Monday, 6 May 2013

Can YOUR MC communicate without words?


MAY IS HOSTED BY WRITING TIPS BY WRITERS, DONALD MAASS'  TWEETS ON CREATING THE PERFECT NOVEL ;)  & SECTIONS INSPIRED BY THESE:

“Write even when the world is chaotic. You don’t need a cigarette, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or inner peace to write. You just need ten minutes and a writing implement.”  ~ Cory Doctorow

DONALD MASS WRITE TIP 79

Pick a point when your MC is suffering or stuck.  Tape her mouth shut.  She has to act it out.  What does she do.

I squirm and turn my head. Shieldless, stripped of my gold cloak, I lie under the high sun. My cracked lips are melded and each movement hurts, unbearably. I shiver. Fever? My body shudders again. I still think Cold but I must be burning. I feel heavy. I want to turn: it will do until I can find the strength to crawl away. Too weak, I relax my head into the dust: an offering to the sun. How long would it take to crumble into dust? Too long. First, I roll my eyes and my head follows. If I focus on my arm, I can find the will to turn.

When could it be an advantage for your MC to not be able to speak? 

2 comments:

  1. Well. One of my favorite characters is really quiet. So although he can technically able to speak, he doesn't. Which means I have the lovely challenge of showing his reactions in expressions and body language.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Misha
      Wow, that sounds like a challenge. The shallow end of lective/selective mutism? My son went to a school for children with a variety of communication disorders - some of the pupils there had no physical impairments but did not speak.

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