I've found another way of defining your main character. It's mostly for main characters as it is fairly comprehensive.
I'm still getting into the Halloween spirit. I'm currently reading The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, which is kind of a cross between zombies and vampires, in my opinion. To keep it going, I've been watching horror movies left and right, last night was Quarentine, a zombie movie.
I've come to the conclusion that there are only so many different personas that zombies/vampires/witches etc can have while maintaining their horrifying image. I would love to see these creatures reinvented. (If you must, your vampire can certainly have a heart and a love interest, but I live no more than twenty miles from Forks which means I am TIRED of the Twilight saga so NO SPARKLING VAMPIRES!!)
Vital Statistics
• Name
• Nickname
• Reasons for name (if any)
• Age
• Sex
• Nationality
• Disabilities (if any)
• Glasses/contact lenses wearer?
Physical Appearance
• Height
• Build
• Weight
• Complexion
• Colour of hair
• Quality of hair
• Usual hairstyle
• Colour of eyes
• Facial features
• Distinguishing features
• Scars/birthmarks (if any)
• General health
• Style of dress
• Grooming
Early Childhood
• Birthplace
• Father’s parenting style/occupation/attitude
• Mother’s parenting style/occupation/attitude
• If no parents, why?
• Siblings (if any)
• Relationships with family members
• Family feuds (if any)
• Financial situation
• Happiest memory
• Childhood traumas
• Childhood even that still affects him/her
Biographical Details
• Education
• Occupation history
• Successes/achievements
• Failures
• Obstacles in life (a disability or family commitments)
• Special skills (if any)
• Gifts/talents
• Geographical history (residency abroad etc.)
Personal Life
• Past key relationships
• Marriages/divorces (if any)
• Sexual orientation
• Why did relationships end?
• Any recurrent themes
• Past convictions (if any)
• Hobbies
• Favourite food/drink
• Usual haunts
• Philosophy in life (carefree, cautious?) Why?
• Religion (if any)
Present Situation
• Marital status
• Quality of marriage/partnership
• Issues in marriage/partnership (infidelities?)
• Children/dependents
• Names of children/dependents, ages, sex
• Relationship with children/dependents
• Occupation
• Is s/he happy in occupation? If not, why?
• What would s/he rather be doing?
• Relationship with work colleagues
• Issues at work (if any)
• Financial situation
• Quality of home life
• Typical daily routine
• Type of car/s driven
Secret Life
• Phobias
• What is the worst thing that could happen to him/her?
• What is the best thing that could happen to him/her?
• Addictive behaviour (alcohol, gambling, etc)
• Personal detail most ashamed of
• What s/he would most like to change about them self. Why?
• What s/he mostly wants from life
• Personal goals
• Personal strengths
• Personal weaknesses
• Sexual transgressions (if any)
• Compulsions (if any)
• Obsessions (if any)
Using this, come up with a sci-fi/ horror creature. Even zombies have motives. As always, post what you wrote
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Character Development: Names
So, you've got a character, but no name. Nothing sounds right. There are too many Tiffany's, Claire's, Thomas', etc, yet finding a random name on the baby websites just doesn't seem fitting after you've put so much work into developing these characters. What I like to do when chosing a name for my character is to pick one of their most important characteristics, whether its their strength or their evilness.
Once you've done that, search for names with that meaning. For example, in a novel I am writing, the main character is a young woman who is not well versed in relationships or life. After breaking up with her fiancee, she finds herself in the middle of the Bering Sea, battling herself and learning how to become the person she wants to be. When trying to name her, I felt that her greatest strength was her inner battle in order to become a better person.
After some research, I discovered that the surname Blair means "battlefield", which I thought was more than fitting. Therefore, my young woman who is struggling with herself is now named Blair.
If you are naming a lesser or support character, obviously you don't have to pay this much attention in naming them, but it is important to stray away from certain names.
For instance, if you are writing in a semiautobiographal nature, steer away from using your friend or family's real names. Not only could it upset them, but if you have something minutely negative to say about them, they may not appreciate their name being put on blast.
