30-Day Writing Meme

9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

To make things easier I will pick one character to discuss the development of, Nowell since he is my most recent.

Sometimes the character is created before the doll, while other times it works in reverse. I've found that if there is a definite, fully formed character, it will come before the doll. If the character ideas are tentative, most often they will change (maybe even drastically) once the doll arrives. On the other hand you can wait for the doll to arrive and see what kind of person he/she is.

Nowell was a mix of both these, although the latter won out in the end. His F-17 shell was initially meant to house my character Paks, and so much of the character preparation was done with him in mind. However once he arrived, I knew with a quick peek that he wasn't Paks. On the way home to open him I listened to Tori Amos' Yule/Christmas album and was particularly struck by the first track "Noel/What Child."

From there I began to work on character development using many of the surveys/memes found on this site. Very helpful for creating fully fleshed out characters. I think that's one of the most important elements of my character development. The questions help me figure out what kind of person they are and where they came from.

With all that information written out, I began to fill in the blanks of the story lines. Why for example does he have lavender eyes, or why does he want to grow up to be a Tin Man? Basic likes/dislikes form the springboard for much more in depth discussion of character attributes. Given that I have him in doll form, I also concern myself not only with what he might wear, but what he actual does.

After many "character conversations" (the memes), I find myself with a holistic character. Not bits and pieces, but a real (fictional) person. Not to say I know everything there, but generic writing prompts can help fill in any gaps that might still be left.