Monday, March 28, 2011
Getting To Know Your Characters
I’m working my way through the Discovery phase of the new WIP, enjoying the new story smell, exploring the possibilities, bobbing on the waves of potential brilliance. Since my stories are completely character driven, fleshing out my hero and heroine is the most important part of my process. When my heroine’s greatest fear, stemming from a childhood experience, popped into my brain, a giant portion of her external conflict was born.Since my story revolves around a love triangle that involves two brothers, realizing the brothers have the same father but different mothers gave me insights into both my hero, and the brothers’ relationship. A fact that also helped explain why the heroine doesn’t see a resemblance when she and the hero meet before they are officially introduced.
Everything I’ve learned about these characters came out of the first step in my Character Detail Sheets (provided by the lovely Dee S. Knight) - provide three adjectives that describe your character.
You’d think three little adjective would be nothing, but when you get them right, they’re development gold.
My hero is Joe Dempsey, charter boat captain and certified curmudgeon. The three adjectives that describe Joe are Bitter, No-nonsense, and Generous. For me, the trick is to make sure the adjectives are both positive and negative. We talk all the time about characters needing faults, but being people the reader can both relate to and root for.
We all have good and bad traits, and so should our characters.
Now it’s your turn. Writers pick one of your characters and give us three adjectives to describe him or her. Then see if you can come up with ideas how those adjectives inform your story. Readers pick one of your favorite characters, give us three adjectives and how they come through in the story.
Or we can bitch about the weather, I’m good with that too. (If you’re really feeling froggy, you can give us three adjectives that describe you.)
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64 comments:
Terri, I like this. It makes sense to have both positive and less-than-positive traits. It's also kinda hard to just find 3 words. LOL
I'm pondering while consuming coffee. I'll be right back.
Wow. We're off to a roaring start. LOL! I should have known better than to give an assignment.
Had to make stop at the DMV this morning, which means my day is just now getting started. I was there BEFORE the doors opened and still ended up way back in line.
Donna - Some people would say they can't come up with three. LOL! But coming up with these adjectives is like switching a light on over your character's head, revealing important stuff you didn't see before.
Adjectives.
Let me see about this. Since I've been in a constant state of discovery with this story, I can definitely use the workout.
My heroine, Belle, is the ruined vicar's daughter who became a prostitute/mistress to feed her son. Guarded. Protective. Romantic.
My hero, Cass, has inherited a scandal-ridden title. He's trying to fix a reputation he didn't break.
Self-deprecating. Entrepeneurial. Self-sabotaging.
As to the weather, it's pretty outside: sunny, bright, blue sky. But it's nasty cold. Spring is clearly taking her sweet old time.
And adjectives to describe me? I'm Irish, I can't pass up an opportunity to talk about myself.
Facetious. Perfectionist. Maternal.
PS, I HATE going to the DMV. I'm not sure anyone knows anyone who works at the DMV, but there can't possibly be that many miserable people in the world. Every time I go in there, I want to offer to help out. Or bake them a pie. Those people look like they could use a smile.
Actually, the DMV workers didn't seem as miserable in this office. They're not going to win any speed records, but they didn't seem hateful.
Marn - Thank you for playing along! I love that your heroine is romanctic, so fitting. And Cass really is his own worst enemy, isn't he?
It's sunny and bright here too, but took me forever to scrape the frost off my car windows. Spring needs a nudge in the ass if you ask me.
Love your personal adjectives, though if you throw in Irish, that's four. LOL! I'm not sure I could narrow me down to three, but I'd better try before Hellie feels the need to do it for me.
Stubborn. Determined. Take-charge.
Not sure if that last one qualifies as an adjective, but I'm going with it anyway.
I actually think it's funny that my prostitute heroine is romantic. Even after all the stuff that happens to her. She's a toasted marshmallow, crispy on the outside to hold together a soft, vulnerable center. :)
And I like your adjectives. :) I think Take-charge works. I love how you tried to jump in front of Hellie. LOL!
um, there. Not their. Bleh. More coffee needed, STAT.
Oh, and I suppose Irish IS it's own adjective. LOL!
