Today, I'm delighted to welcome Paul Rushworth-Brown to the #HistFicThursdays blog as part his Coffee Pot Book Club 's book tour. Today, meet Paul's new book The Lost Voices , and discover your next great read! Read on to enjoy an excerpt from this gripping book! First of all, let's meet the book... Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace. The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction that brings to light those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked significance, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition. This is the story of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances—individuals navigating a rigid social order shaped by obligation, fear, and quiet resistance. Here, survival depends as much on silence as on action, and choices are made not in moments of glory, but in private, under pressure, and with consequences rarely acknowledged. The novel explores how perso...
Writing Personifications
Most of us talk to people not inanimate objects, or else (in
the case of people like me) we talk to both.
But sometimes inanimate objects are central to a story’s plot. For example, if you’re writing a mystery or
crime novel, your characters want to maintain a certain air of unknown. They will probably become known for the coat
they wear, or the car they drive. As
authors we can throw our readers a hint by personifying these inanimate objects.
When I think of the power behind a good use of
personification, I always think of the parable of the blind men and the
elephant. It’s our human approach which
makes us see things in a certain way – within the confines of our own
understanding.
Metaphors are central to writing this way. Don’t say:
the car had wing mirrors like ears, ready to hear its master’s voice
Instead go for:
the car’s wing mirrors were ears, ready to hear its master’s voice
the car had wing mirrors like ears, ready to hear its master’s voice
Instead go for:
the car’s wing mirrors were ears, ready to hear its master’s voice
Here are a few things about personification:
- That reminds me... Most things remind us of someone, even if it’s a totally obscure link. This is when our minds start to imagine seeing people in things.
- But... personifications don’t have to be linked to real people or characters. Often when we see a face in something, or imagine an object having a mood, it’s not a link to a real person so much as a characteristic.
- The ultimate Red Herring! Your character’s preconceived ideas based on these personifications can throw readers way off the scent. They’re a great tool in thrillers, mysteries and crime novels.
Comments
Post a Comment