Today
I’m participating in a bloghop hosted by Charmaine Clancy over at http://clancytales.blogspot.com/
Basically
you’re supposed to post today about what gets your creative writing juices going and then visit
others on the bloghop list to check out what theirs are and give them a try.
I’m
not going to write about playlists, or quiet places, or comfy chairs or any of
that. Today I’m going to write about the single most important tool I have in
my writer’s arsenal: The list.
What
is The List you may ask? Simple. It’s just what it sounds like; a list of
questions and answers. And each one of my main characters gets one. It’s how I
get to know them a little better. Does Rachel reach for Cheerios or Oreos for
breakfast? What does she do when she’s angry, or sad? What was her childhood
like? Who were her friends then? And now? What perfume does she wear? What
music does she listen to? And on and on it goes. This takes some time, the
discovery of a person, but I promise it’s worth it. That way, when you finally
sit down to write the story, it comes naturally, because of course your
character would do or say that- that’s who they are.
Now, I’m off to know each one of you a little better.
Good idea with that list. I'll have to try it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Alex- that's a great idea. I might have to give that a go next time I'm creating a new character.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a list, especially the part about what your characters eat for breakfast. It could tell you whether the person is addicted to junk food or health food, which could lead to more details about what they do during the day (watch TV or work out, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI have a running list too! It's a mess of scribbles by the end of my revisions, but I don't know what I'd do without it.
ReplyDeleteHere from the Imagination Sparks Blogfest. I love your list and I'm going to use it for the novel I'm currently writing. Thanks so much for the great tip.
ReplyDeleteWow what a great idea. Enjoy your blog hop.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I was reading in one of my "industry" books about defining a character's living space to help know them--the pictures on their wall, the things on their computer desk, their color scheme, etc. There's little as fun as getting to know new characters. (Guess that's why I read so much.) ;D
ReplyDeleteMy lists are barely legible. So now I use Scrivener to keep all my stuff neat and tidy.
ReplyDeleteHaving a list sounds like a great alternative to doing character interviews or bio sheets, quick and to the point. I'm going to try this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm weird, but I usually don't have trouble defining characters. Plotting is where I need to ask questions and make lists.
ReplyDeleteAlways good to know your characters better, good advice!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea. I might have to try making a list to see if it would help. Thanks for the idea
ReplyDeleteThats a good idea. I do something similar with character profiles; its narrative, not a list, but has all the basic info on each MC such as birth dates, relationships, life events, favorites, and of course goals and motivations. Your lists sounds similar.
ReplyDelete.......dhole
I so love this! I've heard variations of this idea but not so detailed. Most definitely I will try it.
ReplyDelete(sorry so late posting to this blogfest. I *knew* was forgetting something this past weekend)