Getting to know Jack

[pegkerr]

I have been thinking more about my entry yesterday, how I don't have Jack's voice. (Thanks everyone for their comments to that entry; they were very helpful.) I sat down for my writing hour today and thought I'd take a look at that book I bought a little while ago, List Your Self: Listmaking as the Way to Self-Discovery. Flipped through it, thinking, how would Jack answer these? and realized, I didn't know. It made me realize, with chagrin, that Jack is very much a stick figure in my mind.

So I decided to sit down and copy every one of these questions into my computer, and I'll use them as a check list as I build my characters BTW: I am SO glad I bought this book. Excellent questions for building characters, e.g.:

List all the items in your wallet

List the things you think you can't live without

List the first thoughts that run through your mind the moment you get up

List the food that's always left in your refrigerator after everything else is eaten

List the fantastic pranks you've successfully pulled off

List all the accidents you've been in

etc., etc.

So I'll spend the next several days, thinking about some of these questions for Jack. I am sure I'll know him much better as a person when I'm done.

One thing that occurred to me about him as I was working on this, apropos of nothing: he likes camping. I'm sure he's spent quite a bit of time up in the Boundary Waters.

Gotta dash to work.

Peg

Comments

[eal.livejournal.com]

I think you are responsible for most of the books on my wish list these days :)

Actually bought the Pocket Muse the other day and I love it. And I'm really not so much a follower when it comes to books, but these are really interesting.

One book that I love that helps me work out relationship dynamics for my characters: John Gottman's The Relationship Cure -- that it's also helped me to learn to relate better to my husband, sister, and parents has simply been a lovely added value bonus.

Beth

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I second the Gottman rec. His discussions of the research he does and how he does it are fascinating.