Discovery
I discovered many a thing about a certain character of mine last night and this morning, when I was working on a homework assignment given to me by the author who runs my 2nd ever writing class. The course is entitled Character Treatment. Our plan is to learn more about our characters and how to make rich and vibrant personae so that our stories can, of course, be deeper and more satisfying.
So what did I learn?
I learned that Philippa, an almost 17 year old girl, is really quite fiesty and wants to do more with her life than her mother has accomplished with hers; that she has never thought about sex but all of a sudden seems a bit more interested, and wonders who in the world she'd be willing to do something like that with, and if she did consider doing that, what would it feel like? I learned that even though she's been sheltered all of her life, she can cope well, and that she will battle for what she wants and thinks is right. She is brave, she is smart, she is actually a more solid character than I originally imagined.
I can't say that all of my characters are this well-thought out, though. I have one, named Daniel, who plays an integral role in Cecilia's story. But I am just now realizing that he needs to have a bigger voice; his point of view begs to be told. I'm willing to find the time to investigate his story, and to do so, I need to apply the discovery process to him soon, so that I can find out what he needs to say, who he is, and what drives him.
The cool thing about this is that the whole process can be applied to oneself. Don't be afraid at what you might find.
So what did I learn?
I learned that Philippa, an almost 17 year old girl, is really quite fiesty and wants to do more with her life than her mother has accomplished with hers; that she has never thought about sex but all of a sudden seems a bit more interested, and wonders who in the world she'd be willing to do something like that with, and if she did consider doing that, what would it feel like? I learned that even though she's been sheltered all of her life, she can cope well, and that she will battle for what she wants and thinks is right. She is brave, she is smart, she is actually a more solid character than I originally imagined.
I can't say that all of my characters are this well-thought out, though. I have one, named Daniel, who plays an integral role in Cecilia's story. But I am just now realizing that he needs to have a bigger voice; his point of view begs to be told. I'm willing to find the time to investigate his story, and to do so, I need to apply the discovery process to him soon, so that I can find out what he needs to say, who he is, and what drives him.
The cool thing about this is that the whole process can be applied to oneself. Don't be afraid at what you might find.
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