Defining Character-istics: The Right Shoes!
Fire-engine red stiletto heels remind me of a blonde, bubbly friend who had an ambition to become a comedian. She had been through a life of mental illness and family abuse: she survived it through spirituality and humour. She wore those heels with panache! Yet, those shoes could tell so much more about her: raging extrovert is merely the obvious, small part of the message her stilettos shouted at me.
When I saw this image on Facebook, I had a good laugh. I particularly liked one comment: “And I’d like to point out, these were no ordinary shoes – they were sparkly, red heels that complimented both blue gingham and striped tights. How often are you going to find shoes that do that?”
There is a pertinent reminder in that joke. The personal treasures we attribute to fictional characters speak as loudly as any aspect of their described physical appearance, emotional habits or dialogue. I knew someone else who only ever wore a pair of purple Doc Martin boots. She wore them everywhere, on every occasion: so great was her passion for those boots. We never discovered why, other than she had always wanted them and had saved up for months to buy them. I have always wondered if there was something else going on under that story.
Choose the right shoes, and you’ll write in a character message your readers will never forget!
Note: Dorothy’s shoes from the Wizard of Oz are reputed to be valued at up to three million dollars. So to all the shoe-resenting husbands out there, they can be a great investment. Truly!
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Filed under: Writing Resources Tagged: belonging, books, characterisation, characters, creativity, defining, Doc Martin boots, fiction, goals, ideas, Indie publishing, inspiration, Nanowrimo, novel, passion, personality, plot, possessions, shoes, stilettos, success, Wizard of Oz, writer, writing
