He was staring into the freezer like it was frickin Narnia!!

This blog is about description of character. It is also going to be short because this is finals week =)
I love the type of description in this blogs title. I prefer to make metaphors as opposed to spending lots of time trying to describe something in detail. I find it both immensely helpful and efficient when you use something that people already know to give an example of what you are trying to convey. If I was to say that the man was looking into the freezer, the first thing that I would picture is a man standing in his dark and dreary kitchen, wearing baggy clothes and disheveled hair, all the while staring longingly into the freezer for something that isn’t there, something that would make his life worth living. Now, if I said that the man was staring into the freezer with gumption, I would imagine a slightly younger man than before, wearing clothes more suited to someone who actually goes out into the sun during the day and hair that isn’t disheveled from lack of concern, but perhaps from an afternoon jog. This man would also be staring into his freezer in the dark, but this time because the lights are out and he is searching for the ice-cream to eat while he watches his movie.  However….If I was to say that the man was staring into his freezer like it was frickin Narnia….that adds a whole new world of perspective on the subject. This guy is standing in his boxers. He has just gotten up from his sleep and gone to look for a midnight snack. Only what he finds in his freezer is so much more. He is looking enthusiastically into his chilly snack harboring machine, only to find that his frozen treat is missing, and in its stead is a man goat. This man’s hair is also disheveled but this time it’s from the arctic wind that rushed out of his ice box and into his face. This guy is now so excited that he is having trouble catching his breath, and doesn’t notice how cold he is. He is both angry for the loss of his snack and trembling with enthusiasm to explore this new world. Now he just needs to figure out how he’s going to get into the freezer without breaking something. Really...who would pass up the chance to explore Narnia??
This kind of description is particularly useful when describing the anti-hero. Enter Captain Jack Sparrow. He’s the guy that everyone should hate, and he should be the bad guy. But he ends up becoming the hero because of his charm and his unique quirks. If I was to try and describe this guy in detail, I might say that he is clumsy. When in actuality he isn’t so, he is just lucky. I could spend some long winded conversation trying to accurately describe this person, or I could use examples and metaphors, allowing my audience to come to their own conclusions, just as they would with anyone they might meet in real life. Another very effective tool is to show the reader who this person is through actions as opposed to words (no pun intended). This would, in my opinion, create a more accurate personification as well as a more personal one. Allowing the reader to feel a closer and more emotional connection with the character because they really know them, it didn’t have to be explained.

This post I am reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carrol


"There are people so addicted to exaggeration they can't tell the truth without lying."  ~Josh Billings

Who are they anyway??

So I had planned for this blog to be about character development, and the process of that. With my post about Nezbee Diggle, I feel like part of that subject has already been breached. At least to the extent of doing my own character development exercise. That project was a good start to the art of character development, covering the basics, a little family history, near future intent and little bit about how she got to where she is today. However, that is such a small amount of information compared to what a character, especially for a main character really needs to have to be identifiable and unforgettable. I've been reading a book that helps summarize the process of creating characters, and then what to do with them. It's called Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card. I am not even halfway through this book and in just the first few pages I noticed that I have been overlooking seemingly obvious ways to develop my characters. I have been providing background information and personality traits for each of my adventurers, but I have not been giving them things like reputation beyond their racial attributes, or hidden agendas as of yet. While reading this book has been immensely helpful, it has also humbled my once very decent (or so I had thought) character creation skills. While I have been successfully descriptive in my writing of the main forces in my story, I have forgotten some very imperative information. One would think that a writer would automatically think of his or her book from the perspective of someone who understands that just because they know their characters does not mean that their readers do too and their readers need more of a past, or motive, or reputation on the people they are reading about to truly understand them. Not I. I have been writing blindly from the heart and forgetting that although I know these characters very well and I describe them so, I have neglected to give a more personal view into their world and into their minds. I also found another source on the web about creating unforgettable characters. Sophie Littlefield wrote about a fool proof formula that she devised to creating unforgettable characters. It is a very simple formula and one that I was ecstatic to see that I had already used on my main character of my book. It goes as thus: back story plus internal conflict plus aggravating circumstances equals unforgettable character. So my main character has all of this, at least I started her off right, however, her companions could still use some work. Of course my book isn't anywhere near being finished yet, so there is still plenty of room for them to grow and develop. I just might want to consider going back and adding to their history a little bit. I want everyone to love these guys as much as I do!

Now on to the characters that everyone forgets, the side character. I have been having trouble with developing these personalities. I want them to be unforgettable yet forgettable. I think that these minor roles should be quirky but never steal the story. they need to be there and play their role well, but then disappear when they are done. I have heard about a computer program that actually creates a character for you after you input minor information. I haven't found it yet, but I haven't looked very hard either. I am struggling with the option of using a program at all. I mean it might make for a good basis to build a person from, helping to save time, but it feels so impersonal to me. I understand the need to save time, I can barely find the time to write this blog, but I also feel like it would take away from my story if I put randomly generated characters into it. However, I also understand that making my own background story and history for each minor role could be very time consuming and possibly ruin deadlines in the future, but for now, my deadline is pretty far away and I feel that I am making some serious headway. I will do some research into this idea and let you all know what decision I make.

I have also decided to put up the book that I am reading (for entertainment) at the time of each blog. This way you can either try it on for yourself, or maybe give me suggestions. I am currently reading Monster by A.Lee Martinez and it is fantastic.

"I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma."  ~Eartha Kitt