Finally, don't be afraid of being creative. A name doesn't need to have a specific meaning and if you plan on naming a vampire or a fairy, generic names may not apply.
Once you've done that, search for names with that meaning. For example, in a novel I am writing, the main character is a young woman who is not well versed in relationships or life. After breaking up with her fiancee, she finds herself in the middle of the Bering Sea, battling herself and learning how to become the person she wants to be. When trying to name her, I felt that her greatest strength was her inner battle in order to become a better person.
After some research, I discovered that the surname Blair means "battlefield", which I thought was more than fitting. Therefore, my young woman who is struggling with herself is now named Blair.
If you are naming a lesser or support character, obviously you don't have to pay this much attention in naming them, but it is important to stray away from certain names.
For instance, if you are writing in a semiautobiographal nature, steer away from using your friend or family's real names. Not only could it upset them, but if you have something minutely negative to say about them, they may not appreciate their name being put on blast.
Finally, don't be afraid of being creative. A name doesn't need to have a specific meaning and if you plan on naming a vampire or a fairy, generic names may not apply.
Character Development # 1
For those of you who already have a story in mind, but might not be so keen on your character, let's start some character development.
A couple things to remember when you're creating a character:
-Everyone is unique. Make sure your character has quarks
-No one in the world is perfect, so don't forget to add their flaws also
-Be creative. Your character is your chance to be someone you're not. Don't
be afraid to make them slightly evil or a complete super hero.
While names are important, it's not the first place I like to start. Here is a good starting point:
Age:
Race:
Location:
Living situation:
Once the basics are in place, I like to add information on like I am scultping a person. After I have the basic body shape, we need to add more clay for limbs and a face.
Gender:
Hair color:
Eye color:
Face shape:
Body shape:
Once you have a picture of your character in your head, start describing their finer details. Do they have a big nose? Are their eyebrows slightly unkempt? Literally list all their features from head to toe OR if you are so artisticaly inclined, draw a picture.
Now it's time for the finer things.
Clothing style:
Hair style:
Car (if they drive one):
Job/Schooling:
Family:
The exciting part, in my opinion, is to shape their personality.
Pet peeves:
Sense of humor:
Smart?
Likes:
Dislikes:
Introvert or extrovert?
Protagonist, antagonist?
This is your main character so get to know them. You may want to imagine their bedroom, and things like favorite color, band, book, television show, etc. Dialog is important in a story, so don't forget to give them a specific speech pattern. Perhaps they have an accent or they use words like "dude" or "like" alot.
A person is complex, so any little detail you can think of is that much more realism in your character.
After I've got a pretty good idea of who your character is, it might be easier to give a name, which we will go through in the next post.
A couple things to remember when you're creating a character:
-Everyone is unique. Make sure your character has quarks
-No one in the world is perfect, so don't forget to add their flaws also
-Be creative. Your character is your chance to be someone you're not. Don't
be afraid to make them slightly evil or a complete super hero.
While names are important, it's not the first place I like to start. Here is a good starting point:
Age:
Race:
Location:
Living situation:
Once the basics are in place, I like to add information on like I am scultping a person. After I have the basic body shape, we need to add more clay for limbs and a face.
Gender:
Hair color:
Eye color:
Face shape:
Body shape:
Once you have a picture of your character in your head, start describing their finer details. Do they have a big nose? Are their eyebrows slightly unkempt? Literally list all their features from head to toe OR if you are so artisticaly inclined, draw a picture.
Now it's time for the finer things.
Clothing style:
Hair style:
Car (if they drive one):
Job/Schooling:
Family:
The exciting part, in my opinion, is to shape their personality.
Pet peeves:
Sense of humor:
Smart?
Likes:
Dislikes:
Introvert or extrovert?
Protagonist, antagonist?