And maybe because you got their early. They didn't have the time to get miserable yet. I went one evening, on the late evening at the one down the street. Seriously, it looked like prison labor in there. :)
No worries, Marn, I just had to go in and edit my last comment to fix and extra "they're". LOL!
Yeah, I'm sure these ladies get more moody as the day goes on. Come to think of it, there wasn't a single male working, even the security guard was female. Perhaps that helps their moods. LOL!
I had to get in before Hellie added things like "control freak" and "people pleaser".
Just thought of a question, how do your adjectives for your characters inform how they interact or help each other? I think it helps if you can see the contrast or what the characters can do for the other.
My hero's no-nonsense quality is what pushes my people pleaser heroine to finally think for herself. And her charm makes him a little less curmudgeonly.
Well, Terri, you could jump in and describe Hellie before she shows up. LOL
Okay, a heroine from one of my WIPs: Tender-hearted. Gullible. Determined.
The hero is indulgent, wary, and devoted.
Wow, it took me forever to decide on his 3rd word. I'm worn out now!
Sorry so late. Dropped the car off at the shop to have the belt looked at. And to get the oil changed that should have been done 3 months ago.
Adam: Driven, Frustrated, and Boy-Man. He's a workaholic, thinks it's his way or the highway, and tends to grunt a lot. You get him out of his iPhone though and he's a complete boy, trying to provoke--PURPOSELY--the heroine at every turn. Definitely the kind of guy who'd yank a girl's pig tails or stick spiders down her back. (Though he's afraid of spiders. Maybe a snake?)
Eve: Romantic (Cynic), Organized, Intelligent. (Not that my boy Adam's not intelligent--it's just more hidden under his boyish exterior.) I also think Organized hints at that flip side of perfectionism, which can be an interesting flaw to deal with. And romantics who are disillusioned turn into crusty cynics. With marshmallow centers.
And as for your NEW question, I don't know, but now I'm thinking I need to think of new words for my characters so they can help each other. THANKS A LOT! *LOL* Wench.
*note to self: send Donna a basket of snakes for Christmas*
*note to self: refuse all packages from Hellion*
Get another cuppa, Donna, you've earned it. LOL!
I'll let Hellie describe herself. LOL! No sense in starting a war this early in the week. :)
You don't have to change the words, you just have to figure out how they all work together. Like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Though I can't quite figure out how yours would go together. Hmmmm... Wait, Eve is a total nurturer, which plays into his Boy-Man aspect. So you only need to change one. LOL!
No worries, Marn, I just had to go in and edit my last comment to fix and extra “they’re”.
OOooooh! You can edit? Which changes the three adjectives that I was going to write describing myself too
envious ... covetous ... and desirous
That's right, Julie, I wield the power of the edit option! LOL! It's a heady feeling, I gotta tell ya.
I'm thinking these adjectives can also serve to a) let you know if these characters really are made for each other and b) lay the groundwork for making the HEA more believable.
I think 'Irish' says it in one! :lol:
Me: brilliant (researcher), stupid(understanding people), compassionate(sucker for aiding dropouts)
I'll try and do better tonight! *grin*
Q - I'm with you on all but the stupid part. Nope, not buying that one AT ALL. I say we replace that with "witty". Fits you much better.
Or scotch-loving. ;)
Have a good day!!
All hail Caesar Bo'sun , Goddess of the Dawn. As in “It just Dawned on me that I spelled that sqigmortonfph’ word most improperly.”
I'd be willing to swap out intelligent for nurturer. Mainly because I like to think they're both intelligent.
I'm with you, Hellie, I think "intelligent" should be a given for all characters. Except those TSTL ones, but no one here writes those.
Julie - Exactly! The power only comes to those who desparately need it. (In fact, I'm not sure I spelled desparately right. Desperately?)
Stupid, Q? I think not. Compassionate(sucker for aiding dropouts)? That I believe. And speaking of believing, I believe that you should add Visionary to your list. Because where others see a dropout? You envision the potential for success.
Sorry, Q, but no one on this ship thinks you're stupid. It's not possible. Possibly occasionally confused by the female sex, but that just goes with the territory.
Oooh, I like Jules' suggestion--that does fit our darlin' Q: VISIONARY. That is definitely Q.
So, for Q we have:
Brilliant. Witty. Visionary.
