Craft of Writing, Characterization, cont'd.

The first meeting of the Craft of Writing group went very, very well! Thanks to all who participated.

The group decided to continue with Characterization as our topic for the June meeting, which will be Tuesday, June 16, at Borders, West End, upstairs. We're really going to start at 7 pm and we're not going to repeat things: so if you usually run a little late, aim for 6:45. Get your coffee, etc. before the group starts. Those who come late will be at the end of the list for receiving critiques.

Please read some tutorial-type article/book/website about improving characterization in your writing. Genre doesn't matter at all. We'll start the meeting with people sharing ideas, information, short pieces to read (2 pages max), etc., so we can all learn more about developing and describing our characters.

Please also do one or more of the following:

1. Bring from a paragraph to 2 pages of characterization from a book you've read. Something that really made you stop and think: "Wish I could do that." Be prepared to talk about why it effected you that way.

2. Bring up to 5 pages of your own writing pertaining to character description, development, etc. for which you'd like feedback. This is for critique. Constructive criticism will be limited to issues of Characterization. Please use 12 point type, and double space your pages: some of the group members (ie: me) have eyes that have been used for many years already. Please bring 8-10 copies. We'll divvy up the time we have depending on how many people bring pages to read.

3. Write something new, or rewrite or develop something in a WIP (work in progress) related to the following exercises (you can do one or more---your choice). If you have better/more interesting/more challenging exercises, feel free to share them with the group at least two weeks before the meeting---this goes for every month.

a. SHOW a character (with action, dialogue---anything except "tell" narrative) with the following characteristics (male or female, any age, any ethnicity, etc.)
• suffers from depression
• dark hair
• grey eyes
• somewhat out of shape but can see the possibility of physical beauty
• stutters, or lisp---some vocal oddity
• a physical quirk (ie: scratches left eyebrow, licks lips)
• anxious
• confused about biological family
• close to a cousin but no other relatives
b. Molly is the woman; Stanford is the man. They've known each other a while. They like each other, but there's a problem that keeps the relationship from blooming into real love. Show/describe one or both characters in a scene using dialogue, narrative, action, etc. Keep it interesting. No paragraphs of "Molly is 19 and has loved Stanford since they were 10. She has blond hair; his hair is brown." We're writers---let's stretch and go for it. Experiment. Write weird. Do something surprising.

c. Develop the character Sandra (or make it Sam) to the following scene:
It's Christmas in Nashville. Sandra (or Sam) has come home, against her (his) personal wishes. There are too many people around her (him). Things are happening and she (he) is not in charge.

Have fun. Learn. Grow. Experiment. Dare yourself! Take risks. Do it differently.

I'm really hoping the Craft of Writing group improves all our writing...but that takes time, commitment, and "work."

Happy writing!

See you in June!

--Batya