characters
Just for Giggles: Character Transplant Exercise
In a fit of randomness, I started thinking about my characters and how they would fit into the real world. Maybe other writers (especially of fantasy) do this all the time. It’s kind of fun, and has made me think about my characters in-depth, particularly the more minor characters.
I wonder how much you can tell about my book from reading this silliness cold. Hmm …
Raina would front a rock band, drawing comparisons to Paramore’s Hayley Williams, except Raina would mouth off to the press more than she should. There would be a rumor about the paparazzi and electrocution, which sensible people would shrug off.
Taz would make major breakthroughs in computer science and linguistic programming, specifically in the development of signing avatars. She’d be a guest lecturer all over the world, and her company would be puzzled over why she never asked to be reimbursed for her airline tickets.
Niko would take online courses in philosophy while hanging out with Raina on tour, driving his professors to madness with his ability to beat them in any argument. He’d turn down the opportunity to go to top medical schools and become a writer instead.
Vota would be a MythBuster. She loves blowing stuff up, so she’d fit right in.
Genno would be a negotiator, but not in any kind of business sense. Probably law enforcement, hostage negotiation, that kind of thing. His co-workers would think of him as the nice guy, kind of quiet, but they’d also know not to mess with him.
Willet would be a contestant on Survivor. He’d be the guy who tries to win by flirting with all the girls. There would be nasty fights during and after tribal council, claiming that using his shapeshifting to impersonate other tribe members constituted cheating.
Pashti would be a student at the Art Institute of Chicago (sculpture, mostly). By all appearances, she’d be sophisticated and avant-garde, but secretly she’d spend her Thursdays watching Survivor, rooting for Willet. (She’d never tell him, though.)
Anyone else ever tried something like this? Other favorite character exercises? Feel free to post links in the comments.
Speak up:
1 commentName Soup
How many characters can we absorb at a time?
In working on query letters and pitches, I’ve become conscious of the “name soup” that can happen when too many characters are crammed into that tiny space. Like a party in a tiny apartment, there’s no elbow room and no way to keep track of who’s who.
What about in the novel itself, though? How many new characters can we introduce before the reader needs time to breathe and process?
I suspect part of the answer lies in how we introduce them. Don’t start a ticker-tape parade for a minor character who serves a limited function for a few pages. Conversely, if the character is important, they need to stand out.
I wonder how much genre and audience play a role. Do readers expect a large cast of players in certain books? Readers of sci-fi and fantasy will be more prepared for strange names than readers of a modern-day crime thriller. What about the number of names to keep track of?
Speaking of strange names, we can make up the craziest names we want, but let’s make them pronounceable. Even if the reader might assume a different pronunciation than we intend, it needs to be possible to come up with something. Too many fantasy novels evoke my “Pat, I’d like to buy a vowel” reaction.
Now that I’ve posed the question, I’m going back to check the first scene at the foster home. Have I thrown too many names in too small a space? Hopefully not.