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I always start with a basic understanding of characters, but characters are people, and treat them as such. We all evolve over time, hence a static character is two dimensional. Not every story requires every character type, just as not every story requires every point of a seven point arc. Some of my best characters are not even present in my mind when I begin to write a full length MMS, but they are usually the ones that stand out and make it really work. I suppose it depends on how rigidly set your plot is. i.e. certain characters need to appear and function in certain places within the plot.
If your plot has room for flexibility, the you will probably end up inventing new characters as you go. The piece I am working on, evolved into a triple thread plot, and many of the best characters evolved with it.
I think what I am trying to say is that writing is an organic process, as is life. And sure, you can lay everything out in stone before you start, but that may mean that you miss the opportunity to add the richness of invention as you go. Besides, its more fun and more exciting when you write organically, and if you find it exciting writing something, the reader will feel the same.
Hope this helps, and dont be afraid to break a few rules along the way, thats what they are there for.
Milhouse.
Milhouse cautions good advice.
By all means start with a general idea of characters and the path of your plot. Once you start writing, events may be met or character lines cross that effect perspective of the action.
That is when you choose, follow original theme (jot notes of diversion ideas for editing time) or allow your writing to be lead by the developing ideas.
Rigid thinking leads to cardboard images, flat with no flavour. Try comparing writing to familiar activities such as shopping or hosting a party. Perhaps you make a list of items before setting off but it isn't unusual to return home with different or more than you intended. Your party may have an intended theme but mingling guests soon overpower the best laid plans.
Even the most immaculately managed garden cannot avoid invasion of weed seeds. Sometimes an original weed grows into the most prominant of plants.
I agree with Milhouse and Jan, flexibility is a better approach. Not every story will need a representative character of every 'type', whereas some stories will need more than one of each. Also, some characters will embody more than one 'type'.
For instance, in the novella I'm working on, there are at least 4 'antagonists' ranged against my main character, and 2 different characters are both 'helpers' and 'friends' at the same time, but in different ways.
Don't be afraid to mix and match, or completely ignore certain types - it all depends on the needs of the story you are writing.
Had exactly the same thing. I couldn't figure out what a 'catalyst' was and I got stuck afterwards.
By the way, those notes you took, did you take them by any chance from "The Weekend Novelist"??
I now have a much more relaxed approach to the roles of my characters. I just hope they take me the right way.
I certainly agree about characters taking over - if you start thinking about what roles they're playing, what their functions are, you'll lose the impetus and it'll all go pear-shaped and squiggly. Don't bother, just write the characters and see what happens. My current protagonist has taken over my life to such a degree that I sometimes ask her for advice about things outside the context of the book, and she's invariably right. She's one of these characters who, even if I wanted her to stay in the book, she wouldn't - but I don't want that, anyway, because I'd miss her too much ("darling, sweetie," *chain smoke, chain smoke*, etc)...
I do know that it's definitely going to be fun when I get going...it's just felt a bit like getting ready for a bungee jump at times.
Yes, Fleur, I have read The Weekend Novelist. I started off trying to follow it and do all the exercises, but found some of it just too abstract to understand what they were really getting at. In the end I whizzed through chapters, cherry picking pointers and ideas that seemed useful and ditching the rest. I think it was helpful in gaining an understanding of structure and as an overview of the whole novel writing process, but I've clearly got too caught up in the details. I assume you've read it, too? How did you find it?
What I did love were all the examples. It made me realise that a lot of writers use the same tricks.
The thing with 'how to write' books is to take what you find useful and don't worry about the rest. I've read tonnes of 'how to write' books, and I agree with some of them, and disagree with others, but I've usually learnt at least one or two new things from each one.
The best way is to find your own prefered method of working, and that can only be done through trial and error. I know now from years of practise that I am a planner - I never write anything longer than about 3000 words without having at least a half side of notes to guide me through the main theme or major plot points (for a longer piece I usually have pages of notes and character bios before I ever start writing).
