I am sure, every writer desires, yearns and craves to create believable, rounded, and three dimensional characters that readers
not just believe in, but also identify and follow through the pages of the book.
Any exercise that helps us to develop characters is embraced by us.
I came
across this exercise for Character Study in Writing Fiction. When we are trying
to introduce depth into a character, we can use the following exercise.
1. Write a sketch of the characters as you see them: their
physical attributes, their mental make up, their emotional needs and how they
handle relationships and other problems.
2. Write a sketch of the characters as they would see
themselves. What is the character’s opinion of himself/herself? How does he/she
see themselves?
3. Describe a character that is opposite of the one you
described in point 1.
4. Describe a character that is the opposite of the one you
described in point 2.
5. Look at the four descriptions and underline the parts you
find interesting. Amalgamate
them.
This
exercise is a wonderful way to analyze how our characters see themselves. It made me realize that the way I perceived
my character/s is different from the way they see themselves. It’s so true of
life and people. We seldom see people as the way they see themselves. Once we
know how our characters really see themselves, it makes it easy for us to
tackle their core beliefs and target
their insecurities. We can add inner tension with more ease as we are privy to
all the inner demons our character faces and tackles.
This
exercise is also a wonderful way to give our characters plenty of traits that can make them more rounded, unique and
individualistic at the same time.
Do
you write a sketch of your characters,
about their physical, mental and
emotional traits? Have you ever tried
any technique to get to know your characters better. Please share your methods
with us.
This is a great and informative post! Thanks for the tips, Rachna. I'm sure to use them for my own character study. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a really interesting exercise, thank you. How characters see themselves isn't something I always think about.But I will do now.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it, a good book is known for its characters, especially for series fiction. I've always thought that if you make a character slightly flawed too then they are more realistic. After all, no one's perfect.
ReplyDeleteThis is an exercise I will have to try and share with others.
ReplyDeleteThis is another good one! Will have to give it a try. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll usually write something up like this halfway through my book because I always belately remember that I need to keep my characters distinct from each other. lol. great post.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting idea here for getting to know your characters better. I like the idea of describing them as we see them, and then as they see themselves. This will really bring out their own ideas of self worth.
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I shall definitely be trying this exercise. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteEllie Garratt
Useful tips for the writer and fascinating for the reader.
ReplyDeleteThese are some great techniques to round out characters. It really is true that characters see themselves differently than others see them. That actually is a big deal in my current book, and it has created some interesting inner tension. Thanks for sharing these!
ReplyDeleteThree dimensional is good, but there are places for more two-dimensional characters, i.e. the minor character which is so important in Tolstoy and Nemirovsky. Just a thought:)
ReplyDeleteMy characters walk into my thoughts as fully formed people. My job is just to get to know them inside and out.
ReplyDelete:-)
I love exercises like this! I do character lists, just brief ones with physical and emotional traits. However, I've considered doing some of the really in-depth ones that are like 5 pages long, just for the main characters.
ReplyDeleteGreat exercise. Thanks for sharing. Will try to do it for my next book.
ReplyDeleteOften I develop my characters as I go along. The story often dictates features and traits of the charcaters. I used to write these down but stopped. I should probably catalog these as I can see how useful it can be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this wonderful exercise. Glad I landed at your blog.
ReplyDelete