Friday, August 27, 2010

Character Surprises

Have you ever learned something about yourself by accident? For example:

Some friends were over to play games--mixed company, couples. We were all sitting around on the floor talking while playing a board game and the topic of guilty pleasures came up. I don't remember how it came about, but one of the men asked me if Dierks Bentley was one of my guilty pleasures.












I was extremely shocked to find my face growing warm. Then the teasing started and I looked at my husband horrified. You have to understand, I don't daydream about other men. NEVER. Even in my subconscious dreams, it's always my husband. True!

How did I not know that this man would make me blush? Here's the writing tie-in. What do your characters not know about themselves? If we want to make believable, real characters, we need to surprise them sometimes. How do they learn about these little surprises. These scenes can add a new depth of emotions. They can be humorous or heart-wrenching. Surprises are good, just remember they should help your character grow and move the story forward. It's something to think about.

What about Dierk? Perhaps it's his voice, or simply the delivery of the music. Here's a taste so you can judge for yourself.



5 comments:

  1. Great post! I never really thought about that until now. :D

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  2. How did your husband feel about your reaction?
    My main character was surprised by several things he didn't know about himself.

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  3. I did this to my MC recently! It made for some great storyline:)

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  4. I think my hubby took it well. It was probably a surprise to him too, since neither one of us ever talk about celebrities we might like. We've known each other for so long he believed me when I told him I never thought about it before that moment. LOL, I had some making up to do later though.

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  5. So good to read that other people's unconscious dreams are about their hubby/fiancé/etc. too, thought that was only me :)

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