Category: Character Development
NaNo Inspiration: Conflict Time!
| November 8, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Things that inspire me, Writing with confidence |
It’s week two. By now, you probably should have introduced your antagonist and hinted at the main problem in your story. Now it’s time to throw in some conflict via subplots to reveal some of your characters’ true colors.
Here’s one of my favorite examples. It comes form Firefly – possibly the best show ever – that was unfortunately canceled by our friends at Fox.
The main conflict in this series is between Mal and ‘the Feds.’ They are evil-doers and Mal is a principled criminal. In this episode, Mal and crew sneak into a fancy hospital in order to accomplish two goals: 1. Steal medicine that will be worth piles of money and 2. To allow the fugitive doctor (Simon) to get some advanced x-rays of his sister (River) who was experimented on by the Feds. One problem though: as they were on the way out, the Feds almost caught them. They get lucky and get away, but this is not without conflict. Watch this:
What this clip shows me is that Jayne is loyal only so long as he’s getting paid well enough. Good to know, right? This clip also shows how seriously Mal takes loyalty. I could gush for a while because Mal is one of my favorite characters, but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about him.
Now, how does this help you with your NaNoWriMo project? Subplots. They must be woven around the main thread of your plot, but you can use them as a tool to help you reveal information about your characters. Remember, you need to know what your main character wants – that’s part of your main plot line. How that desire interacts with the other characters’ wants or needs can spur the subplot.
The subplot conflict of mistrust of Jayne helps to illustrate more than just that he is motivated by money. The fact that he was going to be arrested too -instead of given the reward money for turning in fugitives- tells us that the Feds are a pretty nasty group. Also, the subplot of River and Simon later collides with the main plot of Mal vs. the Feds. They are offering huge bounty for River and Simon because River is worth a lot to them. See how that all works? Now, even though Mal and the crew don’t know why the Feds want River, they have further motivation to keep her away from them.
Have you introduced your subplots? What are they? How do they tie into the main story and what do they show about your characters’ character?
Related Posts:
Power Trip
| September 15, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts |
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Abe Lincoln
How do your characters react when you give them power (both your protagonist and antagonist)? From where do they draw their power? Who has power over your character? What kind?
French and Raven have put together some interesting philosophy about different kinds of power and their sources. Here’s a link to a website that discusses them.
In short they are:
1. Referent power – think of somebody at work who is not your boss, but who you look to for advice. This person has referent power, as in, you use them as a reference. They can influence you because they are a type of role model.
2. Coercive Power – just like it sounds. Influencing someone by force or threat.
3. Legitimate Power – elected officials have legitimate power. Your boss has legitimate power.
4. Reward Power – this is often used with kids. If you are good and take a nap, you’ll be rewarded with dessert tonight.
5. Expert Power – you trust your doctor, right? Because your doctor is an expert on medical things, you give him or her the power to influence you in health decisions.
Use the different types to help you make assessments about your characters motivations and sources of power.
Related Posts:
Character Development: Career Counseling Session 2
| September 13, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts, Things that inspire me |
You may remember this stuff from Session 1, but here it is in case you missed that post:
In my other life, I advised college students. We talked about all kinds of things, but career seemed to be a pretty common theme in our discussions. I discovered that I have a special knack for helping people parse out their dreams and goals (ya know, no big). Since everything from my normal life finds its way into my writing life, I’ve decided that it would be fun to write a prompt for career coaching your character.
Here’s why I think this is a good idea: You want to get at the heart of your character’s desires, right? Well, in career counseling, the idea is to help people understand important events or moments in their lives that have shaped who they are. What are their values? More importantly, why do they hold those values? What do these things lead them to desire? What do they perceive to be barriers to success?
So in Session 1, we just got some basic, surface level information. Now we’re going to start digging a little deeper and looking for the wells of emotion. You’re looking for the things that have held lasting importance in your character’s life.
Here are some suggestions about what to ask your character in this session:
1. How was your week? Always start with a check in, that way you’ll now if anything is bothering your character.
2. Check in about whatever your character told you that he or she was looking forward to in the last session. This will allow you to gather information about something that was exciting for your character. You may build on this later in this session.
3. What do you love to do? How often do you do this? How did you discover that you enjoy it? Answers can be anything, hobbies included.
4. What is something that people have always told you you’re good at? Do you believe them? Why or why not? This will give you a sense for what this character’s special talents might be. Often, others recognize them in a person before he or she recognizes them.
5. What was your dream job when you were a kid? Spend some time on this, let your character tell you some of the professions he or she considered and then follow your intuition. Which ones seem most important to the character?
Related Posts:
Character Development: You have Enemies? Good.
| September 8, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts |
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” — Winston Churchill
Your character is absolutely bound to have enemies. If he didn’t, there would be no story. Your job as the writer/mastermind of this enthralling plot is to figure out who those enemies are, how they became enemies, and why they’re holding such a grudge. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe your character is the one holding the grudge.
In some cases, it may be that your character’s enemy is not another character but rather nature, time, himself, etc. Those things, for me, are more difficult to conceptualize. However, if that’s where your heart is taking you, by all means, follow it. Just be aware of the way that your enemy works and how it affects your character on his journey.
Here are some basic questions to answer:
1. Who is the enemy? Are there more than one? How did your enemy come to be who he or she is today?
2. Where is your enemy from? What does he like to do? What are some major events in her life? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy?
Now that you know a little bit about the enemy itself, start to put together how and why the enemy is a problem for your beloved protagonist.
