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Enter for a Chance to Win an Autographed Copy of Captivate Your Readers!
I'm pleased to announce that I'm running a Goodreads Giveaway of my new book, Captivate Your Readers - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction, until March 30. Three winners will receive a signed copy of this book in the mail (trade paperback). Click on the link below to enter.
Enter to win
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Captivate Your Readers
by Jodie Renner
Giveaway ends March 30, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS - AN EDITOR'S GUIDE TO WRITING COMPELLING FICTION
This third guide to writing compelling fiction by respected editor and award-winning author Jodie Renner provides concrete advice for captivating readers and immersing them in your story world. It’s all about engaging readers through techniques such as deep point of view, showing instead of telling, avoiding author intrusions, writing riveting dialogue, and basically stepping back and letting the characters tell the story.
Today’s readers want to lose themselves in an absorbing story. Renner shows you how to provide the immediacy and emotional involvement readers crave in fiction, the direct, close connection to the characters and their world. And she does it in her usual highly accessible, reader-friendly style, with plenty of subheadings, concrete tips and examples.
This book is available in both e-book form and print through all Amazon websites, and also in print at many independent bookstores and libraries.
Praise for Captivate Your Readers:
Praise for Captivate Your Readers:
“Jodie’s books are packed with practical writing and editing advice. Get ready to improve your manuscript today.”
– Steven James, author ofStory Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules
“Want to write solid, marketable fiction? Read this book. Regardless of your experience level, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS gives you clear and concise tools that will help you create a believable story world and spin a good yarn.”
– DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series
“Jodie Renner nails it! Captivate Your Readersshould be at the top of every new and experienced writer’s arsenal, as well as a preferred resource for every teacher of writing. Her no-nonsense, easy-to-understand approach is perfect. Bravo, Jodie Renner!”
– Lynn Sholes, bestselling author of the Cotten Stone series and The Shield
Chapters include:
Chapters include:
· Introduction to Point of View in Fiction
· Draw Readers in with Deep Point of View
· How to Avoid Head-Hopping
· Create a Complex, Charismatic Main Character
· Character Descriptions – Learn From the Pros
· Your First Pages Are Critical
· Let the Characters Tell the Story
· How to Avoid Annoying Author Intrusions
· Keep Your Dialogue Real and Riveting
· Show Important Scenes, Tell Transitional Ones
· Avoid Overwriting – Subtle is More Sophisticated
· Show Character Reactions to Bring Them to Life
· A Strong Fictive Voice Needs Attitude
· Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue
· 33 Must-Do’s for a Winning Short Story
About the Author:
Jodie Renner is an award-winning author, sought-after independent editor, well-known blogger (The Kill Zone blog), and presenter at writers’ conferences and to writing groups across North America. Jodie is also the author of the writing guides Fire up Your Fiction and Writing a Killer Thriller, as well as time-saving, clickable e-resources such as Quick Clicks: Word Usage and Quick Clicks: Spelling List.
· Draw Readers in with Deep Point of View
· How to Avoid Head-Hopping
· Create a Complex, Charismatic Main Character
· Character Descriptions – Learn From the Pros
· Your First Pages Are Critical
· Let the Characters Tell the Story
· How to Avoid Annoying Author Intrusions
· Keep Your Dialogue Real and Riveting
· Show Important Scenes, Tell Transitional Ones
· Avoid Overwriting – Subtle is More Sophisticated
· Show Character Reactions to Bring Them to Life
· A Strong Fictive Voice Needs Attitude
· Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue
· 33 Must-Do’s for a Winning Short Story
About the Author:
Jodie Renner is an award-winning author, sought-after independent editor, well-known blogger (The Kill Zone blog), and presenter at writers’ conferences and to writing groups across North America. Jodie is also the author of the writing guides Fire up Your Fiction and Writing a Killer Thriller, as well as time-saving, clickable e-resources such as Quick Clicks: Word Usage and Quick Clicks: Spelling List.
Books by Jodie Renner:
~ Fire up Your Fiction – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Stories Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk
~ Writing a Killer Thriller – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk
~ Captivate Your Readers – An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk
~ Quick Clicks: Word Usage – Precise Word Choices at Your Fingertips Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk
~ Quick Clicks: Spelling List – Commonly Misspelled Words at Your Fingertips Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk
~ Quick Clicks: Grammar Tips (out soon)
~ A Newbie’s Guide to Writing Fiction(out soon)
Links to Recent Articles of Jodie's on Other Blogs
Since the release on February 28 of my latest writing guide, Captivate Your Readers, I've been busy with a blog book tour, posting articles with tips on writing and promoting your fiction. Here's a list of some of my recent articles on other blogs, plus an interview of me and a review of my new book. Please click on the title to go to the post.
