Character Dynamics--The Brilliance of Jim Butcher
I'm reading Jim Butcher's newest Harry Dresden book--Turn Coat. I love The Dresden Files series--the books are funny and fast, and the writing is beautifully tight and trim.
But I'm being reminded once again about a particular aspect of Butcher's brilliance--the way he gets the entire relationship between two characters (or three) into a scene. He knows his characters so well; he knows who they are, who they've been, and how they have connected with each other over all the years of their history. And with a few lines of dialog and action and humor, he layers it all in.
This is not just because the book is number 11 in the series. This aspect of his writing, this storytelling skill has been present in all of the books, since Book 1, Storm Front.
If you want to see how a master craftsman plays with his characters, I can't point you in a better direction.
Back to the book!
But I'm being reminded once again about a particular aspect of Butcher's brilliance--the way he gets the entire relationship between two characters (or three) into a scene. He knows his characters so well; he knows who they are, who they've been, and how they have connected with each other over all the years of their history. And with a few lines of dialog and action and humor, he layers it all in.
This is not just because the book is number 11 in the series. This aspect of his writing, this storytelling skill has been present in all of the books, since Book 1, Storm Front.
If you want to see how a master craftsman plays with his characters, I can't point you in a better direction.
Back to the book!