Developing Unique and Believable Characters by MARVIN WILSON

There is the old adage, ‘write what you know’, and it certainly does help for a writer to have lived long, loved and hated, had several peaks and valleys during the journey, been ‘around the block’ several times and experienced lots of different situations.

I read that Hemingway would seek out wars and hire on as a mercenary so he could experience the intensity of real life and death battle. I’ve never been in a war, but part of my writing arsenal is having had a rather widely varied and experiential life background. From a young Hippie Rock and Roll travelling musician, to nightclub entertainer, to a formally trained Zen student, to carpenter, to small business owner, to network marketer, to sales and sales training, to skilled trades instructor and adult education teacher, to public speaker and motivational coach, to mention some.

I came from a small, lily-white northern Michigan town, but have during my adult life hung out in metropolitan cities, been down in the ghettos and made friends there, got to know and make friends with people of all races, ethnic and religious backgrounds. And I have had first hand experience with serious narcotics addiction, complete with considerable interaction with underworld characters: hookers, drug dealers, hustlers, etc. So it’s easy for me to draw from all the different types of people I have known to put composite characters together that are going to feel real to the reader because they are based on actual people I’ve known. Not usually just one person, but piece this from that one with that from another—that sort of thing.

But a writer does not have to have all that much first hand life experience to create real and distinctive characters. You can write people that you never have ‘known’. You just have to be a fastidious observer, a people watcher at all times, a perpetual, insatiable sponge of information gathering. Go sit in the mall and watch people. If you are from a small town, go to big cities and hang around downtown observing people. And visa versa if you’re from the big city and have not experienced small town living. Interview crooks, ex-cons of all types of crimes, set appointments with pastors, doctors, nurses, pilots, war vets, etc., and build up a vicarious life experience background from which to draw on when creating characters.

Also important is making sure you keep your ‘self’ out of your characters. Unless you want to speak through a character who is going to represent you and your messages, and that is perfectly fine—just keep it to one—you should guard against having your characters talk and act like you do. As an editor I see this all the time from novice writers. There might be anywhere from three to seven main and supporting characters and all of them use the same pet phrases—an obvious giveaway that the author uses those phrases. Same goes for mannerisms, emotional reactions, everything. Create one-of-a-kind characters, each with his or her own mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, ethical and moral, sexual persuasion, whatever, makeup.

Here are a couple things that can help. One, keep a character journal. For every main and supporting character, have a list of all their characteristics, including special notes to yourself as you write and develop them. Here’s a sample from my Beware the Devil’s Hug character journal-

Full name: Destiny Marie Jackson – Nickname, “Cocoa”

Gender: Female

Age: Twenty nine

Height: 5’ 7”

Weight: 110 lb

Race: African American

Occupation: Prostitute

Skin tone: Creamy coffee when healthy, ashy when book opens and she is on heroin

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Unkempt medium sized Afro

Body type: Slender, medium sized perky breasts, long legged

Sexual persuasion: strongly sexed heterosexual, and totally not satisfied sexually in spite of all the sex she’s having.

Voice tone: Raspy alto

Speech mannerisms: ghetto slang talker, swears a lot in opening chapters. As story unfolds she cleans up her language and expands her vocabulary.

Pet phrases: hecky; good googely moogely; okey dokey

Distinguishing features: large scar under her chin. Tramp stamp tattoo of a Harley Davidson logo

Role in story and relationship to other characters: Secondary main character, falls in love with and marries The Old Man. Becomes best friends with Angel, Christian Wilson’s fiancé.

