|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:38 am
Ren's Class: Developing Characters  Characters are the more memorable part of any story. They are what your readers relate to, what they identify with. So have good, well rounded, developed characters is one of the most important things to have present in a story. To write deep, well understood characters you, as the writer, must understand the characters on a personal level. This is harder than it sounds.
Things to avoid:
-Dont make your characters just like you. This is tempting since, yes, you do understand yourself. Sadly, these characters often come across and shallow and over idealized. It's better to separate yourself from your characters.
- Dont use cliches. "Bitchy high school rival who is popular" is way, way, way over done. Think about the people you've known in real life. How they talk, what they like, who they are as people. You dont need to write ALL of this into a story, but it's good to know as a reader.
-On that topic, dont reveal EVERYTHING about your character in exposition. You dont need to. Maybe your character's favorite cereal is Lucky Charms. Thats good to know in it's own way, but you don't have to bring it up in the prose if it's not relevant.
-Stay consistent. Make your character the same person from page one to the end, saving for character development.
How to build your character:For any major character there are several questions you can ask yourself, some serious, an some rather silly, that will help you know your characters on a personal level. Apart from the basics, height, eye color, hair color, age, family etc these are other questions that should help. Note: Not all of these questions can apply to what ever time period you're writing for. Remember: The WHY is the most important part.
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why?
-If they were an animal, what kind and why?
- What is their favorite movie genre?
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them?
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them?
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not?
- What is their most prized possession and why?
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter?
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why?
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why?
- Do they smoke/drink?
- How comfortable are they with their body?
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice?
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in?
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose?
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them?
- What crayon color is most like their personality?
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go?
- Fire, water, wind, or earth?
- Night or Day?
Writing prompt: Fill out the above questions for one of your characters. Do you feel this helped you understand them more? Bonus Prompt: Create a new character using the above questions. Bonus Bonus prompt: Fill out of the form above for YOURSELF. Was this fun? How do you compare to your characters?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:56 am
Alex
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? Coffee, because it usually helps with the hangover and general lack of sleep.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? Probably a retriever of some sort - loyal and smart but goofy and inclined to silly repetitive actions to please the people he likes.
- What is their favorite movie genre? Action. Explosions are awesome.
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them? Easter egg hunt with family one spring a few years ago. Nothing really huge, but he values his family, even if he doesn't feel like he can talk to them.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them? The first time he got stabbed, at 15. He really is still a kid. It disinclined him to getting stabbed again.
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not? He's nominally some denomination of Protestant, mostly for his mother's polling results. Personally apathetic to the whole thing.
- What is their most prized possession and why? He likes his credit card. Not materialistic, just likes things to be smooth and easy.
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter? Pacifist generally, but can be motivated to great feats of testosterone by dire circumstances. Usually passes out afterwards.
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why? The rabbit who got covered in fake vomit so it could sympathize with my cat who'd just been neutered and was having nausea. Mostly because he gets beaten on a lot.
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why? The smell of body spray used overliberally. Because, well, he's a teenage boy.
- Do they smoke/drink? Yes to both, though he's cutting back on the pot since he discovered magic.
- How comfortable are they with their body? Not all that comfortable. He plays lacrosse, but isn't all that well-muscled, and feels awkward.
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice? He believes in a given amount of truth. Justice is something he believes in as an unobtainable ideal. Mercy is stupidity, and love is a physical act.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in? Tuxedo.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose? . . . pikachu?
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them? His mother.
- What crayon color is most like their personality? Cornflower blue.
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go? Let it go.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? Water. Probably bong water >.>
- Night or Day? Day
Do you feel this helped you understand them more? At this point, I don't think much would help with this particular character - I've been living in his head for over a year.
Me
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? Sometimes, when they have had less than five hours sleep, one soda may be consumed.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? Cat. Kind of cute, but neurotic as all hell and likely to scratch.
- What is their favorite movie genre? Action. Explosions are awesome.
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them? Being the Snow Princess at the dog sled races at age eight. Has contributed to inflated sense of self-worth.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them? One particular summer. Has given them abandonment issues and made the angrier.
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not? Yes - pagan, though considering going through confirmation as a Catholic. Because the why is just as interesting as the how.
- What is their most prized possession and why? Laptop; connection to everything.
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter? Fighter.
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why? Lego. Lots of awesomeness and adaptability.
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why? Vanilla; homey and exotic at the same time, and reminiscent of baking.
- Do they smoke/drink? They drink, but do not smoke because of breathing problems.
- How comfortable are they with their body? Depends on the day and the company. Generally fairly comfortable.
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice? Yes. To the point of not lying, ever.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in? They would rather stab themselves in the face, as they are former Build-a-bear employees.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose? Bulbosaur.
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them? Theirs.
- What crayon color is most like their personality? Teal.
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go? Let it go.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? Fire.
- Night or Day? Day. Mmm, sunshine.
Was this fun? Very amusing.
How do you compare to your characters? Worse-written.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:28 pm
Okay... So I'm gonna play this.
Out of my one thousand characters, I choose to answer the questions to the one I'm currently working with, Cyrus Magott.
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? Coffee and tea, yes. Soda, not. Soda didn’t exist in his time. He is 24 in 1905. He’s not really bitchy about what he eats or drinks so he’d drink just about anything.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? Probably a Vulture. He has a peculiar beauty and even more peculiar lifestyle. Admired by some and despised by most because of his attitudes. He is a scavenger just like a Vulture, too.
- What is their favorite movie genre? I suspect that, if he ever went to a movie session, it was probably in Paris when he was traveling. I doubt he’s got a favorite genre, since he doesn’t know much. As an alternative response, though, his favorite type of Theatre/play would be operas and musicals – Much more for the music than for the play itself.
