[Instructor] Hello, readers.
Today, we're going to
talk about Mind Reading.
Ooh!
Also known as understanding characters'
thoughts and feelings.
I'm kinda serious, here.
One of the things that I think is magical
about reading books and stories is that
they let you see what characters
are thinking and feeling.
Sometimes a story takes
you inside the mind
of a character in a story.
Here's what it sounds
like when a character
tells you the story herself.
- [Narrator] It was a
rainy, miserable night
in the town of Roseville.
(rain falls)
My coffee cooled rapidly
in the evening air.
I watched Johnny Flamingo,
the Duke of Crime,
walk confidently across the parking lot.
I hated him.
"I'm gonna get you, Johnny", I muttered.
"I'm gonna get you for
doing all those crimes."
- [Instructor] So how
does this character feel
about Johnny Flamingo?
She hates him.
How do we know?
She told us so.
Sometimes it's not a
character who tells you
what they're thinking
or feeling, but instead,
it's a narrator who knows
how those characters feel.
And that can sound like this.
- [Narrator] Standing on a hill
outside her little village,
Lana looked to the sky,
and the dragons that
flew through the clouds in lazy circles.
"I will learn to ride
a dragon", she thought.
"I promise."
- [Instructor] What does
Lana want to learn to do?
Ride dragons.
Did she tell us?
No, not exactly, but the narrator did,
by listening to her thoughts.
Do you see what I'm saying?
It's magical, this ability
to read a character's mind
in a story.
If I had the power to fully
hear my friends' thoughts,
I don't think we'd ever have any kind
of misunderstandings ever again.
How a character thinks
or feels about something
is important evidence that
helps explain why they act
the way they do.
Now, it's possible to have
a feeling or a thought,
but still do something opposite.
Like, a character could
be afraid of heights,
but still climb a tree to rescue a cat.
Or, it's possible for a
character to feel multiple
conflicting emotions or
thoughts at the same time.
Just like it's possible
for you or me to feel
embarrassed and proud at the same time,
or happy and regretful.
Let's take a look at this example.
- [Narrator] "It's not so bad", said Zeke,
examining it closely when he saw my frown.
"It's a bowling pin, right?"
I tried to remain calm, but
I was totally frustrated.
I spent all that time,
and Zeke thought my statue
was a bowling pin?
I gritted my teeth as I forced a smile.
"Um, no, not exactly, but
it's not quite done yet."
I grabbed the sculpture
and headed to my room.
I was determined to make
Lady Liberty recognizable.
I decided to watch a video on how to make
realistic faces in clay.
It was helpful.
Although it took me a while,
I finally made some
improvements to my work of art.
- [Instructor] See how the
narrator says they're frustrated,
but they don't show it to Zeke.
They force themself to smile,
and not display their frustration.
They're trying to be calm,
but inside, they're totally frustrated.
So I guess the lesson
here is that the magic
of mind reading is only part of the story.
You have to go by how characters
in the story act, too.
But we'll talk about
that in another video.
You can learn anything.
David out.
