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[UnStellar]

I definitely need to take this class.

[Queen Bright]

Are you serious? I mean because if you are... Creative Writing has teached ME a few things in characterization that I want to implement and share... Was thinking about it in class today actually... But not if you're not serious.

[UnStellar]

Totes serious. There's always room for improvement. And I feel like I've got a lot to learn to be anywhere near your guys skill level.

[Queen Bright]

Alright then. This is advanced class, so as in every class, I need to know what you know before I can teach you.
*takes out teacher pointer* So first thing is first. *writes on chalkboard* Explain to me what Characterization is and the main points of it.

[UnStellar]

Characterization is the process of creating a character. The desired effects of characterization is to create characters the reader can relate to, and enjoy reading about, and feel sorry, or happy for.

[Queen Bright]

Alright, what's a character?

[UnStellar]

A character is a fictional construct made to interact in a fictional world to drive a story, or plot.

[Queen Bright]

Incorrect!

It is that misconception that causes a person to end up like Hawkeye and see a character as nothing but a tool. A means to make your story work. But that doesn't work out, you think that way, and you'll end up with billboard characters. Characters that have no life, no personality. Or, a clone of your other characters, not diverse enough. I'm not saying you have, as your characters have been pretty diverse. But with that mindset, you can't really see what a character is.

A story is not the character, the character IS the story. Without characters we wouldn't have stories, we wouldn't have a plot, we wouldn't have conclusions. The whole meaning of a story is for the character. You may have your idea, but that's all it is till we breathe life into the world, through characterization. Then comes the plot, then comes the conclusion, THEN comes the story.

To get to the plot, you need to know your character, you need to know their every day life, their normal, their status quo. Then to get to the plot, you need to challenge that character, to bring on the inciting event, but without the character, that's impossible. We build the story or roleplay around the character, not the other way around.

So for characterization, you need to know your characters as best as you know yourself. You need to be in three places at once, be your character, walk beside your character, and at the same time see your character from the world around. When you know everything about who your character is as a person on the outside, inside, and the future to come, THEN you've reached the first check point of characterization.

So now, summarize what a character is, how you should be to your character, and then it's time to make a character. Except, unlike templates. I just want name and gender, nothing else. We're going to flesh it out, exercise by exercise.

[UnStellar]

A character is, essentially, a story. A story cannot exist with out them. They are what makes it. The plot, the climax, the conclusion, all stem from the character and what they do.

You should treat them as you see fit to drive the story, whether it's having the princess fall in love with them or destroy them.

Jared, Male

[Queen Bright]

Actually, you shouldn't treat them how you want to treat them, ALL THE TIME. It depends. In a story you're writing it all, so all your characters are you. But in RPing, and some stories, it's more real to go with how the character would go. Once you hit the point of characterization to where you know your characters so well, you become them, their personality, and you just automatically know how they would treat the situation. Doing things because it's 'interesting,' is good for the plot and such. But the characters should always stay in-character and never change due to the what happens. You must always play to their personality, not what's around them.
But... we'll get to that later.

Alright, so you have name and gender, not much is known about this character except what may be in your head. But the reader can't tell anything. Which is why you need to flesh the character out.

A name tells a lot about a character, if it's some uncommon, we can tell the character isn't going to be part of the 'norm,' in society. If it's common, we know they're one of the crowd. If it's old fashion, we know they're going to be somewhat olden-day. Foreign? Usually we know they're going to either be from that place or the author had an obsession of the place. *cough*Japan*cough* Either way, a name is a characters identity, it's the first clue a person has to the insight of the characters life.

But really, what can we gather from a name other than that? Not much, the character might be modern, but that's all assumption.
To backup assumption we need two more things, Voice and Appearance. And usually voice comes first.

Exercise: You and your character have called each other on the phone for some reason, other than this one phone call, you have never spoken to this character in your life, and the only thing you know about them from the start is their name after hello, through the conversation you start to fabricate a mental image of your character in your head. Then you bring the phone call to a meet up, in some form, you see your character for what they really look like.

