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wayfaringwordhackThis arvy, I was chatting with footlingagain,and between stories of the mania of notebook lust (don't all writers always need more, more, and more notebooks?), I whined to her about what a hard time I was having getting the WIP underway, how I know enough about my character such as her story arc but that I don't know her. So, I got away from the pc for a little bit, did I few yoga poses, and let my mind drift before bringing it back into focus with the intention of nailing down this character.
I realized two things. First, I had the character's need wrong. Taking a page from Abraham Maslow's Personality Theories, I thought Srila slotted into the "esteem" category. But no, her needs are more basic than that, and it is "safety" that drives her. That led to my second realization.
Srila is responsible for the inciting incident in this story, but it doesn't make sense for this to be her first attempt to set things right. She's in her thirties, and she's a mother. She's frightened for her daughter's future, which has been threatened for years now; in fact, Srila lost her own mother because of the threat. So there's no way that she just "woke up" at the point where I need her intervention in the book.
No, she's been fighting for years. And that has to affect her attitude about her latest attempt. It has to affect the attitudes of those around her, some who must admire her, some who think she's a crackpot, etc.
I may not have her voice down yet, but I do have a deeper look into her combat. And that is going to help me--finally!-- be able to relate to her fully enough to make a decent stab at bringing her to life.
footlingagain,and between stories of the mania of notebook lust (don't all writers always need more, more, and more notebooks?), I whined to her about what a hard time I was having getting the WIP underway, how I know enough about my character such as her story arc but that I don't know her. So, I got away from the pc for a little bit, did I few yoga poses, and let my mind drift before bringing it back into focus with the intention of nailing down this character.I realized two things. First, I had the character's need wrong. Taking a page from Abraham Maslow's Personality Theories, I thought Srila slotted into the "esteem" category. But no, her needs are more basic than that, and it is "safety" that drives her. That led to my second realization.
Srila is responsible for the inciting incident in this story, but it doesn't make sense for this to be her first attempt to set things right. She's in her thirties, and she's a mother. She's frightened for her daughter's future, which has been threatened for years now; in fact, Srila lost her own mother because of the threat. So there's no way that she just "woke up" at the point where I need her intervention in the book.
No, she's been fighting for years. And that has to affect her attitude about her latest attempt. It has to affect the attitudes of those around her, some who must admire her, some who think she's a crackpot, etc.
I may not have her voice down yet, but I do have a deeper look into her combat. And that is going to help me--finally!-- be able to relate to her fully enough to make a decent stab at bringing her to life.
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Date: 7 Jul 2008 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 7 Jul 2008 07:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 7 Jul 2008 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 7 Jul 2008 10:52 am (UTC)Excellent news! :)
So, I got away from the pc for a little bit, did I few yoga poses, and let my mind drift
I like to do that before settling down to write, though I usually mean to do it, then don't, as with most things *g*
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Date: 7 Jul 2008 12:11 pm (UTC)I wonder why most of us tend to be like that? We like to do certain things--we know they are good for us, even--and yet, we don't follow through with them. We're such silly critters.