Comments on: Fiction Writing: Character Creation

By: Even More Character Tools For Your NaNo Novel

Even More Character Tools For Your NaNo Novel — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:35:55 +0000

[...] Fiction Writing–Character Creation, by Men With Pens: Details about creating characters you don’t want to miss. [...]

By: J.Morgan

J.Morgan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:47:59 +0000

Dude! Did you look into my mind? I actually listen to specific songs for each of my characters to help me get into their minds. I have a husband who is a big D&D fan so getting specific isn’t so difficult. I have it down to height and species. Their tendancies to be good or evil and personalities due to tragic pasts and family.
J.Morgan´s last blog ..Kakashi Vs. Bleach

By: Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:19:08 +0000

The five elements of characterization. Omit one or more at your own risk:

1. backstory — the life of the character up until the story begins that created the programming which inspires and drives the decisions and behaviors of the main characters in the story. We don’t need to read about it, we only need a peek at it. Apply the iceberg theory to backstory: we only see ten percent, but we don’t question the 90 percent below the surface.

2. character arc — your hero better learn something and grow over the course of the story, and apply that learning to the proactive behavior (heroism) that results in the satisfactory conclusion of the tale.

3. Personality is not character — decisions based on a moral compass, or lack thereof. Traits like courage, sensitivity, generosity, confidence, and others like them, define your characters. Doesn’t matter if they stutter or not.

4. inner demons — arising from backstory, and defining the very thing they must conquer (arc) as they grow through the story to conquer the outer demons facing them.

5. proactive heroism — your protagonist cannot be rescued, and they can be an observer in the solving of the central problem or challenge of the story; rather, they need to be the driving force behind it.

And oh yeah, we don’t have to like them. That’s an old myth. We do, however, need to root for them. That’s holy writ.

Basic stuff. And much more essential than a checklist of facts and traits, like knowing how they dress, what they like to eat, the movies they enjoy and other useless daily minutiae of living. That’s all personality… which is window dressing for the sake of interest, but don’t mistake it for true characterization.

By: Create Fantastic Characters for the NaNoWriMo Challenge : Men With Pens

Create Fantastic Characters for the NaNoWriMo Challenge : Men With Pens — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:41:18 +0000

[...] on grammar or outlines, they get caught up in scene development, and they completely neglect proper character creation and [...]

By: Smattering of Interesting Instructive Posts « A Field of Paper Flowers

Smattering of Interesting Instructive Posts « A Field of Paper Flowers — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:02:46 +0000

[...] Harry over at Men With Pens offers up another good look at creating characters. [...]

By: James

James — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:21:04 +0000

@ Deb – Oh, well every good book needs a good *story*, yes.

By: --Deb

--Deb — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:01:05 +0000

Hey, I never said character depth wasn’t a GOOD idea. Just that I’m too impatient to go into that much background. I want to get to the STORY. It’s just like all the prep work to get, say, a fleece ready to spin into yarn. I love spinning, and I love knitting, but taking the time to scour the fleec clean, then divide it, and card all of it–not to mention dyeing it–before spinning? Tedious. (And there’s a reason I buy my wool in ready-to-spin strips of roving.) If I absolutely had to start from scratch, I could, and knowing the qualities of this type of wool compared to some other type is important, but I don’t NEED to know the sheep’s name to get good yarn.

–Deb’s last blog post..MM: Jargon

By: Karen Swim

Karen Swim — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:06:31 +0000

Ice cream? Did someone say ice cream? Seriously, I love what you did with this character. It’s funny I was thinking of Deb’s comments and in my version the poor dog had run away when she was 9 scarring her for life. Yours is much better.

By: Janice C Cartier

Janice C Cartier — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:22:47 +0000

La Petite Danseuse. oops Mon Dieu. Janice C Cartier's last blog post..For Audubon's Birds And The Kids Of The Gulf Coast

By: Janice C Cartier

Janice C Cartier — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:22:11 +0000

Ahhh, instant empathy for Le Petit Danseuse ....:) Janice C Cartier's last blog post..For Audubon's Birds And The Kids Of The Gulf Coast