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(Introduction - 10/17/00) Topic for #workshop: Anne McDonald on characterizations, 10pm ET WTYates: Welcome to the Christian Writer's Workshop! We will be under protocol tonight. Please type "?" to ask a question... Please type '"!" to make a comment (does not require a response)... Please type "/" or "ga" when you are done. I will call on you in turn. WTYates: Anne McDonald, Moderator of the iUniverse Christian Writers Community which meets at the #christianwriters chatroom, will discuss "Making Three-Dimensional Characters". This should be very good. Here's Anne's bio... WTYates: Anne McDonald's professional background spans various aspects of the writing business. She has served as reporter and editor for a daily newspaper; associate editor for a bi-weekly newspaper; and editorial assistant and later, freelance copy editor and proofreader for a Christian publishing company. Her first novel, LOVE'S REFINING FIRE, made its debut this summer. Interested readers can order it (ISBN 0595-12167-5) through iUniverse or Barnes and Noble. Anne lives with her husband and son in the desert Southwest. WTYates: We'll open with a short prayer...Father, thank you for the opportunity to share the gifts you have given us. Help us to learn to serve you better through these gifts. In Jesus' name, AMEN!! AnnieM: Amen WTYates: Annie, Thanks for coming tonight! AnnieM: Thanks for inviting me. I'm so glad to be here WTYates: If you would like, make some opening comments before we go to Q&A. AnnieM: I'd like to start with a lecture, and then have questions after each section covered. Will that work? WTYates: Fine! AnnieM: Let's start, then. |
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AnnieM: Recent readers of my novel, Love's Refining Fire, asked me how I managed to give my characters such three-dimensional personalities. When I explained that I wrote up detailed personal history information for each major character in the story, I got mixed reviews. Some people think it's too much work; others are thrilled and can't wait to start digging into their own character's inner workings. I won't try to fool you, creating characters that your readers will expect to walk off the page is hard work. You can't just slap down a few choice words and make your character come alive. You have to KNOW your character: appearance, speech, temperament, mannerisms, history and goals. Fiction (and even non-fiction) is a reflection of real life. Characterization is a learning process, one that you never graduate from. When writers stop learning, their writing shows it. Each book you write needs to be better than your last one. On Christian Writers' Web Community I have posted a detailed Characterization form that covers all of the items I am talking about tonight. A very effective way of learning characterization is to study people. Malls are a great place to go to study the actions and reactions of all sorts of people. I'm going to briefly explain the various aspects of characterization that I just mentioned, just in case anyone is not familiar with them. They are normally called "tags" and they are used to identify the character to the reader. Appearance is fairly obvious. Each person has his/her own characteristics. People can be blonde, brunette, redhead, bald; dark-skinned, light-skinned, tall, short, heavy-set, thin, medium build; have blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes. Neat, or sloppy dresser. Gang bangers have a different style of dress than say a CEO for a major corporation. Appearance is anything physical that you see. In the Character Analysis Form there are specific questions to answer regarding eyes, etc. Whether the eyes are small, large, crossed, piggish, etc. Same thing with the ears but different questions. Each person looks different unless you have identical twins...etc. Even if you had three brunettes standing next to each other, each one would have distinctive features. Each character in your story must have their own distinction. The rule of thumb is to give each character specific tags so that you won't confuse the readers. Any questions so far? Zomo77: ? WTYates: Zomo77... princessja: I did have a question.... Zomo77: How can you assign tags to characters without stereotyping? princessja: I was wondering what to do when you feel like the characters are too predictable? AnnieM: OK, I'll answer Zomo first, them princess jasmine. AnnieM: Zomo, the tags you assign will help define your character. The appearance tags are just the start. If you study people on the street or in malls, you will notice each has different aspects about them that make them unique. ga Zomo77: ! AnnieM: Zomo, did that answer your question enough? ga Zomo77: Yes, thanks. ga AnnieM: now, princessjasmine's question AnnieM: The way to ensure your characters are not predictable is to get to know them. Later in the workshop we will cover that element. Any other questions regarding appearance? mconnie: ? WTYates: mconnie... princessja: thanx from me too ga mconnie: Is there anything that you can leave to the imagination of the reader? AnnieM: Yes. In my book, Love's Refining Fire, I don't describe the clothing Anton Carducci is wearing, yet readers instinctively know. It depends on how you set up the scene and how well your characters are developed. ga mconnie: Thanks. ga |
