Writers should know their characters, especially trivial things like what they like to eat for breakfast. Interviewing a character is a great idea, but it seems like all of the answers would just be pulled from what you like. So how should one go about getting answers from their characters, and disregarding what they themselves would answer? And without just randomly making something up?
2007-09-20 16:49:35 · 8 answers · asked by olivia2589 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Try a character sketch. There are a lot of places to get ideas of questions, but personally, I like this website because of the other resources that are also available. Anyway, check it out.
http://www.thescriptorium.net/toolbox.html
2007-09-20 17:37:38 · answer #1 · answered by Katie B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wow, that's a really good question, and I believe a really good way for believable characters. thanks for the tip ;-) Anyway, to answer your qeustion, I think it would be best to put all, or most, of the characters traits down on paper. Then, start writing things down like what they like to do, their skills, all that stuff. the more you write down, the more trivial or pointless the traits get (Ex/ right or left hand, shoe size, etc.), until pretty soon you have made a believeable character.
Then, perhaps have a friend, pen-pal, parent, or random person on the internet write up a survey that would be answered by your character. look back at your paper with all the info about the character, and you could answer the questions the way your character might. That's what I would do, if I were asked to interview a character. Of course i've been asked to do that before, and I can tell you it seems much easier to just make stuff up =D
2007-09-21 00:00:29 · answer #2 · answered by Calvinn the Great 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I write short stories. And I write about what I know. So most of my characters are about some friend, acquaintence or co-worker that I can use. However, being creative is making something up. Developing a characters personality is great. Study people around you - go somewhere and sit down and just watch the crowd go by and pick someone and make up a story about that person. That's how a character is created.
2007-09-28 18:35:09 · answer #3 · answered by Ana C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are absolutely right. You should know those things. They have to come from somewhere inside you. Think of them as friends and relatives. What kind of things do you know about your friends and relatives? That is the degree of detail you want to know about your characters. When you know what much, you will be surprised at how they answer you. This all comes from doing serious character studies before you write about these people. The more detail you can give them, the more you can flesh them out, the more likely you are to know exactly how they will react in the situations in your story. Think about how well you know your best friend. If I asked you whether your best friend would choose Italian or Chinese food for dinner, would you be likely to know the answer? Well, think of your characters that way. Start with your first impressions of the character. Then delve into their past, their dreams for the future, then go into the tiny little detail.... You don't "randomly" make it up, it all has to fit into place to make a well rounded person. Pax- C
2007-09-21 04:30:11 · answer #4 · answered by Persiphone_Hellecat 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Can you make contact with a local theatre college? You may get some volunteers to 'role play' your characters for you. Give them a description of your characters and get them to improvise scenarios you set down.
When I was at acting school we'd often get requests like this from budding playwrights, so I don't see why they'd refuse to do it for novelists.
Good luck with your novel.
2007-09-26 04:23:48 · answer #5 · answered by Rebecca P 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You pulled the larger details from inside yourself, surely you can manage the smaller ones.
If you find yourself simply not being able to know a character you've created even after hours of trying, perhaps not using them would be a better bet, if an author doesn't know their own character, how will the reader?
2007-09-21 06:06:18 · answer #6 · answered by Dan A 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well, if anyone would know your characters, it should be the one making them up. So, unless you are plagerizing someone else's work, which you aren't I suppose, you would have the imagination to take down everything that you want to know about the characters. Be bold. Take chances. Don't copy. =)
2007-09-21 00:40:51 · answer #7 · answered by Alex B 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
tell them who they are as a gift to them
2007-09-21 11:19:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