tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post4291900182478327550..comments2023-10-09T10:05:44.803-06:00Comments on Patricia Stoltey: Creating Characters by Maryann Miller, Guest BloggerPatricia Stolteyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-63858425262528648332011-03-20T18:06:11.523-06:002011-03-20T18:06:11.523-06:00Maryann, Characterization has come easily to me bu...Maryann, Characterization has come easily to me but I never thought consciously about reversing stereotypes--as you mentioned. Great idea!LINDA FAULKNERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08059741905691302335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-50512989923415331872011-03-20T09:51:46.557-06:002011-03-20T09:51:46.557-06:00Maggie, I'm glad I stopped by again and saw yo...Maggie, I'm glad I stopped by again and saw your comment. I was intrigued when you mentioned "cast" as I have been learning more about creating characters on paper the more involved I get with acting. Even though the playwright created the character, I have to "find" that character within me to be able to bring her to life on stage. I think the two processes feed each other, and that has been fun in recent years since I got brave enough to be on stage.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-37879590449800353062011-03-18T09:08:37.935-06:002011-03-18T09:08:37.935-06:00Hi Maggie -- I'm glad you came by. Maryann ope...Hi Maggie -- I'm glad you came by. Maryann opened up some new ideas for me, which is great because I've started a short story which I want to be very character-driven.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-45363115706287858912011-03-18T08:52:55.424-06:002011-03-18T08:52:55.424-06:00Hi Maryann and Pat,
Sorry to be so late getting h...Hi Maryann and Pat,<br /><br />Sorry to be so late getting here, but I'm glad I made the trip. Creating characters is such an author-driven process. Put ten authors in a room, and they'll tell you ten different ways to build a character.<br /><br />Like Maryann, I'm a journalist and interviewing comes naturally. I consider myself a sponge and try to absorb as much about a person and their story as I can. (Another thing I do is make a note of something so outrageous that I would never think of it. You wouldn't believe the things I hear, off the record of course.)<br /><br />To come to a point, and there is a point somewhere in this mess, creating character gives an author a cast member to live out the plot in a story world. Breathing life into that character is more than creation; its an art form, at least in my opinion, and that's why there's such a wide variety of answers to characterization.<br /><br />Viva la difference!<br /><br />Maggie<br />www.maggietoussaint.comMaggie Toussainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12011893139722870283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-37060079762141460372011-03-17T21:28:08.258-06:002011-03-17T21:28:08.258-06:00Maryann, thanks for being my guest blogger today. ...Maryann, thanks for being my guest blogger today. Creating characters is an interesting topic and you gave us some excellent insights.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-64191997650456476262011-03-17T20:34:26.862-06:002011-03-17T20:34:26.862-06:00That's a good suggestion Patricia. I attended ...That's a good suggestion Patricia. I attended one of his workshops many moons ago when he came to the Craft of Writing Conference in Dallas.<br /><br />Thanks so much for hosting me here today. It has been fun exchanging ideas with everyone. I'm about to close up the computer for the night.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-81646316102847112822011-03-17T17:01:36.657-06:002011-03-17T17:01:36.657-06:00I went to a Donald Maass workshop on "The Fir...I went to a Donald Maass workshop on "The Fire in Fiction" a couple of years ago. One of his suggestions is to think of something your character would never, ever do in a million years. Then make him do it. I can see lots of possibilities there.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-17420371282084148882011-03-17T16:10:57.402-06:002011-03-17T16:10:57.402-06:00Bob, I like your suggestion. Action and reaction a...Bob, I like your suggestion. Action and reaction are important parts of drama. Thanks for the reminder.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-13984014456332128372011-03-17T14:53:50.182-06:002011-03-17T14:53:50.182-06:00Hi Pat and Maryann,
