Comments on: I Am Not a Number – Or Collection of Character Traits! https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:22:22 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2875 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:22:22 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2875 Lorraine – cheers lovie!

Julie – glad to be of service. 🙂

Suzanne – thanks! I am having lots of fun…:-)

]]> By: Suzanne Jones https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2874 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:21:24 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2874 Great post, Jackie.

Hope you have fun with the iPad.

XX

]]> By: Julie P https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2873 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:35:20 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2873 Thanks, Jackie

You’ve certainly given me lots to think about there.

Julie xx

]]> By: Lorraine https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2872 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:43:14 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2872 Great post Jackie 🙂

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2871 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:18:11 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2871 Lacey – I reckon all that planning can be a good thing as long as it all converges into a whole, if that makes sense. Probably not. 🙂 Anyway, yeah, the possbility of losing the organic nature of your characters nicely sums that up. Thanks right back, Lacey!

]]> By: Lacey Devlin https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2870 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:58:16 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2870 I found character sheets helpful at first but for my last MS I think they contributed to the disaster it has become lol. Mine are quite long and include everything from eye colour, car type etc to family background and how they may contribute to the story as well as deeper questions contributing to internal and external conflict. This is perhaps an example of too much planning through which you lose the organic nature of your characters. Sometimes throwing away your character notes can be quite liberating. Thanks Jackie!

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2869 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:12:40 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2869 Felicity – hey, nice to see you! Oh sure, re having your charactre do any job. As long as it’s motivated well.
As for the iPad…it’s SO cool!!

]]> By: Felicity Roger https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2868 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:22:30 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2868 You can have most any character do any job I think. That is the way real life works and why we have so many archetypes working in all the different professions. It is motivating them to have chosen that career that matters. They can do something that isnt part of their archetype, but it has to be well-motivated and is normally a turning point.

I use a character sheet of sorts because it helps me to sort out the conflict between hero and heroine and their inner conflicts. It also helps me to work out why they react in different ways when faced with a challenge.

In saying that, I know a lot of fantastic published writers that dont use them, at least not on paper. But they do seem to have a very clear sense of who their hero and heroine are from the get go.

And the i-pad…I can just dream

]]> By: Jackie Ashenden https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2867 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:02:13 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2867 Caroline – thanks!

Jane – they were pretty much just a sheet with questions like name, age, family background, etc, etc. List three strengths, three weaknesses, who is the worst person for them to fall in love with, etc, etc. It was useful because it gave me a point from which to start thinking about character and how the h/h might be right for each other while at the same time being worst possible match. It’s quite basic and not restrictive, you can still get to know your characters as you write – which is what I do. But I have found that if I think about their characters beforehand, I do get a better story.

Rach – m’dear, I don’t think using or not using makes any difference. I don’t use them now because now I know I need to develop my characters first.

Cat – yep, I’m the same. I like to give myself some leeway when I write because traits often pop up while I’m writing. But I do have to ask myself whether it’s something this person would actually have or whether I’ve added it to smooth the scene.
Yay for iPads! And let us not speak of the sub. Still waiting.

]]> By: Maisey https://www.jackieashenden.com/i-am-not-a-number-or-collection-of-character-traits/#comment-2866 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:01:24 +0000 http://jackieashenden.com/?p=415#comment-2866 Character sheets….are awesome I’m sure…but the one time I used an Official One was on the MS that got ‘set aside’ at the proposal stage. Eesh.

But you’re very right, Jackie. It’s easy to assign your character traits so that you can make them do what they want when really, as Michelle pointed out, it’s more complex! A shy character can be an actor…but maybe she doesn’t come accross as shy. But underneath this glossy, confident exterior is a woman who has a wealth of insecurities. And now we have a real person. 😀

]]>