The Characterisation Puzzle: When personalities are hard to find

This entry is part 1 in the series The Characterisation Puzzle

Developing a characterisation is like a jigsaw puzzle. You solve the bit around the edges first – the most obvious characteristics – and then try and fill in the middle a bit at a time until the whole picture presents itself. There is usually one critical “piece” of the puzzle, which – when ‘solved’ – […]

Comments (6)

The Characterisation Puzzle: The Thumbnail Method

This entry is part 2 in the series The Characterisation Puzzle

This is technique number 1 for getting inside your character’s heads. It’s something I was taught in a Graphic Design course that I completed back in 1992 – so here we are 18 years later, and it’s still fresh in memory. That speaks volumes of its usefulness! Step 1: Prep Get a couple of pencils […]

Comments (6)

The Characterisation Puzzle: The Inversion Principle

This entry is part 3 in the series The Characterisation Puzzle

The second technique of character development that I call apon when stumped for ideas is something that I call The Inversion Principle. Some parts of this I had worked out many years ago, but it was when I read an interview with John deLancie (“Q” in Star Trek The Next Generation) that the final pieces […]

Comments (2)

The Characterisation Puzzle: The Window Shopping Technique

This entry is part 4 in the series The Characterisation Puzzle

New techniques for getting under a character’s skin don’t come along every day; the techniques described earlier in this series have been my standard weapons for such tasks for the last two decades. So, when I thought of an original one earlier this year, I paid attention. This new technique is, in many ways, even […]

Comments (4)

The Characterisation Puzzle: The First Decision

This entry is part 5 in the series The Characterisation Puzzle

If you’ve been following this series from the beginning, then you are now equipped with three new techniques for character development, all of which are useful when for some reason you’re struggling to find an idea. So how do you choose between them? I can’t answer that for you. It might be that one of […]

Comments (3)