Getting Into the Minds of Your Characters

My favorite part about writing fiction is being able to create characters; people who live only in the minds of the readers.

Whether or not a character I create is based on different parts of myself I make sure that they have their own voice and personality.

When creating new characters it's important that they each have their own fingerprints, or individual traits that, when put together, make each character unique. Two sisters, say twins, can't have identical fingerprints or it could get really confusing to the reader. Anyone who's ever been around twins knows that they often have the same voice and/or mannerisms, but there is always something about them that makes them different enough to their family and friends who can easily tell them apart.

You, as the writer, are responsible fer getting your readers close enough to your characters that they can distinguish one character from another without having to read their names.

1. Get to know your characters before you introduce them to other people.

When you introduce a new friend to your family you are saying, "I can vouch for this guy. He's a good person." When you're writing it's pretty much saying the same thing to the readers. If you don't truly know your characters then you can't, on good conscience, introduce them to the reader because you don't know if they'll turn out to be bad people (unless that's what you were going for).

You may be saying, "How could I not know my characters? I created them." That's true, but when you treat them like living people they become something more than words on a page. When you keep them internal then you are more inclined to put too much of yourself into who your characters are. I liken this to having a pet, a dog. Your dog can't talk to you but you still take the time to name him and acknowledge that he has a personality. When you talk to your dog you don't do it in your head. You actually talk to him, but don't expect an answer. Try doing the same with your characters. Project them outside of yourself so that you see them the way a reader would. Ask them questions that you would ask someone that you just met and wanted to get to know better.

Here's an example of how I question my characters. Character Interview

2. Get to know the people your characters know.

What kind of people do your characters associate with? Who are their coworkers? Who don't they get along with and why? These questions will help form a fuller picture of your characters personality type. It may also reveal your characters' morals, social status, and how they interact with other people.

3. Create scenarios for your characters.

Put your characters into situations, ranging from mundane to life altering, that occur before, throughout, and after the course of the novel or novella. How do they react? What did they do to get through each scenario? How did the way they react change over time? These will be the events that help shape their personalities.

You may have noticed that I didn't mention naming the characters. That's because I usually name my characters last. Sometimes their names are based on their personalities and other times they are just randomly picked from a name generator. There will be more on naming and generators in a later post.

Get it together

I'm rushing to get the rest of this blog up and running.

What I have left to do:

• Writer Resource links
• Write my first real entry
• ad other random little things

Iron Pen- Battle Comma versus Semicolon

*originally posted at Writing Woes*

I am by no means a grammatical expert and believe me there is no chance that I could ever pass for one, but as of late I have become fascinated with learning all of the shamefully wicked rules that the grammar snobs like to throw in your face.

My first college English professor had the greatest jokes about said grammar hounds. Sadly I cannot recall one of his best ones but believe me it was hilarious. He was a riot that one.

Now the basic rules for comma and semicolon (and other common grammar) usage have been around for ages, but those grammar snobs above are the ones who reprimand the masses for every inadvertent misuse with a howling, "Use it right or DIE!!"

Needless to say, I keep several grammar handbooks an arms length away from me at all times to combat said remarks.

Now for this battle, which happens to be my absolute favorite, the question asked is, "Should I use a comma here, or a semicolon?

In my experience, if you have to ask, then you were probably meant to use a semicolon. After all, it is the comma that is widely overused and not the innocent, defenseless semicolon. For arguments sake, though, there are some people who like to toss a semicolon in at every chance they get to look smart --they don't. I love the semicolon and I've even found that I use it right about 90% of the time (hey, I have my days). I especially loved wowing my English professor(s) with the correct use of them in my essays.

In the misuser's defense, I don't EVER remember being actually taught the proper use of a semicolon by a real live teacher. It's just something I picked up along the way. So, maybe that is the case for them, as well. I know for a fact that my professor doesn't care if you use commas in place of a semicolon, but if you do use one you better use it right. I recall on one of my recent essay drafts being caught using a semicolon between a dependent and an independent clause (my excuse for this was that I changed my sentence at the last minute...yeah right).

I do believe that said grammar snobs are debating demoting the semicolon because he's (she's?) so misunderstood. Hopefully the more polite and sympathetic grammar fairies will save him.

The Comma:
In a compound sentence (the easiest and most common use) - Sarah and I are best friends, but we rarely get to see each other.
Between items in a series - Sarah spends a great deal of time reading, playing sports, and killing puppies.
After introductory clauses and phrases - Being a narcissist, Sarah often stares at herself in the mirror for hours.
There are other comma rules, but these uses are the ones closely related to the semicolon uses.

The Semicolon:
Separating Independent clauses (oh, stop your snickering) - I loved Sarah to death; she will be greatly missed.
Separating items in a series - Sarah was banned from Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; and Miami, Florida.

Now, if you'd like to have a laugh at the poor semicolon's expense, read this article: And Now He's Dead: Semicolon; Punctuation Mark

I should inform you that I like to get my grammar on as often as possible. When the grammar fairies visit me and give me inspiration they demand immediate action. So, this will not be the last Iron Pen post.