Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Cliche, but remember that all cliches have a root in reality somewhere. If you're feeling as though you could be a little more familiar with your characters and perhaps a little more creative, put them in a situation which forces a decision- both for you and your character. For example:
Your character is forced to change professions within the week. What would they choose if they had the luxury of choice? What will they likely end up doing? What would they never want to do?
And:
Is there ever any circumstance that would lead them to kill or seriously injure someone? How grave would that circumstance be? How would they feel after the fact?
Just as in real life circumstances, urgency often brings out surprising facets in characters. You may be astonished to learn that your middle aged librarian carries a firearm in her purse and is ready to fire on any muggers that reach for it. Your deposed princess may very well find her bliss as a blacksmith, and your blacksmith might prefer to be a princess, but find herself becoming a pirate instead. When in doubt, throw an unavoidable curve ball your character's way and watch the details unveil themselves.
All prompts on this blog are free for personal and instructional use, but may not be republished without the permission of the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment