Let's say you want to develop a character that reflects or represents the Republican Party – or perhaps its values. How would you go about doing this? Fortunately your TV is filled with real-life Republicans from Sarah (Drill-Baby-Drill) Palin to Joe the Plumber.
Now, I have no doubt that it would be a lot of fun to base a character on Ms. Palin, but there are good reasons not to do so. Spsst! They're called lawsuits. That's where the witch's brew method comes in. We could start with Eye of Newt (Gingrich). He's a gray-haired, self-assured professorial sort of guy. As a character, he might not have the spark you need to keep a reader engaged for a long work. So, whose personality could we borrow from to "perk up" our bland Newt? How about a sprinkling of essence of pompous? How about Rush Limbaugh?
Now, Rush has been around for a long time – and I'm not picking on his waistline. Stay with me here. He's an incredible influence in the Republican Party and has millions of devoted listeners. Some might argue that Rush is the Republican Party. He is passionate. He is absolutely convinced that he is right. Remember the bumper stickers proudly announcing, "Rush is Right"?
Now, I have no doubt that Rush can figure out what's right for him. He can probably figure out what's right for the Republican Party. Where the "pompous" part comes in is when he's convinced he knows what's right for everybody else. So, you could build part of your character with an element or two of Mr. Limbaugh.
No Republican archetype would be complete without a bit of righteous anger. From whom do we draw this element? There's grumpy Bob Dole who always liked to refer to himself in the third person. Never understood that, but Okay. He's a candidate. My personal favorite, however, is Tom Delay. Now, he's one angry guy.
Okay, so you can put these in the character blender, hit the pulse button and out pops a … Hmm. Out pops a really bad idea. Seriously, would you want to spend 250 pages with such a character?
So where was I going with all this? We tend to start with characters and imbue them with qualities, characteristics and flaws. Character building can also start in reverse. You can build your character around the raw elements of a political movement, a value system or set of beliefs. Why do this? Easy answer. Strong beliefs and passions spark conflict. Conflict begets interest. Strong characters drive stories.
If you were to trap New Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh in an elevator with Tom Delay, I suspect there would likely be zero conflict – up until the time Rush lights up his cigar. If, however, you were to drop Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Barney Frank into that same nine-by-nine foot enclosed space with Rush and company and conflict becomes a lot more likely. Heck, let's add Congressman John Conyers -- just to make it an even fight. Man, I want to watch that video. Put it on Pay-Per-View and I'm there.
Homework Assignment -- Think about the following TV personalities: Brian Williams, Chris Mathews, the late Tim Russert, Geraldo Rivera, and Oprah. Describe them in no more than three words. When I think of Tim Russert, I think of honorable, committed, highly analytical. When I think of Brian Williams, I see him as 'sincere.' I see Oprah as an inquisitive, intelligent and a very private individual.
What qualities do you think these TV personalities evoke?
In what roles would you cast them in your story? (Doctor, Lawyer, Baker or Cabinet Maker, etc.?)
I think Brian Williams would make a great judge. I could easily see Oprah as a private detective or the lead in mystery novel. I also see Geraldo in a private detective role, although he would likely hail from a seedier part of town. Tim Russert would make a great prosecuting attorney. (He was a lawyer, by the way).
Okay, same questions for the following TV personalities: Katie Couric, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Whoopi Goldberg.
Bob
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Place: The Final Frontier
Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its 5 year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no man has gone before.
Remember these words? Of course you do. For some of you, the split infinitive "to boldly go" causes you to cringe each time you hear it. With bit more literary license, and with apologies to Mr. Roddenberry, I would like to suggest a slight revision.
Place: The final frontier. Your mission is to seek out new worlds and to boldly take your readers where no author has taken them before.
Seriously, despite the pun, a sense of place can give your work more depth and make your characters really stand out against an unusual backdrop. Think of it as 3D writing. How to do this? Well, you can start by going to places that you have not gone before.
When writing Termination for Convenience, one of our characters is placed into a safe-house – which just happens to be a strip club. Naturally, Charlie (my co-author) and I had to research a couple of the local 'establishments.' (I can still hear my wife's questions. "You're going where? For the book? Right!" All this spoken with total disbelief. Not to worry, we had a comfortable couch.)
Anyway, our goal was to observe, how 'the girls' interact with clients, the managers, the sounds, the smells, the behaviors associated with (and I use this term loosely) a 'Gentleman's Club.'