This is your main character so get to know them. You may want to imagine their bedroom, and things like favorite color, band, book, television show, etc. Dialog is important in a story, so don't forget to give them a specific speech pattern. Perhaps they have an accent or they use words like "dude" or "like" alot.
A person is complex, so any little detail you can think of is that much more realism in your character.
After I've got a pretty good idea of who your character is, it might be easier to give a name, which we will go through in the next post.
Magnetic Poetry Exercise
As stated previously, I loved my sentence resulting from the magnetic poetry exercise so much, I decided to write a short story around it. Here is what I came up with:
The axe cracked across the trunk of the tree, sending a resilient echo through the sky. He let out a breath of exhaustion as he dropped the axe, head first, on the ground and let the handle land on the pile of leaves that formed a mound by his feet. With a tired step backwards, Chris looked up at the tree, examining his axe’s marks in the rough bark.
This was the second tree to fell today. It was easily thirty feet, thick and strong, healthy. He almost felt guilty for killing what was once alive when he felt so dead inside. Two more should just about do it. He craned his neck, turning his head as if to tune his line of sight on its destination. There it was, the foundation that had been poured weeks ago. A rich colored cedar skeleton encircled the cloudy cement. Chris had done everything he could to build himself a cabin that looked like it was built in the 1800’s.
At one time, that dream had also included Aster. He had sketched the plans with the idea that she would stand in the yard with their dog and their little girl, calling for him as he chopped firewood. He had never told that dream to anyone. He was introverted as it was, but this was the thing he wanted the most out of the world; a simple, carefree, loving life. Had he told anyone this dream, he would have bared his soul and that was something he couldn’t possibly do.
Shaking his head out of his reverie, Chris picked up the axe and moved with two quick steps to the other side of the tree. The axe no longer felt heavy in his hand, it felt lighter; like he had some how gained more strength. Squaring his feet and his shoulders, he raised the axe in his air. With a thick inhale, smelling like wood chips and wet leaves, Chris heaved the axe into the tree.
Fleetingly, he swore he could hear her laugh. Aster’s laugh was beautiful, fresh, happy. It never sounded contrived or forced. Chris stopped in mid chop. It made his heart pound; the thought of her being in such close proximity that he could hear her laugh. For a second, a smile tugged at his lips. Then the anxiety rose, making his fingers twitch in his clenched hand. It couldn’t be her. She had made her decision. She was gone now and he ached for the past, but Chris knew it would never be the same. Aster couldn’t take back the words she said or the hate she instilled in him. No apology could allow someone to overcome the hurt she had caused him.
It had felt like a punch in the gut recalling these memories. Then he heard it again. That simple laugh that floated like a cloud, rounded and full. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, a rustle, and a little song bird darted from the bushes and out into the sky. Chris was vaguely aware of the bird’s parting beak as it belted out Aster’s laugh.
Chris knew it was time for this all to end. He was tired of dragging these awful memories with him wherever he went. They tainted him. Old haunts and friends reminded him too much of the time he had spent with her, whether they were in love or fighting like dogs.
He was pursuing his dream, even if he had modified it. This was what he had always wanted, a large parcel of land, settled in the middle of nowhere. The air was pure and the only sound was that of the woods. He was building the house he had always wanted. No one had lived in it, no one had visited, no one knew about it but Chris. It was a fresh start and a clean slate.
It was time for this misery to end. Once again, Chris brought the axe up, eyeing the perfect spot on the tree. With a breath, he tried to picture all the ties he had to Aster, physically, emotionally, mentally. He visualized his heart growing limbs that shot out in all directions, finally coming to a rest as they attached themselves to Aster.
Chris smiled. He was going to get rid of the past. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was ready to be done with this period of his life, but the bird chirped again and he decided he couldn’t stand the memories any longer. Bringing the axe to the tree, Chris severed all of his heart’s little arms that had clutched onto Aster.
Instantly, he felt his shoulders drop, all the tension melting down his arms and into the ground. His chest suddenly felt lighter, as if he hadn’t been able to breath in months. Exhilarated, he picked up the axe, bringing it to the tree again. And again. And again. Until every rotten memory from his past was gone. He sweated out her love with a scream like a winter symphony.
