HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS THAT YOU’RE TAKING

Free Digital Photos

In writing, why are these events considered risks? What really are we risking? I mentioned the consequences of taking a risk earlier, but I believe that I’d like to express this point more explicitly.

When decisions are made that are contrary to a character’s…character (CHARACTER CHARACTER), you risk the writer’s currency: credibility. Credibility to a writer is what we use to purchase the reader’s attention. And trust me, an avid reader will expect nothing less.

Consider the girl who is trying to get her bread; we have created her to be meek. If she gets stranded and becomes a trained assassin, creeping up on the survivors and ripping out their hearts, she is not the character who we first presented.

Do characters change? Yes. But they are not altered or tampered with by the author. Drastic risks appear to be contrived instances of where the author wanted something to happen that the characters did not intend. These types of mistakes will rattle in a reader’s mind like stone in a tin can.

We need to be wary about the risks that we take. Each one must be calculated and backed up with a literary proof of why this risk could be taken (JUST GOT PAID). There must be water “under the bridge” if we are indeed going to jump.

It was a short post today. I hope it helps. Thanks to all of my committed readers. I really appreciate you. You are the reason that I write these blogs, and that is no lie.