brusch
Main Event Caliber
The biggest challenge when creating a character is making him or her compelling - finding a way to engross the reader in whatever it is your character has to say. It's not simply a matter of having "technically flawless" grammar and spelling, it's also about writing in a fully immersive way. Readers need to feel what your character is about when they read your writing.
I think one of the most important steps in doing this is knowing who your character is, backwards and forwards. Eventually you should be able to answer questions like "what was your character's favorite childhood breakfast food" - which can be a weird and difficult road to cross.
I've come across a "character questionnaire" designed by Marcel Proust that is designed to help writers fully understand their characters as three-dimensional beings. I encourage everyone (and particularly those of you who are new to this) to look this over as a way to find more depth to your character. Some of these may already be answered by your RLW app, but it's still good practice to go through the whole thing.
(also, there's no need to reply to this thread with your answers to these questions - but doing this on your own may help your writing).
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What do you consider your greatest achievement?
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your current state of mind?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your most treasured possession?
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
What is your favorite journey?
What is your most marked characteristic?
When and where were you the happiest?
What is it that you most dislike?
What is your greatest fear?
What is your greatest extravagance?
Which living person do you most despise?
What is your greatest regret?
Which talent would you most like to have?
Where would you like to live?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is the quality you most like in a man?
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
What do you most value in your friends?
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Which living person do you most admire?
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
On what occasions do you lie?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What are your favorite names?
How would you like to die?
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
What is your motto?
I think one of the most important steps in doing this is knowing who your character is, backwards and forwards. Eventually you should be able to answer questions like "what was your character's favorite childhood breakfast food" - which can be a weird and difficult road to cross.
I've come across a "character questionnaire" designed by Marcel Proust that is designed to help writers fully understand their characters as three-dimensional beings. I encourage everyone (and particularly those of you who are new to this) to look this over as a way to find more depth to your character. Some of these may already be answered by your RLW app, but it's still good practice to go through the whole thing.
(also, there's no need to reply to this thread with your answers to these questions - but doing this on your own may help your writing).
---
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your current state of mind?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your most treasured possession?
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
What is your favorite journey?
What is your most marked characteristic?
When and where were you the happiest?
What is it that you most dislike?
What is your greatest fear?
What is your greatest extravagance?
Which living person do you most despise?
What is your greatest regret?
Which talent would you most like to have?
Where would you like to live?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is the quality you most like in a man?
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
What do you most value in your friends?
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Which living person do you most admire?
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
On what occasions do you lie?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What are your favorite names?
How would you like to die?
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
What is your motto?
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