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 Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:52 pm
well I just thought it might be a good idea to post about my writing with a limited group of people I can trust better than the whole freaking world! well I kinda need some help writing about one of my characters. She has phsychic abilities but has been in an inhumane instituteélab all her life. When she finally escapes she is really scared and naive because she has never been in the real world. The problem is that I am really good at writing the feelings of bold, brave, quirky, adventurous, etc. characters but I have never written about a character this scared and fragile. I want it to be from her 1st perspective but It is hard because it is a new style for me. Any good tips question
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:05 pm
Hello fellow writer. smile
It sounds like you simply need to get to know your character more. I sometimes have this problem too, especially when I start a new project. But usually about half way though I've adjusted to my character and everything involving that character flows from that point on.
I sometimes find that the best way to get to know your character is to maybe do some prompt exercises with that character. There are websites, including threads on Gaia, that have random prompt generators. Maybe try a couple of those in which you write a couple of paragraphs of you character in that situation. You don't have to write an entire story with each little prompt, just enough to get a better sense of what your character would do in that situation. Then move onto the next prompt until you feel comfortable with your character.
Or you can do what I do and chain yourself to your seat and force the words out until you feel yourself connecting to your character.
Hope that helps. =3 Good luck.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:12 pm
That definately helps. donèt suppose you know any good threads and or websites
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:31 pm
Try here:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/writers/need-help-or-ideas-come-to-the-think-tank-and-idea-box/t.4803263/
If you go to the second post, there is a list of links that will take you to websites that have a bunch of different prompts. Just pick out the ones you'll find helpful to develop your character. =3
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:01 am
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 2:22 pm
Or you could try the more Gonzo approach and go live like your character for a while. Nothing puts more zest in your writing than actually having lived it. -nods-
Still, the flat out 'Let's grab this by the balls and try it' method doesn't always work, so I'd listen to those other two above me. They more or less posted what I would have said had I actually been here when I would have said it.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:26 pm
Prompts can be very helpful. One thing I'll do is write out a scene or event involving the character that I already have a picture of. Sometimes it's really helpful to write out pieces of a story out of order.
Another tool I use is using Character Development sheets that ask all sorts of questions about your character.
If you ever need ideas for plot or a more fleshed out plot you can use this:
* The character's name
* A one-sentence summary of the character's storyline
* The character's motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
* The character's goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
* The character's conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
* The character's epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?)
* A one-paragraph summary of the character's storyline
I'm writing a series and this helped me with my plot quite a bit. One thing I added to this was listing out the strengths and weaknesses of my characters and that gave me a bit more of an idea about who they were.
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