Friday Writing Exercise: Meeting A Character
I learned this trick in a playwriting workshop at Eugene O'Neill Student Days, but the exercise works with any genre or kind of writing. The goal is to visually meet your character(s) without overworking your conscious mind; instead, this exercise lets your unconscious fill in the blanks.
The original exercise asks you to picture a door in your mind - any kind of door, let your unconscious do the work. Once visualized, describe the door out loud to solidify the image in your conscious as well. I also find that recording it helps so I can keep my eyes closed. Then, knock on the door (or ring the doorbell, etc) and describe who opens the door in detail, also out loud. If you want, and have the time, this exercise can be extended to include an "interview" with your new character - their name, their age, their family, etc. In my adapted version, I've developed a Pinterest board specifically for doors, taking half of the work out of the exercise so you can concentrate specifically on your character. For example:
Part 1: This door is down a bright alley; it's a soft light pink shade, without a handle on the outside, and with a knocker at about eye-level, not too far right from a solitary keyhole. The door is also arched, featuring circular decorations lining the wall above it. A light brown stone arch overhangs the door; the arch is modeled with two columns on the side and a crest of sorts at the center on the top. Description can continue for as long as you want and can span as far wide as you want - including the area of the town or the time of day or the weather conditions or even how you came to find this door.
Part 2: In this case, there is a knocker available, so imagine you used it to knock on the door. The door is opened - who opened it? What do they look like? How old do they look? What are they wearing? What is their face doing (Were they expecting you)? Ask their name and take in some basic information. What is their name? How does their voice sound? How old do they say they are? Do they tell you their real age immediately? Is this their house? Is this a public building? If it is their house, do they live here alone? Who with? If not their house, what is this building? Why is there no knob on the outside of the door? The interview can go as long as you see fit, answering any or all questions you need answered.
The beauty of this exercise is (a) the pressure it takes off of your conscious mind to develop a character and (b) it provides a mental space for you to find your character(s) and interact with them outside of your story. Conducting mental interviews with your characters while narrating outloud might seem slightly strange but, if you really want to be a writer, you have to be okay with being strange.
The original exercise asks you to picture a door in your mind - any kind of door, let your unconscious do the work. Once visualized, describe the door out loud to solidify the image in your conscious as well. I also find that recording it helps so I can keep my eyes closed. Then, knock on the door (or ring the doorbell, etc) and describe who opens the door in detail, also out loud. If you want, and have the time, this exercise can be extended to include an "interview" with your new character - their name, their age, their family, etc. In my adapted version, I've developed a Pinterest board specifically for doors, taking half of the work out of the exercise so you can concentrate specifically on your character. For example:
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| (c) My Marrakesh |
Part 1: This door is down a bright alley; it's a soft light pink shade, without a handle on the outside, and with a knocker at about eye-level, not too far right from a solitary keyhole. The door is also arched, featuring circular decorations lining the wall above it. A light brown stone arch overhangs the door; the arch is modeled with two columns on the side and a crest of sorts at the center on the top. Description can continue for as long as you want and can span as far wide as you want - including the area of the town or the time of day or the weather conditions or even how you came to find this door.
Part 2: In this case, there is a knocker available, so imagine you used it to knock on the door. The door is opened - who opened it? What do they look like? How old do they look? What are they wearing? What is their face doing (Were they expecting you)? Ask their name and take in some basic information. What is their name? How does their voice sound? How old do they say they are? Do they tell you their real age immediately? Is this their house? Is this a public building? If it is their house, do they live here alone? Who with? If not their house, what is this building? Why is there no knob on the outside of the door? The interview can go as long as you see fit, answering any or all questions you need answered.
The beauty of this exercise is (a) the pressure it takes off of your conscious mind to develop a character and (b) it provides a mental space for you to find your character(s) and interact with them outside of your story. Conducting mental interviews with your characters while narrating outloud might seem slightly strange but, if you really want to be a writer, you have to be okay with being strange.
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