Notice - no qualifiers permitted on this ship!
Sorry Terri, I have no characters to describe. Well …
*cough*
… none other than umm … myself. Hmm? How would I describe myself in three words?
Subtle Intrigued Intuitive …. Of course there’s Serious Amused Amusing … Tenacious Ferocious Charming … Quiet Gregarious Open Closed Detached Engaging Enraging Realistic Idealistic … and oooh I suppose that I should add Long-winded to that list too.
In other words? Make that word. Since I can describe myself with one word … I am a
Paradox.
Julie, I think this comment proves you need to add "over-achiever" to the list. And I like "walking cunundrum" for you as well. Twisted should be in there somewhere...
Thank you so much for playing. I was worried no one would want to join the game, so I threw in the weather bit. LOL!
I didn't go to sleep until 4:00 a. m. I don't think my brain is firing on all cylinders yet, but I'll try.
In the current WIP:
Zan--controlled, guilty, empathetic
Caleb--angry, stubborn, newly vulnerable
Self-analysis is even more difficult. Hmm--intelligent, introverted, peace-loving.
Twisted? LOL
I suppose that a person might come to that conclusion if one listen to both of my voice-thingies in my last missive to the masses.
listenED!
Janga, you have a new manuscript? Is Max's story done? (As in: can I read it while you're working on the new one?)
Dude, if you get your hands on that before I do I'm going to be miffed! LOL! (Psst, Janga, I'm talking about you here.)
Guilty vs Angry
Controlled vs Stubborn
This woman knows how to create characters!
It's been a while since I've come out to play. This is fun!
Kate - self-sufficient, guarded, vulnerable
Will - provider, protective, playful
Me - Irish :), sarcastic, thoughtful (as in a thinker not a doer), can't help but add mother - I've noticed lately, for good or bad, it kind of defines a lot of what I do *shrugs*
Irish - Are you writing the Royal Wedding?! LOL!
I had my first really tough mother-of-a-soon-to-be-teen day yesterday. *sigh* I really will be surprised if we both survive the next seven years. Seriously surprised. I may need you for moral support.
I'm pretty sure sarcastic applies to all who step aboard this ship.
May I add generous to Q's attributes?
OMG! I never thought of that. Am I gonna have to changer their names now? *Sheesh* They were in my head before they were on the front of the tabloids!!!!
I feel your teenager pain! Today my daughter is driving (YIKES) with her aunt to visit her cousin who is 2.5 hours away at college. I made my sister promise to wait until they were on a farm road before she let her drive. I've been experiencing a whole new gamut of panic since she started driving and driving with friends.
Hmmmm...must be car day. I'm late because we dropped off the minivan for a long overdue everything. This is going to be pricey. Sigh.
Okay...
Hero (don't have a definate name for him yet) -
Quiet (might make that tongue-tied)
Loyal
Slightly bitter (tactiture might work better, and I'm sure I mispelled that!)
Heroine Janey
Talkative
Flexible (isn't quite right...ummmm...innovative thinker?)
Bright (in all the good ways)
Not sure how these bounce off each other, thought talkative and tongue tied work out, especially since when they are together the traits flip. He's loyal and a bit stuck on tradition while she is flexible. While bright and slightly bitter (tactiture) do work well together.. So, I'm good!
Chance - Are you looking for Taciturn? And I'd say open-minded for Janey. That seems to be the opposite of your traditional, I think.
Irish - I can't think about driving. Not if I want to keep breathing evenly. I don't think you have to change the names. LOL! It was just the first thing I thought of when I read their names!
Unless the hero is a prince, then you might want to consider...
Will Hero's loyal streak run up against Janey being a pirate? Are pirates known for loyalty? I'm thinking not, but your pirates are a bit different.
Oh, ye of little faith! My pirates are loyal to core! They are just loyal to their society, while hero is a bit more traditionally loyal...to family ties, to his dead wife, to things like that. Sorta loyal to the past, which in my Tortuga is pretty much a lost cause. He'll learn!
Hero has no problem with the idea of pirates, he's a realist when it comes to all of that. I mean, he's Silvestri's nephew or great nephew (I need to put together a family tree one of these days. I think he needs to be a great nephew...)
