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How do you visualize your characters?

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
While I can understand that point of view, there is something more confirming by seeing your character in "living and breathing" visualization. I know I've looked at what I thought was my MC and thought 'they don't fit that role, but they look like a supporting character no problem.'

I always try to keep the visualization of the modern culture in mind when I write my stories, if there is something that applies and draws interest, I will use it. But when it boils down to it, books are much like TV and movies when you cast. It is culture defined, not culture opposite.

It's the curse of living in this modern age.

I think that approach is taken by many. Some authors will try to communicate all of that detail to the reader, others want it for themselves because it helps them understand and 'feel' the character better. Whatever proves successful for any given writer should be encouraged. Even if I develop a good deal of detail about a character, I don't generally share it with the reader. Readers develop a mental image of a character very quickly, so if you're going to share a lot of detail I think it has to be done very quickly after the character is introduced. Even then you can expect that the reader will incorporate one or two primary features into her own mental image, and that's about it (speaking in general terms). I've read books where the author applies a little bit of description early on, then four of five pages later mentions another physical characteristic, then another a few pages after that. It's too late at the point. At best, the reader will just ignore it and continue on with her own visualization; at worst it will be jarring to the reader because it will conflict with the image they have in mind.
 

Holdwyne

Dreamer
I ran across an article online from Lucia Zimmitti. She is a Writing Coach and Independent Editor ( among other things). The article gives some great exercises in character development designed to make you really flesh out a charater far beyond that you might need to ever portray in your writing, BUT...This development should help you to know your character so intimately that you can write them as real living breathing characters that will create that sympathetic or Empathetic connection we would all like to make with the reader. Its not a long article and well worth reading.. The exercises will take you some time but IMHO it will be time well spent and may even help you to eliminate some of the more common issues you can run into when a character has not been fully developed.

I hope I am not breaking any rules here by posting a link.......if I am, please accept my apology and moderator remove the entire post. I could I suppose write the gist of the entire article in here but I really do abhor plagiarizing....:)
For those who havent seen this article
Check it out!!
Create Vivid, Memorable Characters
 

TWErvin2

Auror
My characters exist in my mind's eye. It's more of a snapshoot than a super-detailed image. When characters are described to readers, it's along that lines, giving them just enough to build their own image of the character, based on some physical description, but also upon other details, such as dialogue, name, relationship to other characters already established, habits, profession, etc.

While it's handy to have a consistent image, trying to control the reader and demand they 'see' the character exactly as the author does isn't a solid course to follow.

It's interesting seeing cover art created, or even 'fan' art created depicting characters and how it matches and diverges from the image I'd formed, while writing (my works) or reading another author's works. I guess the same could be said for translation of a book to film.
 

Holdwyne

Dreamer
I am not certain you can ever actually control the readers image of the character. Even if you have fleshed the character out in your mind or in notes you will only write so much in and the reader will still need to fill in the blanks.

Besides that, Every person see's another person through different eyes. For example, If you took a group of friends and asked them each separately to describe a person known to all of them in detail, while you would get some similarities, you will as likely get many observations that are different.

We see things differently therefor we fill in blanks differently. While the general traits come through to most people quite strongly, the subtleties of a persons characteristics are seen in varying degree's by all of us and in some part based on who We are and what is important to us.

So can you Over characterize, perhaps in writing to much specific detail about the person,yes, but not in how they respond to or react to things Based on how You fleshed them out IMHO....these things should be kept consistent, at least until they change as the story progresses and the character matures, grows, or learns more as needed to support the story line.....

But everyone does write as individuals and should do what they are comfortable with, And share what works for them as You have.....
If what you are doing works for you, than who am I to argue it. The new writer should be shown options, ways others do things that may also work for them so that they can try the various methods and find the right choice for their needs.

Since this is a forum for everyone from the beginner to the veteran, I thought perhaps this article might be valuable to some, just as Your method some will also find valuable....Me, I like a clear picture so that how my character will respond to situations that arise flows naturally with little thought needed...........But that's Me... :)
 
I ran across an article online from Lucia Zimmitti. She is a Writing Coach and Independent Editor ( among other things). The article gives some great exercises in character development designed to make you really flesh out a charater far beyond that you might need to ever portray in your writing, BUT...This development should help you to know your character so intimately that you can write them as real living breathing characters that will create that sympathetic or Empathetic connection we would all like to make with the reader. Its not a long article and well worth reading.. The exercises will take you some time but IMHO it will be time well spent and may even help you to eliminate some of the more common issues you can run into when a character has not been fully developed.

I hope I am not breaking any rules here by posting a link.......if I am, please accept my apology and moderator remove the entire post. I could I suppose write the gist of the entire article in here but I really do abhor plagiarizing....:)
For those who havent seen this article
Check it out!!
Create Vivid, Memorable Characters
Of course, this is about developing/knowing your characters as opposed to visualising them...

The method I have developed myself for developing/knowing main characters and important tangential characters is to write short essays on them, describing important features but also minutiae that may or may not ever make it into the story. The important thing is, when I'm generating the prose, I know the characters so well it naturally comes out in the narrative as distinct from any specific descriptions.

I don't think that specific descriptions are that helpful unless they are important to the story - a character is six foot five, or blind, or a hunchback - you need to know that. A character has brown hair. You don't need to know that.

Described features need to be important enough to have a potential impact on the plot.
 

Helen

Inkling
Since it's the modern age, and everyone has their tabs and computers connected and streaming, I'm curious to know the ways you go about visually "sketching" your character?

I don't think I do that.

Their function is first and foremostly important.

The function then tells me what sort of person may be needed to fulfill it.
 

gavintonks

Maester
I do image searches and download stuff that catches my eye into a folder and then sort and sort and sort until I have stuff I really like
 

JBryden88

Troubadour
I'll admit, I use Skyrim. Especially since my characters belong to a culture that is a mostly semi-barbaric one, it's very easy to use Skyrim with enhanced mods (to make characters a little less dirty and/or blocky) to make up the characters from my story)
 

kennyc

Inkling
I honestly have never even tried to visualize any of my main characters, let alone draw them. I like to leave character descriptions open, as each reader has their own interpretation, (exceptions being scars, missing body parts, and the occasional pair of breasts). Thus my own characters appearances remain somewhat of a mystery even to me, which I enjoy and have no designs on changing.

If I ever were to draw one, I'd probably use photoshop, possibly off a prerendered computer game character. I have been considering doing this for the cover, though would probably stick to silhouettes due to the above reasons.

I there can be danger in trying to describe all the details of a character, you want your reader to actively fill in their own details after you have sketched in enough to make the character feel real to the reader. It is a collaborative act from there on out. IMO.
 

gavintonks

Maester
A character is the living vehicle of your words and story, so building them real does not mean you need to describe them as such, when you have them complete in your mind they get a voice of their own which allows you then to describe the essence leaving readers to form their own pictures, it like a simple Japanese line takes years of practice to look simple when in fact its no, but its the understanding that helps produce the right essence
 

Justme

Banned
I seek out pictures of that which reflects my mental image of the character, so I can describe him/her more vividly.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I have found pictures online of the general idea of two characters in one book, the others I only picture in my mind.

I do a search through fantasy pictures regularly looking for the right picture.

I have a story base set up on the picture I found, but haven't yet established the story.
 
I've browsed art sites and downloaded a lot of images of old paintings, as well as some (mostly candid) portraits from Flickr. For at least one of my characters I found a painting that matches my image of her almost exactly.
 
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