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A to Z Challenge: U and V

Understanding Ventriloquism

A ventriloquist is a person who can speak or utter sounds so that they seem to come from somewhere else.

Being a writer requires you to be a ventriloquist, too. Why? How? Because you, the author, must make each character sound like someone you are not.

You may not be a fifteen year old drama queen, but you've got to make you 15 year old teen girl sound real.

What? You're not a lab technician, working on a unique case for the FBI? How do you make your MC real and believable? By understanding ventriloquism and putting it to use as a writer.

Creating characters who are 3 dimensional and original. That's ventriloquism in writing, not speaking.

Do you understand ventriloquism? Can you make a character, talk and sound real, without the reader hearing you, the author speak?

Comments

  1. I do all right with main characters but I still need to work on putting more personality into secondary characters.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes it is harder for the secondary characters to be bold without taking over the scene when you don't want them to.

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  2. That's very enterprising doing two posts in one! In some of my novels I've made secondary characters 'come alive' better than in others! Getting 'into the head' is so important. Nancy at Welcome to she said, he said

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    Replies
    1. Knowing your characters is so important to writing a great book.

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  3. Very true and it takes practice so they can't see our lips moving

    nice to meet you thru A to Z. ck us out at Lady's Knight

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    Replies
    1. Lately, I've found myself saying the same thing as my characters and it's like Wow, I better change that so it's not me!

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  4. love the visual - my next character I will try to make my lips move less...

    moondustwriter

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  5. Well said...
    I like your view point in this post :D

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Ella! See. I wrote that, and my lips didn't even move!

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  6. The people who do voices for dummies? Yea, they terrify me.

    But I liked how you turned the tables, and make writers ventriloquists! Awesome post.

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    Replies
    1. Me too! Me Too:) Thanks for the compliment. how are you doing, by the way?

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  7. This, for me, is the most challenging part of writing.

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  8. This is one of the hardest parts of writing for me, but I keep working on it.

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    Replies
    1. I know. It's like move over Talynn and late your character shine.

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  9. This is a great way to express what authors do when they write their characters.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lee! You know, my favorite Aunt's name is Lee. I guess that's why I love to see your smiling face everyday:)

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  10. This is an interesting post. I never thought of it in the same realm as a ventriloquist. I love your letter combination for today's post. Hope you don't mind, but I am a letter behind and just may borrow your idea, tomorrow.

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