DAY SEVEN Feraco Creative Writing 23 June 2010

Characters  There are many types of characters, but we’ll stick with two for today  Round: A character who is developed and changes in your story.  This obviously applies to your main characters, but the more life you add to your cast, the deeper your story can go!  Flat: A character who does not grow over the course of your story.  A stock character (bartender, flight attendant, waiter) who you probably aren’t investing much time or energy in building  Pancakes: Good for breakfast, awful for literature  Make your characters round in order to make them interesting. Make them pear- shaped! Give them interesting strengths and flaws, and put them in situations where they can grow – for good or for ill  So remember: Pears, not pancakes.

Trait List for Each Character  Gender  Name (First, Last, Nicknames)  Age - Birthdate - Astrological sign  Place of Birth (Raised)  Hair (Color, Style)  Eyes (Color, Shape)  Teeth  Other Facial Features  Complexion  Height  Weight (Build)  Nationality (Ethnicity)  Dress/Style  Handicaps (Glasses)  Tattoos/Scars  Posture  Walk  Habits  Odor  Voice (Could be related to nationality, personality, etc)  Personality (Moods)  Religion  Education  Occupation  Values (Trustworthiness affects reliability as a narrator)  Personal Motto or Creed  Likes/Dislikes  Hobbies  Family  Relationships Other than Family  Role Models  Aspirations  Where They Live Now  Pets

Intelligences  Auditory  Visual  Linguistic  Logical-Mathematical  Spatial  Bodily-Kinesthetic  Musical  Interpersonal  Intrapersonal  Naturalist

Long-Form Literature Outline  Where will this be set?  Will your narrator(s) be reliable?  How many characters do you wish to use?  Which relationships will you establish? How will they change?  How do you want to introduce each character? (Narrator/exposition? Encounter? Conversation?)  How many chapters/scenes will you want? Will you use foreshadowing? How will everything make sense?  Sketch an outline of your scenes.  Each outline should briefly summarize the plot advancement for each scene, the character development you expect to take place, the perspectives you will use (and why), and the "truths" you want your readers to take away.  Finally, make a list of the symbols and metaphors you will want to use.

Questions for Your Characters  What do you want to do before you die – what’s your “bucket list”?  What do you hope you live long enough to see?  What are the first things that run through peoples’ heads when they see you?  Are your mother and father proud of you? Do they think you’ll be successful? Why/why not?  For younger characters: Do your parents want you to be like them, or to follow in their footsteps? Why/why not?  For younger characters: Will your parents miss you when you’re gone? Why/why not? What would they want to live long enough to see? What would they want to live long enough to see YOU do?  If you could snap your fingers and give one thing to your parents, what would you give?  How would you rate your life on a scale from one to ten?  How would you rate your best friend’s life on that same scale?

Questions for Your Characters  If you could snap your fingers and give one thing to your best friend, what would you give?  Do your friends and parents trust you? Should they?  Do you think you’ll be successful? Do you fear you won’t be? Why?  Do you think your friends will be successful? How so? What sort of a world would they want to live in?  Do your friends think you’ll be successful? How so? What sort of a world do you want to live in?  If you have siblings, will you be the first to go? Would you rather be the last?  If you have friends, will you be the first to go? Would you rather be the last?  Would you want to outlive your parents?  Would you want to outlive your spouse?  Would you want to outlive your children?  How old will you live to be?

How Do You Make a Believable World?  First, engage the senses – we can’t imagine everything, but we can imagine some things if you give us building blocks  Figure out how you want to approach this – through audio, visuals, tactile sensations – and mix it up from story to story  Next, figure out how to make that world work for you  What’s your big idea? How can you use lighting and setting – even “costuming” to reinforce your idea?

How Do You Make a Believable World?  Finally, you have to be able to picture all of this in your head – even the things you never commit to the page  Don’t write about a half-formed place  Make sure your characters fit in this world – and that they need to belong in it!  Did you notice how Pirandello did it?