Creative Writing: Character Development

For some writers, the first part of the writing process is not creating the plot of the story, but the characters.  Once the writer gets fully acquainted with his/ her characters, comes the process of putting these characters into believable or not-so-believable situations.  This week, you will have the opportunity to create a character from your imagination, and then put them into a variety of situations through a series of very short stories.

Step 1: The Interview
Follow this link to find a series of questions to ask your character.  Your interview questions may be typed or hand-written.  http://kayedacus.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/character-profile-worksheet.pdf

Step 2:  Choose Two of the following exercises and type 2-3 pages per each exercise.

Character Voice Writing Exercise #1

Freewrite the internal thought of your viewpoint character. What does he or she think about when:

• Getting up in the morning.
• Getting ready to meet a friend.
• After an argument with spouse or significant other.
• Doing a mindless chore, like vacuuming.
• Driving in rush hour traffic.

Character Voice Writing Exercise #2

Create a dialogue situation with a quiet friend, one who nods and unh-huhs instead of speaking a lot. Have your viewpoint character discuss:

• What his or her goals and dreams are.
• If he or she will achieve them, and how.
• If not, why not? What character traits keep him or her from going after the dream? Why do situational obstacles become insurmountable?

Character Voice Writing Exercise #3

Send your viewpoint character to the mall with a quiet friend. Let him or her describe what they like or dislike, and why, while window shopping, browsing through a bookstore, trying out the latest electronics, etc.

Character Voice Writing Exercise #4

Coop your character up in a room alone: a bedroom, a conference room, a doctor’s exam room. Is he or she frustrated? Antsy? Bored? Nervous? Scared? Write his or her thoughts when stuck there for an hour.

Please let me know if you need any help or advice! Happy writing!!