tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post3064184263036019957..comments2023-10-29T04:09:42.109-04:00Comments on The Edit Cafe: What a CharacterJoAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16027015583205497259noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post-75623385832281544812007-02-06T19:25:00.000-05:002007-02-06T19:25:00.000-05:00I seem to have to write through it to learn a pers...I seem to have to write through it to learn a person's character. It's very common for me to have written ... oh, even a hundred pages when all the sudden the character finally comes into focus. I finally KNOW him/her. I'm sure that's an awkward, time consuming way to do it, but it works for me. Then, once I get it, I have to go back and make sure the character is true and focused in those first 100 pages, too. But that's fun.Mary Connealyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09598386111251769803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post-78254390540969290642007-02-06T13:58:00.000-05:002007-02-06T13:58:00.000-05:00Wow, great resources people are sharing! Thank you...Wow, great resources people are sharing! Thank you! And, Susan, thanks for suggesting it.<br /><br />As for me...I people watch. I've always been an introvert, hovering on the fringes looking in, and I observe details others might miss. So I've relied on my own observation and conclustions based on observation to help me develop characters.<br /><br />But I'm gonna go get some of those books! :o)Kim Vogel Sawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338945088038961014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post-31093784272405518262007-02-06T11:19:00.000-05:002007-02-06T11:19:00.000-05:00Great post, Susan!
"What research tools have you ...Great post, Susan!<br /><br />"What research tools have you found helpful as you formulate a character's actions and reactions?"<br /><br />The four personality types Florence and Marita Littauer teach has helped me the most. Each has its own strengths and weakness. They are: Popular Sanguine, Powerful Choleric, Peaceful Phlegmatic, and Perfect Melancholy. Analyzing my characters' strengths and weaknesses helps me in writing good characters, hopefully!, and with character arcs too.Kristy Dykeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09513637012962943901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post-26070953109918552102007-02-06T11:04:00.000-05:002007-02-06T11:04:00.000-05:00Formulating the person's background - how she or h...Formulating the person's background - how she or he got to where he is at the time I write. Besides going through sociology workups about what makes families tick, a big tool is university websites. If my character has some advanced education, I research what it takes to get a degree in a particular area, where he or she has to go to school for those speciality classes, and that helps me formulate some character traits. The hoops a person has to be willing to jump through to get what he or she wants tells you a lot about their personality. Of course, with my own kids in and just graduating from college, it's fun to watch how they're developing from the choices they're making. <br />Lisa LickelLisa Lickelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07798980644446426574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5157905786947425443.post-75639407052455650652007-02-05T21:35:00.000-05:002007-02-05T21:35:00.000-05:00I use the following when developing characters:
Th...I use the following when developing characters:<br />The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters (Paperback) <br />by Marc McCutcheon <br /><br />There's a list of questions in the book which I now have on my computer and use to develop character sketches before I start my novels. I don't necessarily use all of the questions, and I've enhanced a few of them. I do spend more time developing how the character feels about God and religion since that is such an integral part of my stories.Cecelia Dowdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07173806883218875753noreply@blogger.com