Creating Unforgettable Characters Read Online Free PDF Page A

your research, ask the following questions about your characters:
    ■ What do I need to know about the context of my characters?
    ■ Do I understand their culture?
    ■ Do I understand the rhythms, the beliefs, the attitudes that are part of that culture?
    ■ Have I met, talked to, and spent time with people in that culture?
    ■ Do I understand ways that they are similar to, and different from the way I am?
    ■ Have I spent enough time with a number of different people, so that I won't create a stereotype based on one or two encounters?
    ■ Am I familiar with the occupation of my characters?
    ■ Do I have a feel for the occupation, some sense through observation of what the work entails, and how people feel about their work?
    ■ Do I know the vocabulary well enough that I can use it naturally and comfortably in dialogue?
    ■ Do I know where my characters live? Do I know the lay of the land, the experience of walking the streets?
    ■ Do I have a sense of the climate, of leisure-time activities, of the sounds and smells of this location?
    ■ Do I understand how this location is different from my own location, and what effect this has on my characters?
    ■ If my script is set in another period of time, do I know enough historical details about that period in terms of language, living conditions, clothing, relationships, attitudes, and influences?
    ■ Have I read diaries or other literature from that period so that I have a sense of how people spoke and the words they used?
    ■ In researching my characters, have I been willing to ask for help from resource people—whether librarians or people knowledgeable about a specific area?
    SUMMARY
    Almost every character demands some research. There is more than one reason why new writers are often told to write about what they know. The research can be both time-consuming and expensive. Many new writers can't afford to spend a month in Africa, or may not know how to find a safecracker, or may not be able to hold out the possibility of new business to the Amish buggymaker.
    Understanding the importance of research and understanding what to research are important steps in the process of creating strong characters.
    Once new writers get over their initial resistance to research, many find it can be one of the most exciting, creative, and exhilarating parts of the writing process. It paves the way for the imagination to give the character life.
    Think of someone you really like—friend, spouse, teacher, relative. The first qualities of this person that you think about may be what's consistent about his or her personality. It may be that one friend is always compassionate and empathetic, while another always enjoys a good party; perhaps a teacher is known for her logic and analysis, and a relative seems driven by a determination to win in sports and in life.
    But the next thoughts you have about this person might be details that are surprising, illogical, paradoxical. Your most logical friend loves to wear those silly hats. Your most sensation-oriented friend reads books about astronomy in his spare time. And your compassionate friend hates bugs, going on the attack with flyswatter and toxic sprays whenever she hears or sees them in her home.
    The defining of character is a back-and-forth process. You ask questions. You observe. You think through your own experiences, and make others up. You test these against the consistency of your character. You think of details that are unique and unpredictable.
    This process may seem haphazard and, to some extent, it is. Yet there are specific qualities that are found in all dimensional characters. When your characters refuse to come to life, understanding these qualities can help you expand, enrich, and deepen them.
    HOW DO YOU BEGIN?
    Whether you are modeling your character on someone you know intimately, on someone you observe, on yourself, or are building a composite from a number of details, creating a character usually