People Make The Difference! by DL Larson

This first photo was was taken in Hawaii, this year. The second is a cliff in Ireland in 2002, I imagine it is still there. Hawaii has many cliffs similar to Ireland. The last photo reminded me of Hawaii, but it is in the Dominican Republic, 2010.

Beautiful scenery is always fun to gaze at, but it is the people we meet who make any trip interesting and worth remembering. The same goes for stories. Without characters our stories lack depth.

Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games, brings this into sharp focus. She has created a strange world, one with a perverse society that makes a cast system look like child's play. She flavors her pages with strong images of what the Capitol looks like versus the surrounding districts where people are starving, yet working nonstop to support the privileged at the Capitol. Uprising is long over-due. Sending children to fight each other to the death is a yearly festival for those at the Capitol.

Katniss Everdeen doesn't realize she is the spark that will propel a revolution she never thought possible. She is a teenager who supports her starving family by hunting for food in the woods, a place forbidden to go. She takes her sister's place at the Hunger Games and life is never the same - for anyone!

The long awaited movie will be released this weekend. It is bound to be a HUGE Hit. Suzanne Collins was very careful in choosing the perfect director for her story. Already there are dozens of trailers to promote the movie as well as guide books to familiarize yourself with the Hunger Games characters and the world they live in. I've already read two of the three books, so I'm pretty in-tune with the characters. Their world is fascinating, but it is them, Katniss, Peeta and Gale who bring this story to life. Just as any good character does!

Til next time ~

DL Larson

PERCEPTIONS Belong to Point of View By Morgan Mandel

WHAT IS THIS?

Perceptions play a huge role in point of view. How we perceive things depends on a lot of factors. Even people in the same family, brought up in the same neighborhood and country will perceive things differently, since so many variables can enter into their lives; such as, what order they are born. No matter how parents can try to be fair, a second or third child is not treated the same as the first. Also, the teachers are different, the friends are different, and so on.

Each author perceives things in his or her own way. Those perceptions sometimes end up in books. We need to remember to write according to how our characters perceive their world, not how we do. Also, we need to differentiate between characters and make sure each character's perceptions are reflected as unique.

So, when you write and you feel yourself inserting your own perceptions, think about whether or not you want them to be your characters' perceptions or you need to round out your characters more. Otherwise, your characters will be as dull as the dirty snow above.

Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://bookplace.ning.com
http://www.myspace.com/morganmandel
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com