This was a worthwhile exercise because it was an opportunity to make explicit something I usually take for granted. Having a mere idea of the character might be enough for a 1000-word story but to portray with consistency in a longer work a character that comes to seem real to a reader requires careful attention to its appearance, background, and motivation.
This is important because such things have to be revealed long before they become significant to the story or else they will seem to the reader as "rabbits pulled from a hat". If the reader already knows these things, then when they are 'needed' for the story they will confirm the reader's impression of the character rather than contradict the impression that would have otherwise formed in the absence of details.
So my lesson for this week is to sketch the character, however briefly, so that one can (a) create an authentic character by being consistent in its portrayal, (b) preempt readers from forming contrary impressions because they hadn't yet been told otherwise, and (c) 'plant seeds' early on by revealing important details of the character's appearance, background, and motivation that will later seem to naturally 'flower' as the story unfolds.
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This was a worthwhile exercise because it was an opportunity to make explicit something I usually take for granted. Having a mere idea of the character might be enough for a 1000-word story but to portray with consistency in a longer work a character that comes to seem real to a reader requires careful attention to its appearance, background, and motivation.
This is important because such things have to be revealed long before they become significant to the story or else they will seem to the reader as "rabbits pulled from a hat". If the reader already knows these things, then when they are 'needed' for the story they will confirm the reader's impression of the character rather than contradict the impression that would have otherwise formed in the absence of details.
So my lesson for this week is to sketch the character, however briefly, so that one can (a) create an authentic character by being consistent in its portrayal, (b) preempt readers from forming contrary impressions because they hadn't yet been told otherwise, and (c) 'plant seeds' early on by revealing important details of the character's appearance, background, and motivation that will later seem to naturally 'flower' as the story unfolds.
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