Monday, December 6, 2010

homo fictus vs. homo sapien

Characters are the components to a novel. You won't get very far in a story without one. Fictional characters are homo fictus, they are not of flesh like a homo sapien. Because readers demand "that homo fictus be more handsome or ugly, ruthless or noble, vengful or forgiving, brave or cowardly, and so on than real people are. Homo fictus has hotter passions and colder anger; he travels more, fights more, loves more, changes more, has more sex. Lots more sex. Homo fictus has more of everything. Even if he is plain, dull, and boreing, he will be more extrodanary in his plainess, dullness, and boreingness than his real-life counterparts." - James N. Frey

Now creating your own homo fictus, and playing God. What is their background, their physical traits, their foil, their biography, and so on. What makes them dynamic? Interesting? Lovable?

Getting to know your character:

1. Interview them

2. Get under their skin

3. What is the conflict he has

4. Draw them

5. What is different about them

6. or create a scene and figure out how they would react

Have you ever made a memorable character? If so,  describe them.

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