Now remember, just because you turned a sentence into a short story, doesn't mean you can't turn that short story into a novella or even a novel. Enjoy.
The axe cracked across the trunk of the tree, sending a resilient echo through the sky. He let out a breath of exhaustion as he dropped the axe, head first, on the ground and let the handle land on the pile of leaves that formed a mound by his feet. With a tired step backwards, Chris looked up at the tree, examining his axe’s marks in the rough bark.
This was the second tree to fell today. It was easily thirty feet, thick and strong, healthy. He almost felt guilty for killing what was once alive when he felt so dead inside. Two more should just about do it. He craned his neck, turning his head as if to tune his line of sight on its destination. There it was, the foundation that had been poured weeks ago. A rich colored cedar skeleton encircled the cloudy cement. Chris had done everything he could to build himself a cabin that looked like it was built in the 1800’s.
At one time, that dream had also included Aster. He had sketched the plans with the idea that she would stand in the yard with their dog and their little girl, calling for him as he chopped firewood. He had never told that dream to anyone. He was introverted as it was, but this was the thing he wanted the most out of the world; a simple, carefree, loving life. Had he told anyone this dream, he would have bared his soul and that was something he couldn’t possibly do.
Shaking his head out of his reverie, Chris picked up the axe and moved with two quick steps to the other side of the tree. The axe no longer felt heavy in his hand, it felt lighter; like he had some how gained more strength. Squaring his feet and his shoulders, he raised the axe in his air. With a thick inhale, smelling like wood chips and wet leaves, Chris heaved the axe into the tree.
Fleetingly, he swore he could hear her laugh. Aster’s laugh was beautiful, fresh, happy. It never sounded contrived or forced. Chris stopped in mid chop. It made his heart pound; the thought of her being in such close proximity that he could hear her laugh. For a second, a smile tugged at his lips. Then the anxiety rose, making his fingers twitch in his clenched hand. It couldn’t be her. She had made her decision. She was gone now and he ached for the past, but Chris knew it would never be the same. Aster couldn’t take back the words she said or the hate she instilled in him. No apology could allow someone to overcome the hurt she had caused him.
It had felt like a punch in the gut recalling these memories. Then he heard it again. That simple laugh that floated like a cloud, rounded and full. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, a rustle, and a little song bird darted from the bushes and out into the sky. Chris was vaguely aware of the bird’s parting beak as it belted out Aster’s laugh.
Chris knew it was time for this all to end. He was tired of dragging these awful memories with him wherever he went. They tainted him. Old haunts and friends reminded him too much of the time he had spent with her, whether they were in love or fighting like dogs.
He was pursuing his dream, even if he had modified it. This was what he had always wanted, a large parcel of land, settled in the middle of nowhere. The air was pure and the only sound was that of the woods. He was building the house he had always wanted. No one had lived in it, no one had visited, no one knew about it but Chris. It was a fresh start and a clean slate.
It was time for this misery to end. Once again, Chris brought the axe up, eyeing the perfect spot on the tree. With a breath, he tried to picture all the ties he had to Aster, physically, emotionally, mentally. He visualized his heart growing limbs that shot out in all directions, finally coming to a rest as they attached themselves to Aster.
Chris smiled. He was going to get rid of the past. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was ready to be done with this period of his life, but the bird chirped again and he decided he couldn’t stand the memories any longer. Bringing the axe to the tree, Chris severed all of his heart’s little arms that had clutched onto Aster.
Instantly, he felt his shoulders drop, all the tension melting down his arms and into the ground. His chest suddenly felt lighter, as if he hadn’t been able to breath in months. Exhilarated, he picked up the axe, bringing it to the tree again. And again. And again. Until every rotten memory from his past was gone. He sweated out her love with a scream like a winter symphony.
