Character Faces on Eggs

Check out this picture. How funny (or tedious depending on how you look at it) would it be to draw the faces of your characters on eggs? Seriously. I know it sounds silly, but could you do it? How would you do it? What makes your characters, YOUR characters yet THEIR own person?

This week on Oasis for YA, I discussed Voice: how it defines a character, how to use it, and ways to improve voice in your writing. The piece revolved around characters. 


Character as Setting ~ This is a fantastic post by Literary Agent Vickie Motter. She gives concrete examples of when setting, used as a character itself, can positively fuel a story. My thought was, "How do you know when you've accomplished this?" She mentions taking your story out of the current setting and plugging it into another setting. If the story doesn't work in the new setting, then you've accomplished 'setting as a character' in your story.


PK Hrezo of My Fiction Addiction posted some interesting questions every writer can ask themselves about their character(s) to get to know them better. In order to write about them and speak for them, you MUST know them. They come from the writing course she's taking taught by best-selling Author Bob Mayer.


I'm going to post each question and use one of my characters, Viktor, to answer each for myself. Feel free to play along with one of your characters and tell me if you discovered anything new.


1.  What is the identity your character shows the world?
Well, seeing how he's hiding, I'd say he shows quiet arrogance.
2.  What identity does this character claim for himself? How does he/she view themselves?
He's guilt-ridden and, even after all these years, still angry about living under the constraints of his cures. He views himself as unworthy of a cure, after everything he's done.
3.  What truth is buried so deep, your MC doesn't even realize it?
Although he's been forced to do things he didn't want that hurt others, his heart has always been in the right place.
4. What first impression does your MC create?
Excluding him being cute, he seems stuck-up and mysterious.
5.  How would your character's acquaintances describe him/her?
Odd, distant, and weird...
6.  What circumstance would make him/her act contrary to his norm?
 If he finds someone to love him despite his wrong-doings, and they are in danger.  


Dah, dah, dah!! So I did it. Now you give it a try. This is really great when you're starting a new WIP or bringing in a new character to your story. If the character is a new one being introduced into a WIP, try adding a few questions like:


1. Does this person fit into a stereotype already in the cast of characters?
2. How would this person react to pain, joy, teasing, etc..?
3. What is this person's purpose? Outward motivation? 
4. Does this person's inner motivations matter to the story? If so, how?
5. How will this character interact with those already established?


Remember, you are in the driver's seat of your characters. They are people you'd want to know or not; want in your life or not. They are the annoying driver who drives way to slow in front of you every morning while you're rushing your kids to school, or the sweet cashier at the convenience store who always has a smile on her face.


What do you like about them? What annoys you? Use your experiences in real like to relate to your characters--even when the character is setting. There are plenty of real-life settings that annoy or comfort me. Yes, I chat with my make believe folks all the time. I like them...or I like to hate them. Either way, I MUST build each a solid foundation if I expect them to stand on their own and make the reader say, "I think I've met this guy before."


And maybe you'll decide to give that egg painting experiment a try. Just picture how much fun it'd be getting rid of the characters you don't like. Oh, the egg-drama.