I confess...I have done nothing on the novel. At least nothing that could be considered actual finger to keyboard writing.
It's the weekend before finals, and I have spent most of it sitting and discussing drafts with my students. I still have more meetings on Monday and Tuesday. But for the most part, I'm done with that set of drafts.
So now...for the moment that is...I get to focus on other things. January is almost just around the corner. And that means that we're looking at another run-up to a novel writing month--DKos style.
With that in mind...
I've decided that I'm going to try and write another 50K in words on the novel I started in November. I think that'll work...and it will get me a smidge closer to my noveling goals.
But I figure that a refresher on the novel's moving parts might be in order. So for today...or rather this week: Character Development...
Sitting here...staring at the Blank Screen of Death as I try to figure out how to sketch out the various characters who will be wandering on and off the stage that will be my novel.
There are lists upon lists of questions to ask yourself as you try to figure out who the characters are. Some of them dig deeper into what makes the character tick. Some focus on how the character moves in and out of the world she or he inhabits.
But ultimately one of the things you need to know is--What does the character want? Why?
Characters are usually presented through their actions, dialect, and thoughts, as well as by description. Characterization can regard a variety of aspects of a character, such as appearance, age, gender, educational level, vocation or occupation, financial status, marital status, social status, cultural background, hobbies, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ambitions, motivations, personality, etc.
Over at the Nano site, there are links upon links for all sorts of research as writers seek to answer the various types of questions that pop up. I've had more than a few as I tried to figure out how my hired hitman (a good guy with a sucky job) would kill one of the bad guys and make sure that the victim didn't return to the surface until well after the fishes helped make the victim unidentifiable to the authorities. After all, bodies have a bit more buoyancy in saltwater.
This time 'round, I'm reading bits and pieces of an 18th Century diary in order to get the tone that one character needs as she writes a series of letters to the daughter she left behind.
I've dug into the realm of piracy in order to better understand the ins and outs of piracy...and was stunned to find that pirate ships tended to be small democracies in action. A captain stayed captain so long as he or she kept the ship running smoothly. Course that included making sure that the ship was able to take out its prey.
And I've got a book laying in front of me running down the various dates and events that led up to Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden...and what happened to several of the participants of 1745 (aka the Jacobite Uprising).
But I'm still kind of stumped about what makes some of these characters tick.
So here are a couple links that might could help you as you develop your characters:
Character Development Tips
From Inside to Outside...
Character Development
Elements of Fiction
How to Build a Character
What kinds of characters are you thinking about?