The orchid is a beautiful flower. Over 25,000 types are known across the world. Most non toxic to animals and plants, but since so many hybrids exist, one might carry a gene that could make animals or humans sick.
I compared the orchid to my characters. Do my characters posses an element of mystery? What’s underneath their appearance? What really makes them who they are? When I have that answer, is it enough to make you care? Is it different enough that someone will pick up the novel and continue reading?
Writing characters in 3D isn’t easy. Breathing life into them is more than a physical description and toss of their hair. It’s what’s inside them, what makes them tick, seek happiness, forgiveness, revenge or maybe love.
Paying attention to the layers of people you know is a great way to start building a character from the inside out. Try keeping a notebook, write good and bad deeper level characteristics of five people you know well. When finished, mix and match those characteristics. What kind of character do you have? What’s different about it than the character you had previously thought of or already working with? If you choose to do this I would love to hear what you came up with.
Until Next Time…
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It’s clear by your writing that you give much thought to developing your characters…and it pays off. This blog is a good word for all of us!
Susan Orlean who wrote the Orchid Thief (wonderful book) indicated the nature of the thousands of species of orchids all over the world. As unique as people…and able to survive…except, of course, in the cold. Like people if you think about emotional cold, not the physical cold which can be gotten around. But emotional coldness can kill and warp and damage and force people to build layers around them to gain warm, but it only holds the cold and resentment and bitterness and anger in…I should think.
So there is a lot to think about when writing characters…and comparing them…have fun.
Carole
http://www.thefatandtheskinnyonwellness.com/2012/02/refreshing-your-perspective-about.html
Love this, Carole! So well said!
Great ideas, Jen. Thanks!