Tuesday, March 10: Review of Captivate Your Readers on U Self-Publish website.
Monday, March 9: "Create a Fascinating, Believable Antagonist" on The Kill Zone blog
Sunday, March 8: "How to Write a Prize-Worthy Short Story" on Anne R. Allen's award-winning blog
Friday., March 6: "Learn How to Captivate Your Readers with Jodie Renner" on Read, Write, Muse blog
Thurs., March 5 - "Book Giveaway Promos Compared: Goodreads, Rafflecopter, and the New Amazon Giveaway" on Janice Hardy's Fiction University blog
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015 - "Use Attitude When Introducing Characters" on Elizabeth Spann Craig's blog
Feb. 23: "Make Sure Your Characters Act in Character" on The Kill Zone blog.
Feb. 17: "Avoid Overwriting - Subtle is More Sophisticated" on Janice Hardy's Fiction University
Feb. 9: Indie BookContests 2015 on The Kill Zone blog
Feb. 5: "How to Slash Your Word Count by 20-40% - and tighten your story without losing any of the good stuff" on Janice Hardy's Fiction University
And finally, the very popular list of Writers' Conferences & Book Festivals in 2015
Do you have any craft-of-writing or publishing or marketing topics you'd like me to write about? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks!
Besides blogging at The Kill Zone Blog and elsewhere, Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Fire up Your Fiction, Writing a Killer Thriller, and Captivate Your Readers. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling List – Commonly Misspelled Words at Your Fingertipsand Quick Clicks: Word Usage – Style and Usage Tips for Busy Writers and Editors. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Using the New Amazon Giveaway to Promote Your Books
Jodie Renner, editor & authorJust as I was considering running a Goodreads Giveaway on my new craft-of-writing guide, Captivate Your Readers (which is #1 on Amazon's "Hot New Releases" list in "Authorship"), I found out about a new initiative from Amazon.com, released on February 10, called Amazon Giveaway, which you might want to consider taking advantage of to promote a print book of yours. (My personal experience and conclusions at the end.)
For now at least, it doesn’t include digital prizes like e-books, and entrants (prizewinners) have to be in the U.S. But the good news is, Amazon sends off the books for you, unlike Goodreads giveaways, where you have to package and mail the prizes yourself. Two disadvantages are that you have to pay full price for your own book (hopefully that will change) and you can’t personalize your prize in any way – you won’t be able to autograph the book or insert a personal note.
For now at least, it doesn’t include digital prizes like e-books, and entrants (prizewinners) have to be in the U.S. But the good news is, Amazon sends off the books for you, unlike Goodreads giveaways, where you have to package and mail the prizes yourself. Two disadvantages are that you have to pay full price for your own book (hopefully that will change) and you can’t personalize your prize in any way – you won’t be able to autograph the book or insert a personal note.
Basic info on Amazon Giveaways:
The product must already be on sale on Amazon. You can give away any product Amazon sells, as long as it’s on their list of eligible products. Digital items like e-books, songs, gift cards, etc. are not eligible, and for now at least, you can’t give away Kindles. To find out if a product is eligible, go to the page for that product, then scroll down to below the reviews of that item and look for an “Amazon Giveaway” box.
To run an Amazon Giveaway, you need an Amazon account with a valid credit card.
You may only enter one item at a time as a prize, and you can give away up to 50 of that item, to a maximum value of $5,000.
You pay for the prizes and postage upfront.
You can run two kinds of promotions. Either:
- Entrants win on a first-come, first-serve basis; for example, the first 5 or 10 or 20 people to join the giveaway receive a print copy of your book. This is probably not the best choice, as entrants need to be at the right place at the right time, and could spread the word quickly among their friends, so anybody else entering after that will be disappointed.
Or:
- Entrants win by luck or chance, like a Rafflecopter giveaway. You could specify that for every 10 or 25 or 50 or 100 entries you’ll give away a print copy of your book.
For now at least, entrants’ eligibility is U.S. only, age 18+.
All giveaways last one week or until prizes run out, whichever comes first.
Amazon ships the book for you, but as the host, you pay the shipping costs (lowest available, and of course only in the U.S.).
If you want to check out current giveaways and see how it works, search Twitter for the hashtag #AmazonGiveaway.
