On Writing Characters

If you want to write a novel or short story that is going to get published, you need to really know and understand your characters. Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific prose fiction author. In the video below - an extract from a longer speech - Ms Oates explains how she creates and gets to know her characters. She provides examples from what was then her recently published novel, The Gravedigger's Daughter. This was her 36th published novel; so, if you want to get published, I think it would pay to have a listen to what she has to say.

The thing that stuck with me was her frank discussion about the pain and frustration that goes into that 'not quite got it right period' at the start of writing a novel. Ms Oates describes it as a six-week period, but for those of us that write a little slower: it seems to take a little (a lot) longer.

The key message from Ms Oates here, if you want to get published, is

"a writer who's been writing for quite a while doesn't give up."