Part 1, Chapters 3 and 4 Summary and Analysis

"Where do characters come from?" The author begins this section with the idea that there are ideas for characters everywhere—in life, in observation of strangers or family or friends, in memory, in the newspaper. He adds that very often what is observed and/or remembered has to be shaped/added to/exaggerated in order to make it both effective and believable as narrative. He also suggests that a powerful resource for finding character is the writer's self, feelings, experiences and, in particular, memories that may not relate exactly to what a character is experiencing but which have emotional and/or spiritual and/or experiential resonance with what a character is experiencing. The author then suggests that the story itself will suggest characters, according to what needs to happen and how it needs to take place...