Religion/spiritual path: Agnostic at first, then Christian

Notes: Abused sexually by her father as an early teenager. She ran away from home at 16, never finished high school. Her parents live off Fenkel Street, just west of Livernois. She now lives on eight mile. Likes pizza, hip-hop, Mountain Dew, not a heavy alcohol drinker, favorite books are romance novels. Detroit Pistons fan.

~~~~~

I use the same list for all my characters. I might not have all the categories filled in as I start writing, but I go to the journal and fill in the blanks as they are created. I can then refer to the journal as I write if I forget any minute detail about the character, thus ensuring consistency in the story with respect to how this person looks, speaks, dresses, acts, reacts, and so forth.

And here’s another technique I’ve recently started using: before you write your book, interview your main characters. Just as if they were sitting in the room with you, ask them questions like …

· What is your favorite food? (ask color, music, kinds of books, movies, hobbies and interests, etc)

· What are your core spiritual beliefs?

· If you were in a situation where you could help someone—a total stranger in desperate need—but it meant you had to make a personal sacrifice to do so, what would you do?

· What was your upbringing, your family situation like?

· What do you hate the most in life?

· What do your fear most?

· What turns you on, makes you happy?

· In a relationship, what do you want to get out of it … be it a sexual, life partner, friendship, spiritual, or business relationship?

You get the idea. Be creative, and adjust the kinds of questions you ask your characters according to the genre you are writing in.

So there are some thoughts, ideas, and a couple tried and true techniques for developing unique, believable, realistic and consistent characters in your fictions. Use them and let me know how they work for you in future class sessions.

Marvin D Wilson, multi-published author and editor with All Things That Matter Press, using the pen name “Professor Old Silly,” posts writing tutorials on his blog each Tuesday. The above tutorial is a re-post from the archives of his blog at: http://theoldsilly.com.

A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century

How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century
By Sandy Sims

BLOG TOUR



In my book “How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head Under My Skin and Changed The Way I Think About Thinking,” I discussed the fact that I had a crisis in my early thirties, followed by an urgent need for help. I desperately needed a new way to look at life. I even rolled up my car windows while on the freeway screaming for help. Little did I recognize that very act had set into motion a future cascade of events. This included a psychiatrist, not just to see but to date-the immersion course so to speak, appeared in virtually no time at all.

She saw that I was a candidate for the self-empowerment model, one she was investigating herself. The ideas were not new, but they also were not mainstream. They were rooted in Eastern philosophy which was beginning to emerge here in the 60’s and 70’s under the umbrella of the New Age and Human Potential Movement.
Part of the issue for all people willing to engage in the fundamental pattern of developing a new belief system is that it is easy to be pumped up in a seminar, with the afterglow lasting at least a few days, a few weeks or more. However, moving from an idea to a belief can be an arduous journey, and there is plenty of conflicting information along the way to trip us up. For example, when competing parties are after the same goal there will be winners and losers. But are losers in the short term losers, or winners in training? Confusion abounds around what is actually a true intuitive hit, and what is bleeding through as simply a strong desire. All of this takes practice and work to sort it out.

That is why a gradual bite by bite method of exploration, starting with small successful manifestations, followed by more adventuresome ones, produces the best results. It is a way of examining the exact nature of our desires and what seems to be supported versus what appears to fail. Frequently, for example, the object of our desire is really masking a fear. We want a particular house, car, etc because we want to project success. Underneath the desire, however, may be a fear that without this goodie we might be projecting failure to the world around us. Which is stronger, the desire or the fear? We can, for example, use muscle testing to help discern whether a feeling is an intuitive hit or simply a strong desire.

My book was an accounting of this kind of a journey: one in which I could review my past, from this new vantage point. I could see the beginning desire and I could see the outcome. I noticed the time frames required. Once I began to connect these dots, the more confident I became. Moving forward I was still hesitant, but had more confidence, and such has been the journey.

In the process I wondered about the mechanics at play. What were the forces? How did they operate? Of course it is not necessary to know this. Most of us don’t understand how our modern car operates. We get in, turn on the key and take off. Secondly, there are the endless skeptical observations claiming quackery due to lack of evidence. Yet absence of proof is not proof of absence. We know all about electricity, but we don’t know exactly what it is.

The best explanation I have found emerges from the Seth Material by Jane Roberts. Here Seth discusses “Frameworks.” We exist in one framework. Our thoughts with intent summon legions of energetic patterns from another framework to finally emerge in this framework.

I also observed that my new ideas seemed to come from somewhere, either as answers to my questions, or as novelties, simply and graciously dumped into my lap. There seemed to exist a two way street of communication with this collective unconscious, as if we have invisible partners. Rather than simply ascribing these events to some divine being whom I was lucky enough to please, I liked the idea of having buddies, friends so to speak, who could see a larger landscape, moving through life with me, doing their best to assist my journey. They respond to my requests and also send me unsolicited ideas. I have no proof that this is the way it is, but it seems and feels possible, and that is good enough for me until a better story comes along.