How to become a giveaway host:
Anyone who wants to host a giveaway can get started at amazon.com/giveawayor simply visit Amazon to find the eligible item they would like as a prize and click “Set up a giveaway” near the bottom of the product detail page. From there, the host determines the giveaway details, enters custom content, and decides whether prizes will go to many entrants or to the first few entrants. Hosts receive a unique link that they can share with their audiences how, when, and where they choose.
How people enter to win your book or other prize:
Each entry to an Amazon Giveaway is simple and predictable. They follow the admin on Twitter, give Amazon authorization to connect their app to the entrant’s Twitter account, confirm they’ve got a US address, and they’re entered.
Click to read the FAQs for this giveaway.
Pros:
You can choose the odds of winning - one book awarded per how many entries.
You receive a link and can advertise your giveaway anywhere, including on social media, by email or newsletter, and on your blog or website.
You receive a link and can advertise your giveaway anywhere, including on social media, by email or newsletter, and on your blog or website.
It’s free of charge. You don’t pay anything to set up and run this promo giveaway.
Amazon takes care of all the terms and conditions and does the shipping and handling for you, which saves you time and trouble. Hosts (you) pay the lowest shipping cost, determined by the winner’s address.
Cons:
It’s for print books only, not e-books.
You have to pay full retail price for your own books.
Since it ships directly from Amazon, you can’t customize or personalize your gift in any way, so you won’t be able to autograph your book.
You can’t edit the giveaway after it starts. Just make sure the giveaway you’ve setup is what you want before you start promoting it. Once you’ve bought the prizes and pushed the giveaway live and promoted the URL, there’s no turning back.
Many products, including digital ones, are not eligible. To find out if a product is eligible for a giveaway, you need to go to its product page and scroll down to find the “Amazon Giveaway” box.
You can’t give away more than one prize at a time, so no grand prizes or runner-up prizes. You can offer one item only for each giveaway, but of course you control how many of that item you’ll give away.
Although you can advertise your Amazon Giveaway anywhere and integrate it with your Twitter account, you can’t design a giveaway widget or embed this giveaway into your own blog or website, so it won’t drive traffic to your site or help with newsletter sign-ups, etc. Running an Amazon Giveaway will only allow you to send traffic to a site hosted by Amazon.
For entrants in the U.S. only. Citizens of Canada, the U.K., Australia, and other countries are not eligible to win your book or other prize.
Personal experience and final thoughts:
I entered my new writing guide, Captivate Your Readers in an Amazon Giveaway on March 2, and I opted to give away 5 copies of my new book. I decided on one win per 40 entries. Over 200 people entered within about 10 hours, including overnight, so the 5 books were won and the contest closed. I opted for the requirement that each entrant follow me on Twitter, so I gained 200 Twitter followers in a few hours. But since the contest was over so quickly, next time I would say one win per 100 or even 150 entries. It was expensive, as I had to pay retail price for my own books, plus the postage, but it did raise awareness for my new title and cause a spike in sales of my books, both print and e-books.
I entered my new writing guide, Captivate Your Readers in an Amazon Giveaway on March 2, and I opted to give away 5 copies of my new book. I decided on one win per 40 entries. Over 200 people entered within about 10 hours, including overnight, so the 5 books were won and the contest closed. I opted for the requirement that each entrant follow me on Twitter, so I gained 200 Twitter followers in a few hours. But since the contest was over so quickly, next time I would say one win per 100 or even 150 entries. It was expensive, as I had to pay retail price for my own books, plus the postage, but it did raise awareness for my new title and cause a spike in sales of my books, both print and e-books.
Amazon’s press release on this new feature reads: “Amazon Giveaway is an intuitive tool that allows anyone to create and host their own giveaway, to generate awareness and reward their audiences. ‘The idea of running giveaway promotions is easy. They are a really effective way to attract attention and build engagement, but giveaways often come with hidden costs and complexities which makes the reality of running one hard,’ said Steve Shure, Vice President Consumer Marketing. ‘Amazon Giveaway is the first self-service tool that takes care of all the hard work of a giveaway, from setting up all of the rules to shipping prizes directly to winners.’”
A giveaway promotion as an easy and effective way to attract attention to your book and build engagement with you as the author. And I like that Amazon does almost all the work for you on this one. The biggest downside as I see it is that it won’t bring potential readers directly to my website or blog or help with newsletter sign-ups. Also, I can’t sign my book or write a little note inside politely suggesting that a review would be much appreciated!
