Thanks to Scott Oden I have a kicker of an exercise that should drive me insane but hopefully help when it comes to fleshing out characters and plots and just general ideas and such.
He completed a meme through the eyes of his character Memnon. That got me wondering if that was something that might help when suffering writer's block. A way to get your brain back on track and perhaps find out what is important to your character and the story. I was thinking that perhaps if you used it in a more freewriting manner who knows what your subconscious might blurt out?
The meme simply involves a few very simple questions or statements that really force you to think about the answers...or perhaps it would be better to write down the first thing that pops into your head and then expand a bit on it later. Have to try it out both ways for two different characters and see which I find works better.
I am:
I want:
I wish:
I hate:
I miss:
I fear:
I hear:
I wonder:
I regret:
I am not:
I dance:
I sing:
I cry:
I made:
I am not always:
I write:
I confuse:
I need:
I should:
I start:
I finish:
I'm sure someone has come up with this idea before me, I just wish I had thought of it sooner. If you have done this before or have another exercise that you find helpful then please feel free to comment on it. *G*
4 comments:
Those are always neat to do. They get you in touch with the character.
I tried it out on one already and I really enjoyed it. The only trick is finding a chunk of quiet time to kinda "get into character" before answering them. I did it that way the second time and was much happier with the results.
It took me a day or so to get *back* into character in order to answer mine. I've not tried it for my new characters yet, but I think I will. I'm having a shiny, gleaming bitch of a time getting them to do anything more than just stand there and emote. I need words! I need action! What do I get? The surly attitude of a twenty-something pissed off Phoenician who is afraid of becoming just like his father . . . yep, he needs a meme :)
I guess so. Hope you post it so the rest of us can read it. *G* Sounds interesting. My current WIP has 3 main characters and I'm planning on doing one for each of them to see if anything has been fermenting in the back of my subconscious and they haven't told me yet.
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