Thanks for the post. It's ...Hi Pat and Maryann,<br />Thanks for the post. It's fun to read about how characters come to be, especially when they defy stereotypes, like the tall black man who doesn't play basketball. (Actually, that fellow is in one of my novels too.) To me, the most revealing part of character development is to make one of them uncomfortable and then see the reaction.Bob Sanchezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350825385315155962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-26698100740919308782011-03-17T12:55:08.188-06:002011-03-17T12:55:08.188-06:00Thanks for your input, Ann, Arlee and Alex. Arlee,...Thanks for your input, Ann, Arlee and Alex. Arlee, you are right about TV filling our subconscious with stereotypes. <br /><br />Ann and anyone else who would like signed copies of my books e-mail me at maryann (at) maryannwrites dot com and I can send books.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-63668712100656537142011-03-17T12:13:36.597-06:002011-03-17T12:13:36.597-06:00I do like to develop my characters before I begin,...I do like to develop my characters before I begin, but I also interviewed military pilots as well.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-60104648208054948282011-03-17T12:03:28.591-06:002011-03-17T12:03:28.591-06:00Maryann, this was a very good analysis about drawi...Maryann, this was a very good analysis about drawing up characters. I think TV and movies have been really bad about ingraining stereotypes in our minds. Often I think we expect certain types of people to look and act in certain ways--which often in real life they do--but I like it when a character surprises me by acting in a different way. I wonder if many characters in real life look and act as they do because they are modeling themselves after the stereotypes they have seen, thus perpetuating the images.<br /><br />Patricia, Thanks for hosting Maryann today with such an informative presentation.<br /><br />Lee<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a>Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-33012489702299502472011-03-17T11:39:16.327-06:002011-03-17T11:39:16.327-06:00I enjoyed reading your comments, Maryann, about ch...I enjoyed reading your comments, Maryann, about character development. Like you say, if you've created a "real" character, he/she will do surprising things. <br /><br />I am now very interested in reading your new book, and also One Small Victory!<br /><br />Thank you, Pat, for hosting Maryann.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-38204965408596212202011-03-17T09:35:52.297-06:002011-03-17T09:35:52.297-06:00Terry, I like how you went against the expected wi...Terry, I like how you went against the expected with your character. I did a similar thing with the police chief in One Small Victory. He is a tall, thin, Hispanic who doesn't like hot peppers, is a Buddhist and works the NY Times crossword puzzle in ink. I think going against the expected makes the characters really memorable.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-65537755694933698182011-03-17T09:19:14.003-06:002011-03-17T09:19:14.003-06:00Maryann, so true about avoiding stereotypes (altho...Maryann, so true about avoiding stereotypes (although some can help with minor characters--gives readers a 'feel' for them without spending too much time on it--but yes, not derogatory types.<br /><br />I created a 6 foot 6 cop who didn't play basketball in college, and has two cats, not big, ferocious dogs. He's also an accomplished pianist. But on the job, he's a cop all the way.<br /><br />Terry<br /><a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br /><a href="http://www.terryodell.com" rel="nofollow">Romance with a Twist--of Mystery</a>Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-91625263473854520812011-03-17T09:16:25.732-06:002011-03-17T09:16:25.732-06:00Hi Maryann -- I spend quite a bit of time on secon...Hi Maryann -- I spend quite a bit of time on secondary characters, too, especially the quirky ones. In my WIP, I'm enjoying writing the bad guys almost more than writing the good ones.<br /><br />Margot and Jacqueline, thanks for coming by this morning.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-33483337273301872692011-03-17T09:11:58.147-06:002011-03-17T09:11:58.147-06:00Margot and Jacqueline, thanks for popping in to re...Margot and Jacqueline, thanks for popping in to read the post and add your support to the importance of character development. My central characters do have to live in my head for a while before I start the story. What about your secondary characters? How much time do you put into their development?Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-65419095395701170542011-03-17T07:37:41.333-06:002011-03-17T07:37:41.333-06:00Hi, Maryann and Pat,
Characterization is so impor...Hi, Maryann and Pat,<br /><br />Characterization is so important in fiction. If the reader can't care about the main character then no matter how good the plot the writing won't work, and the reader probably won't finish the book. I find a character has to live inside my mind for a time before I can commit anything to writing.Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757567191914795875.post-82152038930723442312011-03-17T06:18:28.700-06:002011-03-17T06:18:28.700-06:00Pat - Thanks for hosting Maryann.
Maryann - Thank...Pat - Thanks for hosting Maryann.<br /><br />Maryann - Thanks for sharing the way you developed your characters. There's no doubt about it; characters are such a central element in any story. Without strong characters, even a solid plot just falls flat on its face. Thanks for the reminder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com