tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post568131729043590803..comments2024-03-20T08:27:29.290+11:00Comments on .W.I.P. It: 7 Essential Elements of Character CreationLynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-86383806659171117792011-09-22T08:01:54.327+10:002011-09-22T08:01:54.327+10:00Kelworth, wow, that's a lot of questions :)Kelworth, wow, that's a lot of questions :)Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-61866083227140941612011-09-21T07:43:23.906+10:002011-09-21T07:43:23.906+10:00There's a lot of different things I try to fin...There's a lot of different things I try to find out about any character. I have a questionnaire 100 items long that I try to fill out if I can!<br /><br />Thanks for posting this, from a fellow Campaigner!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-33929425917642941762011-09-15T14:32:43.324+10:002011-09-15T14:32:43.324+10:00Hi Bob, thanks so much for your indepth comment. I...Hi Bob, thanks so much for your indepth comment. I tried to keep it basic for this post, but you are right, there is a lot of material to cover when discussing character creation. I do believe what you've added will help others.<br /><br />As for the flaw, I think it's a tendency for new writers to create characters who are 'perfect' in their appearance and their reactions to external influences. You are right, characters need both weaknesses and strengths.<br /><br />Thanks again for your comment :)Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-71446435157120189682011-09-15T09:34:54.767+10:002011-09-15T09:34:54.767+10:00Charmaine, sounds like a great workshop. It's ...Charmaine, sounds like a great workshop. It's good to start the kids in the right place.<br /><br />Clarissa, yes, those subtle things are a great way for the readers to get to know the characters.<br /><br />Cynthia, you are so right that each can be challenging in its own way.<br /><br />Donna, you were lucky with the name change and yes, likeability can be a real challenge.<br /><br />Colby, ha, I love that method--working out what the MC would eat for breakfast. Love it. I'll have to give it a try next time.<br /><br />Myne, the flaw is so important too.<br /><br />Shari, yep, motivations and flaws are truly what makes a person interesting in a story.Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-87681757876320602992011-09-15T09:08:58.378+10:002011-09-15T09:08:58.378+10:00Hi, Bob Collins here. To be honest a couple a the ...Hi, Bob Collins here. To be honest a couple a the things you wrote in the post surprised me and I got a few more things I think about when I dig into my characters. I'll just list them off in case anybody gets any value out of them. All of them are related, and I think in a good character each of these should be seemlessly integrated into the personality.<br /><br />1) core needs - a set of unchangable traits<br />2) desires - a sort of motivation<br />3) feelings<br />4) thoughts<br />5) physicality<br />6) self-perception<br />7) as perceived by others<br />8) judgment of self<br />9) judgments of others<br />10) experience/past<br />11) Well, this one is a secret ingredient. :)<br /><br />What I think is great here is the way any of these attributes can be played off one another to create conflicts between characters and internal conflicts.<br /><br />How did I arrive at these attributes? I don't know, seems like everybody I meet does these things to themselves and each other.<br /><br />I never think about likeability or "the flaw". I don't care if a character is likeable or not. If a character is designed well, his personality will naturally have strengths and weaknesses. We as readers can admire the strengths and mourn the weaknesses. I don't consider the weaknesses flaws. They weaknesses are only weaknesses in a context. For example, a very practical person may be able to solve many of the problems in a suburban drama (in this context a strength); but this same practical person might have a difficult time doing anything effective in a story set among abstract theories.<br /><br />There's really so much more to write. Maybe I'll write my own series of posts.Bob Collinshttp://authorbobcollins.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-69856235630535133002011-09-15T07:23:03.520+10:002011-09-15T07:23:03.520+10:00I spend most of my time on motivation and flaws. E...I spend most of my time on motivation and flaws. Excellent post! I particularly love the random fact. :)Sharihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05184772057308479564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-59670381014738063722011-09-15T06:47:02.836+10:002011-09-15T06:47:02.836+10:00I think the part I work the most on is the charact...I think the part I work the most on is the character flaw, it seems so opposite to likeability that one has to find that balance and still make it realistic.Mynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07595087387069634003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-3108754686330915682011-09-15T06:03:17.504+10:002011-09-15T06:03:17.504+10:00Great post! For me, I often know a few things abo...Great post! For me, I often know a few things about a character at first and flesh out from there. I try to create detailed profiles on all, but inevitable know most about MCs. One of my favorite things to decide about my MCs is what they'd eat for breakfast. I think it tells me a lot.colbymarshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14056535503422186623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-28083834227906984002011-09-15T05:50:23.078+10:002011-09-15T05:50:23.078+10:00I had to change a couple of minor characters' ...I had to change a couple of minor characters' names, but fortunately they held true to their previous natures. =D I'd never considered that possibility.<br /><br />Likability is huge. I had one character who was supposed to end up with a playful relationship with the mc, but all he did was tick people off. I really had to work on his likability.Donna K. Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763832177263927311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-47212625539763525702011-09-15T00:11:06.427+10:002011-09-15T00:11:06.427+10:00I think I spend about the same amount of time on e...I think I spend about the same amount of time on each of these elements. Each can be challenging in its own way. <br /><br />I loved what you had to say about how a name reveals so much about a character. Amazingly true.Cynthia Chapman Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12408985785062180536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-10325015569928742072011-09-14T21:29:32.573+10:002011-09-14T21:29:32.573+10:00Lynda, I love letting my characters do seemingly i...Lynda, I love letting my characters do seemingly insignificant but power actions that shows the true character.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160669603997465454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-57381121703078677442011-09-14T18:26:02.509+10:002011-09-14T18:26:02.509+10:00Great tips. One of the writing workshops I do with...Great tips. One of the writing workshops I do with kids is on creating characters and we look at gender, age but that's as far as the descriptions go. The rest is about their motivations, their flaws, their skills, secrets and fears... oh and who or what they would die to protect. This gives us a good spring board to come up with a story for them.<br /><a href="http://clancytales.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers</a>Charmaine Clancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18059559142070140041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-82863215906432426972011-09-14T13:53:05.856+10:002011-09-14T13:53:05.856+10:00Sarah, love your examples--it's so true.
