Writing Prompt #4

Changing and developing characters gradually is an art form, and one that many writers do well.
One of the reasons I'm deeply interested in certain TV shows is because of the development of the characters I love.
Starting with a character who is set in their ways, and making them change drastically for no reason is a mistake I've seen many TV/Film writers make.

Having a stand up, well adjusted character devolve into miserable, desperate ones can be a quick process. It can either be a series of several events, or one big event. Breaking down a character mentally needs to be creative. Why do these events affect them so much? This especially needs to be thought of if it's a series of several small events. 

Making miserable characters develop into less miserable characters is a more delicate process. Feeling like crap is harder to undo than feeling good, but it's both fun, and rewarding. 
Describe what a character who never or rarely smiles feels when s/he smiles just a little. The way the muscles around their mouth are a little stiff. The way their heart/ chest/ shoulders feel lighter.

Makeup?

So over the years, I've changed what "I want to be" more times than I can count.
The one constant thing is that I want to work in film... Or at least make my own films.
Right now, doing makeup and set dressing is easier than writing screenplays... it's also a bit more rewarding.
The thing is, I can't seem to get up the money/courage to go to any sort of school, so I'm simply testing things out on myself.

This is the one I did today. It's supposed to be a fawn. Unfortunately I don't have the makeup I need in order to learn the techniques I need.

Take care of yourself~

Also on my list of being a better person is taking better care of myself and my body. I made a list for that, too.

Daily:

• Drink 10 cups of water
• Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and as few sugary snacks as possible. (make sure a lot of your food is vegetables)
  
• Get some form of exercise. Even if it's just stretching.
• Rid yourself of stress. Whether it's by cleaning, knitting, getting work done, taking a walk, or meditating
• Wash your face gently, use a clean towel every time.
  
• Brush your teeth and floss properly. 
• Brush your hair. 
• Write in a journal. Write out your feelings rather than keep them bottled up. Or write down your dreams. 
• Get at least 7 hours of sleep, but 8 - 10 is preferred.
  
• Be kind to yourself.

Weekly:

• Change your sheets/pillow cases.
• Do your laundry.
• Take note of what you accomplished in the last week. Be proud. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't accomplish every single thing you meant to. 
• Clean your room/house.
• If you're working out to a goal, make sure to track it. Feel proud, even if you see no change. You will get there if you keep going. 
• Be kind to yourself. 

Again, since writing this list, I've managed to be consistent with a few of these things.

Act as if you are the person you want to be~

So there's this motivation image on Pinterest that I've printed out and put up on my wall next to the things that make me feel happy.

Another thing that makes me happy and far less anxious is to make lists. So in putting those two things together, I've made this list:

The person I wanna be is:

• Responsible
• Kind/sweet
• Soft spoken, unless she needs not be
• Tough
• Honest
• Stable
• Down to earth

What she does:

• Makes sure she has all of her chores and work done.
• Does her very best at her job, and doesn't half ass anything.
• Doesn't overreact, or give in anxiety or fear.
  
• Eats healthy.
• Works out regularly.
• Does her best to make herself and others happy.
• Reaches her goals in a way that isn't self destructive. 
• Makes time for herself, but doesn't dis her loved ones to do so. 

I still have to print this out so I can see it every day, but so far I'm already making progress. 

Writing prompt #3

Let's talk about quirks and details.

We all know the struggle of making a new character. It's like the start screen of a new game of the Sims. They're blank and naked, and you have to change them. Dress them, add layers, make them whole.

People are complicated, and although we all know that things in real life, such as speech patterns do not translate well into writing, people will always be complicated.

Lately I've been altering the personalities of some of my characters, giving them better rounded behaviors and motives (which is talked about in the previous post), as well as more details.

I will use one of my main protagonists as an example:

His name is Nye. Usual fantasy character. Elven (well, my specialized race of elf like people) prince, leader of a rebel army against the dark forces, in love with a girl who doesn't feel quite the same. All of these things are well and good, until you actually begin writing (or fill out one of those character development sheets).
Until you realize that, wow... he's kinda dull without any "human" qualities.

So I gave him allergies.

