Getting Into Character

9/5/04

FOUR PAGES YESTERDAY! Praise God! Dude, praying WORKS. ;-)

Well, the scene still isn't stellar, but at least it's moving forward. It totally helped to put more effort into visualizing the minor character. I know the heroine relatively well, but since the minor character she talks to is so amorphous, I couldn't make him a concrete tennis partner, he kept dropping the conversational ball. Once I began to visualize him in my head as a more real person, it became easier. I didn't need to develop a Goal/Motivation/Conflict for him, but just seeing his mannerisms and face in my mind's eye helped me to write dialogue and action choices consistent with his character.

I made reservations today with a hotel in Monterey for Thanksgiving weekend. The hotel allows dogs, so we'll be able to spend a great time with our dog Snickers while we celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. It's technically December 1st, but Thanksgiving holidays the weekend before is a convenient time to take off. Last year, she behaved so well on the streets of Carmel, and it was great that most of the shops allow tourists to walk in with their dogs. I don't think we'll let her off-leash, because we don't trust her to come when called, but I think she'll still have a great time.

I might spend more time today reading GETTING INTO CHARACTER by Brandilyn Collins. This book presents one of the most innovative ways to get into a character's skin. I've realized that my stories are character-driven--the plot unfolds based on how each character chooses. I can't plot my storyline, I can't know how my characters will choose to act unless I know their deepest motivations and complex inner values, and this book helps me to really analyze and discover the many facets--layers--of each major character. Not only how they choose, but also how they move and speak, gestures and traits that make up the whole person. This book helped me create characters more realistic and believable, people that readers desire to know more about. (You can order this book new through BooksaMillion.com (BAMM.com) or Amazon, with free shipping at both websites if your total order is $25.)

Off to enjoy my Sunday. I have to work tomorrow, unfortunately.

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