Showing posts with label The Writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Writer. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Friday, July 15, 2011
Missed Aspects of Character Development
Character development is a process unique to every author. Mostly, because people prioritize the aspects of characterization differently. Age, physical aspects, and social standing are the average first-picks since they can help determine a target audience. Moral standing and ethics are big, too, since they help determine personality and the underlying 'message' of a story.
However, as the title of my post suggests, there's a few aspects that authors tend to miss. Or, if they do notice them, they tend to gloss over the aspects as trivial details. They shouldn't. We shouldn't. Sometimes the tiniest details are the key element to creating a 3-dimensional character instead of a cliche or a contrivance.
Money: I'm not talking about class (upper, middle, lower). I'm talking about cold, hard cash. The kind of cash that teen characters pull out of their wallets like it's an ATM. The unlimited funds that adult characters always have in their bank account even though they only work a few hours. The money that hardworking characters are always saving and rich characters are throwing around. Face it. Money makes the world go around, but authors tend to ignore it or tackle it in passing (i.e. Harry Potter just happen to have a huge inheritance and Ron's family stayed poor even with a father working in government. And no one finds that shallow?) Don't get me wrong. I understand how the aspect seems unimportant in the face of limited word-count, but how a character stays supplied with money should be as integrated into the character's life as the fact they have X amount on hand.
Religion: It's a touchy topic, which is why most people avoid it. They want every sort of reader to identify with their character, so most characters are religious-neutral. But this seems a little simple-minded to me. Religion is part of every world. It's possible to avoid it in a single stand-alone novel, but characters seem to be cardboard cut-outs when religion is NEVER mentioned. They never drive by a church? They never have a friend who can't go out on a certain day because of beliefs? It seems implausible. Everyone has an opinion on religion, even if it's apathy. Everyone encounters it, even if they try to avoid it. And how a character copes with religion can say more about their opinion toward society than five pages of political dialogue.
Self-Image: This can be wildly different than actual physical description. Authors like to keep things neat--the physical description is the only description. But self-image pops up in more places than scenes where a mirror is available. "Character X wished she had Character Y's long legs." This can equal a self-image of "I feel short." A lot of time, things like this will occur naturally during the course of writing, but intentional exploration of self-image can yield startling results. Self-image is an open window into a character's psyche.
Food: Cheeseburgers, pizza, salad, and sandwiches. Food--the selection, the method of preparation, and the method of eating--says a lot about a person, yet authors tend to give characters something fast, easy, and generic. But food is more than a prop to bring people together. It's a basic need in life. It's inclusion in a story can help show the passage of time (3 meals anyone?). It can show character (how on earth can the MC's best friend eat sauerkraut, chili, ketchup and relish on a hotdog?). It can even show status (the crab tastes old--need to fire the caterer.) So why, when food is mentioned in a novel, is it always perfect? Why do characters always take what they're given or settle for whatever is on hand? It's because authors can miss the potential for 'food' as a serious tool for character development.
That's it for now, but I have to ask the other authors out there:
What unnoticed (or often-ignored) aspects of character development do you like to take advantage of?
However, as the title of my post suggests, there's a few aspects that authors tend to miss. Or, if they do notice them, they tend to gloss over the aspects as trivial details. They shouldn't. We shouldn't. Sometimes the tiniest details are the key element to creating a 3-dimensional character instead of a cliche or a contrivance.
Money: I'm not talking about class (upper, middle, lower). I'm talking about cold, hard cash. The kind of cash that teen characters pull out of their wallets like it's an ATM. The unlimited funds that adult characters always have in their bank account even though they only work a few hours. The money that hardworking characters are always saving and rich characters are throwing around. Face it. Money makes the world go around, but authors tend to ignore it or tackle it in passing (i.e. Harry Potter just happen to have a huge inheritance and Ron's family stayed poor even with a father working in government. And no one finds that shallow?) Don't get me wrong. I understand how the aspect seems unimportant in the face of limited word-count, but how a character stays supplied with money should be as integrated into the character's life as the fact they have X amount on hand.
Religion: It's a touchy topic, which is why most people avoid it. They want every sort of reader to identify with their character, so most characters are religious-neutral. But this seems a little simple-minded to me. Religion is part of every world. It's possible to avoid it in a single stand-alone novel, but characters seem to be cardboard cut-outs when religion is NEVER mentioned. They never drive by a church? They never have a friend who can't go out on a certain day because of beliefs? It seems implausible. Everyone has an opinion on religion, even if it's apathy. Everyone encounters it, even if they try to avoid it. And how a character copes with religion can say more about their opinion toward society than five pages of political dialogue.
Self-Image: This can be wildly different than actual physical description. Authors like to keep things neat--the physical description is the only description. But self-image pops up in more places than scenes where a mirror is available. "Character X wished she had Character Y's long legs." This can equal a self-image of "I feel short." A lot of time, things like this will occur naturally during the course of writing, but intentional exploration of self-image can yield startling results. Self-image is an open window into a character's psyche.