Now remember, just because you turned a sentence into a short story, doesn't mean you can't turn that short story into a novella or even a novel. Enjoy.
Writing Exercise #4
I am not a poet. It's as simple as that. I'm not interested in poetry, I don't like to write poetry, but I find magnetic poetry to be an amazing tool when writing.
Buy a box of magnetic poetry. If you don't feel like spending money on it, type out a list of verbs and ajdectives, occasionlly throwing in a few preposition phases and nouns, cut them out into little boxes with words on them. The first thing I like to do when using magnetic poetry, is pick out some verbs or adjectives that sound interesting to me. Today, I have picked: delirious, sweat, love, scream, and manipulate.
Now remember, you don't have to use all the words you chose. Now I'm going to make it into some sort of sentance. I came up with He sweated out her love with a scream like a winter symphony.
Maybe your story begins with this sentance. Maybe it ends, or perhaps it's in the middle. Either way, this sentence has presented me with a character, a conflict, and a mood setting.
In fact, I like this sentance so much, I'm going to go write something right now and I'll post it when it's done. Post what you wrote!
Buy a box of magnetic poetry. If you don't feel like spending money on it, type out a list of verbs and ajdectives, occasionlly throwing in a few preposition phases and nouns, cut them out into little boxes with words on them. The first thing I like to do when using magnetic poetry, is pick out some verbs or adjectives that sound interesting to me. Today, I have picked: delirious, sweat, love, scream, and manipulate.
Now remember, you don't have to use all the words you chose. Now I'm going to make it into some sort of sentance. I came up with He sweated out her love with a scream like a winter symphony.
Maybe your story begins with this sentance. Maybe it ends, or perhaps it's in the middle. Either way, this sentence has presented me with a character, a conflict, and a mood setting.
In fact, I like this sentance so much, I'm going to go write something right now and I'll post it when it's done. Post what you wrote!
Writing Exercise #3
When I look back on all the things I've written, I find that almost all my characters are similar in more than a coincidental sense. I have a hard time writing from the viewpoint of a character who is anyone other than me, and any love interests always end up resembling the same image of the perfect man in my head. Now, I will attempt to break through that and turn someone into a completely different person.
Go to Google. In the search box, type in a first name. Scroll through the images and pick one. Physically describe the person first. Then, based on what they are doing in the picture, describe their likes, dislikes, pet peeves, favorites, job, etc. Try to go into as much detail as you can. Once you're finished with that, repeat the search, only this time, chose someone with the gender opposite of what you just described. Try this for at least 3 different pictures. Compare them. Are they too similar? Are you using the same words to describe them? How are their personalities compared to yours? Don't be afraid to make one or more of them an antagonist, or to make one of them someone you wouldn't like. Feel free to share!
Go to Google. In the search box, type in a first name. Scroll through the images and pick one. Physically describe the person first. Then, based on what they are doing in the picture, describe their likes, dislikes, pet peeves, favorites, job, etc. Try to go into as much detail as you can. Once you're finished with that, repeat the search, only this time, chose someone with the gender opposite of what you just described. Try this for at least 3 different pictures. Compare them. Are they too similar? Are you using the same words to describe them? How are their personalities compared to yours? Don't be afraid to make one or more of them an antagonist, or to make one of them someone you wouldn't like. Feel free to share!
Writing Exercise #2
It's Halloween time and I find myself devouring books of the horror and suspense genre. There is something so fascinating about human reactions in a scary situation, but that's much more complex. I think the element that scares me the most in a scary book is the suspense and anticipation that you feel while you're waiting for the zombie/monster/vampire/ etc to strike.
