Hi

Can anyone recommend a good book for developing characters, I have general ideas but I need a starting point!

Thanks
Paula

“Characters & Viewpoint” by Orson Scott Card (ISBN0-89879-927-9).

I’ve found this packed with thought provoking stuff.

Grinder

"Creating Characters: How to Build Story People" - Dwight V. Swain

I found this informative and fun.

Friday,

Whatever the books say, I think the secret is to know your character inside out.

How old is he
Where was he born
What were his parents’ occupations
What sort of education did he have
What does he do for a living
What’s his favourite colour
Where does he live
What does he drink?
Does he smoke
What’s his favourite film
Favourite music
Favourite hobbies
Favourite holiday destination
What are his political leanings
What gets his dander up
What does he do to relax

And on and on and on…

Dee

...and if you stopped him/her in the street on an ordinary day and asked him/her to empty their pockets / wallet / rucksack / handbag / purse - what would you find?

What we carry around with us, says a lot about who we are.

j

hmm thanks everyone,

the 'what you carry around in your handbag' is a good idea, i am drawing up a character questionnaire, and will include that. another might be what they have in their fridge!

Another goodie is the Creative Writing Coursebook (or Handbook?) edited by Paul Magr and Julia Bell, utterly wonderful and packed full of exercises for character, and much more, that experienced writers have created and actually use. I use it constantly both when teaching and writing, and it's a gold mine. Amazon it and have a look.

thanks Anna, just going into Cambridge, will seek it out!

Paula

There's also 'Creating Unforgettable Characters' by Linda Seger.

L

A very important aspect of character building is plot. As far as story-telling goes, character and plot are inseparable. Introducing a plot is like poking a wasps' nest with a stick. Suddenly, there's lots of activity and danger that wasn't there a moment ago. It's similar in life – you often don't know what a person's character is really like until something extraordinary or threatening or surprising happens to them. So, while I agree that a certain amount of background detail is needed when developing a character, I also think it must go alongside hitting that character with the plot you intend for him or her. The details are to make them believable but the actions they take in response to your plot is what will make them memorable. And this applies just as much at micro level as to macro. A good plot will affect every conversation in the story, so again, your characters are not responding purely from their normal self – they're rising to a challenge. Even in a romance story this is true – boy meets girl and he's doing his utmost not to be his usual, believable, self; he wants to impress her, to say funny and exciting things.

Terry

Hi Terry

thanks for that, I have a very good plot on the boil, but only outlines fo characters, however i do think that they will develop as the plot expands, but needed a starting point, i too dont necessarily think that all characters need ot disply a background, but is useful to get into a frame of mind when concentrating on one character, i'll see how it goes!

I think Terry's advice is spot-on - reminds me of lessons from screen-writing class, a dramatic approach. I tend to approach character from a dramatic angle - not necessarily 'plot' ... but that's because I aint so good at 'plot'!

Joe

Joe

Can you have drama that makes sense without plot?

jumbo

jumbo - good question

I've never been sure what 'plot' means, I just know I'm not particularly good at it, in the sense of anything 'neat'. But what I think I can do is write 'action:reaction' (basic screenwriting course riff), and this somehow carries ths story on. It's the 'dialectic', which I'm fond of:

Thesis: antithesis : synthesis

The synthesis becomes a new thesis, generating a new antithesis, generating a new synthesis, which becomes the new thesis which ... ('It was a dark and storm night ...' so there is a danger of disappearing up your own blow-hole!)

But I've been told by Scribners that I'm not so 'hot to plot', so maybe I need to review my praxis. (Father Mark warned us against that, but I'm grown up now.)

Joe

<Added>

And then there's 'En Attendant Godot' - wassa plotta thata, Eh Joe?

Joe (en attendant Sam)

JoPo

I think - at least, I think I think - that 'plot' is what happens in the story.

So as long as something happens, you have a plot. Of course, whether or not your plot is interesting, believable, logical, coherent, flabby or pretentious (etc, etc) is another question altogether. Yet another is how you tackle the issue of telling the story and getting it down on paper - or onto film.

But it sounds like your thesis: antithesis : synthesis process is going to result in a series of scenes, each of which is linked to its predecessor and its successor by some 'causal chain'. They tell us what is happening. Together the whole chain forms the plot.

So I would say you're already doing 'plot'. You just don't seem to be calling it that!

... I think!

jumbo