Author, Character Development, Creating Real Life Characters, Writing class, Writng

Creating Real Life Characters

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Week 2 Creating Real Life Characters

These are my notes for the second week of my Character Development class


The key thing to look for in a character- What do you notice when you see someone for the first time?

Do we try to describe the person’s characteristics below?

– physical
-personality
-speech- type of speech/ do they stutter/ accent etc-
-clothing
-their habits

What aspect do we pick up first?

Notice after you make a list what you thought of first when you evaluated the person.
What did you include? What did you leave out?

What would I notice about me from someone’s else who would be looking at me?

Characters: We have to make them believable and enjoyable.  Even the villain has to be constructed this way.  If we fail then the characters fall flat. 

Example of habits: twitch, limp, wear the same outfit repeatedly in a time frame.
curves her r when she speaks etc

If we just describe by appearance it makes our characters one-dimensional.

No matter how strong the plot or theme is,  it makes our character undeveloped which leaves readers bored and confused.

Try to get more personal with our characters:
-do they laugh a certain way
-do they have a quirk that makes them different?
-do their lip droop due to a stroke or accident?


Action driven plot- writers who write this way draw from their left side of the brain. They think in a linear function sort of way.  They like structure. They have little trouble expressing words/ descriptions but have trouble finding the right words. They have rational thinking and focus on reality.

Character driven plot- These writers have feeling, creativity and imagination.. They use the right side of the brain. They love the beauty of the language. They are subjective.  They are random and disorganize but see their story as a whole.
–

Character Driven or Action Driven? Which one is your main guy or gal?

Take the following test and see where you fit.

Answer these questions about your cast members.

1- Protagonist’s overall story goal

2- What stands in his or her way of achieving the goal?

3- What does he or she stand to lose, if not successful?

4- Flaw or greatest fault

5- Greatest strength

6- Hates

7- Loves

8- Fear

9- Secret

10-Dream

This was to show which way we lean in our writings.

If you answered 1-3 and had problem we have no dramatic excitement about our character. We are action driven

If we answered 4-10 with ease Then we are character driven in our writings.

If we answered all ten with ease then we write both ways.

If we fail to do 4-10 with ease, more likely our character is action driven, which means they are arranged in order and have conclusion but lack the human element and hence losing the audience attention. You will lose 70 percent of your readers.

Is the description of your character just surface information or does it hit the core?

Blog, Bonding, Emotions, Family, husband, Life, Men, Valentine's Day

My husband vs Valentine’s Day

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My husband and I have been married a while- over 20 years. So when Valentine’s Day comes around I don’t expect flowers, candy, a card or the big woo. Odds are we have already celebrated it this past weekend to avoid the crowds on Tuesday.

If I get anything I am happy but being married and showing one’s love should not be celebrated just a few times a year on those special days: one’s anniversary, birthday and Valentine Day.

I don’t need the trinkets of a holiday that specializes in making the candy, greeting card and flower industry more wealthy. It is the little things that people might overlook

1-My husband dropping me off at the front of an establishment when my fibro is acting up

2-Buying me a king size candy bar of my favorite brand just because

3-Doing the dishes every morning before he goes to work

4-Watching my sports teams on tv with me even when he couldn’t care less who wins.

5-Getting me a Pepsi even though he knows I am not allowed but I crave it.

6-Not sharing my dessert at a restaurant knowing inside I don’t really want to share

7-Driving almost 3 hours one way to bring me to my doctor’s office

The list goes on. As a female I will admit the flowers and candy do make me go woohoo inside. But in the grand scheme of things I rather know that I am loved year round instead of just a few specific days the industry dictates.

While we ate our official Valentine’s Day meal on Sunday I will be treating him out today at lunch.

Update:

I found out today my husband is always a surprise to me. Sitting on my laptop this morning was a beautiful package, I almost hated to break the seal. Inside was a lovely card with a sentiment that made me pause. Inside that card was a Subway card for a few meals. He does know me well. 🙂

But inside that package was a beautiful hand-woven scarf and necklace. The picture does not do them justice. The girl in me squealed on the inside for the package and for having a husband who loves me. I know this with or without the gifts.

Blog, Dedication, Emotions, People, Ramblings

Dedication

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Have you ever wondered what kind of impact you make on others? I know I do. With my insecurities of how I come across it always amazes me when people tell me what they think- that is in a good way.

My good friend Lisa, who is from one of my writers groups, told me that I bring energy and lightness to the meetings and it is certainly missed when I am not there. Me, energy and lightness?

My friend Gina, who I meet with weekly to talk about life and also writing, has told me on numerous occasions that I motivate and inspire her by my personality. Me, someone who motivates and inspires others?

I consider myself an average run of the mill person. I try to treat people like I want to be treated. Do I accomplish this all the time, of course not. But to hear people tell me positive things they see about me does make me feel good.

It is probably why I try to tell people what I think about them, when they are making a difference in a positive way. Everyone needs that boost, that certain lift to say hey I am not that bad.

Through Twitter and other avenues I have come across some wonderful writers. Some who are quickly becoming friends and people I care about. This has open me up to a world of people who just have taken me in and let me blossom personality wise and for that I am grateful.

The reason for this post is as follows. A friend of mine, Nancy, is about to release another book and she placed me in her dedication page.

My first thought was OH MY GOSH HOW FREAKEN AWESOME IS THAT? That I made an impact to be placed in a dedication page made me speechless. Well ok not entirely speechless but you all get the idea.  We never know what kind of effect we will have on people, positive or negative. Until we are actually told or we can visually see it we may never know.

So the moral of this is to let people know what you think. Let them know what they mean to you, how being around them has helped you. It does not cost a dime. The rewards will be a smile and the person feeling good inside. That is priceless.

The Musings of A New Englander