I'd already heard much of the advice in this book, in part because Mary Robinette Kowal of the Writing Excuses podcast is a fan and refers to it often. It was still worth reading, as it takes the reader through a number of important considerations about characterisation and allied subjects: not only how to use the techniques, but when and why. I highlighted a great many useful and well-considered passages.

Card's basic view of writing is that in telling stories, we are influencing people to expand their understanding of the human condition; that by presenting fictional characters we can help our readers understand them more than they have ever understood a real person, and to understand themselves. This involves making the reader care about, believe in, and comprehend the story that you're telling and the characters in it. In order to do this effectively, we need to understand the techniques of characterisation.

Along the way, he considers the question of the epic hero versus the ordinary person; the comic character and the serious character; the hero and the villain; character change; voice; and viewpoint. Throughout, he explains the techniques in terms of the likely effect on the reader.

The Kindle edition has been scanned from a print copy, but competently, and there are only a few small errors (such as a missing blank line after the sentence "This is what a line break looks like").

All in all, worthy to stand alongside its series-mates Scene and Structure and Beginnings, Middles & Ends.

This had a little bit of good material for writers - if you could get past the bias, stereotypes, and author's views being so ingrained in this book.


When talking about tools for walk-on and placeholder characters, Card said that using stereotypes is a good and easy way to create one of those characters. In his exact words:

"We talked about stereotypes in Chapter 1, and I told you then that sometimes stereotyping would be exactly the tool of characterization you need.

"This is the time.

"A stereotype is a character who is a typical member of a group. He does exactly what the readers expect him to do. Therefore they take no notice of him - he disappears into the background.
As ordinary human beings, we may not like a particular stereotype if we happen to be the member of a group we think is viewed unfairly. But as writers, writing to our own community, we can't help but be aware of and use our community stereotypes in order to make placeholding characters behave exactly according to expectations."

We, as writers, aren't "writing to our own community." We're writing to a much larger audience, and using stereotypes propagates those stereotypes and continues to reinforce the racism, sexism, and other prejudices in our society. To think that we should use these stereotypes just because it's a quick and easy tool for the characterization of placeholder characters is wrong.


That isn't the only instance of stereotypes being used, but I'll go ahead and get to the next section. I've always had issues with authors using insanity as an easy explanation for why an antagonist is the way they are. It's degrading and detrimental to society's view of those people, especially when considering how few protagonists struggle with mental health. When I read Card's idea that insanity, just like stereotypes, can be used as a tool for creating villains and unlikeable characters... Well, it didn't sit well to say the least.

If you want the exact words:
"We are terrified of people who don't live in the same reality we do, who don't have the same definition of rational behavior. You can't talk to them, you can't reason with them; there is no common ground. However much mental health professionals might deplore it, the fact is that when the public is convinced someone is dangerously insane, all considerations go out the window except one: stopping this crazy person."

Hmmm... I wonder why mental health professionals deplore those despicable, stereotypical ideas.

And later in the same section, he stated, "an insane character is almost never viable as the main character in the story. The audience is rarely comfortable enough with insane characters to want to spend any length of time with them."

Orson Scott Card, go read Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman or The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. Those books not only prove that statement wrong, but Challenger Deep won an award and The Stormlight Archive is known worldwide.


There are other issues in the book I could go on at length about, but I'll go ahead and end the review here with a suggestion that you don't pick up this book - unless it's for research paper on the propagation of stereotypes and prejudices in fiction.

I graduated from college in English--and yet this is the best book I've read on how to write characters. I thought it was fabulous. I love many of Card's books, so it was also nice to see into his writing mind.

For turning out to be possibly my favorite writing craft book ever, this one started off a bit slow to me. The first and shortest section is about coming up with characters, what makes a character, how to name them. It was fine, well-written, and useful, and you couldn't have a book about characters without these issues, but I didn't see a ton that was really new to me.

The remaining three-quarters of the book was amazing. Having anchored on the first four chapters, I kept finding myself thinking: "Well, this book is mostly just fine, but this bit right here is brilliant. And this bit. And this bit here too. I'd better stop again to mark this and write notes in my WIP." Until I realized that I'd said that about every section, on practically every page, for the whole rest of the book. It took me a while to finish because I was reading in small chunks, so when I was done, I went back and read it again. And learned more, again.

What was so good? First, the range and depth of the topics. Card's "MICE quotient" talks about four things your story might focus on (milieu, idea, character, or event), and why it makes sense to look at your characters differently depending on what plot style you're writing. For me, this section was worth the price of the book. He also discusses how readers respond to certain elements and traits in characters and how to include or avoid them. How to construct emotional tension and empathy, how to make characters believable, how or whether they change over time. How to fit the characters into the web of other characters and setting. Possibly the best part of the book is the third section on point of view. I would have sworn I'd read just about everything there was on point of view, but again I was pleasantly surprised. He does a wonderful job of comparing the POV options, discussing the strengths and limitations of each, how the characters come across differently in each one, and why you might want to use one versus the other in certain circumstances, for different effects.

It's not just the range of topics that makes this an excellent craft book, it's how deeply Card manages to probe them; he effortlessly squeezes a huge amount of insight into relatively short sections, while offering truly useful examples and techniques. It is, simply, an incredibly well-written book by someone who really knows what he's talking about and is good at explaining it to other people. You can look up any of these issues online if you want; I'm sure there are tons of blog posts about each one of them. But for me, I'm glad I have Orson Scott Card's way of explaining it, right here by my writing desk, to delve into for serious thinking about my characters whenever I need it.