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them? Memories of when his mother taught him how to play the Piano. His special trait is to be a musician and there is no doubt it was because of his mother that he became one… She showed him the power of music.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them? Probably his mother’s death. It made him feel unprotected. Probably made him cynical and was the reason why he distanced so much from his family.
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not? Christian. Because his parents and grandparents and those before them were all Christians.
- What is their most prized possession and why? One of the last Violins Stradivari made, because he spent all the money he had saved from playing and teaching in order to buy it. It’s capable of producing the most beautiful and enchanting sound he’s ever heard. He keeps it well stored and only uses it for the most meaningful occasions.
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter? A mist. He’s a coward fighter – I’d say he only attacks from behind.
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why? Hard to tell.
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why? The smell of White wine, because it’s suave and sharp all together. Because it lingers? I don’t know. More likely because it’s what he drinks most, too.
- Do they smoke/drink? Drinks all the time. Wine, whiskey, beer, and vodka. He’s particularly fond of white wine.
- How comfortable are they with their body? Very. He finds himself attractive.
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice? Truth and justice, probably. Love is still a cloudy matter to him, especially since all of those around him treat his “kind” of love as an illness. Mercy? Probably.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in? I don’t know what game that is, but as for outfit… He dresses suits, formal attire and coat tails, mostly.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose? Geez. I don’t remember anything about them pokemons.
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them? His own. Even though his mother was the most important person to him.
- What crayon color is most like their personality? Purple.
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go? Depends on who insulted him.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? I’d say water, but I don’t know much of these metaphors to tell for sure.
- Night or Day? Certainly night.
----------- x ------------- x -------------- x
Myself
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? Tea and soda. Coffee tastes bad and gives me headache.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? I? I don’t know.
- What is their favorite movie genre? GLBT. Can that count as a genre? Suspense and drama.
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them? Trips trips trips – All places I traveled to. Playing with my friends and my sister, too.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them? Hard to tell. I suppose that when my best friends turned their backs on me because they didn’t like my “new friends” and I said I wouldn’t leave them just because they thought the guys were junkies.
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not? I lean towards atheism, but not really. I’m skeptical. I don’t believe God exists, neither do I believe God does not exist. I need real proof. Science – Not faith, that’s what I believe in.
- What is their most prized possession and why? Pff. Who knows? Some few books, probably. My favorites.
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter? I’m a mist. If the matter is really important to me, I’ll not only join the fight but probably start it. If it’s not, I’ll prefer things to be calm and cool. I’m 70% pacifist, probably.
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why? Hard to tell.
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why? I’d be the smell of chocolate. LOL. Because I love it.
- Do they smoke/drink? I don’t drink… And stopped smoking (but I used to do it).
- How comfortable are they with their body? Mildly. I’m not ugly, but I hardly find myself attractive.
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice? Love has different meanings to each person. Truth depends on science. Justice is a matter of point of views. Mercy is needed.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in? I don’t know what game that is… I dress myself casually.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose? Geez. I don’t remember anything about them pokemons.
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them? Hard to tell. I’m not sure which I’d choose. 90% of chances I’d choose to die with her. 10% of chances I’d chose my own life.
- What crayon color is most like their personality? God knows. Red?
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go? I’d like to get even.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? I’d say fire... or earth.
- Night or Day? Certainly night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:25 pm
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? she drinks tea because in this world coffee and soda don't exist.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? she is not an animal
- What is their favorite movie genre? no such thing as a movie theathre there...
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them?
her favorite childhood memory is when her sistrs were born [[now she hates them]] but she loved not being the only one anymore.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them?
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not?
- What is their most prized possession and why?
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter?
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why?
when she was told she was to be queen and that she had no choice but to be.
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why?
Honey
- Do they smoke/drink? no and no
- How comfortable are they with their body?
very comfterble.
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice?
she beilives in all of those.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in?
something bright red and beauitful.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose?
chimpchore because he looks cool.
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them?
her mother
- What crayon color is most like their personality?
probbaly blue becuse she's so sad most of the time.
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go?
probbaly let it go.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? earth she is one with the earth
- Night or Day? day she hates the dark
me biggrin
- Do they drink coffee, soda, tea and why? i drink tea because soda and coffee taste bad.
-If they were an animal, what kind and why? i would be a cat because they are brave and fearless yet cute and adorable.
- What is their favorite movie genre? romance because i wish...
- What is their best childhood memory and how does it affect them?
the day my brother was born and i was sad that he wasn't a girl.
- What is their worst childhood memory and how does it affect them?
the day my father came home druck for the first time and he broke my brother's baby cradle...
- Do they have a religion? If so what? Why or why not? i am cathloic and beilive completly in god.
- What is their most prized possession and why?
my most prized possesion is my dolly minnie i've had her since i was a baby...
- Are they a pacifist or a fighter? no confued by the question
- If they were a toy from your childhood, what would they be and why?
- If they were a texture and/or a smell, what would they be and why?
Honey
- Do they smoke/drink? no and no
- How comfortable are they with their body?
not really...
- Do they believe in love/truth/mercy/justice?
i beilives in all of those.
- Imagine they are a bear at Build-a-bear; what outfit would you dress them in?
something bright red and beauitful.
- If they were a Pokemon trainer, what starter pokemon would they choose?
chimpchore because he looks cool.
- If forced to choose between themselves and their mother, who's life is more important to them?
her mother
- What crayon color is most like their personality?
red
- If they were insulted are they more likely to get even or let it go?
probbaly let it go.
- Fire, water, wind, or earth? earth she is one with the earth
- Night or Day? day she hates the dark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Ren The Ryoko]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/63/ae/381c3c3e2ae63_flip.png?t=1341987256_6.00_11)
