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Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction) | 
 enlarge | Author: Nancy Kress
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $7.75
You Save: $9.24 (54%)
New (30) Used (14) from $7.75
Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 3941
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1582973164
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.3
EAN: 9781582973166
ASIN: 1582973164
Publication Date: March 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The indispensable Write Great Fiction series continues with an in-depth look at three of the most important tools in the writer's craft: character, emotion and viewpoint. With the tips and techniques in this book, readers will learn how to: -Create compelling characters that readers believe in -Write scenes that deliver an unforgettable emotional impact -Distinguish among the many different kinds of viewpoint, and choose the one which is right for their story Each chapter is filled with examples drawn from the work of successful writers and action-and- results exercises that help readers take their lessons to the keyboard.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Paricularly beneficial for early-career fiction writers April 3, 2009
C.R.Dunn (Washington, USA)
I found the Characterization and Viewpoint sections of Kress's book particularly helpful. The Characterization section provides insight into 'showing-not telling' as you develop your characters and present them to your reader. The Viewpoint section looks at this topic in a fresh light, clarifying the overall scheme, as well as providing solid examples.
 Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint January 28, 2009
Francis Johnson (Tullahoma TN USA)
Book in excellent condition. Kress's book is a must have for all students that are trying to become published writers. You will want to keep it at your side all the while your writing, its the best aid I've ever laid my money down for.
Solid resource for character development and point of view January 14, 2009
Tom L. Waters (Tesuque, NM USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is part of the Write Great Fiction series from Writer's Digest. Each book in the series covers one broad aspect of writing fiction, and of course there is some overlap as well.
The first part of the book deals with creating and representing characters in your writing. There is advice on all the usual topics: character name, character appearance, character bio, and so on. There's more, too: the pros and cons of using yourself or someone you know as a model for a fictional character, and how to get character ideas from the news or other sources. The differences between main characters, secondary characters, and minor characters are discussed. There are numerous examples of how the details the writer uses to describe a character's clothing, home, speech, and so on contribute to character development.
Representing character motivation is covered, along with good advice of how (and how not) to present a character's back story. Portraying emotion is explained well, with an emphasis on the tangible signs of emotion and character behavior.
There are two chapters on special character issues: characters in genre fiction and humorous characters.
For me, the most valuable part of this book was the discussion of point of view. Kress moves beyond the basic definitions (first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc.) to discuss the actual mechanics of making a chosen point of view work consistently. There is an excellent discussion of the concept of distance in third person viewpoint; this brought a lot of my questions and issues about third-person writing into focus. A whole chapter is devoted to multiple viewpoint, and how to navigate them.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to work on making deeper characters or managing the challenges of point of view in their writing. It wasn't as helpful to me personally as Plot and Structure, but that reflects my own level of understanding in the two subject areas.
Good book January 8, 2009
Michael J. Laramee (Jacksonville, FL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm happy with the content...
Learned lots of new and interesting stuff..
MJL
 Not so sure about this book November 14, 2008
Nox (USA)
1 out of 34 found this review helpful
I bought this book based on reviews... and what a mistake I made. I will never do it again.
Please if you have any sense, don't be like me. Check out the book from a local library or bookstore and then make a purchase, otherwise you'll regret it.
I'm not sure how anyone can like such a book, but that's honestly just my opinion.
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