Imagine yourself in a situation in which you are essentially trapped. Maybe it was an accident, maybe it was on purpose. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your senses tell you someone (or something) is there. Describe your body and mind's reaction as things get tense. To add a twist, perhaps you can't see or are only seeing through a crack or a crevise. Describe what's going on around you blindedly. As always, feel free to post your writings here and enjoy
Imagine yourself in a situation in which you are essentially trapped. Maybe it was an accident, maybe it was on purpose. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your senses tell you someone (or something) is there. Describe your body and mind's reaction as things get tense. To add a twist, perhaps you can't see or are only seeing through a crack or a crevise. Describe what's going on around you blindedly. As always, feel free to post your writings here and enjoy
Writing Exercise #1
In highschool I took a creative writing course. I will share with you my all time favorite writing exercise with you as the first of more to come:
Imagine a person who is idly gazing out of a window. It could be any person, anywhere, out of any window. What are they looking out at? What is going on in the outside world? Why are they not out there? First, start by describing the scene both inside and out. Once you've done that, sculpt a short story around it. Add a conflict. Remember, this can be either an internal or external conflict. Or both. Since this is a short story, concentrate on your verbs and descriptions, make sure the reader feels like they are there. Feel free to share it on here and good luck!
Imagine a person who is idly gazing out of a window. It could be any person, anywhere, out of any window. What are they looking out at? What is going on in the outside world? Why are they not out there? First, start by describing the scene both inside and out. Once you've done that, sculpt a short story around it. Add a conflict. Remember, this can be either an internal or external conflict. Or both. Since this is a short story, concentrate on your verbs and descriptions, make sure the reader feels like they are there. Feel free to share it on here and good luck!
Halloween is coming, which means that my netflix queue is full of anything that could even slightly resemble scary. Currently, I'm rerunning all the episodes of Dead Like Me, which is a great show, by the way, I'm so disappointed that there was only 2 seasons and that the movie they released was horrible, to say the least. Anyways, while watching this show, I find myself wanting to be able to write something, anything, that can connect to people like this show can. Of course, then my mind wonders to all the other things I've read or watched that "inspire" me to write and suddenly I feel like a Seattle hipster, sitting in a coffee shop other than Starbucks (because hipsters like the unknown), and I start writing or perusing the internet for some sort of writing tool or topic and what happens? The internet fails miserably.
I'm tired of looking for an excercise to unclog my backed up mind and finding "describe your favorite vacation". I'm tired of trying to develope a character only to be given the advice "Give them a name". That's a given, right?
Today, I decided that I am done with that. Ultimately, I would love to be a writer on the side and if I can publish one or two books I'd be happy. Even if only one person reads that book, even if only one other person in the whole wide world can relate to something I wrote. That's all I hope for, but mostly, I want to write so that everything that plagues me on a day to day basis can be purged from the rat trap in my brain and finally stop bothering me.
I can't say that I'm anyone special. I'm not an accomplished writer, I haven't taken any amazing course on the subject and I surely do not claim to know much about anything, but I decided that today I will share what I have compiled and what little I've learned since I was scribbling things down in a lined notebook in the back of the classroom. I invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, stories, advice, anything, with me. Maybe one day we'll all be famous authors with an incredible fan base and we'll all laugh about how this little blog started on a dark and rainy Friday morning in October with no real hopes or dreams.
I'm tired of looking for an excercise to unclog my backed up mind and finding "describe your favorite vacation". I'm tired of trying to develope a character only to be given the advice "Give them a name". That's a given, right?
Today, I decided that I am done with that. Ultimately, I would love to be a writer on the side and if I can publish one or two books I'd be happy. Even if only one person reads that book, even if only one other person in the whole wide world can relate to something I wrote. That's all I hope for, but mostly, I want to write so that everything that plagues me on a day to day basis can be purged from the rat trap in my brain and finally stop bothering me.
I can't say that I'm anyone special. I'm not an accomplished writer, I haven't taken any amazing course on the subject and I surely do not claim to know much about anything, but I decided that today I will share what I have compiled and what little I've learned since I was scribbling things down in a lined notebook in the back of the classroom. I invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, stories, advice, anything, with me. Maybe one day we'll all be famous authors with an incredible fan base and we'll all laugh about how this little blog started on a dark and rainy Friday morning in October with no real hopes or dreams.
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