While this characterization idea fits into the “writing activity” category in the sense that it is a prescribed writing experience, it also serves a very practical function in terms of helping to create believable characters. Authors rarely copy a character exactly from life, but likewise do we rarely pull a character completely from the ether. It is a balance and that balance takes practice. We draw on people we know or observe, melding personality, looks, values, etc. from various people to create someone entirely different and unrecognizable. This activity has you create several characters, so when you are done you might really be inclined to use one for a story, or maybe if you are really on your game…all three! The Prompt:
1. Go to a populated place, like Starbucks, or something similar. Choose a person in the room. 2. Choose two people you know, but blend them together (as in part of each person’s looks, personality, etc. would go into creating this character). 3. Choose a movie or TV character (not the actor, but a character that he or she portrays) that you are familiar with, and while you can use their hair/eye color, or personality, or worldview, you must make them the opposite gender and/or make them at least 20 years older or younger than they actually are (which would likely change things about their personality and how they see the world). For each of the three characters you have chosen, describe them in terms of: 1. Appearance: height, weight, skin/hair/eye color, clothing, makeup, jewelry, etc. 2. Worldview: hopes, dreams, fears, plans, desires, how they approach work/ school/ relationships, etc. 3. Speech: do they have favorite or repeated words, an accent, what is the tone/ sound of there voice, breath patterns, cussing, do they talk differently around certain people than others? 4. Body: how do they move/carry themselves, how closely do they stand next to people, do they have habits of movement 5. Now go back and add a fatal flaw and an internal conflict to each character. This is a fun activity if you really let yourself be creative and inventive. Try to make your characters feel real. The funny thing about good character development is that well developed characters actually go a long way to determining plot, so activities like this are time well spent. If you do this activity, let me know in the comments below. I’d love hear about the interesting people you create!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Wendy Picard GorhamWendy lives and works in the midst of words everyday--English teacher by profession, and writer by passion! Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
Follow us on Facebook and be alerted of each new post!Go to our Amazon page... |