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I generally build my characters as I write. I start out with a basic idea of their character I don’t usually put into words at first, then I take them and let them react to the events in the story and to each other. I don’t usually write down anything about their characterization or appearance or anything unless I feel it’s important somehow to the story, but I may write up some notes on their characterization or whatever if I’m picking up a project which has been set aside for a while, so I can get my head back into their head.
As for where I draw things from–a variety of sources, mostly my life and the people in it. I see my characters’ personalities as their own, though, so I even if I start off with a basis from some aspect of my life, they still develop into a unique character who has little to do with anybody in my real life.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~I primarily drink tea all day, though I have been known to start my day with coffee (particularly if I’m staying at Mom’s for the weekend), but, during the day, it’s tea.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~You know me, Zette. I always seem to be starting a new story, just plunging in with a new idea, and that’s because, ultimately, I want to write. So I sit at my desk, watching chat, and come up with something to write, because I think it’s fun, and, when it comes right down to it and I’m not being too hard on myself, I want to be able to say at the end of the day I’ve put down some words on something, even if the idea ultimately fizzles out for lack of continuing ideas. But, the reason behind me starting something new is because I want so much to write when another story isn’t going at all. It feels better to write on something.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~I think my internal editor is primarily turned off, though bad writing in another’s book can really kick it on. Had that experience recently with a story I was reading–first time through, I was like, “oh, here’s a choppy paragraph. Over now. Onward!” Second time readng it, my editor was a little more accessible, and I stopped on the first choppy paragraph and rewrote it in my head before going on with the story. There were only two or three such paragraphs, but they really stood out. I could understand what the writer was doing with one I have in mind right now–she needed to set up that the pov character was in place to meet his love interest–but the paragraph getting him to the location was awkward.
It takes a lot, though, and something really obvious, to break me out of the read-for-fun attitude I have when opening a book, though. I generally don’t turn on my internal editor unless I really intend to critique something.
Overall, I read for story first, though there have been some stories where the writing was so bad I couldn’t stay with it because of technical problems which were too numerous to ignore, or the writer told more than shown, or the things they were describing just weren’t possible or simply didn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense, even in context.
I think reading for story first keeps me from being too critical, at least the first time around, unless the writing is absolutely horrible in some way.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~Congrats on your writing streak!
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~Farewell, dear old site.
You served us well these past years.
We hate to leave you.Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~I’ve always taken “write what you know” to mean “write what you know on an emotional level.” Because, honestly, who knows what it’s like to settle an alien planet, communicate telepathically, or literally heal an injury in moments?
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~Yeah, you have to hit reply in the post you want to reply to, not at the end of the post list.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~Those could prove useful for English Second Language readers of such authors. I know if I was into reading foreign or other-language books, I’d be more than happy to have a pronunciation guide to the authors’ names. Also, sometimes a pronunciation may seem obvious (it did with Neil Gaiman’s name to me), but it may not be what it actually is.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~You may want to put your previous ID/chat name in a signature so we have a reminder who you are.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~LOL
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~Thanks, Zette! I’m glad to hear it’s on the agenda, even if you can’t get to it righ away.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~I agree with J.A. on this as well. It’s not much of a bother to me–I don’t get eyestrain and things don’t go buggy, but it is difficult to read. Maybe enlarge the font a little, if the color can’t be changed? I don’t really know what’s possible on the back end of this, though.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~I’d like it if there was a different background color or options for us to choose in our profile edit page, too. My eyes go buggy after a while with black on white, and it makes reading difficult when things blur, particularly with as small as the post font is.
Ashe Elton Parker
"Just love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." ~ David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth
~*~
Member since 1998.
~*~