Have you tried Goodreads Giveaways or this new one, Amazon Giveaways? How about Rafflecopter or other giveaways? Have you noticed a corresponding increase in sales? Give us your opinion in the comments below. Thanks!
Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Fireup Your Fiction, Writing a Killer Thriller, and Captivate Your Readers. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling List and Quick Clicks: Word Usage. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, at The Kill Zone blog alternate Mondays, on Fiction University blog the first Thursday of the month, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS is out!
Great news! My third editor's guide to writing compelling fiction, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS, is finally out!
You can find it in trade paperback and e-book form at all Amazon sites, including these:
It will soon be available in print at many independent bookstores and libraries.
Here's a bit about the book:
Captivate Your Readers - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction, by Jodie Renner
This third guide to writing compelling fiction by respected editor and award-winning author Jodie Renner provides concrete advice for captivating readers and immersing them in your story world. It’s all about engaging readers through techniques such as using deep point of view, showing instead of telling, avoiding author intrusions, writing riveting dialogue, and basically stepping back and letting the characters tell the story.
Today’s readers want to lose themselves in an absorbing story. Renner shows you how to provide the immediacy and emotional involvement readers crave in fiction, the direct, close connection to the characters and their world. And she does it in her usual highly accessible, reader-friendly style, with plenty of subheadings, concrete tips and examples.
This book is available in both e-book form and print, through all Amazon websites, and also in print through Red Tuque Books in Penticton, BC. Available soon in print at many independent bookstores and libraries.
“Jodie’s books are packed with practical writing and editing advice. Get ready to improve your manuscript today.”
– Steven James, author ofStory Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules
“Want to write solid, marketable fiction? Read this book. Regardless of your experience level, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS gives you clear and concise tools that will help you create a believable story world and spin a good yarn.”
– DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series
“Jodie Renner nails it! Captivate Your Readersshould be at the top of every new and experienced writer’s arsenal, as well as a preferred resource for every teacher of writing. Her no-nonsense, easy-to-understand approach is perfect. Bravo, Jodie Renner!”
– Lynn Sholes, bestselling author of the Cotten Stone series and The Shield
Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Fire up Your Fiction, Writing a Killer Thriller, and Captivate Your Readers. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling List and Quick Clicks: Word Usage. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, at The Kill Zone blog alternate Mondays, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
GIVEAWAY OF 15 GREAT GUIDES TO WRITING & MARKETING YOUR BOOK
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 15 WINNERS!
They're listed below, in the Rafflecopter form, and they've all been notified. Winners, if you didn't receive an email, please check your Junk folder.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!
- Jodie & gang.
Great news for writers and aspiring authors! Here's your chance to win one of 15 excellent e-books on various aspects of writing and marketing your novel or short fiction.
To mark the release of my third book, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction on February 28, I've invited nine talented craft-of-writing authors to take part in a giveaway February 14-28 of their e-books on writing, publishing, and marketing.
Also, I'll be sending out advanced reading copies of my Captivate Your Readers next week in exchange for an honest review of the book on Amazon (& Goodreads) by March 30. Contact me at Info(at)Jodie Renner(dot)com for your free review copy.
Here are the 15 titles offered by ten top fiction-writing and marketing advisors, with their links below for more info:
~ Captivate Your Readers by Jodie Renner - plus 10 more books for reviews
~ Fiction Attack! by James Scott Bell
~ Outlining Your Novel, by K.M. Weiland
~ How to Market Your Book, by Joanna Penn
~The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
~ Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, by Janice Hardy
~ Grammar for Fiction Writers, by Marcy Kennedy and Chris Saylor
~ Fire up Your Fiction, by Jodie Renner
~ Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives, and Other Introverts, by Joanna Penn
~ The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction, by C.S. Lakin
~ Writing a Killer Thriller, by Jodie Renner
~ The Positive Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
~ Dialogue: A Busy Writer's Guide, by Marcy Kennedy
~ 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts by Bryan Cohen
~ The Negative Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.
You can read these books on your Kindle or other e-reader or on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Just enter the draw by clicking on the form below to win one of the following e-books. And if you sign up for my occasional (3-6 times per year) newsletter HERE, then let me know in the comments below, I'll add your name to the "hat" 3 more times. (New subscribers only.) For this option, make sure you've already entered your name in the form below so I'll have your email address. Thanks!
