Test Drive: The Choice: 10 Steps

Last week, I talked about test driving a writing reference.  Well, I chose the reference.  It is 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters by Sue Viders, Lucynda Storey, Cher Gorman, and Becky Martinez.





(Image from: http://www.writersstore.com/product.php?products_id=3378)

I picked this book for several reasons, the first of which was to start out with something simple.  Not that building well-rounded, interesting characters is a simple project.  But the book is full of exercise and steps--a simple layout for this blog series.  Not to mention, there are articles and references available online to supplement the techniques covered in the book.  Finally, ten steps (well, twelve with intro and conclusion) means this particular Test Drive will be relatively short in comparison to some of my other choices.  Great for a maiden run.

There is another reason, a personal reason, I picked this book.  I'm not big on detailed character analysis in the prewriting stage.  Usually I sketch brief character history and relationships, physical traits, and goals, and then let the rest develop as I write.  It is worth a shot to see if I can improve my characters before the actual writing begins.  It is worth a shot, if it means one less thing to cause writer's block or necessitate extra revision at the end. 

However that brings me to an important point.  This is prewriting; you won't get an instant product out of this Test Drive.  Even so, I will continue to update you on the progress of the story line that comes from this technique.  I hope for those joining in, you'll do the same and let me know on the blog how it works out for you.