Questions to Answer: Did the characters appearance match your assumptions?
Would this be someone you would want to hang out with or get to know better?
What's going on in your head about this character? (First person. No jumping into the characters head yet.)
What next?

Requirements: Reason for phone call, provide explanation for everything in this passage.
Hear your characters voice in your head while you write this. Know if their tones, if they have an accent, a lisp, a preferred type of speech, the wording they choose to use, the emotion they give when talking. Analyze all of it and include it in helping your assumption form.
See your character in your mind at the meet up, every feature about them, whether it normal and boring, exciting, or just a bit different.

[UnStellar]

Absent mindedly sitting, writing for no apparent reason, my phone begins to vibrate. I flip it open, expecting a text from a friend, and press the OK button, but when I look, I see it's a call from a number I don't recognize. I put it to my ear, hurriedly, and say,
"Hello?"
"Hey, is this Travis?"
"Yes it is."
"Hey dude, this is Jared."
The voice is a little high-pitched, but clearly male. It sounds happy, like someone whose used to laughter and jokes.
"Hi. Have we met?"
"Ha ha, no man. Sorry to call you up out of the blue, but Trevor gave me your number. He said we'd get a long."
"Oh, Trevor Brennigen? Okay."
His laugh confirmed my suspicions. It was a chuckle he used often. In my mind, I pictured him being one of those skinny jean and skate shoes, flippy blonde haired guys you see in high schools every where. But the voice was friendly, warm, sounded like someone you can trust.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch at Bajio, so we could talk. Like you and Trevor did."
I try to be friendly, but come off as a little awkward since he's kind of putting me on the spot.
"Uh, I'd like to, sure, but what about?"
"Oh you know, life, love, happiness, Japan. I dunno, Trevor just told me you were a cool dude and handed me your number.
I trust Trevor. He's an awesome guy, so I go for it.
"Yeah man, sounds great. When you thinking?"
"Today at eleven thirty."
I think about it for a second, trying to remember if I've got anything going on.
"Sure man. See ya there."
"Alright, peace dude."
"Bye."

--

I pull up to Bajio, get out of my car and walk up to the windows. They're tinted pretty well, and it's pretty dead. I walk to the door, open it, and walk inside, immediately met by a new face.
"You Travis?"
"Yeah. How's it going Jared?"
He smiles. It's a natural smile, one I find myself liking it immediately. He dresses fashionably, but not preppy. Converse Rawsons, distressed jeans, a colorful band t-shirt, and blond high lighted hair. He looks like I expect.

[Queen Bright]

Good. Although next time, try to provide more description to the characters voice, go deeper.

Now! Exercise 2.

You know your characters outer appearance, their voice, and your assumptions. But do you really know anything about this character other than your sterotyping? Not really. So now it's time to find out the status quo of your character, to delve into their life, to see the normal every day life for your character. Not past, not deeper. Just their normal every day routine, what's normal for them on a day to day basis.

Steer the conversation into that direction, find out as much as you can from your character through a normal conversation as you can, without switching to interrogation.

[UnStellar]

We ordered, and found a little two seat table by the front window.
"So Jared, where do you go to school?"
His smile faded a little, and the cheerfulness in his voice dropped a bit.
"Oh, Glacier."
From the way he acts, it seems like a subject I should just drop, but honestly curious, I delve in further.
"Don't like there?"
He leans back in his seat.
"I don't know dude. It's just... Everyday I wake up at 6 AM, way too damn early, to go to something I hate with people I can't stand, and try my hardest to get all A's. All my spare time is spent doing homework, so when I get home I usually have most of it done. But than I've got nothing to do but laze around the house. The weekends, things get better... But, dude... I just think their should be more, y'know?"
I nod in agreement, feeling his pain as I take a swig of Jarritos.

[UnStellar]

bump.