I’ve received a number of responses about my previous essay. Criticism doesn’t bother me too much. These are merely my own personal views of the genre.
But, now for some fun.
Whereas the last essay presented an opinion, this one is primarily informative.
When you write you are putting to words a world that has developed inside your mind. Even where autobiographical components are involved there is a degree of fictionalization for the purpose of brevity.
On the whole though, the work is a product of the writer’s imagination. And because of that, the writer has a responsibility to the characters.
Think of them as your creation. Your off-spring. You are crafting the minutia of their lives. Where they went to college, their first crush. How they react when they’re sad, happy, angry, etc. And to make sure that they’re real you must think of them as real.
Sure, on occasion, the character is not the issue in the story. Then they are more mannequins to be moved about a world. Or might be eventually.
In these cases, the world they inhabit must be made inversely more real, complex and thought-out to counter-balance that deficiency.
Taken in that light, characters are easier to ‘add truth to’, as I like to call it. People are all around you. Environments are everywhere, but are exceedingly intricate.
Here is a set of questions to ask about a character.
What type of birth did they have?
What year were they born and where?
What makes them laugh? Cry? What makes them sad? Angry?
How do they make a living?
How do they feel about their mother? Father?
What sport(s) do they love to play? Watch? Or do they hate sports?
What is their favorite movie? TV show? Music?
What is their favorite color?
What is their favorite food? Beverage?
What is their political affiliation?
Do they gamble?
Do they have kids? Do they like kids?
Are they married? Have they ever been? Do they believe in marriage?
What religion are they?
What is the most exciting thing that ever happened to them?
What is the most traumatic thing that every happened to them?
What type of house or apartment do they live in? How is it furnished?
Do they have any physical diseases? Disabilities?
Have they ever been in love? With whom and when?
Where and when was their first sexual encounter?
If they could change one thing about the world what would it be?
What was their most recent dream?
Do they smoke or drink alcohol? Do they use drugs?
What are three character flaws?
What is their goal in life?
What is their strongest physical attribute?
What do they like most about their body? Least?
Who in the world would they change places with if they could?
Who do they idolize? Worship?
Are they aggressive? Passive?
Do they read the newspaper? Books? Magazines?
Who is their favorite actor and or actress?
What animal would they choose to be?
How do they dress?
How do they show or protect their feelings?
How do they feel about death?
How do they get along with other people?
How did their father influence them? Their mother? Their siblings?
Do they have a brother and or sister?
Was their childhood strict? Lenient?
Were they overprotected? Did they feel rejected? Loved?
What was their families economic status?
Are they smart? Intelligent? Savvy? Slow witted?
Did they go to school or are they educated? High school? College?
Did they like... school? Their teachers? Their classmates?
Do they travel? Where? Why?
Do they have friends? Who? Why? How did they meet them?
What are their hobbies? Interests?
Do they have an imagination? Do they daydream? Worry? Stress?
What is their outlook on life? Positive? Negative?
How do they deal with hostility? Negativity? Ridicule?
What is their health like?
What is their self image? How do they feel about their own size? Looks? Weight? Height?
How do they look? What’s their weight? Height? (Objective)
What's their voice like? Shrill? High? Low?
How do the gesture? Weakly? Vigorously? Controlled? Compulsive?
Are they energetic? Sluggish?
Do they work out?
How do they feel about the opposite sex? The same sex?
That’s it.
I was gonna offer commentary, but I figured that would just mess up people who might want to make a quick copy of these questions to fill out. Each one is important even if it’s a negative or something that doesn’t apply. Tell yourself why it doesn’t apply. Strive for a paragraph for each question. I hope this helps those that read it write better.
Thank you all.
© 2001
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