The Sword and Laser discussion
How do you imagine characters when you read a novel?
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Sometimes I take pre-existing faces, but other times I make up an image that doesn't necessarily match the descriptions and changes over throughout the book. As long as I have the essence of the character in mind it works.It may be odd but things pop in and out of existence during the course of reading before you get the whole story, so a little fluidity on a character's physical appearance doesn't bother me.
I have a problem with imagining characters from books. I am always surprised at the detail with which other people tell me how they picture characters in a book. I'm just... somehow... not good at it and I also don't seem to care too much about these things. It seems kind of sad when I think about it and I am a bit jealous of those that can make up detailed pictures in their heads.In a way I always have some abstract concepts of the characters in my head, in the way that I know that someone is supposed to be large or has a certain hairstyle and I focus more on the story, atmosphere and dialogue.
On the plus side this is a nice advantage when it comes to movies or TV shows based on books I've read, because (aside from the fact that I mostly don't care) I don't have a specific picture in my head and can't be really disappointed.
So much depends on how they're described. I think I get the strongest sense of the way a character looks not so much because they are described in detail (although there may be details mentioned that influence me) but because of the overall mood and how they fit into the story. Perhaps this is why, when a book I've read is filmed, the way the characters look can jar so much; because while the film maker has picked up the same mood they have different images for it, if that makes sense. Sometimes there is something about a book that just encourages us to see certain movie actors (or characters), not so much by direct comparison but by the filmic way they're described, or the evoking of cultural types - for instance, i'd guess that almost everyone initially pictures Roland in Stephen King's Dark Tower series as either Clint Eastwood or some other hard-bitten cowboy actor.
I keep forgetting what characters look like. There should be an appendix. :)
I am not to visually inclined so a character in a book for me is pretty nebulous....then some one says they look like so and so and that gets stuck in my brain....
Tamahome wrote: "I keep forgetting what characters look like. There should be an appendix. :)"I have problems with names myself, so an appendix is always appreciated. I only discovered the one at the back of A Game of Thrones once I was finished.
Loving the Shark and Lobster by the way!
It is a very high mark for me to "waste time" figuring out the character's names, let alone what their physical appearance is. Mostly I just don't care, as long as I can differentiate the characters by voice and actions.I feel that this is a failing in my reading comprehension, but am usually too impatient to slow down in my pursuit of what happens next.
Ash wrote: "It is a very high mark for me to "waste time" figuring out the character's names, let alone what their physical appearance is. "The sum total of my "wasted time" while reading a book is maybe three minutes at the most. I feel the look of characters depending on the author can sometimes have a major impact on the book's plot and the general tone of the story. Its part of the full picture of the book so to speak. Just my two cents.
Tamahome wrote: "I keep forgetting what characters look like. There should be an appendix. :)"I have one, but it's not in my brain. In fact, it's worthless. I should really get my doctor to make use of it.
Nick wrote: "I don't know if this is a sign that I have a lazy imagination or not but after I read a description of a character in a story I tend to hold a tiny Hollywood casting call in my head where I try to ..."Hi everyone, I'm new here. Wanted to say...
I absolutely employ this 'casting' technique to envisage characters in novels. I find it comes in handy when writing as well. Everyone is eligible -as Nick says, sometimes using people met in real life if they fit the bill. Musicians, web celebs, whatever works. This technique has some huge advantages which can dramatically enhance the literary experience:
-purely imagined characters can be a bit indistinct or fuzzy, like remembering faces from a dream. Picking an existing face lends the character concretized substance, detail, and subtlety.
-I find that the dramatic performance of the character gets a huge boost if I pick a good actor. Funny enough, I find it very difficult to imagine a rich performance based on a purely made-up character image. But by casting an actor, suddenly all of that actor's range and prowess of craft is infused into the literature. Scenes become far more dynamic, and full of power, shifting emotion, etc... They're just much stronger than the amateurs of my imagination. Ironically, these actors, transmuted into agents of the imagination, are no more real than the one's you'd create from scratch, and yet because you have memories of their real counterparts, the mind automatically generates a genuinely rich performance which they've never actually done. It is a awesome thing 'watching' these casted characters emerge.
-also, it's just fun. Like creating your own miniseries and playing director in your head. For example: Think about eccentric Professor Elodin in Rothfuss' Kingkiller chronicles. Now, think of Johnny Depp. Yeah... it's a whole new experience. Possibly much more exciting than the poorly sculpted wooden dummy I might have conjured on my own.
This casting technique feels like a silly crutch at times, like I'm cheating the author somehow. But it has been an excellent tool which helped me get so much more out the experience of both reading and creating fiction.
Depending on the character, I run the gamut from mushy-faced to clearly-defined, but rarely cast real people. I find, more often than not, that if I envision a real person, it's an intrusion rather than a choice.The most immediate example is A Feast for Crows, which I'm reading concurrently with the TV series. This is a situation where I've been reading the series and imagining the looks of the characters fine, and then HBO had to go and put real people in my head. I have to actively keep HBO Sansa and Littlefinger out when reading about (view spoiler), for example. But when the setting is in Dorne, no pesky actors get in the way. Interesting to see that some prefer that.
Dan wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "I keep forgetting what characters look like. There should be an appendix. :)"I have one, but it's not in my brain. In fact, it's worthless. I should really get my doctor to m..."
BrainPAL?
