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| Photo credit: Thomas Milne on Flickr |
This could be a really good test of characterization. In a
hypothetical world where we are all copies, how would you tell your character
apart from everyone else? Does he shuffle instead of walking? Does he keep his
eyes low and shoulders hunched or is he brimming with confidence? What about
the way he talks? Does he curse a lot? Does he stutter? Does he speak in short,
abrupt sentences or long, eloquent phrases?
Since I’ve been rather philosophical and haven’t posted any
exercises in a while, try this one:
Take two of your characters and pretend they looked and
sounded exactly the same. Ask yourself how you would tell them apart and write
down every difference you can think
of. The way they hold themselves, the way they walk, they way they talk, how
they would react to different situations—anything goes. If you have trouble
differentiating between the two, you might need to work on a little more
characterization.
Since I love The
Hunger Games, I’ll use two of the main characters as an example:
Katniss
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Peeta
|
Makes unwavering eye contact
Stands with her shoulders back
Walks with her chin up
Blunt—doesn’t really care about
eloquence
Fiery temper
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Makes eye
contact, then looks away
Slouches
slightly
Shuffles
Soft-spoken,
has a way with words
Patient
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I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
So lets see it, guys—how would you tell your characters apart?
