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Livewire Publishing |
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| Newsletter ... |
June 2002 - Issue 7 |
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Feature article - The credibility factor - In my editorial comments, I referred to "the credibility factor". It stands to reason that writers of fiction sometimes write about "incredible things". That's not what this article is about. Also, I'll address credibility in non-fiction on the next page. Meanwhile ... if you are writing fiction, some things can come across to the reader as "not credible" - or to put it another way - they can't physically happen. The most vivid examples I can think of, and I see similar instances often in romance fiction manuscripts, are - "Her eyes travelled up and down his body" and "Her heart leapt into her throat." Did they? Eyes stay in their sockets - they don't travel anywhere. Hearts don't move around in the body either. It doesn't sound convincing to read things like this in a book. These are the types of things writers should address during the re-writing and editing process of a project. Spend time to find things in your manuscript that go against "the credibility factor". |
Other credibility issues
are not as obvious, but are vital to the success of a book. Character behaviour
must be credible. If behaviour patterns are erratic for no apparent reason, you
will lose credibility with your reader.
Consistency is required in order to create multi-dimensional characters. Every aspect of your "imaginary people" must present as "real" so you need to focus on their credibility in the development phase of your project by taking into account such things as:
To ensure your characters are "credible", you need to be consistent when describing them physically. You also need to establish the character's identity through the way they speak, think, dress, move and exude their own brand of charisma. Continued on page 4 ... |
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