Susa...Sarah, love your examples--it's so true.<br /><br />Susan, your sister must have had an amazing experience over there in Thailand.<br /><br />Lynn, yes, giving characters quirky habits also helps to make them more unique.<br /><br />Rachna, it does take time to develop characters, but it's so much fun.<br /><br />Crystal, oh how lucky is that to be able to dream your characters.<br /><br />Jeff, and thank goodness for the ease of baby name web sites :)Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-37116502598266422932011-09-14T05:23:14.806+10:002011-09-14T05:23:14.806+10:00I go to the baby names web site all of the time to...I go to the baby names web site all of the time to find the perfect fit of a name for a particular character in mind. If that fails, I look to my character's abilities, traits, or in the case of superhero fiction powers, and go from there.Jeff Beeslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17935580053176710609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-7394323815703381582011-09-14T04:42:25.753+10:002011-09-14T04:42:25.753+10:00Thanks for sharing.Thanks for sharing.Toyin O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08429675861306256504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-33898256015838253552011-09-14T02:22:59.151+10:002011-09-14T02:22:59.151+10:00I actually dream most of my characters, so several...I actually dream most of my characters, so several of the blanks are filled in. All I have to do from there is assign a name and flesh out their background a bit. See how much my subconscious loves me?Crystal Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03912469552483168148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-87765446018576308262011-09-13T23:35:38.039+10:002011-09-13T23:35:38.039+10:00Great post, Lynda. I have a vague image of my char...Great post, Lynda. I have a vague image of my characters when I start writing. As the words pile up the characters become stronger and stronger. I like my characters to have flaws and a quirky nature.Rachna Chhabriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-41045411138630732952011-09-13T22:14:30.699+10:002011-09-13T22:14:30.699+10:00Now that is a unique story behind your picture. I ...Now that is a unique story behind your picture. I would have never guessed that was taken from a bus window! I like when a character has a quirky habit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-10941105565691166082011-09-13T22:02:18.986+10:002011-09-13T22:02:18.986+10:00Wow - now that I know the story on that photo, it&...Wow - now that I know the story on that photo, it's amazing! At least they're all smiling. My blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned sister spent two years in Thailand with the Peace Corps and she was considered quite an oddity with the people there.<br /><br />I like what you said about a character not having to be nice to be likeable, as long as they're interesting. I just read Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, and at the beginning the main character is definitely not likeable, but she is interesting and compelled me to keep reading.Susan Fieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02433408456603462774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-17364077578745369902011-09-13T21:42:06.830+10:002011-09-13T21:42:06.830+10:00I love to plan names, when i do my historical fict...I love to plan names, when i do my historical fiction name planning, i love trawling through the old census lists from the time.<br /><br />Gladys has such a different connotation to Elizabeth doesn't it?<br /><br />Change to Martha and you have a different personal all together.<br /><br />Then if you get a Constance...well...<br /><br />anyway great post and i'm glad to see a picture of The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund on your site. She is AWESOME :-0<br /><br />Sarah KetleySarah Ketleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421335686195152108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-88394982698803523772011-09-13T15:52:06.375+10:002011-09-13T15:52:06.375+10:00Trisha, cool yet scary ;) Ha, interesting how clos...Trisha, cool yet scary ;) Ha, interesting how close the new name is to the old one. I'm wondering what the reason behind the change might be. And yes it does take a while to adjust to name changes.<br /><br />McKenzie, hahaha. It's a shame that sometimes it's unavoidable.<br /><br />Carrie, HAHA...yeah...fame is overrated ;) Sounds like you are MEAN to your characters (good one!) <br /><br />Jemi, yes, that's a great way of developing a character.Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-89034065739746341412011-09-13T11:49:20.938+10:002011-09-13T11:49:20.938+10:00Love the photo and the story behind it! :)
Great ...Love the photo and the story behind it! :)<br /><br />Great tips here. For me, the first spark of character comes with an emotion - usually from the crisis scene. The spark builds quickly into a full blown person :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-41684171287787635042011-09-13T10:40:08.086+10:002011-09-13T10:40:08.086+10:00Look at you, Lynda! You're a rockstar! ;)
I ...Look at you, Lynda! You're a rockstar! ;) <br /><br />I like to think about the "walls" my character builds, why they're there, and who I can use to crack them. :) Great post!Carrie Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01540590799406170410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-13681446998985171402011-09-13T10:22:00.035+10:002011-09-13T10:22:00.035+10:00And that is precisely why I never, ever change my ...And that is precisely why I never, ever change my character's names. No good can come of it. I don't like changing my titles much either...McKenzie McCannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707799179783394809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030453069845909403.post-26833026089645420782011-09-13T10:02:46.938+10:002011-09-13T10:02:46.938+10:00I love that photo and the story behind it. Very co...I love that photo and the story behind it. Very cool!<br /><br />Names are very important to me. I've been following a Chrysalis participant's stories about a princess this year, and recently he opted to change her name... It's hard for me to adjust. I had an image of her as Caitlin in my head, and now she's Catrina. Hehe.Trishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.com