WIP Check In: August 27th

[sperrywink]

Check In today is earlier than I said it would be yesterday because I am going into work late. Damn that oversleeping!

Poll #11547 Check In: August 27th

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11

View Respondents

How has today been?

View Answers

Awesome!
1 (9.1%)

Pretty good
3 (27.3%)

okay
5 (45.5%)

meh
0 (0.0%)

Why are you taunting me?
2 (18.2%)

Today I have...

View Answers

wrote
7 (70.0%)

edited
3 (30.0%)

posted
2 (20.0%)

researched
0 (0.0%)

will explain in comments
3 (30.0%)

Discussion Topic!!

How do you maintain consistent characterization? As I mentioned I got my beta back and one of the major elements was characterization and how the main character's shifted, but not in a good and consistent way. So do you just wing it like I did or do you do a character outline and maybe plot out their characterization arc? Something else?

Comments

[lea_hazel]

I usually like to structure a character's transformation throughout a story as a single core question. That doesn't provide all the answers, but I think it provides a good skeleton for character growth. To find the basic theme of a character, I phrase their story as a short question, and that's the question they need to answer by the end of the story. Instead of plotting individual actions as reactions to events in the story, I determine whether they bring the character closer to their personal answer, or farther away.

For example, if a character's personal question is, "Can I be a good person?" then each action they take is weighed by whether it makes them feel more good or more bad.

[sperrywink]

Now that is a brilliant solution! Thanks for the insight. I like the misleading simplicity of it.

/will definitely use that

[rhi]

On the last fic I did, one of the main characters was recovering from trauma. He had a mild panic attack in the fic, then had reactions to the panic as the fic went on. I literally went through in hard copy making my edits in blue on one side and tracking the guy's emotional state in green on the other so that I could see how consistent (or at least reasonable in variance) the guy's reactions were. It helped a lot.

[sperrywink]

Intense, but I can see how it would be necessary to maintain the proper emotional arc. Another great idea.

[rhi]

Thanks for the interesting questions!

[sperrywink]

My pleasure! I'm glad people seem to be responding to them. *g*

[barbayat]

Did wrote a bit yesterday (well it is just past midnight here), not on my big project though. Started translating an older fanfic and got into rewriting it shortly afterwards.

Explained a bit more about my plot ideas on the big one to my beta. Hope I get arond to writing on it, too just feeling bla at the moment.

Consistent characterization is one of my main worries, too. Some characters come relatively easy to me and I never hear complains about them - then others are really hard work. Especially if you try to write them in a different direction in canon like what would happen if a devastating event would happen or not happen?
Most of my Dracula fanfic was about him changing a bit not in essentials just got him to open up to new ideas. I tried maintain his unique personality by watching the movie and try to feel out what he might do while at the same time let him drop some habits and notions. Seem to work well, I got some good feedback on that one.

[sperrywink]

Go you!! Even though you didn't make progress on your big project, you were still being creative and keeping those juices flowing.

I hope you feel better now.

Yes! canon-divergence fics and how they affect characterization are so hard. Great idea going back to canon. That is always a solid answer. YAY for good feedback!

[lielac]

I wrote 342 words or so of yet another 'fic that isn't my WIP -- and this is another multichap -- but the one I'm working on right now is an amusing epic and I finished the freaking chapter. I also fiddled with the already-down words, and I think I'll do that some more...

-cough- I just hope and pray that whatever differences crop up in my AUs are reasonable.

[sperrywink]

YAY for words (even if they weren't on the main thing)!! Also yay for finishing the chapter!

Hope and a prayer, that's the way I roll too. *g*

[snowynight]

I'm brainstorming my next fic.

I return to canon from time to time before I write, to get the character voice right. If I'm writing AU, I'll try to figure how the differences shape the character differently. So far I can keep my characterization consistent.

[sperrywink]

Good luck with the brainstorming!

Good on you! Yeah, I think returning to canon is always the right idea.

[the_rck]

I tend to wing it on the characterization. I know that I sometimes go off the rails or have things happen too fast. My hope is that my beta readers will gently point that stuff out so that I can fix it. The hard part is when it requires tearing out a few dozen paragraphs to replace them with something that makes more sense.

[sperrywink]

A like-minded soul. *g*

I hate tearing out words, omg. That is so hard to do, but when it is necessary you have to bite the bullet.