Winners' names will be drawn on March 1, and you will receive your free e-book during the first week of March.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And here's a little about my upcoming book CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS:
Are you looking for concrete, effective ways to bring your fiction to life for the readers, so they feel they’re right there with the characters? And they stay up until the wee hours of the night eagerly turning the pages? Then this book is for you.
This third editor’s guide to writing compelling fiction by multi-award-winning author Jodie Renner provides specific advice, with examples, for captivating readers and immersing them in your story world.
Today’s readers want to put aside their cares and chores and lose themselves in an absorbing story. This book shows you how to provide the emotional involvement and immediacy readers crave in fiction.
It’s all about engaging readers through techniques such as writing in deep point of view, showing instead of telling, avoiding author intrusions, creating dialogue that’s real and riveting, and basically stepping back as the author and letting the characters tell the story.
And like my other popular writing guides, the format of this one is reader-friendly, designed for busy writers, with text broken up by subheadings, examples, and lists, and plenty of concrete tips. It also has plenty of internal links in the e-version so you can click around quickly.
They're listed below, in the Rafflecopter form, and they've all been notified. Winners, if you didn't receive an email, please check your Junk folder.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!
- Jodie & gang.
Great news for writers and aspiring authors! Here's your chance to win one of 15 excellent e-books on various aspects of writing and marketing your novel or short fiction.
To mark the release of my third book, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction on February 28, I've invited nine talented craft-of-writing authors to take part in a giveaway February 14-28 of their e-books on writing, publishing, and marketing.
Also, I'll be sending out advanced reading copies of my Captivate Your Readers next week in exchange for an honest review of the book on Amazon (& Goodreads) by March 30. Contact me at Info(at)Jodie Renner(dot)com for your free review copy.
Here are the 15 titles offered by ten top fiction-writing and marketing advisors, with their links below for more info:
~ Captivate Your Readers by Jodie Renner - plus 10 more books for reviews
~ Fiction Attack! by James Scott Bell
~ Outlining Your Novel, by K.M. Weiland
~ How to Market Your Book, by Joanna Penn
~The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
~ Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, by Janice Hardy
~ Grammar for Fiction Writers, by Marcy Kennedy and Chris Saylor
~ Fire up Your Fiction, by Jodie Renner
~ Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives, and Other Introverts, by Joanna Penn
~ The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction, by C.S. Lakin
~ Writing a Killer Thriller, by Jodie Renner
~ The Positive Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
~ Dialogue: A Busy Writer's Guide, by Marcy Kennedy
~ 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts by Bryan Cohen
~ The Negative Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.
You can read these books on your Kindle or other e-reader or on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Just enter the draw by clicking on the form below to win one of the following e-books. And if you sign up for my occasional (3-6 times per year) newsletter HERE, then let me know in the comments below, I'll add your name to the "hat" 3 more times. (New subscribers only.) For this option, make sure you've already entered your name in the form below so I'll have your email address. Thanks!
Winners' names will be drawn on March 1, and you will receive your free e-book during the first week of March.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And here's a little about my upcoming book CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS:
Are you looking for concrete, effective ways to bring your fiction to life for the readers, so they feel they’re right there with the characters? And they stay up until the wee hours of the night eagerly turning the pages? Then this book is for you.
This third editor’s guide to writing compelling fiction by multi-award-winning author Jodie Renner provides specific advice, with examples, for captivating readers and immersing them in your story world.
Today’s readers want to put aside their cares and chores and lose themselves in an absorbing story. This book shows you how to provide the emotional involvement and immediacy readers crave in fiction.
It’s all about engaging readers through techniques such as writing in deep point of view, showing instead of telling, avoiding author intrusions, creating dialogue that’s real and riveting, and basically stepping back as the author and letting the characters tell the story.
And like my other popular writing guides, the format of this one is reader-friendly, designed for busy writers, with text broken up by subheadings, examples, and lists, and plenty of concrete tips. It also has plenty of internal links in the e-version so you can click around quickly.
Besides blogging at The Kill Zone Blog and elsewhere, Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Fire up Your Fiction, Writing a Killer Thriller, and Captivate Your Readers. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling List – Commonly Misspelled Words at Your Fingertipsand Quick Clicks: Word Usage – Style and Usage Tips for Busy Writers and Editors. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.
• Character of Desdemona in Othello
- Character and role of Desdemona in Othello.
- Is Desdemona a pathetic character rather than
tragic? Discuss.