Great nephew would put him in early to mid 20s. I'd keep him a nephew.
I figured there was going to be some interpretation of the word "loyal". LOL!
Well, Silvestri is the youngest son of a very prolific man... And hero needs to be in his mid to late 30s... With Silvestri 65...a great nephew of one of his older brothers might be better...
Well, loyal doesn't have to mean patriotic or even necessarily honorable... So much is up to perspective! ;-)
Didn't realize Silvestri was the youngest! And now I'm totally confused about character M but cannot ask here so as not to give spoiler.
Loyal doesn't have anything to do with patriotic or honorable, it simply means "I will stand next to you no matter what" as opposed to "I will stand next to you until it is more prudent for me to stand next to him."
Me thinks there is a history of pirates taking the second attitude.
*LOL* I totally thought that about Irish's characters! *LOL* I have The Royal Wedding on my brain lately.
Friday while out, Pam asked if I was doing anything for the Royal Wedding, and I said, "Doing anything? I'm taking the day off and so is Susan. We're having SCONES! We're watching everything TLC has to show about those guys." Deerhunter and Chris were AGHAST.
Actually Deerhunter grabbed at Chris' arm and said, faux octave, "Are you taking the day off? They're getting MARRIED!"
I don't know why he's being so snarky. God knows he loves an ostentatious wedding.
Loyal doesn’t have anything to do with patriotic or honorable, it simply means “I will stand next to you no matter what” as opposed to “I will stand next to you until it is more prudent for me to stand next to him.”
Me thinks there is a history of pirates taking the second attitude.
HA!
Though I can name a few times it would have been more prudent for me to do the latter option.
I'm with Chris and Deerhunter. You're taking the day off?? LOL! That's insane. *checks calendar* Hey, that's a Tuesday.
I have myself a blog topic!
ARgh! Ate my comment! Why the hell doesn't it give you another chance instead of just wiping you clean! This code thing has no LOYALTY!
GRRRR!
What did I say, anyway? Ok...I like the second definition. But I tend to think of loyalty as an oath a solider swears. A formal sort of thing.
I'd like to offer a third idea I will stand next to you until you need a kick in the ass. Which I will deliver and then I will stand guard over you while you recover and keep the world from piling on you.
You know, common sense loyalty. ;-)
Chance - That is a superb definition of loyalty. LOL!
Nevermind. I don't know WHY I have it in my head that the wedding is the 12th. I KNOW it's the 29th. Frukalaley.
The 29th...
*note to self...be somewhere else doing something else that day. Movie day. Good day for a movie!
Don't be silly, by the time you get out of bed, it'll all be over.
;)
Stop commenting before you read ALL the comments. LOL!
I’m with Chris and Deerhunter. You’re taking the day off?? LOL! That’s insane. *checks calendar* Hey, that’s a Tuesday.
It's a Friday. Stop looking at March. The wedding is in April.
2nd, why would anyone in your neck of the country care about the Royals?
And a P.S. to Terri, no more insane than taking the day off to hunt deer at 3 a.m. At least I get some scones!
When was the last time you heard about me heading into the woods for ANY reason?
I can comment all I want!
Girls! Girls!
Hellion, I'm sure there will be royal-ites all over the wedding news, even here on the left coast! the whole weekend will be nothing but rehash, I'm certain!
It's a Friday? Oh, but that is a last Friday, so it's the Assassin's gig!
Can you imagine if the Assassin covered the Royal Wedding? "Here, from the top of the castle, where I have a perfect kill shot, I'm drinking my vodka and cranberry and wondering aloud, 'Who the BLEEP purposely lives in a place where rain and gray skies is the norm?' Oh, wait, I'm from a place where Winter never ends. Never mind."
With luck, maybe she'll do something just like that!
We should probably increase security on that day. At least the Kraken can help us hide the bodies.
They're getting married this April!? I thought they just got engaged? Don't those royals get engaged and then wait a year or two to wed? I've really got to tune in to some E! news or something. I have no clue what it happening in the world around me. LOL
Irish, hon, what rock have you been hiding under? I didn't think anyone could avoid the Royal Wedding hype even if they wanted to.
This is a very short engagement. No idea what is up with that, but I think I heard William didn't want to wait.
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