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AnnieM: OK, if there are no more questions on this point, let's move on
Speech: Our usage of language says a lot about us. A doctor speaks very differently than a drug dealer. Policemen have a unique vocabulary, as do taxi drivers and waitresses. A prostitute uses very different words than a socialite. Writers have a language all their own: WIP (work in progress), POV (point of view), galleys, cover blurb, cover graphics, synopsis, subtexting, timeline, plotting, protagonist, antagonist, impact character, conflict resolution. The various words that we use paint a picture about us. Dialects help us pin-point where someone has lived. People from northern New England sound vastly different from say, someone from the Bronx, or Atlanta, Georgia, or even the Kentucky Hills. Someone from France cannot be confused with a native Australian. They just have to open their mouths and you know. Speech patterns also give identifying clues to a person's background. The shy person speaks hesitantly. The blustery person speaks loudly without tact. A confident person speaks precisely without stammering or faltering. Again, if you study people, you will start to notice their speech patterns...their language...and their dialect. If you are going to present an accent on paper, be cautious of how you do it... I had one author do an entire dialogue in what I think was a Southerner, but I wasn't sure. I literally could not understand because she had used everything phonetically. Needless to say, I didn't finish the chapter. Any questions regarding speech and language? Zomo77: ? WTYates: Zomo77... Tracy: Yes, I am! I'm learning tons!! Thanks! Zomo77:I have heard that you are supposed to merely sprinkle a little bit of dialect in the dialog to give the reader the flavor of the character's origin. Is that true? AnnieM: Yes. But make sure you are consistent with that. In LOVE'S REFINING FIRE the three-year-old did not pronounce certain letters...I had to make sure her dialogue was consistent throughout the book. ga Zomo77: ? WTYates: Zomo77... Zomo77:How far should you take it without committing excess? AnnieM: Again, you want to listen to real people. And, if you have a hard time reading the dialogue aloud, that is a clue that you went too far. ga Zomo77:Understood. Thanks. AnnieM: any other questions? AnnieM: ok, let's move on. AnnieM: Mannerisms are physical movements you observe. How many people have you made these observations of? The fidgeter-he can't stay still to save his life. The doodler leaves her mark all over the paper. You expect the hand wringer to break into tears at any time. The hair twirler twists her hair around her fingers. The scowler has an effective wall to keep people from confronting him. The primper searches out his/her reflection in anything shiny. The shoe polisher has tell-tale marks on his pant legs where he has rubbed his shoes. The fish has the annoying habit of opening and closing his mouth when he's unable to think of a response. The skeptic sits with his arms crossed, and a closed look on his face. Again, whatever mannerism you choose for your character, make sure it remains consistent throughout the story. Sprinkle the mannerisms throughout. If your character is a hair-twirler, have her twirl her hair whenever she is nervous. Many of us use our hands, when speaking, but I knew one man who took this mannerism to extremes. Ang used his hands constantly when he talked. One day, his daughters dared him to try talking without using his hands. The girls made Ang sit on his hands, then they started up a conversation with him. Their father, literally, could not respond to them. Ang sat there, staring blankly, and drooled. What do you do when you are nervous? Do your clear your throat? Does your voice squeak? Do you play with your hair, stare at the floor, tug at your earlobe, fiddle with your ring, straighten your glasses? What do you do when you are excited? Sad? These are all mannerisms. You want your readers to believe they could bump into your character at any time. I had one reader of my novel ask me if I could introduce her to Nathan, the hero. She seemed very disappointed when I told her he was merely in my imagination. AnnieM: Any questions on mannerisms? AnnieM: am I going too fast? Zomo77:No, you were clear. KiwiElle: no, not for me, either :-) princessja: no, just fine :) AnnieM: ok, let's move on, then. AnnieM: Personality trait-a person's attitude toward life and others. How many of you have met the Perky person? No matter what is going on, this person is upbeat to a fault. You begin to wonder if she's swallowed the Energizer Bunny by mistake. There's the dominator, the people-pleaser, the guy who walks around with a black cloud over his head; the fault-finder, the painfully shy person. Have you ever been confronted by the person who insists on standing there. AnnieM: In Tim LaHaye's classic book, The Spirit-Filled Temperament, he describes four different temperament types: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. I actually used this book to understand what drove my character's behaviors. (Then I loaned the book out and haven't seen it since). AnnieM: The Sanguine needs to be around people. They are extroverted, bright, cheerful people. The