It is very easy, as several recent critics have noted, to canonize
Desdemona, a fate rather common to a number of Shakespeare’s particularly
appealing heroines. Desdemona, however, is made of stern stuff and not all her
characteristics are quite so saintly. This is far from giving credence to
Iago’s insinuations. It implies rather that she is human. It is a little too
easy to consider Desdemona as not much more than the object of Othello’s love
and the victim of the passion. This is ironic, for Desdemona’s chief quality is
her independence, a characteristic not uncommon in a number of Shakespeare’s
female characters. She is no shy, reticent creature when it comes to standing
up for herself before the senators of
We have to consider that she is brought at night to speak for herself and
Othello before an angry and distressed father. Her language is firm, temperate
and ingenuous. When she says in Act I, scene iii, “My father I do perceive here
a divided duty”, we hear also the voices of Portia in the court room at
before her father. It is clear that Shakespeare was much concerned with the
divided allegiance between father and husband that a woman has to experience.
Cordelia tries to make Lear aware of this ambivalent position of woman but
neither Lear nor Brabantio understands the plight of his daughter.
In other ways too, Brabantio is mistaken about his daughter. It is in his
speech in Act I, scene iii that we get the first extended description of
Desdemona’s character:
“A maiden never bold,
Of
spirit so still and quiet that her motion
Blushed at herself.”
But Othello’s
account of his courtship offers a glimpse of a Desdemona who has much more
spirit and initiative than this, for it is she who invites Othello, questions
him about his history and generally takes the initiative in their love-affair.
In fact, her oblique hints to Othello about “a friend that loved her suggests
that she is not entirely free from feminine wiles, though far from being the
“super subtle Venetian” of Iago’s twisted imagination. The moment we see her,
we realize that her father has never expected that she is a woman with great
independence, determination and courage. The calm logic with which she defends
her marriage to Othello is an unmistakable sign of a full, intelligent
independent mind. But the penultimate line of her speech to the senators
contains a word that takes her a little beyond that: “So much I challenge”—she
staking a claim to her ‘rights’ and challenging her father that they are her
rights.
In trying to ascertain how this
challenge has arisen, we perhaps discover something less admirable about
Desdemona. It is of much less significance now-a-days if a young woman should
suddenly and secretly disappear from home, marry and live with her husband. To
Shakespeare’s first audiences this must have seemed remarkably remiss, even
shocking. It could not be excused as a mere romantic elopement. A modern
audience may wonder at charges that Desdemona has been spirited away by magic,
love-charms and witchcraft, but to an Elizabethan her action needed some such
explanation. If in the late 20th century we pay much attention to
Brabantio’s anger, we probably think of it simply in terms of Desdemona running
from security of home to Othello’s “sooty bosom”. That is only a lesser reason
for Brabantio’s shock. At the time that the play was written, a man with his
position in the world would have been astonished at what his daughte4r had
done. This lays Desdemona open to Iago’s reminder to Othello, “She did deceive
her father”, a warning Brabantio had uttered in the third scene:
“Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see
She has deceived her father and may thee.”
There can be
little doubt that not a few in Jacobean England would have nodded approval.
Thus some commentators find together in Desdemona a spirited independence and a
certain willful irresponsibility.
Desdemona, in the tradition of 19th
century genteel representativeness best represented by Mrs. Jameson (Shaw’s
heroine) can be seen as too innocent, too good to be true. If that does not
quite accord with her independence of spirit, it accords even less with her
sexuality. It is not unreasonable to suggest that if Desdemona was so ready to
run from home into her beloved’s bed, she must have been, like Othello, a
passionate creature. She can perhaps be best described as having a strong
natural sexuality; there is little doubt that she is sexually attractive to
Cassio, Roderigo, Iago and Othello. It is also evident that her independent
nature that enables her to relate freely with men. However, this does not mean
that one should agree with Dr. Spigack’s odd conviction that Cassio and
Desdemona are really in love with each other or Auden’s belief that “given a
few more years of Othello and Emilia’s influence, she might well, one feels,
have taken a lover”. We know, and, Othello learns too late, that his wife is
virtuous; so her pleasures are innocent and they reveal Desdemona as being
quite as much as Othello or “a free and open nature.”
The tendency to see Desdemona as a
passive victim rather than as a tragic heroine in her own right depends on our
assuming that she is dramatically parasitical on the hero. But as a recent
critic, J. Adamson has put it, “the significance of the play is deepened by
what it shows her individual inner experience to be—especially what it shows in
her love for Othello and her ways of responding to him throughout the action”.
When taken as a person in her own right, Desdemona is seen to have a more
complex character than she was credited with in earlier criticism.
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