“Sounds of Words Bring Characters to Life” by Joan Y. Edwards

Choose great words with sounds that explain your character’s traits for the dialogue in your story. Use your dialogue to tell readers almost every thing you want them to know about your characters. The words he speaks tells us if he’s educated, funny, sarcastic, sad, etc. The words you use to describe the characters actions, situations, and problems helps your readers create an image of your character in their minds. It makes your character come alive.

• What he looks like
• What he sounds like
• What he fears
• What he’s brave enough to do
• What he’s passionate about
• What he’s willing to die for.
• What makes him so angry he can’t sleep at night?

Descriptions tell a lot about a character.

• Where he lives?
• What kind of work he does?
• What emotion is strongest in him at this very moment?
• What he wants more than anything else?
• What he needs more than anything else? This could be different from what he wants. He might not know what he needs, but he’ll probably know what he wants.

Writers use the sounds of words in dialogue and the description in between to bring characters to life. The length and rhythm of words used create the mood that is in sync with the characters or a contrast to his environment.

• Shows if characters talk rapidly and think fast on their feet.
• Shows if a character talks slow and easy and never get in a hurry to get to the end of their sentences.
• Shows if they have a speech impediment
• Shows if they are physically impaired

Learn how other authors use the sound, length, and mood of words to enhance their writing.

Read 10 best-selling picture books, middle grade, and young adult books. As you read them, notice how important the sound of the words are to the understanding the mood and qualities of the characters and their actions.

The choice of words is what keeps us glued to the pages to find out what’s going to happen to the characters we care about.

Make a pdf file of a chapter of one of your work-in-progress manuscripts. Click on the pdf file and click on view. Activate reading aloud. Click on read to the end of the document. The computer will read your manuscript to you. Listening to it will help you realize which words fit well and which words you might want to change to add more oomph to your story. You want your words to show the mood and behavioral patterns of your characters.

Good luck with all of your writing adventures. Have fun reading and writing. Enjoy being you. You are fabulous, creative, and fun.

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Joan Y. Edwards, Author
Copyright © 2015 Joan Y. Edwards
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