Choleric need to dominate/control situations, self and others. This temperament type has leadership capabilities. Melancholy individual needs to be alone. They are independent, realistic, artistic, creative and analytical. The Phlegmatic individual is slow paced, shows a lack of energy, and non-commitment to life. Mind you these are merely short descriptions of these personality types. Most people are a combination of two or more temperament types. I recommend Dr. LaHaye's book to anyone wanting to create believable characters. He gives the strengths and weaknesses of each temperament. Remember, each one of your characters needs a fatal flaw to be realistic. So give them that flaw. What is it that will break them? ga KiwiElle: ! WTYates: Kiwi.. KiwiElle: Can I just mention that Dr LaHaye has recently expanded on these temperament types in the book called "Opposites Attract" which is great for looking at temperaments in relationships, etc. ga AnnieM: Thanks, Kiwi. Any questions on this topic? AnnieM: The books are available through any good bookstore btw. OK, lets move on. History: Everyone has a history. If I walked up to any one of you and asked you where you lived as a child, how many siblings you had, where you went to high school each of you would have an answer for me. In the same way, you need to give your major characters a history. This is not unlike what actors do to make their characters believable. When I traveled with a repertoire theater company some years ago, we were required to fill out an extensive questionnaire regarding each character we played. Our national director had a habit of showing up, unannounced during rehearsals for any of the various traveling groups. If he came up on stage and asked us questions, we had to answer in character. Believe me, we made sure our homework was done. Knowing our characters' backgrounds enabled us to understand what they would or would not do in various circumstances. The same applies to writing. Having the history for your characters helps you understand what motivates them. Someone who has grown up in an abusive family will react differently in given situations than someone who had a loving family background. A police officer will respond differently to emergency situations than someone who has never faced danger. A mother intent on protecting her child will not behave in the same way as someone who is self-absorbed. How do we get this history, you ask?... You ask the characters. Hold on, and I will do into that in detail in just a few. Goals: What are your characters' goals? What are they willing to do to see those goals come to fruition? One character I portrayed on the road would stop at nothing to reach her goal, even if it meant "fixing" her brother's brakes, or poisoning her sister. In my current book, Love's Refining Fire, Jennifer has to face her own paralyzing fears in order to save her daughter. OK. Techniques for Getting to Know Characters. Donna Fletcher Crow, author of more than 30 books, taught me an interesting method of getting to know my characters. She had me interview them. Now, since I have a journalism background, this clicked with me immediately, and I had fabulous results. This isn't as crazy as it seems. Many veteran writers will tell you that they talk to their characters on a regular basis when they write. Writers are a strange breed, anyway, so you have nothing to lose. Jane's characters stands by her bed and yaks at her until she gets up to write. Sit down at your typewriter, computer keyboard, or (for those who like to write long-hand) paper and pencil and pick out your target character and start asking him/her questions. I'm sure many of you watch the news. Reporters ask what they want/need to know. This applies to characters as well. I keep separate notebook sections for each character. AnnieM: Any questions? mconnie: ? WTYates: mconnie... mconnie: I know you can't go into detail, but can we have a sampling of questions you ask? AnnieM: OK. When my character Jennifer went to Knott's Berry Farm with Nathan and her daughter, I needed to know what happened there, so I asked her... Jennifer, what happened when you went on that excursion...Her answer: "I absolutely wanted to die. If that man ever speaks to me again, it will be a miracle." Now, of course, I just couldn't leave it there, so I kept pushing her until she told me what happened. AnnieM: Think of how you get to know someone. You ask them question. Where are you from, what do you do? etc. Does that answer your question? ga mconnie: yes, I did not think the 'interviewing' went beyond the initial history questions. You ask questions throughout your story. AnnieM: yes. I have found that interviewing has helped me break writers' block on a regular basis. mconnie: thank you AnnieM: Writers block comes when a writer doesn't know enough about the characters. Now, some characters are more willing to talk than others... mconnie: ! lol AnnieM: In my WIP, my murderer only speaks to me in riddles if at all...It is a common experience for characters to talk to you...so don't be questioning your sanity when they do. I had two characters in such a feud that they refused to allow me to write anything about them until the feud was solved.... So, I had to put one character in a coma, for the sake of getting to the story. Now I have a story