When your character is alone, be afraid!

 

 

My wife, Iza, recently attended the Grampians Brushes art retreat at Hall’s Gap, in the Grampians Ranges. While she was away, we got talking on the phone about Art in general and, as we often do, about writing in particular. She made a comment that I found inciteful: that a writer should be wary when a character is alone for any length of time.

She’d just been reading a book by a well-known fantasy writer and the main character was alone for a considerable time. All of a sudden the book, which had kept her up half the night reading, had become dull and boring by the next day. She just didn’t feel like reading it anymore. This wasn’t like Iza. She’s someone who reads like most people breathe.

What happened? The main character had been alone for several pages. 

Characters need to interact. They bounce or spark off each other. They create conflict. When a character is alone, this isn’t happening. So, if a character is alone for an extended period, be careful.

Consider whether there should be at least one other character. If for some reason they have to be alone, consider for how long this is the case or minimize how long the spotlight is on them during their solitude.

Josh Wallace