Aside from intuitive urges, or the revelatory “Aha” experience the communication process between myself and my invisible partners seems to utilize positive as well as negative synchronicities, or as Jung has called them, meaningful coincidences. I feel we receive these every day. They are often so subtle, that we are oblivious to them. The classic example is the phone call you receive from a friend whereby just as you answer you say, “Oh, I was just thinking about calling you.” The important issue at this precise juncture is to recognize that there is a piece of information to harvest and to search for it. The call might be to mention an event. It is up to you to recognize that if you attend that process will put you in touch with a person, idea or sign which will steer you in a certain direction. If you fail to act, your invisible partners will simply have to try something else.

Like it or not, technology is increasing at warp speed. This is inevitably resulting in many profound changes, the apparent loss of decision making time being at the head of the list. Less contemplative time, coupled with instant technological communication, means more dependence on new tools.

Learning how to discern between intuition and strong desires, how to recognize synchronicities and use them, and how to consciously manifest are all tools being given to us to navigate the new landscape. I refer to the adaption to these processes and tools as creative thinking for the 21st Century.

After reflecting on the nature of this particular journey as revealed in my book, I collaborated with Dr. Kerry Monick, MD, the psychiatrist whom was so instrumental in my process, to create a simple guidebook. The idea was to replicate the same thinking patterns I had undergone with some additional structures to help one assess their own journey and what is possible going forward. If there is at least one useful point then the guidebook has done its job.

Sandy Sims Bio –

Sandy Sims was raised and educated in the South. After serving as Naval Officer and finishing graduate business school, he followed a dream to live in Honolulu where he built one of Hawaii's most successful advertising agencies.

The crisis of personal health and business setbacks opened the way to larger spiritual dimensions including a long association with the Caddy family, founders of the Findhorn Spiritual Community in Scotland His book,”How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century,” is a memoir of his journey culminating in a 20 year project with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

He has collaborated with Psychiatrist, Kerry Monick MD, and authored Creative Thinking For The 21st Century, An Experiential Guidebook. Accepting the science that our intention does indeed affect the material world, it addresses what to be thinking about, how to shape these thoughts, and what might be the best way to avoid unintended consequences.

When not traveling, Sandy resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where you can find him writing, playing tennis, poking around with his camera and embracing a new culture.


For more information about Sandy Sims and How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century, visit http://creativethinkingbook.com/ and visit this page to get the Amazon links http://creativethinkingbook.com/buy-your-copy/.

Literary Endeavors: Review: Jen Knox's To Begin Again

Literary Endeavors: Review: Jen Knox's To Begin Again: "Knox's To Begin Again sizzles and crackles with the stuff of life. I've been guilty of gravitating to mostly popular novels. A great numb..."

PITCH YOUR BOOK TO THE PUBLISHER

 MARCH 15TH

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/monicabrinkman/2011/03/16/attmp--a-look-inside-the-publishing-company-with-special-guest-debra-harris#
Calling all serious authors! Tonight'S, MARCH 15TH broadcast will give you an opportunity to query ATTMP, live on-air. Each author will be given 5 minutes to present the books concept or query the editors. This includes reading a small excerpt from your work. Rules: *Your book must be complete and ready to submit *You must have visited ATTMP's web-site and read their contract and submission terms All authors works heard on air will be considered for publication as the published authors cast their votes for the top 3. At the end of the broadcast, voting will begin and 3 lucky authors will gain priority review status from the publishers, Phil and Debra Harris. The lucky winners will be announced on our April Fools Special airing March 31st @ 7PM CST Be sure to go to http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com and read the terms and conditions prior to calling into the show. Between calls Phil and Debra Harris will take part in question and answer sessions

DATA DUMPING BY MARVIN WILSON

A common propensity among novice writers is to perform what I call a “data dump” when wanting to inform the reader of setting, location, time and date, character appearances, dress, emotional makeup, and the like. Oftentimes it gets to the point of being stifling, taking the reader out of the forward motion of the story, which stops dead while the dump takes place. Here is an example of a scene loaded with data dump.

***

December fifteenth, Detroit, six o’clock in the evening. The day was bitter cold. The sun was setting in the clouded sky, filled with seagulls, squawking and vying for tidbits as John stood next to the Detroit River throwing scraps of bread in the air. He had on a corduroy jacket, black slacks and pair of running shoes. He loved to jog, and did so almost daily. John, at twenty-five years of age, was well over six feet tall, slim but muscular, had a bronze complexion and deep blue eyes with thick, coal black hair. He worked at the casino and was glad to be finally done for the day. It was Friday night, and time to party soon. His life was so boring during the week, but his friends were taking him out for his birthday celebration tonight, so he was smiling with anticipation. His wife of three years had just divorced him a month ago, and he needed some R & R. It had been difficult for him to get over his loss. He had caught her red handed in an affair. The memories of that event, and the caustic, castigating divorce proceedings, were painfully vivid in his tortured head. Lately he had been so sullen and depressed his friends had insisted he put that behind him for at least this night and go out for a good time.

