When I was younger, I based my characters off some of my toys - a plush dog, a flocked horse, a plastic figure. Others simply popped into my mind and I developed them as I wrote. Recently, I get to know my characters and flesh them out as I write. Occasionally they are based off friends but some are inspired by other book or movie characters combined with my own ideas.
At first I had no idea how attached I could become to one of those characters. I mean, they're just characters! How could I possibly become so involved? But when you really create a main character, and give them a personality, mannerisms, habits, speech, likes, dislikes, passions, as well as some of your own personality in too, you'll soon find yourself caring about the three-dimensional characters you've thought up. They soon become your friends, if you spend a lot of time writing or thinking about them.
Recently I've learned a little more about aspects of writing. I always thought of writing as something creative, not restricted by a set of rules. I could use simile or personification without knowing what it's called - I learned about grammar and writing styles from reading various books. Although I still believe writing is a creative process, it does help to learn about different writing tips and helps.
A couple months ago I became interested in studying people. I would listen to voices and see how everyone's voices were unique - some people spoke in matter-of-fact tones; others enunciated and were interesting to listen to; others spoke in more of a monotone. Although your reader doesn't need to know everything about your main character(s), you should know quite a bit about them.
I'm thinking about doing a series of articles about characters. I might call it a "Character Study", although this usage of "character" will of course refer to, "a person portrayed in an artistic piece, such as a drama or a novel" (according to the Free Dictionary).
Although I adore hanging out with people in the "real" world, I enjoy hanging' with my characters too. :)
-- Klara C.
Recently I've learned a little more about aspects of writing. I always thought of writing as something creative, not restricted by a set of rules. I could use simile or personification without knowing what it's called - I learned about grammar and writing styles from reading various books. Although I still believe writing is a creative process, it does help to learn about different writing tips and helps.
A couple months ago I became interested in studying people. I would listen to voices and see how everyone's voices were unique - some people spoke in matter-of-fact tones; others enunciated and were interesting to listen to; others spoke in more of a monotone. Although your reader doesn't need to know everything about your main character(s), you should know quite a bit about them.
I'm thinking about doing a series of articles about characters. I might call it a "Character Study", although this usage of "character" will of course refer to, "a person portrayed in an artistic piece, such as a drama or a novel" (according to the Free Dictionary).
Although I adore hanging out with people in the "real" world, I enjoy hanging' with my characters too. :)
-- Klara C.
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