I'm working my way through my little character adventure slash short story mini-series.
Kate, the MC of my nano novel, Prairie Apocalypse (uh oh, that might stick), really enjoyed the state fair. The exercise was great fun, and I learned as much about her as I would have learned filling out a list of questions, I think. I sorted through some of her past, some of her quirks, and a couple of relationships I didn't originally know she had.
At the very least, I learned how to "become" her while writing. Her voice is sillier than I anticipated, but it fits with how she's coping with her wounded past. Humor frequently seems to be covering for damage, I think.
I also had some of the other characters cross paths with Kate along the way, which set the tone for their stories both in this little side project, and in NaNo.
I've loosely sketched out small story lines for the experiences the other character groups in Prairie Apocalypse will have, and I'm looking forward to continuing with the exercise.
It's really a great distraction from the daily "to do's " that I've been avoiding.
bearing witness to the fleeting moments of growing two little girls, an edible backyard, a baby-to-be, chickens, and a novel
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2 comments:
I find it fascinating when a character develops beyond the writer's imagination.
I went to the state fair years ago when we lived in Colorado. what a trip! kids were small, and had a ball...
That sounds like fun! Character questionnaires and the sketches with all those questions ARE boring...I just don't know how else to go about it :P
Perhaps instead of making my characters go to a state fair (since there weren't any in Japan) I could make them go to one of the other myriad of festivals that occur. That would be fascinating to see...
I think some of my characters hide themselves from me though on purpose--they seem to revel in the difficulty they cause me.
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