board hanging above my desk... On this board I have pictures of my characters that I have either found in magazines, catalogues, etc. Plus I have the setting layout. KiwiElle: ? WTYates: Kiwi... KiwiElle: what does the setting layout involve? AnnieM: for my setting layout, I have drawn the entire ranch property...since this is a mystery...and key locations on the ranch. ga KiwiElle: thanks :-) AnnieM: Ok, my turn to ask questions....hehehe WTYates: Uh-oh! :) AnnieM: Where have each of you met your characters? type ! and then I will call on you. OK, brave souls, spill the beans about your characters... let's start with... Bill. Everyone else, have your answers ready to post when I call on you. ga, Bill WTYates: Well, I've just started fiction (except for my children's Christmas story) and the first place I started was me. AnnieM: you want to add anything else, Bill? ga WTYates: Well, I know me best, so I've based my hero somewhat on me in terms of interests, etc. Doesn't look like me, but perhaps is motivated the way I think I might be if I were him. AnnieM: good start! WTYates: Different history, too. AnnieM: good! Carmen: ! WTYates: Carmen... Carmen: My characters are actually composites of many people I have known in support groups for Huntington's Disease. What's interesting is I got to pose questions to this list and get answers. AnnieM: Composites are very wise. Saves the author from lawsuits. Carmen: It really has helped to see how people with this disease and involved in it think about the issues I'm dealing with. AnnieM: Excellent, Carmen. Carmen: Although my main character is a male, his views on things are actually mine. I've actually lived through so much of this so it rings with authenticity. It's for a screenplay, not a novel, but it's much the same. Ok, I'm done. AnnieM: You will find that many times a part of you will appear in the characters. Thank you, Carmen. KiwiElle: ! WTYates: Kiwi... KiwiElle: Apart from myself, different people that frequent a bus route through town, and the different people working at the museum my hubby works at (2 different stories) as well as a third story which has totally different characters to me set in a situation not far different from one I find myself in, so the angles are different from mine. AnnieM: Good! anyone else? KiwiElle: hubby and I have been unable to have children, so that's been a sore point. And abortion is so available, it's maddening. AnnieM: Sorry, Kiwi. ga KiwiElle: So with these two themes in mind, I have some very different characters in mind viewing each situation from totally opposite angles princessja: um AnnieM: ga, princessjasmine princessja: Well, I was just going to say that the characters in my fictional work are also based a lot on myself partly and on other people I know or see in real life. I also try to make them unique by giving them qualities I've wanted and don't have or vice versa. AnnieM: Right. Remember, fiction is a reflection of real life. AnnieM: Any other volunteers? mconnie: ! AnnieM: mc...ga WTYates: mconnie... mconnie: My female lead is a composite of the strong women I've met...includes some of the characteristics I would like to see in women. The male lead is partly based on a real person with some bits of historical persons. ga AnnieM: good! tracya: ! WTYates: tracya... tracya: My characters are often based on people I've met and whom I admire. However, sometimes they can become too superficially perfect. That's a problem for me. Often I get an idea of a character when reading another story. Perhaps the character would have handled a situation differently because of different character traits and then that sends me off onto a completely different story and character. ga AnnieM: Sometimes getting to know your characters will also change your storylines. ga mconnie: ? WTYates: mconnie... mconnie: I have trouble with 'bad' characters. I know what can make a person 'evil' for lack of a better term...but no one is completely bad...I think. ga AnnieM: True. Even your antagonist has to have at least one redeeming value, even if it is making a good cup of coffee. ga mconnie: ! lol AnnieM: lol AnnieM: Any other questions or comments? ga AnnieM: Ok. Thanks so much for participating tonight. AnnieM: I've had a great time. princessja:) me too mconnie: Thanks, Annie...you were great KiwiElle: Thanks Annie, I have too :-) WTYates: Annie, Thanks soooo much! This has been GREAT!!!! mconnie: the writing class I should have taken long ago KiwiElle: I learnt some stuff... I really did!! princessja: ditto KiwiElle: LOL ditto AnnieM: Remember the Character Analysis Form is...at http://communities.iuniverse.com/christianwriters. It's on the right hand side of the page in the file cabinet tracya: Thanks! This being my first class, I'll definitely be back for more! Great info., Annie! Thanks a lot! WTYates: I will post the chat log on the CWW web site later this week. The CWW web site is at http:/www.billyates.com/cww/. If you would like the weekly email CWW newsletter, send an email to WTYates@aol.com. AnnieM: Thanks for having me here, Bill WTYates: Thank you all for coming!!! princessja: Me, too. Thank you KiwiElle: np.. Was great to make it today :-) WTYates: See you all next week! mconnie: bye princessja: Alright, bye AnnieM: bye |
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