All writers need dedication, of course, to meet deadlines, to not give up despite the countless number of rejections coming in and to want to develop and improve their skills. My interview with Barbara Large, MBE on Chandler's Ford Today shows the writing life of someone who has done an incredible amount to support writers from all backgrounds and genres for many years. There is very little Barbara does not know about the importance of dedication and discipline in a writer's life! Part 1 is up on site now, part 2 of the interview will follow next Friday, but Barbara, as ever, shares generously some wonderful writing advice.
As for dedication in fiction, all characters of note have dedication, if only to their own cause (and that can be for villainy, not just heroism). Name a character you really love and then think about why you adore them so much - dedication is likely to come into the reasons you pick them. For example, I adore Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Why? I love her wit, intelligence, and her refusal to compromise to make a suitable marriage with the odious Mr Collins when it would have been so much easier for her to toe the expected line. I see this as her dedication to want the best for herself and to want to marry honourably for the right reasons or not at all.
So how dedicated are your characters? Are they dedicated to the wrong thing/person? How does dedication shape them? And if they are dedicated to the wrong things (and probably heading for a fall because of it), how do they wake up to this reality? Do they then choose a much worthier subject to be dedicated to?
As for dedication in fiction, all characters of note have dedication, if only to their own cause (and that can be for villainy, not just heroism). Name a character you really love and then think about why you adore them so much - dedication is likely to come into the reasons you pick them. For example, I adore Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Why? I love her wit, intelligence, and her refusal to compromise to make a suitable marriage with the odious Mr Collins when it would have been so much easier for her to toe the expected line. I see this as her dedication to want the best for herself and to want to marry honourably for the right reasons or not at all.
So how dedicated are your characters? Are they dedicated to the wrong thing/person? How does dedication shape them? And if they are dedicated to the wrong things (and probably heading for a fall because of it), how do they wake up to this reality? Do they then choose a much worthier subject to be dedicated to?
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