TECH: Nanowrimo Notes #17: Sailing, Sailing

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Sailing on the big OCEAN?

Pounding away on those nanowrimo words? Okay, this will be reasonably quick. You might want to think about your characters, right? And over in the psychology section, one of the notions is that you might use the big five personality traits as a way to look at personality. So what are these five factors?

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

OCEAN! Or if you feel so moved, you can also make canoe out of it? And just what are these odd little words?

Openness is the desire for change, for a variety of experience. "Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience" is how Wikipedia defines it.

Conscientiousness is the planning and discipline. "A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior."

Extraversion is the outgoing person. "Energy, positive emotions,surgency, and the tendency to speak stimulation and the company of others."

Agreeableness is friendliness. "A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others."

Neuroticism is emotional edginess. "A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability; sometimes called emotional instability."

There's lots more details over here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits including some specific items for each and every trait. But for right now, while madly tapdancing to the nanowrimo beat, keep it simple. How much does your character like new things? Does the character prefer planning or spontaneity? Are they outgoing, or would they prefer a quiet night by themselves? Do they want to help others or are they a bit more standoffish? And what is their emotional temper? Cool, simmering, or ready to boil over?

And if you're looking for instant complications, consider having a couple of characters with different views about one of the traits. Someone who wants to go to a new restaurant every time and the person who wants to go to Mom's Home Cooking diner every time are going to have a difference of opinion. The spontaneous dancer and the insurance salesman are likely to find some differences in how they look at the world. The handshaking goodfellow and the quiet observer, the volunteer and the cynic, the angry person and the rational thinker -- pair them up and watch them go to town. Five dimensions of conflict? One way to look at it.

Another twist might be to consider which of the factors has priority. Someone who likes to plan but also really likes new things, different experiences, may have a real internal conflict going on. What happens when anger runs into agreeableness? Or when vulnerability pairs up with outgoing habits?

Okay? Take your characters on a trip in the OCEAN. Openness -- desire for variety. Conscientiousness -- self-discipline. Extraversion -- reach out and touch someone today. Agreeableness -- can I help? And neuroticism -- the emotional pot boils over. Put them all together, and add some richness to your characters.

tink
(about 500 words)