultaneous device usage | Unlimited |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 241 pages |
by Grant Atherton
I’ve lost count of the number of books on writing that I’ve read over the years, and the useful information I’ve gleaned from them. But when it comes to learning about characterisation, this book goes straight to the top of the list.
by Carole Craig
I bought this book assuming it would adapt Stanislavsky’s exercises, which are frequently pair and group based, for the writer –who is usually sitting in a room by his/herself. It doesn’t do this. It starts out with advice on deepening ‘character interviews’ and then really moves on to how characters — once nailed — should be expressed on the page. It has some good points to make about this, but so do a good many other books.
by Ann Marie
The author, Brandilyn Collins, studied acting, including the Method of acting laid out by Constantin Stanislavsky, which teaches actors to really get inside a character, to take on their inner lives, to become the character. When she became a writer, she automatically used the Method techniques to bring her characters alive. Speaking to other writers, she was surprised that they didn’t know about this, which is why she wrote this book.
I was fascinated by the idea, as I really need to work on the characters in my novel. Brandilyn explains the different techniques very well, with specially written examples and study passages from classic novels and her own books.
She shares seven ‘Secrets’ which authors can use to get inside their characters and make them believable, and then learn to write about them in a realistic way. For example, Secret #1 Personalizing, ensures your characters aren’t stereotypes. By focusing on a character’s inner values you can discover natural traits and mannerisms that spring from their backstory instead of just making them up. You may even discover a whole new plot point because of a belief or attitude you had not considered before.
The first five ‘Secrets’ show you how to burrow down into your characters and discover their inner traits, manners and objectives and how they will manifest in different situations. The last two ‘Secrets’ are about how to write what you have discovered, creating a strong visual picture and using your own emotional memory to portray your character’s actions and reactions.
I like her statement, ‘Good fiction can be defined with “Five Cs”: convincing characters caught in compelling conflict.’
by Marnie
This is simply the most useful book on writing I have ever read. The ideas described in this book have helped me create real, believable characters that are clearer to me than my closest friends. I know what my characters will do in any given situation; This book has made them come to life.
The techniques presented in this book are simple, effective and brilliant. They’re easy to follow, logical and above all will get you to discover the ‘inner truth’ of every character.
I cannot praise this book enough.
If you’re stuck trying to get characters to do what you want, or worse yet, aren’t sure what your characters want to do or how they’d behave, then please read this book – you will not be disappointed.
Out of the 50 or so writing books I have read, this book stands far above them all – It’s simply the best.
by Neil Howarth
If you are trying to become a better writer, start here. I loved this book. I read it in a single sitting. Like all good ‘how to’ books it builds on what you already know, but often are not doing. Great explanations and great examples.
by Sylvia
This sets out to make characters real to the reader, vivid and believable. If these secrets are followed I believe writers can achieve this. Having read lots of writing books, this is one of the most useful. Reading Brandilyn novels she puts this into practice, her characters are real. I will read this book many times as I believe it will improve my writing.
by J. D
Helps provide depth to your characters.