I just vaguely picture characters. It's what they're like on the inside that counts for me. I was totally shocked when people were talking about the casting for The Hunger Games and how the actress chosen for the lead didn't fit because she was fair-skinned and blonde whereas Katniss is olive-skinned and has dark hair. I honestly didn't remember her being described as olive-skinned. (Which can still be light.) What stood out for me was her toughness and her intensity of commitment to her family. I would have been disappointed if they had chosen one of those too-thin, fragile-looking actresses who are so popular now.
I remember Stephen King saying in On Writing, he wasn't big on character descriptions.
Sandi wrote: "I just vaguely picture characters. It's what they're like on the inside that counts for me. I was totally shocked when people were talking about the casting for The Hunger Games an..."I almost had a fit when they casted Peeta - the only picture of the actor they had was *way* too wimpy, and I had pictured Peeta as a tall, kind of burly person because he's a baker but also protective of Katniss. When they released a different photo of him, I was much happier with their casting choice. He's not too far off from my vague picture.
The blond hair on both Peeta and Katniss really threw me off though - I'm surprised they aren't going to adhere to the book description for Katniss.
I usually just make up faces. If there is a particular celebrity I will use their face. Sometimes this can be problematic. For instance, when I was reading a Game of Thrones I imagined Viggo Mortensen as Ned. Now that theyve cast Sean Bean, it's been really hard to adjust to him as Ned. For The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms I've mostly used actors. For Dekarta I'm using Peter O'Toole (as he looked in Stardust) I had a hard time figuring out what Yeine looked like until I thought of Jasika Nicole (Astrid from Fringe, pic here ) The others are constantly changing for me. I'm having some trouble getting a fix on.
I used to be very particular about characters. When I was younger (much, much younger)I went so far as to create movie-style posters of the characters in my favorite books. As I've gotten older and read more books (and experienced more people IRL) I believe I"ve developed a kind of shorthand approach to characters. It's not so important what they look like right off the bat but what impression they make. Kind of like seeing someone in a dim room; I get their basic size and shape but it's far more important what they're doing or saying. I figure eventually the light will be turned up enough for me to see the details.
Funny, I was thinking about this the other day. I almost never consciously think about characters' appearances in my head. Unlike some, I also don't do "casting" for various characters (mostly because I don't have much interest in movies in general...and don't know actors/actresses names).But there have been times while watching GoT where I've said out loud, "Well, that wasn't how I was picturing that character.." so obviously I have some image stored somewhere...
I generally have a sort of "silhouette" of each character, with the defining features being highlighted on them. For example, The Hound, in The Song of Ice and Fire, is just the generic knight figure, but with a specifically burned face and grumpy/haggard look. Or, Tyrion being a small and knobby/ugly man, but otherwise pretty generic. It takes too much effort to have them all completely fleshed out in my mind.I have mixed feelings about what happens after I see them on the TV or big screen. That actor will usually steam roll over whatever image I had in my head, and I will forever see them instead. Arg, what happened to freedom of imagination! Ha ha.
When I first encounter a character, I draw a rough pencil outline in my head that fits the setting as I am aware of it, and I'll edit that sketch as more is revealed about the character. Sometimes, when a character just strikes a chord that resonates with another person or character in my memory, they will then take on that form for the duration. Most of the time, however, they just stay rough sketches. I find this helpful for enjoying films/movies as I have no solid expectation, generally, of what a character already looks like.
Nicketmaster wrote: " find this helpful for enjoying films/movies as I have no solid expectation, generally, of what a character already looks like."What's nice about my "inability" to really imagine detailed characters is that I'm hardly ever disappointed in the casting of characters of a book-turned-movie. I can enjoy a movie based on a book I've read without having to revise my personal casting.
Half of the time I'm glad to put a face to the characters I've read about.
I used to just have a vague image of characters...black hair, big etc. Lately I've found myself using the casting technique a lot more though. I even go as far as ignoring the authors description, if i doesn't fit with what I've already cast.
Keith wrote: "I even go as far as ignoring the authors description, if i doesn't fit with what I've already cast."I was about to call that crazy talk, but I've done that, too. Normally it'll be that I've pictured a character with, say, blonde hair, and then on page 400-something the author will note his "sable locks" or something, and I'm like, "No, dude. This guy's blonde."
That's so rebellious. Don't let the authors know.
aldenoneil wrote: "I was about to call that crazy talk, but I've done that, too. Normally it'll be that I've pictured a character with, say, blonde hair, and then on page 400-something the author will note his "sable locks" or something, and I'm like, "No, dude. This guy's blonde"I do the same thing!!! I always wondered if I was the only one that did it. If a character is written well then I make this image of them in my mind. Not so much from their description in the book but from their actions and attitudes. It is probably way off from what the author was trying to portray but it works for me.
I simply watch youtube videos for fan-made trailers. and lookup graphic novels and fan-made sketches. :)
John Paul wrote: "I simply watch youtube videos for fan-made trailers. and lookup graphic novels and fan-made sketches. :)"Crowd-sourced literacy. Good approach.
John Paul wrote: "I simply watch youtube videos for fan-made trailers. and lookup graphic novels and fan-made sketches. :)"Way too much work. I'll stick to my "ignore the author, my version is better" approach!
John Paul wrote: "I simply watch youtube videos for fan-made trailers. and lookup graphic novels and fan-made sketches. :)"I like this 'Michelle Rodriguez as Anita Blake' trailer with an Evanescence song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymQbxQ...
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hunger Games (other topics)The Hunger Games (other topics)
A Feast for Crows (other topics)
Of course I have to improvise how I imagine a character if they aren't human which happens a lot in scifi but you get the general idea of what I'm saying.
Anyone else do this? Or am I just a weirdo?