My favorite critique partner, the amazing Sara Marian, and I love to play games involving our characters.
One
of them is the old favorite, If Your Character Were A... He/She Would
Be...," often played with politicians, but we play with our characters.
If Moder Zglaria
were a car, she would be a vintage Volvo. She's large, she's solid,
she's nothing but what she is, she's instantly recognizable, and she's
just about indestructible.
If Bud Blossom were a bird, he would be a rooster. He's cocky, combative, territorial, rude, pushy, and protective of anything he claims.
If Mitch Franklin
were a tree, he would be an oak. He's young, but sturdy inside and out;
he wants to be useful, comforting, and sheltering; you know he's going
to grow up strong and dominating his landscape.
It's a fun game, especially if you play with somebody else and try to peg each other's characters.
If you play with your own characters, it's a great way to force yourself to think deeply about the character, especially if you get fancy and say, "He would be this, but he thinks he's this." Or, "His husband thinks she's this, her church friends think she's this, she tries to be this, but she's afraid she's this."
It's worth taking some time to do, especially if a character has you baffled.
Marian Allen, Author Lady
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes
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