Bob Schroeck Wrote:What you do after that point is you start to internalize the character by understanding who they are and projecting what they might do in different situations.
And how do you do that?
Bob Schroeck Wrote:Some of this will happen at the time you create the character.
For that matter, how do you create "three-dimensional" (i.e. not "flat") characters in the first place?
Bob Schroeck Wrote:Some of this will happen as you write them. Eventually, you will know the character to the point that you don't have to stop and think about the next thing they'll say while you're writing -- they just say it as you type. Once you're at that stage, they will start to surprise you by saying something you didn't expect. This is really your subconscious mind "animating" them for you while you handle the foreground writing tasks, but it can be spooky the first time it occurs, and you will feel like the story just took over and was writing itself for a while. But it's the greatest thing when it happens, because that's when your characters start being people on their own.
See, I keep hearing things like this, and it doesn't seem to help. Because I'm stuck on the "as you write them" part. How do you write anything from someone who isn't you? How do you determine what a character does in a situation?
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire