ENG 152 Creative Writing- Writing with Attention, Spring 2004
First Character Assignment
Often writers are either strong in the ability to develop plot or the ability to develop characterization. But most times, not both. However, it is best to be strong in both areas in order to produce a really good piece of fiction or prose.
As I was learning to write, like many writers I thought I'd begin with a really descriptive setting or a really good idea for a situation. However, after experiencing a few times of coming up with a fairly good setting or description, I sat there going, "now what?" And though I tried a few times to introduce someone into the setting, it came off flat. Then I encountered a writer stating that what mattered to them was not the setting or situation that made a story move and hooked a reader, instead it was the character. They said if you have an interesting character, they will almost take over the direction they go, like a real person would.
So, even if you are fantastic at great story elements like foreshadowing, plot twists, and careful pacing, you may still receive submissions rejections with critiques pointing to 'two dimensional' or stereotyped characters; or perhaps your main characters' motivations seem unclear or illogical to those who have read your story, which ultimately sabotages the narrative.
Some character development books will have checklists of characteristics to run through as you create a character. But these are often kind of dull, like a age, race, gender, etc.... That is why I included a few unusual questions in our list, like most daring thing ever done, or cartoon character most identified with. To make a person/character seem real to a reader, we need details like: Does he horde things or throw them away?; Does he like powdered coffee or espresso?; Does he call his grandmother Granma or by her first name? What does he sound like when he cries? Filling in with details such as these will turn your rough sketch into a finely drawn portrait.
Sherman Alexie often will use his friends as templates for his characters.
Instructor- Pauline Escudero Shafer
Office Hours- 10:15-11 am and By arrangement M-F
Phone- 206-587-2036
Email- PEscudero@sccd.ctc.edu