Characters

30 Days of Writing: Day 21 (Hey look, I posted it on time-ish)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

Yes and well, I hope.

Several of my characters have children and the ages vary from toddler to adult. I think I write the kids pretty well. I’ve had a good deal of experience working with children, through volunteer work and jobs, so I have a good base.

I enjoy writing children. It gives a different perspective on things. And I get to write one of my characters’ daughter stealing cookies when she thinks no one’s paying attention. I really can’t do that with my grown-up characters.

30 Days of Writing: Day 20 (I don’t play by the rules)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

What are your favorite character interactions to write?

Conflict. I like to write characters at odds with each other. Perhaps not fighting, but there’s something between them. It could even just be a discussion about where to eat, or a philosophical debate, or even rivals’ banter. It’s just fun.

Of course, this doesn’t take over all of my writing, but I relish it.

I enjoy exploring different philosophies with my characters, different belief systems.

30 Days of Writing: Day 17

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Favorite protagonist and why!

I hate picking favorites. I really do, particularly when it comes to characters. But I think I’ll go with McGoohan.

I created him as a whim, as the story I was working on (a communal story) needed another character (and I was getting a little antsy having only one character in the throng). He ended up being an incredibly strong, layered character. I thoroughly enjoy writing him. He starts the novel as this built up, near mythological figure. By the end, we see him as a flawed, human character.

Of all of my characters, he’s the most realized. He has an excellent backstory, consistent characterization–even his evolution from mythological figure to real person are logical. He’s a hero, but really doesn’t want to be. His greatest dream is to be with his family. Simplicity is what he wants from life, but life has a habit of making things more complex.

I just really like writing him.

30 Days of Writing: Day Fifteen

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!

Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Really. I’m probably one of the only kids who read The Scarlet Letter in high school and liked it. After that book, I decided to write my term paper on his works, delving through some of his short stories, The House of the Seven Gables and The Marble Faun.

He’s a fascinating individual. His early life, his numerous illnesses, and his real understanding of how people work, their discomforts, fears, prejudices. He captures characters so well. Sure his prose is not as streamlined as I like, but his characters intrigue me.

I really need to reread The House of the Seven Gables. Not this semester (that would be madness) but soon.

30 Days of Writing: Day Eleven

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?

Oh, my favorite character to write! It’s got to be Griffin, my take on HG Wells’ The Invisible Man. He’s vain, egotistical, a manipulative jerk–in short, an awful person, but terribly fun to write. I enjoy writing him opposite Pryce, who’s his foil. Their contrasting characteristics make them a great pair to write. I just need to come up with a good story for my little odd couple. This pair just comes easily to me.

My least favorite character to write…oh gosh…probably the hero of my first novel, Will. He wasn’t a terribly good character, really just an incredibly dull mall version of myself with a few more unsavory characteristics. In short, a very boring character, and the main reason why I won’t re-edit that work. I didn’t like the character in the slightest. He was whiney and just…blech. So I don’t write him any more.

30 Days of Writing: Day Nine (a day late)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

Oh boy.

I don’t sit down and make lengthy sheets about my characters likes/dislikes. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work. They feel forced.

I create my characters through discovery. I write them and write them, putting them in different situations. Sometimes I write their thoughts, their feelings. After I’ve gotten a sense of them, I feel that I can develop their histories.

I can’t force personality traits onto them. My character Pryce was supposed to be a real jerk, turns out he’s probably the sweetest character I’ve created–Griffin, my take on the Invisible Man, is the jerk. The two of them are a blast to write together.

They adapt, too, based on their experiences. Which is great for me. I’m always learning something new about them.

After I’ve worked with them for a while, I can play with what they represent, etc. This part is fun…I’m having a blast playing with the idea of a pliant mind versus a immovable one.