tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post210759973985105203..comments2024-01-09T17:48:45.910-06:00Comments on Travis Erwin: Character BuildingTravis Erwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09420879160702098979noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-59015887413043736842009-06-12T16:31:04.043-05:002009-06-12T16:31:04.043-05:00The whole character-driven vs. plot-driven writing...The whole character-driven vs. plot-driven writing thing is being discussed right now at the Novel Matters blog, if you're interested.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-30078229646461199712009-06-12T10:16:19.206-05:002009-06-12T10:16:19.206-05:00This is a great post. I have never done as in-dep...This is a great post. I have never done as in-depth an analysis with characters as you have done here, so maybe that's what I'm missing. Thanks for running through this. Now I'm off to read part 2.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07823808700523297184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-20119785448794612522009-06-11T23:37:59.029-05:002009-06-11T23:37:59.029-05:00Great post! I think starting with characters is pr...Great post! I think starting with characters is probably the best way to have a gut-grabbing story. Personally, though, I seem to almost always start with setting.Shauna Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03871768714926149114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-49903319188916206852009-06-11T14:58:39.632-05:002009-06-11T14:58:39.632-05:00Travis!! I admit I have been remiss in reading yo...Travis!! I admit I have been remiss in reading your blog, and willingly confess it has been a mistake. You are a most informative teaacher!! Thanks for a great article.<br /><br />Did you know that Margaret Mitchell's first choice for Scarlett's name was Pansy? That would have created an entirely different character!! LOL.Lissanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-72223834723950245692009-06-10T20:57:28.736-05:002009-06-10T20:57:28.736-05:00Great post.
I usually start with a scene. It is ...Great post.<br /><br />I usually start with a scene. It is character driven and I build from there. I write in first person so I'm mostly concerned with my heroine and the other characters are there to help her go through her arc. <br /><br />The scenes I start with generally are the most vile and black I can think of. I'm more motivated by my characters' misery.Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14966956368329586135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-71734263817205430212009-06-10T16:54:29.273-05:002009-06-10T16:54:29.273-05:00This is real good advice! Thank you, Travis.
Aloha...This is real good advice! Thank you, Travis.<br />AlohaCloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-69571343545577512562009-06-10T13:56:56.791-05:002009-06-10T13:56:56.791-05:00Great post! I usually have a detailed bio of my ch...Great post! I usually have a detailed bio of my characters, too. Sometimes it's fun, though, when I'm in the midst of writing the novel, to have something come up from their past that I never knew about. :-)Melissa Amateishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16086267508858187716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-38100522263939081762009-06-10T12:10:29.632-05:002009-06-10T12:10:29.632-05:00that second idea, about the man whose bad luck has...that second idea, about the man whose bad luck has really been good luck! I've had that same thought. Sometimes have wondered if I'm not living that life.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-15659550084190038462009-06-10T10:51:50.821-05:002009-06-10T10:51:50.821-05:00I combine the character What If with the idea for ...I combine the character What If with the idea for an environment. But I'm writing fantasy or sf and I have to do that, I feel, or the character could be a complete miss. But that's a need for the genre, jsut like a mystery needs some crime or mystery to solve. So the writer has to deal with those genre-specific issues and in some part build characters to suit.<br /><br />But I vastly prefer the characters' choices to drive the plot, so I aim for character-driven stories.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-55567134888696666062009-06-10T09:55:37.226-05:002009-06-10T09:55:37.226-05:00I love this. The only time I've done character...I love this. The only time I've done character plotting before the actual writing was for NaNo, and that was only because we weren't allowed to start writing until Nov 1st. We could plot, etc, so I did that. It helped me a lot.<br /><br />That said, my current wip just flowed out of me BUT the MC is loosely based on a real person, so any time I've needed to figure out how he'd react in a given situation, I just fall back on that person. <br /><br />btw, the same thing bugs me about fantasy. Why make it harder on the reader?Melanie Hooyengahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08781235493983907234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-17010770873067394402009-06-10T09:49:56.921-05:002009-06-10T09:49:56.921-05:00Wow, what a great way to make sure your characters...Wow, what a great way to make sure your characters come to life!Elana Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05877856005992028912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-21998497191795310552009-06-10T09:13:29.323-05:002009-06-10T09:13:29.323-05:00"The characters are the meat of a good tale, ..."The characters are the meat of a good tale, but without plot to move things forward, the book could never truly be great. One needs the other, just as a meat patty needs a bun to be a hamburger. Otherwise it's just a junk of ground beer on a plate."<br /><br />Yup, that's it in a nutshellalex ketohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08003786334665677107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-79221386520687304092009-06-10T07:12:19.121-05:002009-06-10T07:12:19.121-05:00That is really interesting.. never thought about t...That is really interesting.. never thought about the 'back stories' of characters. Huh... <br /><br />I make my own nicknames up when they are like Guharialex too.Bubblewenchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13138352865911195593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-15225992485681823232009-06-10T05:42:15.959-05:002009-06-10T05:42:15.959-05:00When I first started writing, almost four years ag...When I first started writing, almost four years ago, someone gave me great advice, and it was all about character. The first piece was: make your characters DIFFERENT! Make them interesting.<br />The second piece was along the lines of 'you can have a great plot, but if the reader doesn't care about your character, then they're going to stop reading.'<br />I also believe in the character-driven story.Chris Eldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16732006129353079344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-18389213489898617252009-06-10T05:28:42.759-05:002009-06-10T05:28:42.759-05:00I love the development of characters...although I&...I love the development of characters...although I've never thought to build a story just around the character him/herself... always opting for the situ to drive the tale. Characters just add...well, character... but their stories can be just as interesting, just as compelling, as any great plot. Thanks for sharing... think I may give it a try.Ermahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10395312553278658206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-71497682850575190522009-06-10T05:19:32.418-05:002009-06-10T05:19:32.418-05:00Not that I want to be picky, but aren't your s...Not that I want to be picky, but aren't your starting points essentially still premises, even if they lean more towards character development than plot points?stuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16388674850920848503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-25219382642583375162009-06-10T05:06:50.833-05:002009-06-10T05:06:50.833-05:00Interesting.
Kind of nice to see the inner workin...Interesting.<br /><br />Kind of nice to see the inner workings of a writer.<br /><br />I'm sort of like the first poster, in that I start with a line (usually a piece of dialouge), and then work from there.G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174721864572618040.post-35547225736739705982009-06-10T03:35:30.327-05:002009-06-10T03:35:30.327-05:00So that's how it's done...seriously I do i...So that's how it's done...seriously I do it with a first line and go from there. Maybe I am not task oriented enough when writing longer works.<br /><br />Next time I have an urge for a long piece Travis I am going to read these so make them clear (as this one is) because I want to print them and keep them for reference.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.com