In one particularly funny episode of the TV series, Monk, a production company is filming a movie based on one of Mr. Monk’s cases. The method actor (played by Stanley Tucci), cast to play the detective, studies him so intensely, he develops the same phobias, quirks, and crime-solving skills.
We’ve all heard of method actors “inhabiting” their characters, but what does that have to do with writing? If you’re writing character-based narrative, more than you might expect.
For my current project, co-authoring a doctor’s memoir, I spent probably hundreds of hours in interviews, probing her thoughts, experiences, remembrances of places and people, and learning more about her from additional interviews with those close to her. The process was only complete when I felt able to imagine what it was like to be in her skin, experiencing what she experienced.
I joked with her that it’s a little like Mr. Spock’s Vulcan mind-meld. But I was half serious too.
Because when you’re writing from the point of view of a character, real or fictional, you can’t do the character justice unless you become so enmeshed, it’s as if you’ve seen through the character’s eyes.
If you can’t inhabit the character to some degree, what you write from that character’s viewpoint won’t feel real to the reader.
– Anita Bartholomew
Ask The Editor 
What Dan Brown can teach us all (don’t laugh) about writing
Tags: authors, bestselling authors, bestselling books, fiction, novel, novelist, writing fiction
Dan Brown’s follow-up to his The Da Vinci Code — which was the bestselling hardcover novel of all time — is set to release in September.
First, let’s get the issue of writing skill out of the way because, if you’ve read The Da Vinci Code, and you’re a writer, you probably believe you can out-write Dan Brown with half your talent tied behind your back.
But, Brown teaches us that there is more to being a successful writer than having a way with words. It’s Brown’s stories that have made him a success, along with his expert use of tension.
The Da Vinci Code appeals to readers who enjoy a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. That’s what Brown delivers. He also lets readers figure out the various mysteries a page or three before his protagonists do, making the reader feel satisfied in his or her deductive skills. And perhaps most important to his success, Brown seems to reveal intriguing secrets hiding in plain sight.
In other words, he has nailed a winning commercial formula. All he left out were interesting characters and appealing prose.
– Anita Bartholomew