Creating Characters: How to Build Story People (29 page)

Harris, Foster.
The Basic Formulas of Fiction
. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944.

Henslin, James M.
Down to Earth Sociology
. New York: The Free Press, 1981.

Hite, Shere.
The Hite Report on Female Sexuality
. New York: Macmillan, 1976.

       
.
The Hite Report on Male Sexuality
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981.

Keesing, Felix M.
Cultural Anthropology
. New York: Rinehart & Co., Inc., 1958.

Kerr, Walter.
How Not to Write a Play
. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955.

Lasswell, Marcia, and Norman M. Lobsenz.
Styles of Loving
. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1980.

Macgowan, Kenneth.
A Primer of Play-writing
. New York: Doubleday & Co. (Dolphin Books), 1962.

McGaw, Charles.
Acting Is Believing
. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1980.

McHugh, Vincent.
Primer of the Novel
. New York: Random House, 1950.

Melville, Keith.
Marriage and Family Today
. New York: Random House, 1977.

Monte, Christopher F.
Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to Theories of Personality
. New York: Praeger Publisher, 1977.

Mystery Writers of America.
Mystery Writer’s Handbook
. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest, 1976.

Noyes, Arther P.
Modern Clinical Psychiatry
. 4th ed. Chapter 4, “Mental Mechanisms and Their Functions.” Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1953.

Palmer, Stuart.
Understanding Other People
. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1955.

Peck, Robert Newton.
Fiction Is Folks
. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1983.

Putney, Snell and Gail.
The Adjusted American
. New York: Harper & Row (Colophon Books), 1966.

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The Importance of Feeling Inferior
. New York: Ace Books, 1957.

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Passages
. New York: Bantam Books, 1977.

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Sociology for Our Times
. Glenview: Scott, Foresman & Co., 1977.

Swain, Dwight V.
Techniques of the Selling Writer
. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974.

Terkel, Studs.
Working
. New York: Avon Books, 1975.

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How to Talk with Practically Anybody about Practically Anything
. New York: Dell Publishing Co., 1970.

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Mediamerica
. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1982.

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. Boston: The Writer, Inc., 1982.

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INDEX

Page numbers refer to the print edition but are hyperlinked to the appropriate location in the e-book.

Abilities,
21
,
25
; planting of,
178

Abruptness,
109–112
,
120–121

Academy Players Directory
,
8

Adams, Ramon,
24

Addams, Charles,
8
,
119

Adjective of manner,
16–17
,
18
,
131

Adventure, desire for,
40

African Queen, The,
104

Age,
67
; in dominant impression,
15
,
16

Agnes of God
,
25

Alger, Horatio,
136

Alien,
105–107

Alternatives,
109–112
,
117–120

American Eccentrics
,
77

Ancient Lowly, The,
72

Ancient Society
,
72

Anodyne Necklace, The
,
80
,
91

Antagonist,
101–102

Anticipation,
115–117

Appearance,
21
,
23–24

Applicability,
110–112
,
118–120

Architectural Digest
,
167

Arsenic and Old Lace,
83

Asch, Sholem,
49
,
159

“Ash the Flash,”
80
,
91

Assault with Intent,
91

Assumption,
109–112
,
115–116
,
119–120

Attitude,
21
,
47–50
,
59
,
62
; dominant,
48–50
; and point of view,
48

Auntie, Mame,
78
,
92

“Author omniscient” viewpoint,
93–95

Avallone, Michael,
90

Ayatollah Khomeini,
21

Background,
61–75
;
See also
Principle of parsimony; body and,
65–68
; environment and,
68–70
; experience and,
70–71
; how to build,
64–65
; ideas and,
71–74
; reasons for building,
64

