I am one who leans towards a feminist bent in my point of view. Now saying that, It isn’t because I hate men or any such crazy thing as that. I merely think gender equality should be a duh statement. Part of this is because I am female. Part is because I have a daughter. Too often women are told that they should not be strong and independent. Media has come along way in the last two decades. There was so few in my late teens. When I was growing to adulthood there was Linda Carter as Wonder woman. Really on television (unless you were into British tv) she was it.
However in the last few decades strong female roles have popped up all over the place. My favorites (again limited to American television ) are Abby from Ncis, Bones from Bones, Abby from sleepy hollow, Claire from Outlander, Clarke from the 100, Whiskey from the dollhouse, Deanna Troi and Beverly Crusher from ST:NG, Ivanova from Babylon 5, Regina from Once upon a time. There are a few others, but the principal ideas are there. Many of those are strong intelligent women trying to survive in what is traditionally men’s jobs. That is what I think of as a good female role.
As a writer and a reader that is what I look for in my female character development. What do you look for? Which are your favorites on television?
Category: characters
What is in a name?
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Names are unfortunately a necessary evil. There are so many meanings and so many options where names are concerned. Many grow to dislike the name that was given them, for various reasons. Some seek to change the name given them. As a writer I have often used a brain exercise involving names to clear my mind. It’s actually even a semi interesting game. Choose a letter… any one will do. I often do all the letters to expand my mind, but all that is necessary is one. Then using the chosen letter list every name you can think of. For example if I choose “f” I would likely do a list like this:
Forest Fredrick Francine Frank Franco Francis Flicka Flora Florence Flo Fred Frieda Fanny Franny Filla Francisco Francois Fenton Fester Fang Fresca Fip Frack Faith Ford Fessa Fry Frost Fauna Fenella Fena Fenelle Flava Fish
Admitted I usually do better but this was just an example. The only rules are that it must be a name or make sense if used as one. Now as a writer this has more than one purpose.
First it really is a brain exercise. It causes you to concentrate. Thinking of those names are harder than you think. Find it too easy? Set a goal for how many names you will think of. Brain exercises are something that gets your mind thinking, not always something that requires genius levels of thought.
Second it can clear the mind for writing. Sitting down to write is sometimes complicated by the random thoughts bouncing around in your mind. Meditation helps but some fun can as well.
And lastly, it gives you a list of names to help to flesh out various characters in your story with.
This is a easy game to use in both solitary and community play. Set a time frame. A minute or five. Then whomever gets the most names in the time allowed wins.
Remember unusual names are more possibility. Especially if you can give a neat background on the name. For example, My little brother is named Shane. My parents had a difficult time naming him. My father wanted to name him John ad a relative. My Mom felt the name John too common. So they reached a compromise. Shane is a derivative of john. This adds to the story of who the character of Shane is.
So what is your favorite name? And why? What does the name mean? Sometimes choosing the meaning of the character name will help you to build a character that sticks in your reader’s mind. Keep in mind that if the person grew in some societies with an odd or unusual name it may not have been a pleasant thing. Or when they had said name. For example. I had an aunt named Beulah. Now days this name is fairly antiquated. This would cause cruel treatment from the peers of any child with the bad luck to be given it.
So cmon…names…. discuss.
Character development
What is it that makes memorable? All writer’s try to make the characters they write pop. It’s more than just good description. It is in personality and interaction. In some ways a really good story is a puzzle. Just one piece out of place will cause the story to be ruined. The pieces of a really great story, the ones that keep it strong in the reader’s mind, are strong characters and a good plot. There are so many smaller elements, still I believe without the major building blocks of character and plot, stories don’t stick.
I love complex characters who are very realistic. Ones who have flaws and seem to have more than one dimension. Emotions are not always easy to express well. So a well written scene is a wonderful treat for a reader. So what traits make the character most memorable for you?
Day twenty four
Hmmm something I miss… cartoons. Saturday mornings with cereal and early morning cartoons. The cartoons of today really are subpar. I have tried to introduce my daughter to the cartoons of my childhood, but to be honest, it really saddens me that cartoons are no longer like that.
Strong heroes weak zeroes
We all have the heroes/characters we root for and ones we hate. It’s partially just human nature. Still part of it is just the depth of the character. What goes into a good character? Is it their description and the well set up scene? Or is it the easy connection the reader feels? Yes…but it is also the concept. For an example I will use Batman. He is a strong heroic character. Described as an attractive athletic male. He has a strong mind and uses it to make the world around him better. Is this what has caused the character to endure? The first time Batman was seen was 1939…take that in…this character has survived.. no he has thrived all the changes of almost a hundred years. I find myself wondering what is involved in creating such a character. Giving it the ability to grow without becoming something outdated and boring.
I believe a lot of Batman’s appeal is that he isn’t perfect. He is not some superpower who knows it all. He is human. He has suffered greatly. He is something that each person could be. So to my mind what that means is when writing, try and keep the characters plausible. Make them either some one you can see existing or someone so unique as to catch the imagination.
Pattimouse 