Exercise: What has been lost?

  Goal: To learn a character’s vulnerabilities, their weaknesses, the chinks in their armor. To gain a deeper understanding of and empathy for our characters. 

1.     Think of a character and give us a list of things they have lost. Include losses of concrete objects, personal losses (like relationships or deaths), metaphorical losses, and social or beyond-the-personal losses (world-building losses, perhaps)—several of each at least.

2.     Now choose one of these losses and write a scene or reflection about or in response to it.

What do you learn about characters through this exercise (either this character specifically, or character development in general)?

To me, it’s a stripping down of character, getting to their bare bones, their most vulnerable places. Knowing our characters vulnerabilities is key. Also, making the list helps situate them and their place in the world of the story—what is their relationship to the world around them? This exercise can often generate an entire (new) story itself, or can be used to deepen your understanding of and empathy for your character.

Exercise: What has been lost?

  Goal: To learn a character’s vulnerabilities, their weaknesses, the chinks in their armor. To gain a deeper understanding of and empathy for our characters. 

1.     Think of a character and give us a list of things they have lost. Include losses of concrete objects, personal losses (like relationships or deaths), metaphorical losses, and social or beyond-the-personal losses (world-building losses, perhaps)—several of each at least.

2.     Now choose one of these losses and write a scene or reflection about or in response to it.

What do you learn about characters through this exercise (either this character specifically, or character development in general)?

To me, it’s a stripping down of character, getting to their bare bones, their most vulnerable places. Knowing our characters vulnerabilities is key. Also, making the list helps situate them and their place in the world of the story—what is their relationship to the world around them? This exercise can often generate an entire (new) story itself, or can be used to deepen your understanding of and empathy for your character.