Food: Cheeseburgers, pizza, salad, and sandwiches. Food--the selection, the method of preparation, and the method of eating--says a lot about a person, yet authors tend to give characters something fast, easy, and generic. But food is more than a prop to bring people together. It's a basic need in life. It's inclusion in a story can help show the passage of time (3 meals anyone?). It can show character (how on earth can the MC's best friend eat sauerkraut, chili, ketchup and relish on a hotdog?). It can even show status (the crab tastes old--need to fire the caterer.) So why, when food is mentioned in a novel, is it always perfect? Why do characters always take what they're given or settle for whatever is on hand? It's because authors can miss the potential for 'food' as a serious tool for character development.
That's it for now, but I have to ask the other authors out there:
What unnoticed (or often-ignored) aspects of character development do you like to take advantage of?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Writing is NOT like a Box of Chocolates....
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| Wikipedia Commons |
The rules: Take the phrase “Writing is like . . .” and finish it. Post it on your blog. Tag three others to do the same. That is all. See how easy that is?
My answer: Writing is like dumpster-diving. You never know what you're going to find until you jump in and get dirty. Maybe you first dive in because you see something interesting on the surface of your own trashcan. You pull it out and put it on a shelf. Maybe it's a rusted memory that needs a little polish. Maybe it's precious keepsake in mint condition.
But as you dig deeper, you find things you never expected. Maybe it's a disgusting pile of repressed emotions you never dealt with. Maybe it's a situation you regret. You take it with you and clean it up. If necessary, you fix it or upgrade it to look more pleasing before displaying it.
Dumpster-diving is addictive, though. The more times you dumpster-dive, the more you're willing to take home. Soon, you're digging in other people's trash. You're recycling and turning trash into treasure on a regular basis. And you're so proud of your dumpster-diving achievements that you feel you must share the wealth. Or maybe your garage fills up and you just need to give some things away to make room for more.
Either way, it stops being a private hobby. It becomes a career where a lot of luck and effort can turn into a huge pay-day.
^_^
That's it for me. I'm tagging:
1. Stephen Duncan @ Ink Rock
2. Kellie @ Tighty Writie
3. Anyone and everyone who wants to join in the fun. Just leave a comment after you post so I can properly take the blame by listing you here.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Fanfiction Pros and Cons
Fanfiction. It's one of the most despised forms of written entertainment. I'm not talking about the kind where you get the author's permission and write something worth publishing. I'm talking about the nitty-gritty, written form of playing pretend by adults who are too old to dress up as their favorite characters on Halloween. (I still dress up, but that's a whole 'nother issue.)
First off, why is it despised? I can give the answer with a single word and an acronym: Sex and OOC (out of character). Some authors really don't like it when someone 'desecrates' their character by turning them into sex fiends. They also don't like it when people rewrite the character's personality to fit their own image.
There's a third reason, though. That's Rights with a capital 'R'. If the audience foresees the direction a story is going and writes it before the author, then it makes it hard for the author to claim originality. In other words, there's a possibility of a creative Rights violation--even though the character's creator might not have read the fanfiction in question.
It all gets pretty messy, which is why most people in the publishing industry stay FARFARFAR away from unauthorized fanfiction and treat the word 'fanfiction' like a curse word.
But let's get this straight: Fanfiction isn't a lesser form of entertainment.
First off, why is it despised? I can give the answer with a single word and an acronym: Sex and OOC (out of character). Some authors really don't like it when someone 'desecrates' their character by turning them into sex fiends. They also don't like it when people rewrite the character's personality to fit their own image.
There's a third reason, though. That's Rights with a capital 'R'. If the audience foresees the direction a story is going and writes it before the author, then it makes it hard for the author to claim originality. In other words, there's a possibility of a creative Rights violation--even though the character's creator might not have read the fanfiction in question.
It all gets pretty messy, which is why most people in the publishing industry stay FARFARFAR away from unauthorized fanfiction and treat the word 'fanfiction' like a curse word.
But let's get this straight: Fanfiction isn't a lesser form of entertainment.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Why
Over at AQC, a thread was started about personal strengths. This made me think a lot about the reasons I keep writing. Most writers have a voice to be heard or a message to share. Others just want to entertain people or themselves. I'm no different. Actually, all the above can be considered motivations for my writing, but there's one thing that's stuck with me since July 2008.
As part of the fanfiction I was working on, I turned the main character into a homeless man. I have a friend who once lived on the street and this guy let me pick his brain to really know what it's like. I used that information to show my readers what it was like.
One of the reviews I received during this phase of my writing opened my eyes to the power a writer holds. It also created a passion inside me that reignites every time I think about it.
As part of the fanfiction I was working on, I turned the main character into a homeless man. I have a friend who once lived on the street and this guy let me pick his brain to really know what it's like. I used that information to show my readers what it was like.
One of the reviews I received during this phase of my writing opened my eyes to the power a writer holds. It also created a passion inside me that reignites every time I think about it.
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