Bacon, Francis,
65

Bakunin, Michael,
72

Barnard, Robert,
123

Barr, Roseanne,
108

Barrett, Jr., Neal,
161

Bartok,
8

Bates, Norman,
80

Batman,
3

Batman syndrome,
104

Baum, Frank,
78

Bergen, Candice,
28

Bergman, Ingrid,
104

Bergson,
126

Bester, Alfred,
87
,
162

Better Homes and Gardens
,
167

“Biafra Baby,”
22

“Bible,”
30

Bickham, Jack,
14
,
90

Bimbos of the Death Sun
,
122

Bit-players,
103–104

Black Beauty,
106

Blavatsky, H.P.,
49

Blind Pew,
183

Bloch, Robert,
30
,
34
,
87
,
135

Block, Lawrence,
7

Blume, Judy,
179

Body,
65–68

Boesky, Ivan,
3

Bogart, Humphrey,
104

Bond, James,
7
,
91
,
148

“Boy Named Sue, A,”
22

Braun, Lilian Jackson,
112

Briarpatch
,
24

Brown, Fredric,
87
,
106
,
123

Brown, Murphy,
28
,
169

Buchwald, Art,
108

Buck,
106

Budreau, Father,
91

Burnett, Carol,
71

Burns, Robert,
113

Butler, Rhett,
183

Bylinsky, Gene,
162

Cain, James M.,
161

Caine
,
12

Calder
books,
159

Call of the Wild,
105

Campbell, Dr. John Duval,
86

Campbell, Joseph,
46

Campbell, Walter,
26

Captain Hook,
66

Caring, importance of,
1–3

Carter, Nick,
30

Casablanca
,
104

Cash, Johnny,
22

Cat Who Knew Shakespeare, The,
112

Catch
22,
73

Category character,
150–152

Caught Dead in Philadelphia
,
123

Caunitz, William,
22

Challenging element,
3

Change,
55–56

Character-in-depth,
104–105

Characters, antagonist,
101–102
; attitude,
47–50
,
59
; boring,
2
,
6–7
; category,
150–152
; deviant,
76
; dissatisfaction,
42–44
; dominant attitude,
48
; dominant dynamic,
3
; dominant impression,
15–17
,
19
,
2
; dossier,
30–31
; drive,
44–47
; dull,
88
; false impressions,
35
; finding the right one,
5–7
; flaws, importance of,
28
; goal,
42–44
; happiness, search for,
39–42
; incidental,
103–104
; interesting,
88–89
; key element of,
1–3
; love interest,
102–103
; memorable,
89–92
; motivation,
33–38
; non-human,
105–107
; out of time,
157–168
; protagonist,
98–101
; rationalize,
8
; “real” people,
8–9
,
21
,
59
; relationships,
26
; selecting,
5
; series,
30
; study,
182
; traits,
180
; viewpoint,
48
,
92–98

Chauncey, Checkers,
91–92

Cherry Blossom Corpse, The
,
123

Cherryh, C.J.,
162

China Dawn
,
150

Christie, Agatha,
77
,
184

Chronicle, definition of,
43

Citizen Tom Paine
,
179

Clark, Mary Higgins,
71

Cline, Terry,
86

Cdit, Lillie,
77

Coit Tower,
77

“Concerto for Orchestra,”
8

Connoisseur
,
167

Context,
12

Cosby, Bill,
108

Cosmopolitan
,
167

Courage,
59–60

Criminal Investigation
,
149

Crossing Delancey
,
99

Cyteen
,
162

Dailey, Janet,
159

Dalton, Jack,
92
,
93

Danger,
55–56

D’Artagnan,
7
,
183

Darrow, Clarence,
72

Darwin, Charles,
72

Davidowsky, Moshe Wolf,
49

da Vinci,
65

Dear Dead Days
,
8

de Bergerac, Cyrano,
66

Debtors Anonymous,
167

del Rey, Lester,
105

Demara, Ferdinand,
77

Demolished Man, The
,
87
,
162

Demosthenes,
66

Dent, Lester,
92

Description,
128–136

Destry,
183

Deviant characters,
76–87

Dialect,
24

Dialogue,
137–145
; advancing plot through,
141–143
; age,
139
; background,
139
; definition of,
137
; function of,
137–143
; occupation,
139
; sex,
139
,
140
; status,
139
; tags (of speech),
140

Dick, Everett,
160

Dickens, Charles,
77
,
159

Diller, Phyllis,
108

Direction,
39–42
,
53–60

Disbelief,
169–181
; inadequate research,
174–175
; lack of planning,
177–178
; M/R gaps as cause of,
176–177
; non-likable characters,
179–181
; telling
175–176
; too
much realism,
178–179
; viewpoint weaknesses,
170–174

Dissatisfaction,
42–44

Distaste,
178–179

Dominant attitude,
48

Dominant dynamic,
3

Dominant impression,
15–17
,
19
,
21
,
131

Don Camillo,
183

Donahue, Phil,
168

Dossier,
30–31

Dostoyevsky,
135

Down in the Holler
,
24

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan,
6
,
37
,
169

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
,
83

Dracula,
66

Dramatists Guild,
155

Drew, Nancy,
30

Drive,
44–47

Driving Miss Daisy,
101

Drummond, Miles,
94

Duncan, Robert L.,
86
,
150

Eads, James,
77

East River
,
49
,
159

Eastman,
126

Easy Rider
,
167

Eccentric,
76–80
; definition of,
77
; as viewpoint character,
86–87

Einstein,
65

Elkin, Aaron,
90

Ellis, Havelock,
72

Emerson, Earl,
173

Emotion,
53–60
,
106–107
,
128–130
,
143
,
149
,
150
,
182–183
; definition of,
53

Environment,
68–70
,
74

E.T.,
105

Everyday Psychiatry,
86

Exaggeration,
120
,
124
,
126

Executive Female
,
167

Experience,
70–71
,
74

Fagan,
183

Falling Woman, The,
23–24

False impressions,
33–35

Falstaff,
7

Falwell, Jerry,
73

Family Circle,
167

Fanny Hill,
130

Fast, Howard,
179

Fat Tuesday,
177

Fatal Fascination,
149