The Stephen King Method
Just puts two characters together and sees what happens.
However, analyse his plots and they are technically perfect.
Many writers however find that stories produced this way
lack structure.
Story comes from character anyway
We’ve already seen this partly already. Our story comes out
of the conflict amongst characters and between the main character and his / her
environment.
Know your characters well – recipe for a character
We must at the very least:
•
Know what they look like.
•
Know how their mind works.
•
Know what they like and don’t like.
•
Know how they spend their time.
•
Know how their emotions balance.
•
Appreciate their good points.
•
Forgive them their bad points.
•
Know what their main motivation is in this
story.
•
Know how they have changed by the end.
Now try this:
Take about thirty minutes to work on the questions.
Answer the following for two characters in your story. Write
in continuous prose: if you feel you need to add a little more, then do
so.
Physical
- What do they look like?
- How old are they?
- Are they very sporty?
Mental
- What are they or were they good at at school?
- What is their personality like?
- Which newspaper would they read if they were an adult in our world?
Emotional
- What do they like?
- What don’t they like?
- What are they most afraid of?
Motivation
- What is their main aim in this story?
How do they change by the end?
Now put what you have written on one side and write a short
scene between the two characters.
Get someone else to read your scene.
How well do they understand your characters? (i.e. – how
well have you written them?)
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