writercises | TECH: Make Your Characters Work (Reply)

Writers Digest, September 2004, page 10 has a quick tip by Erika Dreifus. Basically, Erika points out that when we are looking for telling details about a character, it can be useful to remember that everyone has to earn a living. Work situations are familiar and an important part of real life, so use them to help enrich the story with believable details. Some prompts to help you define the character:

1. Write your character's resume
2. Write your character's current job description
3. Write your character's fantasy job description -- what would they like to be doing?
4. Fill out a job application for your character
5. Describe your character through a coworker's eyes
6. describe your character's greatest professional accomplishment
7. Describe your character's greatest professional regret or failure
8. Write a scene in which your character confronts a challenge at work

Now Erika doesn't suggest these, but they are obvious twists. For one thing, give your character a yearly review. What does their boss think about their work? What about a customer or client -- what do they think about your character? How about the company or business - is it doing well, slipping, maybe about to go under?

Put your character to work - and let that work show in the story.