Character

On mistakes and poor characters

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The mistake was one out of my control–I went to view a movie for class, and Netflix shipped the wrong one. Instead of viewing L’Ultimo Bacio, I had to watch The Last Kiss.

My assessment of the movie was that the characters were poorly created. It seemed like they all had two emotions: angry and angrier.

Perhaps this movie presents the emotional crisis of turning thirty accurately. The main male characters all strive for freedom from their various relationships, but they lack enough redeeming qualities to make them likeable. The female characters are even less dimensional. There’s the exhausted mother. The mother-to-be who is an emotional wreck.

Out of this rather bland and all-together easy to forget movie (even though I watched this mere hours ago, all I can think of was, “my God, I hate Zack Braff even more now” and “At least Casey Affleck was entertaining enough”), I got one little bit of insight:

To have a watchable/readable story, you need a decent enough conflict. To have a very entertaining story, you need well developed characters.

On character development (part IV)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Mind
1. Would you describe the character as smart, dumb, or naïve?

He’s very intelligent.
2. Do they think quickly? Slowly? Are they quick-witted? Dull?

He thinks quickly (though never quickly enough for a good comeback), and is quick-witted.
3. What kind of education do they have?

He just completed his freshman year of college.
4. Does the character possess a knowledge or expertise in a particular field?

Not really. Jack of all trades, master of none. His passion is music.
5. Is the character impulsive or deliberate in reaching conclusions? Would you describe them as being logical, rational, or emotional?

He’s very deliberate and thinks everything over. He’s emotional with a touch of logic.
6. Do they think things out before they speak or blurt out the first thought?

He tries to think before he speaks, but sometimes feels like his foot perpetually resides in his mouth.
7. Are they contemplative at times? What occupies their mind when alone?

He is often contemplative, and finds himself thinking about philosophy when he’s alone.
8. Would they be considered an idealist? A pragmatist? A dreamer? An idea person? An action person?

An idealistic, dreaming idea guy.
9. Are they motivated chiefly by abstract ideals or practical rewards?

Ideals and dreams, mostly.
10. Can your character tell a joke?

Not very well. He makes jokes on obscure subjects, and finds that he has to explain them.

On character development (part III)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Voice
1. Does your character speak in a high or low pitch?

His voice is tenor in pitch.
2. Are they a loud or soft talker?

He is a soft talker.
3. Is there a wide range in the voice in volume, pitch, quality, or is the voice consistent and even?

His voice is very consistent, except for when he gets very emotional. Then it gets higher in pitch.
4. Is there good resonance to the voice? Is the voice throaty, chesty, heady, or nasal?

His voice is very full.
5. Is there tension in the voice? Anxiety? Emotion?

He tries to speak tension free, but emotion often seeps into his voice.
6. Is there an accent? Anything unusual in pronunciation? Emphasis? Phrasing?

His voice definitely has an American accent, leaning towards New England. Not quite Boston. He sometimes mispronounces words, like “intestine” as “in-test-teen” or “epitome” as “epy-tome.”
7. Is it a trained voice or just natural? Does the character “try” to speak well or just “however it comes out”?

He tries to speak well.
8. Is the speech clear or muddy? Do they mumble? Are they distinct?

Despite his best efforts to speak clearly, he mumbles a lot.
9. Is the voice comforting or irritating? Reassuring or disturbing? Are they self-conscious when they speak to others? How large a group could they speak to before they become self-conscious?

He is very self-conscious and shy, but has no issue speaking in front of people he’s never met. Through him in front of his classmates and he stumbles over what he says. His voice is pleasant to listen to.
10. What is the first thought one might have after hearing your character speak?

That kid has a voice? He sounds nice, I guess.

On character development (part II)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

The Character’s Clothes
1. How many clothes does this character have?

Not many. He tends to wear the same outfits all the time.
2. What kinds of items are in their wardrobe?

Jeans, Oxford shirts, band tees, a suit
3. Do they have favorite articles of clothing?

His band tees–The Who and The Kinks
4. What colors are their clothes, is there a wide range? Bright or dull? What are their favorite colors to wear?

