A friend suggested that I delve into a major character in my current ms (written in first person) by writing a chapter or two from the character's point of view. This is a great idea and I plan on setting to it. One important part of writing is understanding the whole story, not just the part that is written down, and knowing how each major character speaks, thinks and acts is a big part of that.
The title of this post comes from this quote:
"From Ernest Hemingway's stories, I learned to listen within my stories for what went unsaid by my characters."
-- Nadine Gordimer (South African writer)
If we don't know our characters from all angles, I don't think our readers will know them well, either. Readers will only know part of the whole story, only a fraction of what we know. I think this will help the flow of the story, the depth, and even keep away some of those moments when writing isn't going well. We should know what is said and unsaid by our characters.
