Characterization - Encounters, Winner and next book

The winner of Prescription for Love is Charmaine and I'll let her know soon. Come into the Light is the next book up.

Director of Nursing Johanna Gordon is very involved with Hudson Community Hospital. She has never worked elsewhere. While struggling with the budget cuts demanded by the CEO, she suspects he has a scheme that might destroy her career. She has to discover his purpose. At the same time her life explodes with the return of an old flame and the arrival of a new man in her life. For years Johanna has lived in the shadows, Is she ready to step into the light?

Now about today's bit on characterization. This involves dialogue and using what people say to show their character. We all know that every scene in a story should develop character, advance the story or give information,. Dialogue can do even more. Dialogue can show the emotional state of a character, uild reader interest, to foreshadow events that could mean problems and to sum up the plot for the reader.

If the writer wants the reader to love or hate a specific character, the words the character chooses, as well as the other aspects of dialogue such as tone of voice and choice of words can do this. Also the little tells the writer has chosen for this character can be made more evident in the dialogue. Each character should have his or her own dialogue voice. While this varies depending on who he or she is talking to or the subject under discussion, there are elements that are specific to the character that will remain. In a work of fiction having all the people sound the same the way they often do in the real world would make for a boring story. So listen to your characters and see what they are telling you and what the reader can learn about him or her and the other characters in the story.