I know this works for me, but equally there are so many writers who say 'just start writing and see where it takes you' and that obviously works for them. Try both approaches and see what works for you
Jill - I was reassured by your message. I am by instinct also a planner. Like you I have pages of notes and bios, but I think I do need all this as a starting point or I'll be lost after page 3. Now I just need to mix in a bit of flexibility (as you'll see from my other thread about Problem No 2!).
Hi, Tessa, I was interested to read your post, but didn't get to it till I'd already replied to your Writing Day post! I'd made the fatal mistake of not logging on to Talkback for a couple of days and then ran out of time yesterday to check back further than about half a day on the posts.
Luckily I don't have kids or a resident Bloke to interrupt me - tried Resident Bloke, didn't like it. This one (luckily) doesnt require residency or kids. He's also creative, in that he enjoys photography, so if we're out together, while he's shooting I can sit around making notes on passers-by etc. Well, I would if it were warm/dry enough. Looks like this Bank Holiday will be the same as the last two.
Up here in Norf London, the biggest distractions are the traffic noise and the to-ings and fro-ings at the factory unit opposite. So, the best time for working is after 6pm when everyone's finished working and commuting. Oh yes, it's also useful if it's cold and raining, as then I can have my windows shut and there's nobody wandering past outside. I can see me becoming a recluse all too easily. I love the winter months, when you can legitimately shut windows/curtains and shut out the world.
I know what you mean about faffing - I went back to my 2,200 words today, faffed, added, deleted, edited and ended up with 2,600+, which didn't seem very productive for 2 hours' work but as soon as I went back to what I'd done on Monday, I could see stuff wrong with it (too much waffle right at the start - get on with it, woman!). I'm determined not to tinker too much with the first draft, but I do need to read over the last 1-2,000 words to get me in the mood for carrying on and then I can't help but tinker with them Thank heavens for PCs and cutting and pasting. I doubt I'd have got very far as a writer in the days of typewriters - not so long ago, of course - I did my journalist training on a typewriter back in the old days of 1987. My, how times have changed.
Have a good rest this weekend!
When other commitments mean a backlog of "catching-up" on Talkback, try reading through postings by category. This allows for interruptions while reading through categories until you've brought yourself up to date.
Mercifully I usually only have one night a week of dealing with the twitching Other Half - I'm an insomniac anyway and his thrashing about when he's awake, and involuntary muscle spasms when he isn't, are just an added bonus.
The road dividing us is the North Circular, so you can imagine what a joy that is. Coming back on Sunday, the tunnels were flooded after only about 15 minutes of rain. It's like fording a river getting through them. I had a serious accident on the NCR some years ago (I got off with bruises and whiplash, but the car was a write-off), so I'm the wariest driver out there when I'm in that neck of the woods.
I had a great day's writing yesterday. One of those that starts off slowly and I doubted I would hit 1,000 words for the day, the way I was scratching around for the right words/order of events. Then suddenly I got on a roll and had done 2,600+ by the end of it. One of those real 'high' days. Doesn't mean to say I won't struggle to get warmed up again next time I sit down to it.
Sometimes I get put off by reading other authors, as well. I also get put off/intimidated by reviews and wonder if anyone will ever describe my words as 'the freshest voice in a decade' or 'a subtle depiction of the complexities of modern living' or whatever else gets said these days. I look at my work and think, 'what the heck is so different/special about me'? But I guess by the very nature of it, it is different to everyone else, as no one else is me (blimey, you'd have to hope my novel is going to be a bit more coherent than that sentence).
Nearly 48, eh? I'm just about to hit 42 and will be pleased when it's December and my Other Half hits 40, so that he'll stop being so smug about still being in his 30s (hanging on by the skin of his teeth, I call it).
My ex-husband's best man is married to someone 27 years older than him. They started their relationship about 25 years ago, when he was 17 and she was 44. Gulp, how about that, eh? I must admit I find it hard to imagine how it ever worked out - but it did and still does.