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Lately I have been trying to get to know the characters in my stories a little bit better. It’s quite the challenge sometimes. Most of the time, I have the urge to plunge into the story with both feet and go into the “woods” with just a flashlight and no map. Instead, I’ve been taking a step back and trying to KNOW my characters better.
Sort of like playing dress up, I try to embrace the persona of my character as I’m thinking about them.
Here’s an example of a survey of questions I used to ask my character –
35 Questions to Ask Your Character via The Write Practice
I thought this was extremely helpful and although I didn’t answer every question it gave me insight into how I want to get to know the character as I write the story.
But then I came to realize there is only so much I can learn. I need to get my character in the scene and see them in action.
So I decided to take the writing prompt from last week and put my character in the middle of a scene and see what I can come up with.
And you know what?
It inspired me to start doing that magical thing we writers know how to do – make stuff up. Sort of like a light bulb went off and I felt guided further into the real story and who my character actually was – she was a feeling, living person all of a sudden and not just a character on paper.
I’ve begun to learn that my best tactic for getting my characters to feel real is a combination of both the planning process as well as an added mix of jumping in with both feet.
So, it’s sort of like I’ve walked into the woods with just a flashlight…and a map.
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What are some of the ways you get to know your characters?
I think we only really start to know our character once they're under pressure and forced to do something about it. Choices under duress are a great revealer.
mood
Moody Writing