  Action/Adventure
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Hiking. It's MY Action/Adventure!
"The best part of the fiction in many novels is the notice that the characters are purely imaginary. Franklin P. Adams (1881 - 1960) |
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Out of Character
With National Novel Writing Month around the corner, I’m busy kicking around plots, developing storylines and jotting down characters. For those unfamiliar with NaNo, it’s a month-long contest to see who can write a novel in 30 days. It’s fast-paced, crazy plotlines, word-crunching as we see who can write a storyline in at least 50,000 words during the month of November.
For me, it’s about nailing down the characters for the month-long event. After all, I’ll have to live with these people for thirty days or more. Creating interesting individuals who can maintain action and adventure for 50,000 + words is to my advantage. I want my characters more than appealing, I want then fascinating. I want them fun. Mean, sweet, vindictive. I want them REAL.
What does it take to design cutting edge characters?
The first step is to KNOW them. Eat, sleep, and drink your characters. One at a time, if possible. How? here are a few pointers I utilize.
Go with inspiration – What aspects draw YOU first? Physical? Emotional? Background? Those intuitive sparkles are at the core of YOUR writing. Go with your gut and embrace those ideas first. Often, I just want to write a story about a teenager who plays tennis; a mother who can't stop watching soap operas; a dog who gets lost on vacation. All else seems insignificant. If your inspiration sprouts in the physical detail...go with the physical detail.
Gather detail - Once you’ve satisfied your gut, put more meat on the bones by getting to know the details of your character's lives. Create a spreadsheet, or simple list of “questions” to ask your character. Make an "appointment" with him/her. Take your laptop or note pad to a high traffic public area like a coffee shop or a school playground. This way, if you're stumped on a particular detail all you have to do is look around. What questions should you ask your characters?
Education - Currently a student? Colledge grad? High School drop-out? A person's education level determines how he/she might respond to plot twits in your story.
Employment - Between jobs? Full-time student? Top-executive? Blue collar worker? Employment status determines how much money your character has at his/her disposal. It's easier for a Regional Manager of a company to travel --if you(the author) want a reason for your main character to keep returning to a particular city.
Family - Did your main character grow up in a big family? Only child? One-parent household? In an apartment? Farmhouse? Did he/she
Get noisy - On a figurative level. Pretend you are on a first date with your main character. Or, that you just met him or her and are out to lunch together. What types of questions would you ask a new friend? Favorite music? Favorite food?
Gathering more information than you'll actually use when writing your story is a good thing. Doing so allows you to feel your characters. You won't have to second guess their actions, you'll know! As writers, the more we know about our characters, the more realistic our stories will come off. Familiarizing yourself with your character’s likes, dislikes and quirky habits, background and upbringing breathes life into them thereby sculpting interesting people for your readers.
Until next time,
Robin
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I would like for this to be an action, intrigue, and conspiracy oriented piece.
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Action/Adventure: October 14, 2009 Issue [#3332]
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