Purple Prose + characterization

Getting to Know Your Character

I’ve blogged before about how I get into character when working on a WIP. During WriteOnCon this summer, author Tera Lynn Childs showed us how to make a character collage. At first, I thought no way was I going to waste my time making one.

But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, my curiosity was piqued. And what can I say? It was summer vacation. I needed to do something with my kids to keep them out of trouble.

By the time I finished the project, I was hooked on the idea. Now when I work on my WIP, I lay out the collages for the major players in the scene. Between the words and the images, my characters come to life. It’s like they’re standing in my office (bedroom). Weird huh?

There is one drawback, though, as you’ll see.

This is my main character, Maddie White.

This is her BFF, Olivia Goddard.

And this is Daniel Ackerman (Okay, this isn’t the full collage. There’s secret info I didn’t want to reveal).

Now, can you see the problem? Every time I work on a scene with Daniel, the picture is, well, um, a little distracting.

Probably more so cuz this body looks a lot like my husband’s (minus a head). Le Sigh.

Have you tried making a character collage? Is it something you might consider? Remember, you don’t have to make one for every character. Just the key ones.

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Getting to Know Your Character + characterization