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I’ve got a new writing maxim. I haven’t exactly run it by the writing gurus yet, but that starts here.
My new maxim: “Character is one fourth action and three quarters reaction”
Sooooooo… *flings arms very wide*
What do you think???
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*grabs maxim, slams inky stamp on it so hard knocks inkwell off table* Writing guru approved. *huge grin*
Honestly I can’t find a single problem with that. I might even make the ratio even more unbalanced in favor of reaction. 99.9 percent of action is reaction, after all. You need one teensy piece of action to start the whole chain going, and after that it’s just reaction until the end.I’d say so. I mean, almost everything is a reaction to something earlier when you think about it. Something bad happens and the character reacts, either by taking charge and moving on, or by failing, and the results his his actions are then reacted on by others and the circle goes round and round and round and round…People rarely do something without a reason.
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
Sounds delicious to me! I agree with Kate though, but your percentage gets the point across! You’ll probably go down in history with this maxim written by your name and be knighted for such ingenious thoughts.
Ooo. I do like the term “writing gurus”. *goes to write that down on a piece of paper I’ll probably lose*https://rolenahatfield.com/
@rolena-hatfield paper always does that. In fact, I just lost some cash today and found that I had accidentally thrown it away in the trash can. We should switch to gold and computers.
@kate-flournoy I like that fancy seal.
Ok, I think you’ve got a point. It really is even more about reaction. I’m not talking about plot though. That is also 99% reaction, but I’m thinking of characterization. I see myself and others far too often skipping out on describing a character’s minor reactions and only focusing on major plot reactions. But really, that is where the meat of characterization is.So how about this, “Characterization is 1% action and 99% reaction”
Thanks for your input everyone. I’ll be referring to you if I have any other theories that need writer guru verification.
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Oh, and let me add something.
“Immediate reactions to another character are just as important as major plot reactions but are more often missed.”
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You know the times when you like something but don’t have much to add? Well this is one of those times.
My first reaction was to remember that characters should be proactive. But even that is reaction in a proactive manner.@Daeus wow, okay, yeah, I was thinking more like plot-changing reactions. I totally agree about character minor reactions being important too, but I don’t know if you and I are thinking of the same thing when we say that… would you mind elaborating?
Sure @kate-flournoy
The characteristics your character has come out when you describe his reactions. If a character says, “I wish you well” at a parting, that shows us very little about the character. If a character says the same thing in the same situation after they have been told that their grandpa just died, that means a whole lot more. Similarly, if we just had this character leave without showing his reactions to the situation, we would miss out on an important characterization moment. For minor scenes, we often won’t have an idea for what a character’s reaction should be in his situation, but we should try to think of something because this is a prime characterization opportunity.
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Ah… very valid point, @Daeus. I don’t think I’ve ever delved there in my quests for writerly wisdom. 😉 I have to say I agree… wow. I just learned something I was totally missing. Thanks so much! 😀
More reaction = More flavor.
Example:
“Guru approved!” Kate said.
Vrs.
“Guru approved!” Kate stamped the paper with more force than she intended.
Thank you @kate-flournoy for being our writing model today. Join us next week folks for more Writing: Before and After!
HC
Good example @hannah-c. Kate’s approval showed us a little about her, but her stamping showed us more.
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Heeheehee… nice @hannah-c. Very nice. Very happy to be of service. 😀
Ahem… because I’m picky, let me improve on your second example a bit…
“Guru approved!” Kate slammed the stamp down on the paper, grimacing as a nearby inkwell skittered across the table with the impact and crashed to the floor.’
😉
AAAAAHH! My hand! Watch where you slam things @kate-flournoy.
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@DAEUS NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! NOT THAT AGAIN!!!! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU DOING TOUCHING THE PAPER? AFRAID I WOULDN’T GIVE IT BACK TO YOU OR SOMETHING???
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