conjuring convincing characters
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Conjuring Convincing Characters. Making Your Characters into Real Boys Meghan Thomas. Being the Blue Faerie. “My Precious”. What does your character want ? What can’t she live without? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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CONJURING CONVINCING CHARACTERS
Making Your Characters into Real Boys
Meghan Thomas
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Elements of Craft
CharacterPlotSettingTheme
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BEING THE BLUE FAERIE
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“MY PRECIOUS”
What does your character want?
What can’t she live without?Deep desire & immediate desirecan be expressed explicitly or in
the abstract.Desire leads to action and
image.
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PRESENTING A CHARACTER TO THE READER
Action
Thought
Voice
Image
Telling
Hello, my name is Nadia. I’m twenty-seven years old and no one knows I drink myself to sleep every night.
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Nadia
Twenty-seven
years oldShoulder Length Black Hair
Alcoholic
Sad/Depresse
dMarketin
g Executive
Likes popcorn
Tone deaf
Thinks if she dies
alone her cat will eat her
Character Trait Web
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GARBAGE
WHAT WE THROW AWAY CAN REVEAL WHO WE ARE
Peach pits?
Magazines? Cigarette Butts? Bottles?
Tissues?
MAIL? BILLS? LETTERS?
What is in YOUR character’s garbage?
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INTERNAL TRANSFORMATIONNadia is despondent and unhappy
Nadia encounters an oldwoman in the alley behindher office building whosebody has been ravaged by years of alcoholism
Nadia tries to help the old womanOld woman steals from Nadia
Nadia decides to get sober
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I don’t want to be a crazy lady in an alley. I’m checking myselfinto rehab and finallycalling my mother.
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Further Reading
Refresh, Refresh by Benjamin Percyhttp://www.theparisreview.org/fiction/5585/refresh-refresh-benjamin-percy
Hoodie in Xanadu by Ann Beattiehttp://www.theparisreview.org/fiction/6023/hoodie-in-xanadu-ann-beattie