Character Collecting for Stories Part II

Characters

Character Collecting for Stories Part II:  In my last post I talked about Character Collecting.  Well, after re-reading my post, I tried to read it from a reader's point of view and thought someone might think, "That's all well and good, but how exactly do you collect characters for stories?"

Good question!  Here are my steps in "collecting characters" for Character Creation later on:

Tools.  First of all, always keep a notebook with you.  I keep a notebook and a camera with me at all times, you never know when inspiration will hit.  Then, be sure to transfer it somewhere safe and easily accessible  such as your computer or in a filing cabinet, etc., whatever you prefer for record keeping.

Be observant.  One of the most important things we can do as writers/artists/creative beings, is to be observant, but in this day and age, with all the technology we have at our fingertips, we tend to stay in our little bubbles, even when we're out and about.  Let's break that down even more...

Pay attention to what's going on in the world, rather than just in that little bubble of yours.  So many times we are so caught up in our own little world, worrying about bills, school, kids, work, etc., that we miss little interesting things going on around us.  So, take the blinders off for a moment, put down the smart phone/iPad/handheld device (scary, I know) and hold still, close your eyes.  Take a deep breath, what do you smell?  What do you feel?  Is is chilly?  Humid?  Feel the ground beneath your feet, is it gravel, grass or pavement?  What about sounds, what do you hear?  Now, open your eyes and write down whatever stood out to you, what made you "feel" where you are.

People Watch.  Now that you have a feel for your surroundings, look around at the people.  Who catches your eye?  Does anyone stand out?  Once you find someone who peaks your interest, for whatever reason, write down a few things about them.  What do they look like?  Who are they with?  What are they doing?  It's important to get all the details, almost a sketch of the person, but in words.  And if you can draw, even better, go ahead and sketch the person out.

What's the history?  Now, make up some of their background.  You obviously don't know them, but you can still make up something.  Are they late for a meeting?  Are they waiting for someone?  Where did they come from and where are they going?  Imagine what's going on inside their little world and jot down those details.  Sometimes, when I look up at a plane flying overhead, I imagine a passenger on that flight and wonder about what exotic locale they are headed for.  Maybe they're a spy or headed to a dense jungle, looking for.... Well, you get the idea.

What's in a name?  Finally, give your character a name or at least, a description of some sort.  Naming is one of the more difficult tasks, if you ask me, so you don't have to name them right now, if you don't want to.  i usually like my character's names to have meaning.  But whether you name them or not, give them a designation when saving their information. such as the header:  "Girl running past fountain."

So, next time, when you need a story, or a character for a story, just pull out your collected characters and see if one of them can help you out by giving you a scenario or just simply by doing whatever it is that they were doing when you first noticed them.  Then, just write whatever you see and let your muse free.

Character Collecting for Stories

Character Collecting

People Watching for Stories

I like to "People Watch" looking for my next Main Character.  For example, one day, years ago, I was working at a T-shirt shop, downtown St. Augustine, and saw a little girl run past the fountain outside.  She was smiling and having fun, but it struck me as interesting for some reason (probably because she looked so care free and I was stuck working on a beautiful sunny day) and I quickly got a pen and paper and jotted down some stuff:

Little girl, about 8 or 9, green dress, running... Those thoughts led to:  "She ran past the fountain..." and that instantly got my muse's attention, "...frantically searching..." searching for what?  Her parents? Her brother? Her dog? An escape route?

Oooohh, that's good!  Escape from what?

She then became the goal, the Damsel in Distress, if you will, for a story that is turning into a novel that I'm working on.  I started it during NaNoWriMo in November 2011, the first year in which, I was a winner.  I still have much work to do on it, many hours of writing, (I made it to 50K words, to "win" NaNoWriMo, but the story's not done) editing and tweaking to complete before it's worthy of publishing, but still, a whole novel from one moment in time when I noticed a girl run past a fountain.