3. How did the protagonist and the enemy meet?
4. How have they come to interfere in a negative way in your character’s life?
5. Why has your character avoided a confrontation with him/her/it thus far? More importantly, why is your character facing them now, in this moment?
6. Does the enemy have an impact on the larger world in addition to your protagonist?
I have one more section for you to complete. For some people, this may be difficult, but you must do it in order to create a round enemy, rather than a flat one. Ready?
7. What is likeable about the enemy?
8. If you were a trusted friend of the enemy, what would you think of him? What would you think of the protagonist?
9. If your enemy has no friends, what would her mother love about her?
10. What qualities will she has that make the reader wonder if she really hates him or if he’s just getting the bum rap?
Related Posts:
Character Development: Home is wherever I’m with you
| September 8, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts, Things that inspire me, Writing with confidence |
This is one of my current favorite songs. It has great lyrics, a great beat, it’s just so catchy! So, we’re going to use it for a writing prompt!
Choose two of your characters who are going to end up together. Write a 500-1000 word vignette about them that meets the following criteria:
1. They can’t be in their actual home, but they need to be making the best of life wherever they are. Provide enough context for readers to surmise the reason for their separation from their proper home.
2. They have to discuss a memory from early in their relationship.
3. Work in a nickname somewhere- one they only use when they’re alone together.
Have fun!
Related Posts:
Character Development: Career Counseling Session 1
| September 7, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts, Writing with confidence |
In my other life, I advised college students. We talked about all kinds of things, but career seemed to be a pretty common theme in our discussions. I discovered that I have a special knack for helping people parse out their dreams and goals (ya know, no big). Since everything from my normal life finds its way into my writing life, I’ve decided that it would be fun to write a prompt for career coaching your character.
Here’s why I think this is a good idea: You want to get at the heart of your character’s desires, right? Well, in career counseling, the idea is to help people understand important events or moments in their lives that have shaped who they are. What are their values? More importantly, why do they hold those values? What do these things lead them to desire? What do they perceive to be barriers to success?
Let’s get to it.
Set up an interview with your character. You’ll be the career counselor. I suggest breaking this endeavor into multiple sessions. Here’s session 1.
Session 1
Session 1 is all about getting familiar with the big picture of your character’s life. You want to know basic background information, current situation, and get a general feel for who this person is. In this session, listen to answers, take note of topics that crop up frequently, and pay special attention to body language. In general, you should be able to tell if there’s something lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly innocuous comment. Spend 30-60 minutes on this.
Here are some basic questions to ask:
1. How are you today? (If any sort of answer other than “fine” is given, inquire further – you want to know if something really great or really stressful is going on in your character’s life. Also, the amount of information he or she is willing to share in a first session reveals a lot about personality.)
2. What is your background? Where do you come from? (Gives you insight into possible values, can be a wealth of information about how this character interacts with the world.)
3. What jobs did your parents and grandparents have? (What runs in your character’s blood?)
4. What do you currently do to make a living? Do you like it? (If yes, why? If no, what would you rather do?)
5. What are you looking forward to between now and our next session? (You want to find out what the other important parts of the character’s life are.)
Whew! What do you think? What did you learn about your character? Anything good? What are you dying to ask in your next session?
Related Posts:
Character Development: Interview
| September 2, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Character Development, Prompts |
How much do you really know about your characters? Try out this exercise to find out.
Interview. Close your eyes and put your hands on the keyboard. Imagine yourself sitting in a comfortable place (a coffee shop, your living room, a baseball game, whatever works for you) with your character.
a) Appearance. Just let your mind focus on him or her at first. Study the appearance, make note of important features. Does your character fidget? Sit still? Look bored or interested? What kind of clothes does he or she wear?
b) Interview. You must have questions about your character. Ask away! Try to let your mind relax. Don’t force any answers, and don’t try to guide what the character says. Just listen. You might be surprised at what he or she tells you. If your character says nothing, maybe that’s part of his personality. Just be patient, as you would with getting to know anybody else.
c) Listen. Listen for the tone of the character’s voice. What kind of body language do you notice? Are there questions that make him or her uncomfortable? Subjects that she has a lot to say about?
The answers to your questions are undoubtedly important, but knowing your character involves more than just back story. Your character should come alive in your mind. Everybody has little quirks, a special way of talking or listening, etc. Pay attention to the whole picture during your interview.
The next level….
Okay, so you’ve got a basic understanding of your character. In order to write more confidently about this person, you need a depth of understanding. Here are a couple of things that you can do in order to develop that.
1. Ask why five times. For every answer you get from your character, keep asking why. For example:
You: What is your favorite time of year?
Character: Summer.
You: Why?
Character: I don’t know, I like to be warm and go outside.
You: Why?
Character: It reminds me of my mom.
You: why?
Character: When I was a child, my mother always took me to the park on warm summer days. It was the only time I was truly happy.
You: Why?
Character: (may be getting edgy now, you’re getting close to the heart) Because my father was an abusive drunk and it was the only time he would let us out. I knew he was watching from the window of our house, but I sometimes thought of running away. But then I couldn’t leave my mother. She was so sweet. I remember sitting in her lap, warm from her, but the warm air from the summer day pressed in like a blanket.
See how that works? And I only had to ask why 4 times…. If I had asked again I probably would have asked, “Why didn’t you and your mom run away (too scared, nowhere to go)?” or “What drove your father to alcoholism (his father was the same way, when he lost his job at the tire factory, he lost his mind)?”
What you learn from asking why is the reasoning for the current state of affairs. It also gives you a clearer understanding of why your character needs to get the hell out. Or it tells you what scarring life events have made him the way he is.
Loading ...
Recent Comments