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  • Name a piece of advice you've been given that you think everyone should hear. See all answers
    • Characters Telling

    • This applies to story writing: A creative writing teacher once told me, the characters will tell the story they want told. I didn't understand it until a few months later when I had a story where I knew the ending I wanted and just had to start at the beginning and get there. Well about half way through, I realized what he was saying because the characters evolved and started to act differently then I expected and started telling their own story.

       
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  • Comments

    allfivehorizons said:
    This is really interesting. I am in the middle of a creative writing course and am about to embark on a major piece of writing so this is of particular pertinence to me. Thanks for sharing this advice.
    posted over 2 years ago
    cool said:
    So true. When I write fiction (which I need to do more often) I try to get into the head of the characters, as if I were assigned to play them in an improvised play. As with any improv they quickly start wandering in their own direction. So the story tells itself and I just type it. (Though I do return to edit minor details once it's done.)
    posted over 2 years ago
    lizabelle said:
    I wrote a story ending-first. It was interesting to get there, but I knew that it was how it had to end and there was no way around it. Details were slightly different, but I got there!
    posted over 2 years ago
    exoticat said:
    Characters do have their own stories--it's a fun revelation found by creating characters.
    posted over 2 years ago

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