His smile had all but disappeared, thinking thoughts off loss and better days. Suddenly his best friend, Albert, a five foot six, thirty-year old, not very well educated but still smart, chunky two hundred pound, pale skinned fellow with thinning hair and squinty gray eyes, dressed in a sheepskin coat, wool pants and ear muffs, walked up from behind and said, “Hey, bro – you ready to get your party animal on?”

***

Now, as the reader, we are certainly well informed. We know the day, time, location, all that, we know exactly what John and Albert look like, what they are wearing, and also have some background information on John, with some insight into his emotional state. The problem is, this type of writing is extremely pedestrian, lacking in immediacy and intimacy, with very little motion in the story.

How much story has happened in those two paragraphs? Almost zilch. John stands by the river, reflecting and feeding the seagulls, and his friend walks up to greet him. That’s it.  To this author/editor and writing coach, it’s just plain lazy writing. In addition, the majority of the information is delivered through omniscient POV, rather than the more intimate and immediate third or first person POV’s, so the effect is quite dry. Now let’s look at this following rewrite. I will use third person POV, and give you most of the same information as above, but I will give it to you as the story line moves along.

***

Dang, it’s cold, John thought as he adjusted the collar of his jacket up tight around his neck. He pulled another wad of bread off the loaf he held and flung it into the air. He smiled as he watched seagulls squawk and fight for food bits in the air above the Detroit River. He smiled wider as he thought about tonight. Going to be fun. And god knows I need a break. After what I’ve been through, the divorce and all. He looked down at his well-worn running shoes. Don’t even feel like jogging today. So not like me.

The Hart Plaza clock bell struck six times. John tossed a chunk of bread at the birds and braced against another frosty gust of wind. Sun’s almost gone, he noticed, as he turned around to see a sliver of faded golden rays peeking through a thin, lateral opening between the thick blanket of clouds and the city’s skyline. His chin fell to his chest with a weighted sigh. Marcia, Marcia … how could you have done that? What did that guy have I didn’t? What we had, the love, the marriage, the plans for a family, it was so real, so …

John felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, bro … ready to get your party animal on?” Albert said as John spun around.

“God, man, you scared the crap out of me,” John said, then chuckled and regarded his best friend. “Sweet coat. New? Looks like sheepskin.”

“Mind if I throw some bread at the birds?” Albert said, and proceeded to do so. “Yeah, just got it a couple weeks ago, winter comin’ and all. Man – those gulls get nasty with each other, eh?” Albert squinted at John and sighed. Hey, dude, I can see it in your face. Your normally bright blue, woman-slayer eyes are like, glazed over and dull, man. You need a couple strong ones. You been like, I dunno, some kind of Doctor Doom here lately.”

John shrugged and shivered, kicked at the pavement, his eyes downcast, his mood as gloomy as his friend’s prying eyes were gray.

Albert tossed another chunk of bread. “So – you’re off at the casino for the weekend, right? No work ‘til Monday?”

“Right.” John looked at Albert’s pale, but cheery round face, then noticed his head. “Albert – as freezing as it is, and with as little hair as you’ve got left, don’t you think a nice warm hat would be better than those pathetic little earmuffs?”

“Well, least I got me a warm coat, not some flimsy corduroy jacket. Just cuz you got a full head o’ black hair don’t mean you shouldn’t have no hat on, neither, pal.” Albert gave John a playful punch in the ribs. They both laughed and started walking after Albert pointed and said, “C’mon – car’s over this way. Time to tie one on—all the gang’s waitin’ over at the Shamrock. Can’t let the birthday boy go home alone tonight.”

As they neared the vehicle, Albert stopped them both, looked at his friend. “So what’s it now—quarter of a century old?”

“Yes, I’m getting old. But I’ll always be five years younger than you,” John made a wide-eyed expression for emphasis, “old man.” He could see a pang of jealousy flash across his pal’s face as Albert looked him over, obviously searching for a come back. He envies my flat tummy and svelte frame. I envy him his happy-go-lucky attitude. Much rather be overweight and carefree than thin and tortured inside.

Albert looked up into John’s eyes. “Yeah, you may always be younger than me, but I ain’t never gonna be over six feet tall, neither.” They laughed together at the reverse-meaning irony of Albert’s statement as they got in the car.

 ***

Did I get all the information in the second passage as in the first? Not quite, but pretty darn close. In fact, if this were a real manuscript I would have left out even more. Save it for later, give bits and pieces as the story unfolds, and let the reader’s imagination fill in the blanks. It makes for a more engaging, interesting read, all the details coming within the forward motion of the story. Much better than being told all there is to know in one great big data dump, hmm?

Marvin D Wilson, multi-published author and editor with All Things That Matter Press, using the pen name “Professor Old Silly,” posts writing tutorials on his blog each Tuesday. The above tutorial is a re-post from the archives of his blog at: http://theoldsilly.com.

Leerestademoda.com - Did you know the BOOK? English subtitles