The action on stage beneath the strobe lights is (at least to me) much less interesting than the action in the darkened corners of the clubs where 'the girls' prowl in search of likely prey – someone willing to spend $50 to $100 for a private dance. 'The girls' are much like a wolf pack. Each coolly scans the room like lioness on a hunt. There is almost always an alpha female to whom the other dancers show deference. A casual visitor will think that the male managers and burly security guards are in charge. Not so. The alpha female and 'her pack' is where the true power of the place is centered.
Another place we visited was LA's China Town. We toured some local restaurants, food and specialty shops. We skulked around alleys in an effort to understand the behind-the-scenes operations of this unique locale. Once again, our intent was to get 'a feel' and a sense of the place so that we could incorporate it into the novel.
Often times you do not have to go far to enter a world that is radically different than that which most of us experience on a day-to-day basis. I once visited a slaughter house and observed the process from the death of the animal, its cleaning, gutting, dismembering and processing of the meat all the way to the creation of neatly wrapped packages of 'product.' I can tell you this. Visit a slaughter house and the sights, sounds, and smells of the experience will remain with you for a lifetime.
There are hidden worlds closer than you think and the exploration of these places can be as much fun as the writing. For example, have you ever sat in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft? It is a lot more cramped and spartan than you think. There is none of the romance evoked by the Top Gun movie. Have you ever strolled the narrow hallways and warrens of an aircraft carrier? There are museums that allow you to do both.
Have you ever visited the basement of a modern skyrise building. Ask the maintenance guy in charge if he will give you a tour. The logistics and technology associated with the operation of a large building are impressive. You will need to explain why you are asking and, if you are able to satisfy their security concerns, you might very well be introduced to an invisible and interesting world hiding in plain sight.
Happy Writing!
Remember these words? Of course you do. For some of you, the split infinitive "to boldly go" causes you to cringe each time you hear it. With bit more literary license, and with apologies to Mr. Roddenberry, I would like to suggest a slight revision.
Place: The final frontier. Your mission is to seek out new worlds and to boldly take your readers where no author has taken them before.
Seriously, despite the pun, a sense of place can give your work more depth and make your characters really stand out against an unusual backdrop. Think of it as 3D writing. How to do this? Well, you can start by going to places that you have not gone before.
When writing Termination for Convenience, one of our characters is placed into a safe-house – which just happens to be a strip club. Naturally, Charlie (my co-author) and I had to research a couple of the local 'establishments.' (I can still hear my wife's questions. "You're going where? For the book? Right!" All this spoken with total disbelief. Not to worry, we had a comfortable couch.)
Anyway, our goal was to observe, how 'the girls' interact with clients, the managers, the sounds, the smells, the behaviors associated with (and I use this term loosely) a 'Gentleman's Club.'
The action on stage beneath the strobe lights is (at least to me) much less interesting than the action in the darkened corners of the clubs where 'the girls' prowl in search of likely prey – someone willing to spend $50 to $100 for a private dance. 'The girls' are much like a wolf pack. Each coolly scans the room like lioness on a hunt. There is almost always an alpha female to whom the other dancers show deference. A casual visitor will think that the male managers and burly security guards are in charge. Not so. The alpha female and 'her pack' is where the true power of the place is centered.
Another place we visited was LA's China Town. We toured some local restaurants, food and specialty shops. We skulked around alleys in an effort to understand the behind-the-scenes operations of this unique locale. Once again, our intent was to get 'a feel' and a sense of the place so that we could incorporate it into the novel.
Often times you do not have to go far to enter a world that is radically different than that which most of us experience on a day-to-day basis. I once visited a slaughter house and observed the process from the death of the animal, its cleaning, gutting, dismembering and processing of the meat all the way to the creation of neatly wrapped packages of 'product.' I can tell you this. Visit a slaughter house and the sights, sounds, and smells of the experience will remain with you for a lifetime.
There are hidden worlds closer than you think and the exploration of these places can be as much fun as the writing. For example, have you ever sat in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft? It is a lot more cramped and spartan than you think. There is none of the romance evoked by the Top Gun movie. Have you ever strolled the narrow hallways and warrens of an aircraft carrier? There are museums that allow you to do both.
Have you ever visited the basement of a modern skyrise building. Ask the maintenance guy in charge if he will give you a tour. The logistics and technology associated with the operation of a large building are impressive. You will need to explain why you are asking and, if you are able to satisfy their security concerns, you might very well be introduced to an invisible and interesting world hiding in plain sight.
Happy Writing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
