I'm not sure if I've said this in this forum or not, but revisions are a lot like dating for me. Every pass I make through my manuscript, the better I know my characters. This particular pass, I'm at a point in the story, where one of my beta readers told me I'm telling too much. So I'm going back to try to "show" instead, and I'm really learning some things about the character.
Earlier today, I saw a thread on goodreads, where people were talking about character sheets they use before they start writing. I am familiar with those. Back in college, I was in Theater, and used character sheets for everything. I honestly thought about using them when I started writing, I even printed some out. But I couldn't finish a character sheet before starting the novel, because I didn't know that much about the character yet. I had to write the story to learn about the character. Does that even make sense? I'm a little brain dead right now, so I hope so...
Anyway, I've gone back and re-worked some aspects of this novel, that the character sheet can be filled out in my sleep. But apparently, I haven't gotten the traits into the story very effectively, so that's what I'm working on now. Showing, not telling, and making Sam less like a moody, ignorant bi*ch.
Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Yes, I've tried to use character sheets, but telling the story is how I figure out more about my character. It is a chicken/egg thing for me. Still, perhaps it is good to start with something, fill it out completely after you've written the first draft, then you have a guide to use during revisions (but, perhaps by then you don't need it anymore).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think character sheets could be filled out in conjunction with the rough draft. That's what I think I'm going to try next. I think it'll help with fickle characters. Their fickle because I don't know what they would do in that situation.
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