ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2014-08-28 09:02 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2014-08-28 09:02 pm
Aspecting Characters Exercise
I've talked occasionally about "aspecting" characters. It's a way of taking a core idea and altering it in meaningful ways. You can start with a character and shift aspects of their personality stronger or weaker within the same canon. You can move the character into a different world and imagine how that would change them. You can take an archetypal trope you enjoy and imagine how it would manifest in different settings.
So here is a fun exercise for a group of creative folks. You can do this with artists or writers.
1) Pick some famous characters whose defining traits everybody in the group will reasonably know.
2) Make a list of key traits for each character. The list can be as short or as long as you want, but basically aim for a set that would let you recognize that character from those points. These might include name, sex, race/species, profession, dress mode, favorite tool/weapon, defining moment, best skill, etc.
3) Pass the characters around the group. Each person should cross off ONE canonical trait and replace it with a new trait. There are two ways to make this interesting: either change something that makes a big dramatic difference (like sex) or shift to something with a different detail but similar story function (like preferred weapon).
4) Discuss how much can be changed and still leave the character recognizable. You might enjoy trying this exercise several times, changing 1/3 of traits, 1/2, or 2/3 and compare results. In a large group, such as a class, you can split into multiple subgroups and then trade results to see if people who didn't see the original names can still recognize any of the characters.
Here's an example ...
Name: Robin Hood
Sex: Male
Location: England
Timeframe: Medieval
Signature color: Lincoln green
Preferred weapon:Bow & arrow Bola
Companions: Merry Men
Nemesis: Sheriff of Nottingham
Profession: Outlaw
Motivation: Rob from the rich, give to the poor.
So here is a fun exercise for a group of creative folks. You can do this with artists or writers.
1) Pick some famous characters whose defining traits everybody in the group will reasonably know.
2) Make a list of key traits for each character. The list can be as short or as long as you want, but basically aim for a set that would let you recognize that character from those points. These might include name, sex, race/species, profession, dress mode, favorite tool/weapon, defining moment, best skill, etc.
3) Pass the characters around the group. Each person should cross off ONE canonical trait and replace it with a new trait. There are two ways to make this interesting: either change something that makes a big dramatic difference (like sex) or shift to something with a different detail but similar story function (like preferred weapon).
4) Discuss how much can be changed and still leave the character recognizable. You might enjoy trying this exercise several times, changing 1/3 of traits, 1/2, or 2/3 and compare results. In a large group, such as a class, you can split into multiple subgroups and then trade results to see if people who didn't see the original names can still recognize any of the characters.
Here's an example ...
Name: Robin Hood
Sex: Male
Location: England
Timeframe: Medieval
Signature color: Lincoln green
Preferred weapon:
Companions: Merry Men
Nemesis: Sheriff of Nottingham
Profession: Outlaw
Motivation: Rob from the rich, give to the poor.
Re: Well...
Re: Well...
Heroic cry: "Yoiks and awaaaaaay!"