  Drama
This week: Characters that Capture the Imagination Edited by: NickiD89  
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| A writer's mind is inspired by the people milling in and out of her field of vision. To all you people-watchers like me, here's a newsie just for us! |
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Characters that Capture the Imagination
The gym where I work out is only slightly larger than a corner pharmacy. But the modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment, located a short drive from our house is my daily, early-morning haunt. The cardio stage faces the weight training area, so when I'm not conjuring new character ideas during treadmill workouts, I am people watching. As you can imagine, those two pastimes often overlap.
Typically, the same crowd of early risers shows up Monday through Friday between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m. Among the regulars, there's the muscular girl whose shapely legs I covet. There's the man I silently cheer on ever since he told me he's already shed 150 of the 225 pounds he needs to lose to achieve his goal weight. And there's The Grunter, who dresses like he's in gym class, circa 1955, and who loudly clears his throat on average once every thirty seconds. Recently, though, an unfamiliar pair of members arrived on our scene. They showed up wearing the trademark bright, factory-fresh sneakers of motivated gym newbies. I haven't been able to keep my eyes off them since.
Every day they arrive together and leave together, but while they are in the gym they work alone. Both appear to be in their fifties, and I assume they are a couple. They know their way around the equipment. Unlike timid newbies who steer clear of the complicated-looking apparatuses, their workouts entail far more than random sets on unrelated Nautilus machines. Instead, they target specific opposing-muscle groups -- like back and biceps, or chest and triceps. And they maintain good form while executing precise movements, thus avoiding the injury traps that more inexperienced members easily fall into.
They rarely speak to each other, and I've neither seen them partner up nor spot one another. There's no air of anger or distain between them, though. They simply move around like people who are used to sharing the same space and are comfortable in their own silence. Every once in a while a quick smile passes between them.
By now, you may have formed an image of these people in your mind. Close your eyes and take a moment to gaze upon them. What do they look like, to you? Earlier, I said I can't keep my eyes off them. Here's why:
The man is scarecrow-skinny and easily over six feet tall. His wiry gray hair spills over his shoulders like a scraggly shawl, and his gaunt cheeks are covered by a dishwater gray beard that's so long its wispy ends reach south of his solar plexus. Though there is something graceful about his movements, he walks with the hunched gait of a man accustomed to manual labor. He wears the same ratty baseball cap every day.
The woman is of medium height, though when walking next to the man she's dwarfed by his stature. Like him, she is very thin. She wears boxy t-shirts that hang on her frame and tend to draw my eyes to her pronounced elbows and knobby knees. She pulls her graying brown hair away from a weathered and make-up-free face, cinching it in a stubby ponytail at the base of her neck. Her mouth and chin are sunken in, as if her teeth were missing. A wristwatch or a pair of earrings would look conspicuously out-of-place on her.
In short, they don't look at all like "gym people," which is why I find them so fascinating to watch. When they're working out, I don't even notice the muscular girl, the shrinking man or The Grunter. And that got my writer's brain thinking.
As characters, all five gym members are unique - meaning they are each physically different from the others, and each must have interesting stories to tell. When all five share the same setting, they move around the space with equal aptitude and facility. But it's their visual paradoxes that make the new couple the center of my attention. They are the splashes of red on an all-blue canvas. They are interesting.
A fictional character that is multi-dimensional or quirky captures our imaginations. Discovering and exploring a character's contradictions, illogicalities, and ironies bring depth and drama to any story. Inspiration for these characters is all around us, and looking for it is almost as enjoyable as crafting the characters and their stories.
And it sure makes the time on a treadmill fly by!
Thanks for reading!
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QUESTION FOR NEXT TIME: Do YOU have any quirks? Or, if you'd rather not share  , what's a favorite illogicality, contradiction or quirk you used for a fictional character?
