Here’s a writing tip from Raymond Benson, an awesome writer who was selected to continue the 007 novels after Ian Fleming passed away.
Gee, my main advice to writers these days is to find something else to do :) (just kidding).
Okay, here's a tip: "When I write a novel I mentally *cast* the characters in my mind. For example, for the villain in my first James Bond novel, ZERO MINUS TEN, I imagined it was Jeremy Irons in the role. For some reason, that helped me develop the character's mannerisms and speech, even though I gave no clues in the narrative that I was thinking about that actor. I've found that doing that with all the major characters of novels works very well, at least for me, the writer."
Kootenai River in NW Montana, near Canadian Border
photo by Gene Tunick of Eureka, Montana
Wow. I am glad to know I am not the only one who does that!! I've ALWAYS done that. When I read a book I like to "cast it" in my mind before I get too far into the book. When I write, I picture the character before I put down any other details.
ReplyDeleteI do this sometimes :) It does help get mannerisms and traits down sometimes.
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