I’m taking a couple of days off from blogging to celebrate the Easter weekend with my family. I hope you’ll enjoy this older post, which originally ran last July. :)
I wasn’t cool in….well, ever. I was on the newspaper and literary magazine staff. I hung out with people in high school that are now architects, IT people, CPAs….but definitely not whatever the cheerleaders and football players became. (Politicians? What did those folks become? Inquiring minds want to know…)
I’m a nerd.
In my Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink, my protagonist, in some ways, is an elderly nerd. I completely relate to her. She makes funny literary references, she’s a retired English teacher….I get Myrtle.
But not all of my characters are Myrtles. I have characters that are rednecks, theologians, blue collar workers, wealthy do-gooders, and excellent barbeque chefs.
How do you handle writing different personality types?
I squash my inner-nerd. Sometimes it’s a pleasure to do so. Really.
I explore different personalities by imagining what it would be like to be them. Sort of like playing dress-up when you were a kid.
When I really dislike someone, I write it down. Usually if I don’t like them, it’s because the person is 180 degrees different from me. And a wonderful character, for that very reason.
I model a character on someone I know. And, naturally, completely change the character so they’re not recognizable to the person who inspired it.
I model a character on someone I wish I could be. When we’re looking in the mirror in the morning and wish we could see someone more glamorous or more adventurous in there….well, here’s our chance.
There’s no resume required when writing characters. It’s nice to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks. And…..we’re writers. We get to make things up.
How do you handle writing different personality types?
Have a wonderful Easter!
Elizabeth – I know what you mean about experimenting witih different personality types. If we don’t include different kinds of people, our writing gets stale and it’s hard to distinguish the characters from each other. I try to “tune in” to people I notice (I’m a real people-watcher), and that helps me stay aware of different kinds of personality.
Whoops! Ps – Enjoy your well-deserved Easter break!
This is why I write, really. The endless variety of human experience.
I have to admit, I love to feel what makes people tick. And when I get inside the head of someone different, magic happens.
Enjoy the Easter holiday. There’s nothing wrong with being nerdy, it’s a good trait.
Well, you are a successful nerd. I’d say even a POWER NERD.
I think you’re on to something here. Empathy is a very important quality for good writing.
Happy Easter to you and your family!
How do you handle writing different personality types? Ehm, not always very well.
I think the unpleasant antagonist is simple enough, but it is difficult for me to create smart, modern characters because they care about so many things I just don´t get.
Now and then I consult fashion pages to find out what colours they´d wear, or I read a young person´s blog to find out what kind of music she listens to etc.
Have a wonderful holiday. I think those are great way to explore other characters.
ann
I like people watching when I’m standing in a long line or waiting for someone to meet me for lunch. I’ve gotten a lot of personality traits and quirks that way!
Enjoy your Easter break, Elizabeth!
Neither of my two main characters are me, so I had to stretch a little. (I’ll stretch even more in the next one, though.) I just had to remember that their reaction was not going to be my reaction.
I do everything you do. Great coverage on the ways to approach this. In my experience, writers who *need* to write (and you know who you are :-) have strong shadows within. Writing is the chance to let those shadows come out, walk around, speak. Yeah, sure, a psychotherapist would have more polysyllabic things to say about this subject. I simply enjoy the fact that writers have discovered a healthy way of dealing with those shadows; and when they do, their writing is usually stronger for it.
Happy Easter to you and your family, Elizabeth. The weather is finally beautiful here in NYC and I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.
~Cleo
I am big on personality types! Helps me stay in line with my characters.
At first I wrote ones closer to me, but I soon branched out to characters totally different. It’s really weird sometimes to react in an unnatural manner, too.
BTW – one of these days us two geeky girls need to meet!
One of the best parts of teaching is meeting/knowing/working with all different kinds of personalities. This really helps when I’m writing. :)
Teresa–Thanks so much! You too.
Margot–I would think that as a professor you would have a LOT of insight on different behaviors. It really does help keep our writing fresh!
The Daring Novelist–I almost think we’d all be good sociologists or psychologists! You’re right…we like to study what makes people (real or fictitious) tick.
Mason–Well, I can think of worse…but there are many times I’d rather be one of my characters than be me. :)
Cassandra–Power to the nerds! :) Empathy really can help when we’re writing our characters.
Ann–Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. :)
Laura–I love people-watching too! There’s so much character inspiration out there!
Alex–And the stretching is fun, isn’t it? Almost like being an actor…
Cleo, you are SO right. I think writing is therapeutic for so many of us…almost a way of practicing relationships or role playing people we’d like to be? It’s got to be good for us!
It’s *beautiful* weather here, which is pretty unusual for early April! Have a wonderful Easter!
Dorte–Happy Easter to you, too!
I think a LOT can be accomplished via even short amounts of research…like you do with popular music, etc. I have to check in with my son to find out what’s hot…
Diane–I think I’ll beat you in a geek contest!
Jemi–You get to see it all! That really would help.