In Which Bre and Tami Go into Construction
In this episode we talk about how to build your characters, how to dig deep and lay down a solid foundation for their development.
Saucy Content
The wenches cover several different techniques you can use to start forming and or shaping your characters.
Saucy Assignments
Writing
June’s saucy writing prompt is:
- Rabbit and Popcorn
Reading
The books for June have been revealed!
- Romance : The Masque of the Black Tulip by Laruen Willig
- Fantasy : Gil’s All-Fright Diner by Lee Martinez
We encourage you to read along with us, and we’ll be discussing what we thought of the books in an upcoming episode!
Miscellany
http://www.naturalreaders.com/
Writing Strong Women by Toni McGee Causey
The Man Most Likely by Cindi Myers
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 am
A minor pitfall about character blueprints is that authors tend to focus so much about characters that the characters themselves stand out so much that the overall plot and message of the story is overlooked, leaving a bit of a “yeah, so what?” sort of response. I felt this way when I read Arthas: Rise of the Lich King. The characters were wonderful, but the experience of reading it left me a bit empty and wanting more.
A great way to alleviate this, as I’ve read from a few how-to books, is to create characters as a reflection of the premise/theme/symbolism presented in the story. For example, in the movie Tootsie, the main thematic concept is about how men treat women, and each male/female pairing shows different ways that men treat women in society.
Similarly, there are problems that arise regarding character balance, especially in the main cast. While the need exists for a main character to stand out, a strong supporting cast is especially important to highlight the main character through contrast and variation. Planning out a strong, balanced supporting cast can be done using a character web that shows relationships between characters, and how they contrast with each other in regards to important things like plot, setting and theme.
And yes, the recording for the next episode is already done, so expect to see the show up quite soon! I really enjoyed recording, and hope the audience enjoys it :3
July 4th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
[...] [Sexzibit] says: Yo Dawgz, I have a problem yo! Watdafuk do I doz with a bunch of rabbits y’all? [Aguildie] says: Feed them popcorn. Rabbits love popcorn! [...]
July 7th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Yay, I actually caught up!
Another episode of Aleera and Jack’s adventures is up at http://www.irisharper.com/home/2009/7/6/in-the-stillness.html . It even includes a rabbit and some popcorn… well, in a way.
July 26th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I finished the fantasy book this week. It was a quick fun read. Thanks!
July 27th, 2009 at 5:22 am
@KristenSue
Hee, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I highly recommend A Nameless Witch by the same author.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:03 am
Reading stuff out loud is great advice, imo. I’m the sort of reader that reads “out loud” in my head anyway.
October 11th, 2009 at 9:55 am
@Brad-o
I’ve found that reading aloud in my head is often not quite enough. I’ve been horrified to read some things that “fit” in my head aloud and see all the glaring bad spots.
Tami´s last blog ..Send Chocolate
October 11th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
@Tami
If you’re writing something and want to test it out, I totally agree that you need to vocalize it. I just meant that, when I read, I sound out the words in my head. It makes me a terribly slow reader.
October 11th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
@Brad-o
Ah, I see what you mean.
Tami´s last blog ..Send Chocolate