In the June 15 newsletter "Face the Fear," I asked, "Do you have any tips for getting past those first chapters in a new novel project? And how do you face your writing fears?" Here were the encouraging and insightful responses I received:
atwhatcost said: I'm writing my first novel and finances says I have to get published. Isn't that enough fear to last a lifetime all bunched into one sentence? Only way I can do it is one part at a time. I consider this my Mt. Everest. There are camps along the way - places to acclimatize. To me the first one is the beginning and the second is the middle. Relax and enjoy the process. Then climb to the end. Once I climb to the top, then I face the rest - revising, revising, revising, and then editing, editing, and editing. Somewhere on the other side I'll face manuscripts, editors, agents, publishers and all that stuff. Right now? Just the second camp. ;)
What a fantastic analogy! I absolutely agree with you, here. Like any mammoth project, breaking it down into manageable chunks is the key to overall success. Thanks so much for the encouragement, and best of luck attaining your writing and publishing aspirations!
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  said: My tip, just write. (submitted item: "Family Christmas" )
Thanks.
dyegirl said: For the Drama: 'Face the Fear' edition: I was so happy to hear you describe your creative process, because it mimics my own. When I avoid writing because I feel overwhelmed by the task, I force myself to write until a predetermined part of the story, a part I actually feel inspired about, and even if I start out writing garbage, in the end, I find that I get over the block. Often, I find that what I have written is not quite as bad as I had thought, or at least it gives me something to work with later on.
I so agree with you! We just have to push through whatever is holding our fingers off the keys or the pen off the paper. Whether it's fear, insecurity, lack of motivation, or feeling overwhelmed, the simple acts of taking a deep breath and just writing will cure it all. Thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us!
Mara ♣ McBain  said: Wonderful NL!  I understand the fear you speak of. It is something I struggle with as well but have no cure for. Hopefully we will both find that one day.
Agreed! And, knowing the nature of this recurring, cyclical problem, it's wonderful to have friends like you, friends who rely on each other and cheer each other on, to make all the uncertainty of the future melt away!
moon plus stars  said: I understand. I try to hold on to the character, but by the time I get to the computer or my notebook, the character's gone. Is there any way to get them back?
 I wish!! For me, it's sometimes possible to recapture that elusive character. It takes concentration, and I have to be in a quiet place with no distractions (which rarely happens this time of year!). But yes, I think it's possible to get them back -- or at least use the seeds of remembered inspiration to grow someone new and exciting.
StephBee - House Targaryen  said: Nicki, I'm a plotter & pantser. I pantser (just write the first 3 chapters - keeping in mind, action, hook, and engage the reader) then I plot out the next 3 chapters and go from there.
Smiles
Steph
Great tip, Steph! I like your method too, because I find approaching a project with a mixed bag of techniques keeps my momentum high. Thanks!!
Riot  said: You're doing wonderful, Nicki. I'm so proud of you. You've come so far, and I'm blessed to know you.
Thank you SO much!! You totally made my day!
ingenuity66 said: How do you get over your fears? When I was in school and having to write many papers (OMG the papers-lol!) on various assigned topics from divers teachers from my past, my best suggestion would be Brain storm, brain storm and more brain storming. It will not make sense all that is flowing through you about the topic you want to write about. However, and after brainstorming, put it away, let your head clear and when you come back to read your scribbles, (at least for myself) the truer picture of it will come to you and you will be able to put in into a better and organized fashion as for an essay, novel, or screenplay storyline. I don't have fears as for developing a storyline; what I imagine and witness I get excited about it and always write it quickly down somewhere when I have any ounce of zealous inspiration flowing through me. When it is written down as for a guiding factor to a developing story, at least I have that; the brain storm of it all, then to simply return to it in completing the scribbles into a complete and sensible story.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this technique of writing. It's what I always aspire to when I sit down to write. But my internal editor starts whispering and sabotages all my best intentions. I think that is my greatest hurdle in the process, and the thing I must, must, must practice overcoming. And practice simply means writing. Every day, uninhibited, WRITING. Thanks for sharing your process -- and best of luck with all your projects!
See you all back here on August 10th. Until then, have a great month!
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Drama: July 13, 2011 Issue [#4494]
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