I read this book at a point where I'd already read a couple dozen books, a hundred Writers Digest magazines, and a zillion web pages on writing. Upon reading this book, I was EMBARRASSED by how much I didn't know! Characters and Viewpoint is required reading for all fiction writers.

This isn't the best Elements of Fiction Writing book I've read, but it's not bad. Orson Scott Card writes everything extremely clearly and concise, and the order he presents each topic makes sense and expands upon the last one.

However, I do wish he had gone more in depth, especially in the later chapters. I felt like he glossed over somethings that would've been really interesting if he'd expanded on them more. This seemed more for beginning writers than others, but I'm still glad I read it.

Strong and believable characters are the essence of a good book! This book is the perfect guide on how to built this kind of characters. From the very simple things, like their personality to the more complex ones, like the reasons behind their acts, this book explains them all. It is well writen and easy to understand. It can help you create and develop the characters of your story.
I never thought that characters are the most important thing in a story, even if the storyline is not that strong. Extraordinary characters can make even the simpliest of ideas blossom into something beautiful.
The only thing you have to do is make them as real as they can be. Have reasons and motives, hopes and fears, a past and dreams for the future. Give them life. This is a book that helps you with that.
It is the only book I've read about writing and I think that it's given me everything I needed!

Thanks to my friend Matt for passing this great resource.
I am writing a book series and had issues with POV and narrator choice. Orson Scott Card really gave some great tips that I hope to employ.

Recommended by Christopher Paollini in The Writer Magazine 2012.

I'm not saying the information in this book isn't useful, as it is, but it is primarily common sense, or at least it was for me. The bad part is that it is presented in such a dry manner that it bored me and I took forever to get through it. I might have thought better of the book--perhaps assuming that such a topic must be dry like this--if I hadn't read On Writing by Stephen King, which is a terrific read while telling me a lot of similar great information.

Really diverse information which is kind of obvious but still very easy to miss. He includes lots of examples too, great for reference.

Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing), Orson Scott Card
For more than 10 years, this successful series has helped writers improve their work -- one element at a time. Featuring quality instruction from award-winning authors, each book focuses on a key facet of fiction writing, making it easy for writers to find the specific guidance they're looking for.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهارم ماه دسامبر سال 2009 میلادی
عنوان: شخصیت‌ پردازی و زاویه دید در داستان (کارگاه داستان 3)؛ نویسنده: اورسون‌ اسکات کارد؛ مترجم: پریسا خسروی‌ سامانی؛ اهواز، رسش‏‫، 1387؛ در 304 ص؛ شابک: 9789648049541؛ چاپ دوم 1391؛ موضوع: داستان نویسی - شخصیت پردازی در ادبیات - نویسندگی خلاق - از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20 م

نویسنده باید از چه زاوی ی دیدی برای روایت داستان سود برد؟ در پاسخ به این پرسش باید گفت که: هیچ زاویه ی دیدی بهتر از سایر زاوی ی دیدها نیست. نویسندگان درجه یک، همه ی دیدگاه‌ها را به کار برده‌ اند؛ تا داستان‌های شگفت‌انگیز بگویند. اما این که کدام‌یک را انتخاب کنید هنوز بسیار مهم است. روایت‌های اول شخص و دانای کل طبیعتا نمایشی‌تر از سوم شخص محدود هستند، زیرا در زاویه ی دید اخیر، خوانشگران به راوی توجه بیش‌تری می‌کنند. اگر هدف شما این است که خوانشگران با شخصیت اصلی شما درگیری عاطفی پیدا کنند، و باور آن‌ها از داستان کم‌ترین آسیب را ببیند، در این صورت، راوی سوم‌ شخص محدود، بهترین گزینه ی شماست. اگر طنز می‌نویسید، روایت اول‌شخص، یا دانای کل، در ایجاد فاصله ی کمیک برایتان مفید خواهد بود. اگر خواهان ایجاز هستید، و می‌خواهید به دوره‌ های زمانی، و مکانی، یا شخصیت‌های بسیار بپردازید، شاید راوی دانای کل بهترین گزینه باشد. اگر به دنبال حس حقیقت‌ جویی هستید، که حاصل گزارش یک شاهد عینی باشد، اول‌ شخص، معمولا کم‌تر داستان، و بیش‌تر واقعی به نظر می‌رسد. اگر به توانایی خود به عنوان نویسنده اطمینان ندارید، و در عین حال به توانایی داستان کاملا مطمئن هستید، روایت سوم شخص محدود، سبک نگارش منظم و بی‌پیرایه‌ ای را برایتان فراهم می‌کند؛ قصه‌ ای ساده به زبانی ساده، سومین شماره از مجموعه ی کارگاه داستان به تشریح دو مورد از عناصر داستان، یعنی شخصیت‌ پردازی و زاویه ی دید اختصاص یافته است. شخصیت، چه چیز یک شخصیت، داستانی را بهتر جلوه می‌دهد؟ شخصیت‌ها از کجا می‌آیند؟ چه احساسی باید نسبت به شخصیت‌ها داشته باشیم؟ تفاوت قهرمان داستان، و آدم معمولی، تحول در شخصیت، لحن شخصیت، و انواع روایت پاره‌ ای از مطالب این کتاب هستند. ا. شربیانی