When I start building characters for a story project, I cast them. I think in terms of, if this were a movie…who could I best see playing the roll? I don’t necessarily stick to strictly actors. I pull from anywhere, including real life. It’s much easier for me to write a character when I know what they look like. Even if the character’s personality is the polar opposite of their real-life counterpart.
I know I’m not the only one who does this. I’ve heard (or read) many a writer talk about just such habits. I don’t know if it’s beneficial or detrimental to the process for a decent writer, but it’s what works for me.
I’ve been going back through old story projects lately, looking for inspiration. I’ve found myself looking at the cast lists and picking out a number of characters I cannot identify who their real-life counterparts are. Their names are right there, and I have no idea who they are. Some are too obscure for even me to figure out. And I’m the one who “cast” them.. That’s kind of…sad, really.
And then there are the ones I can identify and question how much crack I must have been smoking at the time I made the decision to use them.
There is no shortage of Bwuh? when it comes to my writing, that’s for damn sure.
—