As you may have noticed by the pitiful progress counter posted on the side bar (sorry, alliteration's got my tongue again), I'm not making much headway with my book. Yes, I had a thrilling breakthrough and finally got that first page written. I even went on to write three more after that. I'm beyond happy to have accomplished this. But, (you knew there had to be one somewhere), I feel like I'm not quite capturing my heroine the way I want to. And part of the problem is I can't visualize her enough in my mind. I know what makes her tick, her past history, her flaws and strengths. I don't spell all of these out as I like to learn more about my characters as I go along, just like the reader does. Sometimes they surprise me in nice ways. The problem is her face isn't clear enough for me. Everything from her hair to what shoes she wears says something about her and her personality, and I've got that part down. I just can't see the rest. I remember reading about other authors who like to pick actors to base their characters on to star in these "roles". And I think this is a great idea. I've actually already picked an actor I think embodies the look and experience of my hero. I'm not merely looking for a pretty face but that special something (can I be any more vague?) that I feel captures the spirit of the character. Trouble is, I'm stalled on my heroine. So as I'm sitting here typing this, I'm also flipping through a magazine hoping "the face" will jump out at me. ::cut to about 20 minutes later:: I think I found her! She has the action going on behind the eyes that I've been looking for. I hope this works. I'm closing my eyes now and picturing her with my hero. Uh, could you maybe come back later? I think they really like each other.
So how about you? Do you know what your characters look like from the get go or do you make it up as you go along?
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4 comments:
I have the hardest time 'seeing' my main characters' faces - I think it's because I spend so much time trying to look through their eyes, not at them. So I have found it helpful to start with a picture, just for those initial description scenes, and then my mental picture evolves as I keep writing.
Glad to hear you're making progress!
Like Tessa, I can't see my characters' faces, either. I usually have a good idea about one aspect of their appearance — like their smile or their eyes, or how they dress — and it captures the core of their personality somehow. I don't need to know exactly how they look, I guess.
I do admire writers who create whole casts for their books out of actors and models. I just don't think I'm that visual of a person.
It's good to know it's not just me. With my other books, I've "felt" how my characters looked rather than "saw" their appearances in great detail. I'm hoping by trying this with the pictures they'll become even more real to me and that will transfer to the page.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how your characters take shape as you plow through the first draft. Whether you plot or pants your way through, the characters tell you so much about themselves during your most important scenes.
I like your blog!g
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