His clothes tend to be dull or dark, blues, greens, greys, browns.
5. Are their clothes old or new?

Newish for the most part. He doesn’t wear vintage.
6. Were they bought or homemade, hand-me-downs, expensive tailored-made?

He bought them in a store.
7. Is your character at home in their clothes or uncomfortable?

He feels very comfortable in his clothes.
8. Does your character care for their clothes, kept up and neat, do they worry about how they look?

He’s a neat freak. His Oxford shirts are always ironed.
9. Does your character have to dress a certain way because of his job or position? Is it a uniform? If so, do the clothes fit their real, basic character, or are the clothes worn as a symbol or mask?

When at work, he wears his uniform–polo shirt and khakis. He dresses the way he does because he was brought up being told to look neat, and also because he just likes to be comfortable.
10. Do they dress according to a self-image of themselves? Is this self-image conscious or unconscious? At what age was this self-image set, and what circumstances dictated the image?

He dresses for comfort, and wanting to look professional, which he decided upon entering college (at 18).
11. Discuss adornments, jewelry, or trophies that your character might wear. Are there tattoos, piercing, brandings, or ritualistic scarring, and what were the events, rituals, or circumstances that lead your character to having them.

He’s afraid of needles, so no tattoos, piercings, etc. He does have a scar on his wrist after shutting his hand in a car door, and a scar on his knee after falling off of his bike.


12. What kind of underwear does your character wear?

Boxers (with ducks on them).

On character developement (part I)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I found this while traversing about the internet. I’ve divided it up into 10 parts, and will be posting each part on a different day. I’m thinking every Friday.

I will be filling this out for my character Will! As always, my answers are in italics.
Creating Your Character

The Character Physically

1. What is the character’s stature and build? Are they overweight or lean? What is their height and weight?

He is on the short side, 5’7″. He’s lean.

2. How old are they?

19

3. Describe their posture; is it good? Do they carry themselves well? Are they crooked, straight, or handicapped?

His posture is decent and he carries himself well.
4. Are they in good shape or out of condition? Are they muscular, weak, or strong? Any special abilities or super powers?

He is in good enough shape. He goes to the gym, but mostly just to keep weight off. He has defined muscles, but not anything special.
5. How is their health? Any illnesses or conditions?

His health is good; he is allergic to cats, dogs, and the environment, so he sneezes a lot.
6. Are they physically active or sedentary? A fast or slow mover?

He’s a deliberate mover; every movement has a purpose and he won’t go out of his way to do something. For example, if he leaves something in the basement and is sitting in his room, he’s not going to walk down two flights of stairs to get it. He can move quickly when he needs to.
7. Are they clumsy, awkward, or graceful when they move, walk, or run?

He’s actually rather graceful, and blames it on his mother’s attempts to make him the next Fred Astaire when he was in elementary school.
8. Would you describe the character as good looking, pretty, beautiful, average, plain, ugly, disfigured?

He rates his looks as average; he has a “Townshendesque” nose
9. How does the character regard their physicality? Are they proud, ashamed?

He wishes he were taller, and is a bit ashamed of how short he is, especially since his sister is probably going to surpass him in height. All of the men on his dad’s side of the family are over six feet tall.

10. Describe their complexion and skin. Dark, light, clear, marked, tattooed, branded?

He is very pale, and he has a slight acne problem.
11. Describe their hair, coloring, styling. Is great care taken in upkeep, or disregarded as a nuisance?

His hair is wavy, but he wears it short so he doesn’t have to do much. He washes it regularly.
12. How is their dexterity? Do they have good hands? Can they manipulate and create or repair?

He has good hands–he is a pianist.
13. Is he physically tense or relaxed, nervous, controlled?

He is controlled enough, but feels very tense when back home.
14. What part of their body would you notice first?

His nose.
15. How is their eyesight? Wear glasses, blind, going blind? Color?

His eyesight is 20/20, but he says that he will need glasses by the time he’s 30.

So, there you have it. A short questionaire regarding the physical characteristics of your character. This will be helpful in describing how your character moves, how he looks, etc.

Enjoy! I would love to see what everyone else comes up with. Look for the next one on Friday the 20th!