It's taken on a life of its own and is nothing like I had originally envisioned.  I know I should outline my story, but that just seems too rigid for me.  They characters in my stories rarely follow the outline, anyway, making their own paths.  I just let the scenes play out in my head and I write what happens.  I'm called what is termed a "Pantser" -- an author who writes by seat of their pants, rather than using an outline to guide the story.

If you need the structure of an outline, by all means, sketch one out after the initial Character Collection or Inspirational Epiphany.

Just be sure to collect those characters.  There are so many out there who are unique, you can't miss them.  They're in the line at the bank, walking on the side of the road, sunning themselves at the beach, wherever people are, you'll find a character for your next novel.  I saw a very strange couple walking on the sidewalk one day, they looked so out of place, I had to pull over to write down the details.  I've got them saved on my hard drive and they might possibly become the main characters come this November's NaNoWriMo or maybe this summer's Camp NaNoWriMo.

Just be observant and open to anything.  You never know, a "character" that you find may not work for anything you're writing now, but down the road, you may find that you need the special flavor that only they can bring to a story.

Hobby Hoarder

2.) If you were a hoarder, based on your personality…what would you hoard? (better yet, ask someone who knows you well, what they think you would hoard). 
(Writing prompt from Mama Kat)

“If” 

If?

IF?!

HA!  Now that’s funny… “If” I were a hoarder… Well, I wouldn’t say I’m a hoarder, not in the TV show “Hoarders” image… I’m a COLLECTOR!  A collector of EVERYTHING!  OMG this prompt is tailor made for me.  My mother was a packrat, I’m a packrat and low and behold, so is my husband.  I inherited my mother’s house (ie all of her stuff) and of course, there’s all of my stuff… then my husband and I got married and he moved in…. well, let me tell you, the amount of stuff that we have is incredible! 

And believe it or not, we’ve been purging!  You wouldn’t know it to look in our garage, or the bedroom, or the third bedroom that is supposed to be the baby’s room.  Someday it will be the baby’s room.  (currently we’re co-sleeping, but that’s just because we have yet to clean out the baby’s room.  He’s already one year old, by the way.  Of course, I’m having issues with PPD and PPA, so we’d probably still be co-sleeping, but that’s my little secret!  Shhhh, don’t tell my hubby!) 

So, what do I hoard?  Well, I used to collect coffee mugs, unicorns, key chains, sea shells, and any number of miscellaneous items.  I don’t drink coffee anymore, but still enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or herbal tea now and then.  The unicorns from my childhood have been lost in many moves, but still hold a place in my heart.  The key chains are strewn about, forgotten mostly.  I still collect sea shells, though, and probably always will.  And then there’s the Disney stuff, but that’s a whole other blog post.

It’s all the sentimental crap that clutters our house.  You know, the things that you don’t need, nor particularly really want, but you just can’t seem to get rid of because of a wonderful, nostalgic moment in time that has been reborn in your memory because you came across them again as you cleaned out an old dusty box from way back in the back corner of wherever that you haven’t seen in ages.

And then there are all the crafty, artistic, hobby stuff that fills up any gaps left.  I’m an artist and have numerous art and craft supplies.  Everything from paint brushes, sketch books and lots of sketches to stamps and stamping supplies and scrapbooking paraphernalia fills up many totes and drawers and other nooks and crannies in the house… particularly the “baby’s room.”

Oh, and the books!  Well, let’s just say I could open up my own personal library and leave it at that.

And that’s my personality… nostalgic, artistic, a little geeky and chaotic.  (probably a bit dusty sometimes as well LOL)  I’d say my main issue is that I have so many interests that I don’t have enough “House for my Hobbies!”

Now that I’m a “Mom” however, I find myself trying to purge more and more out of necessity for the baby.  He needs his room and my husband and I really need our room, for the sake of our marriage!  I long for the days of spooning with my hubby as we fall asleep. 

Yard sale anyone?!