I’m a fan of the so-called “Golden Age of Radio,” which took place from the 40s through the very early 60s. Some of the writing in the dramas, comedies, action adventures and mysteries was exceptional. But the writers did have a huge advantage: you couldn’t see the characters.
You might not see that as an upside. But the well-known “Theater of the Mind” meant that in fiction radio, every word of dialog, voiceover and narration sparked a myriad of images in the imaginations of millions of listeners who had nothing to look at but their own internal version of the story world based on the words they were hearing.
Listen to an episode of “The Six Shooter” written by Frank Burt (and starring James Stewart), or “Richard Diamond” written by Blake Edwards (and starring Dick Powell), and you’ll see what I mean.
Leveraging the power of the reader’s own mind is a classic writing tool, but it’s often misused, especially by newbies.
The pro tip is to make your audience’s collective mind do more by feeding it less.
Leaving out a few non-essential but important triggers the reader’s brain. It sends waves into the void, filling in the gaps, because human minds must make stories and pictures. It’s how we all make sense of things.
Suddenly, the character appears in the reader’s consciousness, possessed of all the traits you as the author needs them to have, but embellished with traits the reader unconsciously wants them to have.
The reader is left with the feeling that you’ve read their mind, and you’ve turned an audience member into a fan.
We all know that Sherlock Holmes is gaunt, Nero Wolfe is fat, and they’re both deductive geniuses. But what exactly do their voices sound like? What exactly do their faces look like? Ask a hundred different readers, you’ll get a hundred different sketches. And that’s a good thing.
In your novel or short story, the benefit ends there. With plays and screenplays, leaving out these elements helps with casting too. Make the character too specific, and your wonderful fictitious avatar will be impossible to cast. So leave some room for the director, casting director, costume and makeup persons, and actors themselves to do their work.
The above is one tip I share in my new online interactive course, “Creating Compelling Characters.” It’s a step-by-step guide to everything I’ve learned about building characters who seize your audience’s attention.
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