Karen GoatKeeper's Blog - Posts Tagged "creating-characters"
Create Characters
A novel needs characters, plot and setting. They must compliment each other, so creating any one without the others may mean making adjustments later. Knowing the characters will be part of a melodrama will help. A melodrama has three main characters: a hero, a heroine and a villain.
An old time hero was a superman. He was brave, handsome and invincible. He was often laconic and rode away into the sunset at the end. Remember the Lone Ranger?
People, real people, may fantasize about being this way, but know they are not. They have flaws. In tragedies, the flaw may destroy the hero. In melodramas, the flaw makes the hero more real. Check out the Gary Cooper version of High Noon.
My writers' group is creating this melodrama as writing practice. What kind of hero will they create? What kind would I create?
Let's think. First, a name, I will start with a name. Franz.
This name has connotations for me of a man dark, lean, a bit foreign, a gentleman, well-mannered, quiet, maybe a bit introverted, reserved. As an introvert, he will bury rather than expose his thoughts and feelings which can create difficulties in the story.
As Franz will be my hero, he will be thoughtful, intelligent and persistent. However, his reserve may make him slow to take action, make him feel guilty when bad things happen that he might have prevented, if he had acted sooner. He may overthink a situation, trying to see all the possibilities. His persistence may be stubbornness delaying his changing tactics when the chosen one doesn't work.
I have my hero. What would your hero be like?
Next I will tackle a heroine and a villain.
An old time hero was a superman. He was brave, handsome and invincible. He was often laconic and rode away into the sunset at the end. Remember the Lone Ranger?
People, real people, may fantasize about being this way, but know they are not. They have flaws. In tragedies, the flaw may destroy the hero. In melodramas, the flaw makes the hero more real. Check out the Gary Cooper version of High Noon.
My writers' group is creating this melodrama as writing practice. What kind of hero will they create? What kind would I create?
Let's think. First, a name, I will start with a name. Franz.
This name has connotations for me of a man dark, lean, a bit foreign, a gentleman, well-mannered, quiet, maybe a bit introverted, reserved. As an introvert, he will bury rather than expose his thoughts and feelings which can create difficulties in the story.
As Franz will be my hero, he will be thoughtful, intelligent and persistent. However, his reserve may make him slow to take action, make him feel guilty when bad things happen that he might have prevented, if he had acted sooner. He may overthink a situation, trying to see all the possibilities. His persistence may be stubbornness delaying his changing tactics when the chosen one doesn't work.
I have my hero. What would your hero be like?
Next I will tackle a heroine and a villain.
Creating the Heroine
How times have changed. In an old time melodrama, the hero rescues the heroine. The heroine was a damsel in distress and did little other than act afraid, admire and encourage the hero. They aren't that way anymore.
Heroines are no longer passive nonentities. They are people too. Sometimes the heroine rescues the hero.
Before creating your heroine, you need to make a few decisions about your melodrama as this will affect the heroine you create. If your melodrama will be romantic, the heroine must be someone the hero will fall in love with. Will your hero rescue her? Will she rescue him? Will they work as a team?
Take a moment to close your eyes and see your heroine. Then write it down.
Give your heroine a name.
Describe her physical appearance. How old is she?
Follow her around and see how she acts around other people. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Is she good at small talk? What is her voice like? Alto or soprano? Does she have an accent? What kind of vocabulary does she use? Is she a flirt?
How does she see herself? Is she confident? Is she shy? What is her job? Her hobbies? Her interests? Her aspirations? What kind of vehicle does she drive?
If you were her platonic friend in real life, where would you go? What would you do? If you met at a restaurant, what would she order? How would she treat the waitress? What kind of tip would she leave?
I think I will call my heroine Andromeda with the nickname Andie. She will wear her hair in a short bob. It's reddish blond, fine hair that puffs up with static.
Andie is 5'8" tall and works out. She loves to run three miles a day early in the morning listening to the birds wake up and watch the sky light up with the dawn.
During the day Andie sits at a receptionist's desk, hating every minute of it, wishing she could find a job at a State or National Park. She has a degree in biology, but only a bachelor's and the jobs go to those with a Master's or higher, something she can't afford to get.
Who is your heroine?
Heroines are no longer passive nonentities. They are people too. Sometimes the heroine rescues the hero.
Before creating your heroine, you need to make a few decisions about your melodrama as this will affect the heroine you create. If your melodrama will be romantic, the heroine must be someone the hero will fall in love with. Will your hero rescue her? Will she rescue him? Will they work as a team?
Take a moment to close your eyes and see your heroine. Then write it down.
Give your heroine a name.
Describe her physical appearance. How old is she?
Follow her around and see how she acts around other people. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Is she good at small talk? What is her voice like? Alto or soprano? Does she have an accent? What kind of vocabulary does she use? Is she a flirt?
How does she see herself? Is she confident? Is she shy? What is her job? Her hobbies? Her interests? Her aspirations? What kind of vehicle does she drive?
If you were her platonic friend in real life, where would you go? What would you do? If you met at a restaurant, what would she order? How would she treat the waitress? What kind of tip would she leave?
I think I will call my heroine Andromeda with the nickname Andie. She will wear her hair in a short bob. It's reddish blond, fine hair that puffs up with static.
Andie is 5'8" tall and works out. She loves to run three miles a day early in the morning listening to the birds wake up and watch the sky light up with the dawn.
During the day Andie sits at a receptionist's desk, hating every minute of it, wishing she could find a job at a State or National Park. She has a degree in biology, but only a bachelor's and the jobs go to those with a Master's or higher, something she can't afford to get.
Who is your heroine?
