Places to Find Inspiration for Writing Development
When character building, it becomes evident that you need various sources of inspiration to truly define the personality and outward appearance you are looking for. The development of a character is one of the most vital aspects of writing: coming up with a name, significant features, and an individual moral fiber is all a part of making your character distinguishable from the many other figures within other novels. It helps to people-watch in different local venues throughout the day; depending on the size of your city, you should be able to view many “unusual” people who can serve to be your inspiration.
Mall
The mall is a prime location for people watching, since individuals of all walks of life love to spend some time perusing in the mall. There are shops that cater to every type of person, from Hot Topic to Casual Male XL to Sephora, leaving the opportunity open for you to visibly see a multitude of different types of personalities walking throughout the corridors.
Movie Theater
Simply watching the many individuals who visit the movies on a weekend night will serve to be beneficial in determining what kind of character you want to create. The influx of couples within the theater can also serve to inspire you when creating various match-ups between your character. Even when creating a fantasy world, there needs to be some type of substance to your characters, which you need to develop even before beginning the novel. Figuring out who your characters will be and what the main conflict will be is important to determine in the beginning stages.
Park
The park is an excellent place to see different types of personalities as well: there are the families, the joggers, and the bird-watchers. Drawing on these types of individuals in a more nature-friendly setting can help you determine if your character will be outdoorsy or a more withdrawn, interior character. Simply observing many different types of people in different venues is an integral step in character development. Drawing on people around you is not the best way in which to develop characters for a novel, which is why you need to venture out of your normal group to find individuals who are unique and thereby substantial towards determining a foundation for your novel.
Once you lock down key characters, the real fun begins and you can start to flesh out your novel; without the foundation of character development your novel will not be the masterpiece you hope for which is why characters are such a significant part of writing.
This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the top rated colleges. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com
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