Character Ingredients – A MeanderFave Homework Assignment

MeanderFaveHWHello Trisken Thralls!

Thought I would throw out a little homework assignment – a mini prompt if you will to spur on a few more blogs as part of our TToT14 Blog like a Boss adventures. Steff’s prompt what character do you love to write got me thinking about characters and recently kes7 in a recent Weekly Free Write threw out the challenge to write a totally and completely new Original Character for the prompt response.

I answered with a response there as well as attempting a blog as a character response with a developing OC personality. (there will be more to come on that fear not)

Anyway, all this original character stuff along with Steff’s prompt got me thinking and that of course is a dangerous thing for you dear bloggers (ok not really dangerous but it’s a little bit of time for you spent on otherwise free time things should you opt to respond to the homework assignment). Basically, I wondered:

      [pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”98%”]

      • What do you consider as ingredients for a character?
      • Do you begin with a sketchy outline or a cookie cutter template so to speak when you create your characters and crews? For example, do you say – I need a science officer let’s make him geeky and a buffoon with the ladies – or do you employ something a little more organic than that?
      • Do you look for traits, species, role, personality mixes with other characters when you conceive the character ideas?
      • What helps you recognise that a character is working (for you the author) within a story? Conversely, what makes you realise they don’t work or at least within a certain story context? What do you do then – jettison wholesale, rework and reshape, box and file and save for another story or day?

[/pullquote]

Answers to these questions are not necessary, they’re merely there for a little prompt or thinking on. Just share with us your creative process for creating characters or share the story of creating one of your characters or crew ensembles.

Some responses:

Blog Like a Boss: Prompt #4 PLUS Miranda Fave homework — On Characters by kes7

Miranda Fave Homework by FalseBill

It’s All About the Characters by me

Miranda Fave signature