An an interest in music.

And an odd, lovely little laugh that he does only for his friends.

Throughout the day (or several) I wrote down different little human quirks, and qualities, and little details. Some of them fit his personality/character, some of them didn't.

And of course, you don't want to give the character TOO many quirks. That would be rather too much if they had more than what could fit their personality. Especially since some quirks and details are bigger and more noticeable (such as drumming their fingers on any surface they can) than others (such as the way their eyes crinkle at the corner when they smile). 

I advise watching people (and yourself). They generally blend into someone's personality, but if you really watch, you can pick up little details that many people have.

Here's a list of some examples-

• Speech patterns- such as mispronouncing something, or saying only a single word in an accent or with an inflection every time: An American saying croissant with a thick and exaggerated french accent. 
• Physical tics/habits - Sometimes people get nervous and have to move or do something to get their energy out: Tapping their fingers (in a certain pattern), chewing their hair, adjusting their clothes, rubbing the back of their neck, cracking knuckles.
• Physical details -  Generally this comes in when you're creating your characters overall look. But not always. Perhaps your character hasn't smiled honestly at anyone up until a certain point in your story, and then they do and there are details: crooked smiles, crinkles around the eyes when smiling, little nose twitches when they think too hard, purses their lips/sticks their tongue out between their teeth when concentrating, "reads" the air when inventing or thinking hard, sighs a lot to clear the lungs of unwanted breath, their glasses fog up when they blush. 
• Misc details and quirks, which don't really fit into certain categories (or I can't think of any because it's 2:30am and I'm tired): Not so good with babies, allergies, have to have their blankets/pillows a certain way, glasses, places their pens and pencils in a certain order, always have to have something to write with/on with them, likes going into office supply stores for no reason, likes cute things, likes dark things, will only drink a certain brand/color of soda. 

Also think of the type of character you're trying to create/recreate. Are they cute? Why? Are they dark and moody? Why?

But also on a side note, remember that your character, even if they fit into a certain genre, doesn't have to conform to that genre. Say you have a brooding, muscly, goon. What if his favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry and he likes it in a cone with rainbow sprinkles?
What if your cute little teenaged girl character likes Norwegian death metal and listens to it on her pretty pink iPod? 

Writing Prompt #2

Now, usually I try REALLY hard not to write a character's overall behavior/mood/disposition before their history. However me trying hard means that I've succeeded in creating their history first, and disposition after.... very few times.

So lately, when faced with a character who already has dialog/involvement in a story, especially one who is quirky (seemingly for no reason), I've been asking myself:

Why?

Why does a character behave this way? Why do they have the quirks? 

For example: A young female character, 17 - 20 years old, hates the main protagonist, for seemingly no reason. Why? Why does she hate him? She's never met him, so why the negative feelings?

Well maybe she's had bad experiences in the past with boys. Maybe he reminds her of a boy who broke her heart. Or of a brother who abandoned her. Maybe she is afraid of strangers. This character would not simply be a "bitch" for no reason.

Happy characters, sad characters, the way they dress and speak and hold themselves. Who they trust and don't. Why they treat others a certain way. 

Ask yourself: Why? What in their past has made them act this way? 

Write down possible reasons. Any reason you think of. Good or bad, always write it down.

Character study idea 1: drawing

I have never been satisfied with the way I draw. Like, ever.
But not being satisfied, and therefore not drawing, is setting me back farther than I would be if I just muddled through being frustrated.

Anywho...

I just recently drew a character that I like very much. She's traditional; crimpy/curly hair, freckles, wide eyes, curvy/chubby body (besides the fact that she's got a mermaid's tail). But I very much enjoyed drawing her.

So my next thing is to try to draw her again. And again.

There are plenty of memes on DeviantArt for this, but I'm writing it out anyway.

If you have a character drawn out in a certain pose or position that they always seem to be in, try doing a drawing of each:

• front facing
• side profile
• 3/4 profile
• back

Draw in the little details, or just the outline. 

This also works well for fashion and costume designers to get an almost 360 degree angle. 

Once you know your character well enough, you can try different, more difficult angles.