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Aug 30, 2009
I should be an authority on characters. After all, my family is full of them! Those who know me are nodding and grinning. For those who don't, let's just say there's never a dull moment.
Having such a colorful cast of characters in real life, however, I'm finding to be a great asset as I begin to write fictional characters. I'm sure some of the family laundry will make it into my stories, but names will be changed to protect the 'innocent'. There may be occasion to tell of a character singeing his eyebrows off in a campfire, backing a horse into an electric fence, or bob sledding down a steep ravine in a runaway outhouse. But for the most part, I plan on drawing from the rich, colorful personalities around me rather than specific events. I'll try to keep the worst of the bones in the closet.
Watching people interact, how they use body language, facial expressions, the variety of laughter, all of these things come together to help explain who they are. I want my characters to be real; warts, bad breath and morning surliness 'real'. Heaven help me if I create cookie-cutter characters; the type of people we try to avoid in life, who are too perky, too pretty, and too perfect to stomach.
There's nobody like that in my family and I hope there will be nobody like that in my stories.
Having such a colorful cast of characters in real life, however, I'm finding to be a great asset as I begin to write fictional characters. I'm sure some of the family laundry will make it into my stories, but names will be changed to protect the 'innocent'. There may be occasion to tell of a character singeing his eyebrows off in a campfire, backing a horse into an electric fence, or bob sledding down a steep ravine in a runaway outhouse. But for the most part, I plan on drawing from the rich, colorful personalities around me rather than specific events. I'll try to keep the worst of the bones in the closet.
Watching people interact, how they use body language, facial expressions, the variety of laughter, all of these things come together to help explain who they are. I want my characters to be real; warts, bad breath and morning surliness 'real'. Heaven help me if I create cookie-cutter characters; the type of people we try to avoid in life, who are too perky, too pretty, and too perfect to stomach.
There's nobody like that in my family and I hope there will be nobody like that in my stories.
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1 comments:
Oh good! I never understood 'perfect' people!!!! Keep up the good work my friend!
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